CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Tawny was talkingto the animals to provide some companionship for them when her cell rang. It was Mason. “Hey.”
“Can you come over to the office?”
“Why?” She didn’t want to ask too many questions for fear the bug would pick up her conversation.
“It’s about Mom’s present. The one we picked out isn't in stock any more. We’ll have to choose something else, and we don’t have much time.”
She hoped if anyone was listening that they didn’t look up their mother’s real birthday. “That sucks. So sure. Give me a few minutes to tie up some loose ends, and I’ll be right over.”
“Great. See you then.”
Brett came over. “Is everything okay?”
He had been such a dear, taking his bodyguard duty quite seriously. “It was just Mason. I’m heading over to his office to discuss a gift for my mom.”
His shoulders relaxed. “I’ll keep watch here.”
“I appreciate it. You haven’t mentioned to anyone about me having a possible stalker, have you?”
His mouth slightly open. “No. Never.”
Tawny gave him a quick hug. “Thanks. I shouldn’t be gone long.”
“Let me walk you out.”
“Thanks.” She had kept a very professional relationship with Brett and hoped he wasn’t misconstruing her actions as ones of affection, especially now that she'd told him Alex was her boyfriend.
Brett was thirty, a bit overweight for a werewolf, and lacked ambition. While he wasn’t bad looking, he definitely wasn’t her mate—Alex and Liam were.
Once in the car, Tawny was more vigilant than usual. From her brother’s tone, he was worried about something. Speculating would cause her to lose focus, so she turned on her favorite radio station and blasted it, hoping it would distract her.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long to reach town. She parked in back of his office, looked around when she exited her car, and stepped into an empty office—empty that is except for her brother.
“What’s up?” she asked.
Mason pressed his lips together. “Hear me out. It might be something, or it could be nothing.”
“Oh, that's clear. Or not.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Come into the office so you can hear the recording for yourself.”
“Who’s it between?”
“Brad and his sister, Julia.”
Damn. Tawny found it difficult to believe that Julia would be guilty of anything, but Tawny had misjudged people before. “What did she say?”
“Sit down, and I’ll play it for you.”
The call lasted about two minutes but didn’t sound incriminating. “What bothered you about it? Brad hurt his leg skiing, and Julia said he should wait a few days before seeking treatment. They might not have insurance yet in Montana. You heard her say the pain was sure to go away.”
“You don’t find it odd that she’d tell her brother what to do and what not to do?”
Thankfully, he didn’t point a finger at her. Tawny was rather persistent growing up. “Kind of.”
“I know our kind don’t go to hospitals because we don’t want the doctors to find out that werewolves exist, but what’s Brad’s excuse? And don’t say insurance. The local clinic doesn’t cost that much.”