If Zach’s body wasn’t going crazy with need right now, he might consider asking her to leave. He wouldn’t though, but he thought about it. “Why can’t you say? Look, if you’re afraid of someone, we can help. Hell, I just spent two weeks hiding at the house of my twin sister’s mates, Alex and Liam. Who are they, you might ask? Only the best werewolf fighting team around. They have been teaching as many of us Grangers as they can to fight in case the vigilantes who attacked me come back.”
“Did you say the Grangers?”
Her interest in his family intrigued him. “Yes. I’m Zach Granger.”
Her mouth was slightly open, and then her eyes widened. She looked over at Mike. “What’s your last name?”
“Halperin, why?”
“I can’t believe it. Do you know Mindy Everwood?”
Mike glanced to the side. “Not that I recall. Is she from here?”
Cassidy’s shoulders deflated. “No. She’s from Wyoming, but she was on a wilderness hike that you led last summer.”
“Mindy! Yes. Gorgeous green eyes, long blonde hair, but short. Really short.”
Cassidy laughed, and Zach nearly shifted. The joy altered something inside him.
“Yes, that’s her. She’s a smidgen over five feet, but to you, she’d be really short. Mindy is my best friend. I don’t know how I get all the short girls for friends.”
“What did she tell you about me?” Mike asked.
“That I could trust you and the Grangers.”
“Mindy was right. The Grangers are solid people. How is she doing these days?” Mike asked.
Cassidy’s good mood evaporated faster than water on a hot pavement. “I heard she’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, no. What happened?” Mike asked.
“I’m not sure. When I was on my way here to find you, I read in a newspaper that she’d been attacked. The details were sketchy.”
Mike planted a hand on his chest. “You were looking for me?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Yes. You see I was frantic to get away from this man, Doug, and Mindy said that I could trust you.”
“I’m honored.”
Cassidy turned to Zach. “She also said that the Grangers were upstanding people and that I should seek them out.”
Zach couldn’t believe his luck. The woman he believed to be his mate wanted to meet him. “What can we do to help?”
“No one can do anything. I just need to lie low for a while.”
Once more, she avoided telling them details. “Did Doug harm you? Is that why you ran away?”
“No, but men like Doug don’t like to be told no.”
“Is he a werewolf?” Mike asked.
“Yes, but he’s never alone. Doug belongs to a large clan. In fact, his father is the Alpha.”
Well, that sucked, but it never stopped his family. “We’ve gone against large clans before. How many wolves are we talking about here?” Zach asked.
“Doug’s inner circle consists of maybe twenty wolves. He may not be the Alpha, but he is powerful in his own right. He would make sure he won any fight he engaged in.”
“Twenty is a big number. Is he wanting you to date him or what?” Zach asked.