Read Online Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) by Elizabeth Hunter - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Hunter
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you, Alex. And the Quinns.”
Ted heard a hiss on the edge of the crowd, and a low growl rumbled from Alex’s throat. Caleb may have had a lot of fine qualities, but he could still be clueless about shifter politics. An open challenge like this helped no one. She, as the most dominant cat at the scene, needed to step in.
“Listen, McCann, this is far from my first murder case. Over seventy percent of murders—”
“We don’t know that it’s murder yet,” Ted said in a low voice as she approached the three men. “What are we fighting about?”
Alex’s eyes were glowing. “He asks for Josie’s number, then tells me she’ll have to answer questions about Marcus’s death.” He was spitting mad, his wolf very close to the surface. “Does she even know her husband is dead yet? Has anyone talked to Joe Quinn? Who’s driving up there? If that woman and her kids get a damn phone call—”
“She’s not gonna get a phone call!” Caleb threw his hands up and pointed at Jeremy. “You explain it. I’m done with him.”
Alex’s lip curled up. “If you pull any shit with Josie—”
“Threaten me, McCann.” Caleb took a step closer and lifted his chin. “See what happens.”
Ted’s heart warmed at Alex’s protective stance toward Marcus’s family, but the two men were seconds from blows being exchanged. And despite current appearances, she knew that Alex actually liked Caleb and would regret tearing off one of his limbs in anger.
Probably.
“Whoa, boys.” She stepped between the two, then patted Jeremy on his shoulder and gently pushed him away. The poor guy was stuck between future alpha of his pack and his boss. “Remember, no one wins when testosterone starts flying. Jeremy?”
The young deputy turned to her, an instinctive response to her more dominant animal. Sometimes, it annoyed her, but in situations like this, it was useful.
“Yeah?”
“Can you go to my Jeep and grab the bag in back? There’s a backboard there, too. We need both to get Marcus’s body back to my office.”
He glanced at Alex, who nodded briefly. Then he ran toward Ted’s green Jeep, and Ted stepped between the two glaring men.
“Alex, the Chief already talked to Old Quinn. Marcus’s sister is on the way to meet Vegas PD. She lives in Henderson, so she’s close. They’re probably already on their way to Josie’s. And Caleb, can we wait to talk about questioning people until we know for sure that this is a murder?”
“I’m done talking about any of this with him ,” Caleb bit out. “He’s not my boss or my alpha. As far as I’m concerned, he has no role in this investigation. Send your boys home, McCann. This scene is going to take hours to process, and no one gets to work until I say so.”
Alex growled low in his throat, but Caleb was already walking away.
Ted stepped in front of him, and put her hands on his shoulders. Thoughts of their fight the night before flitted through her mind, but she swept them away. Ignored the tense stares of the men around them.
Alex had lost a friend. He needed calm. He needed comfort. He needed… petting.
“Alex?”
“What?” He was still glaring at Caleb’s back, and she could see his eyes glowing gold.
Ted slipped her arms around his waist. He tensed, then wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sorry about Marcus,” she whispered.
His arms tightened, and she felt his cheek against her temple. “Ted, this is… It makes no sense.”
She stroked his back, urging him to calm with her touch. “He was a good man.”
They stood like that, lion and wolf embracing, until she could sense the tension of the crowd behind him start to dissipate. Low murmurs started as men and women got back to work. She could hear some moving toward vehicles. Hear what sounded like a foreman start to organize the ones that were left. Within a few minutes, the breeze had carried away the scent of adrenaline.
Alex didn’t let go. “What the hell happened?” he asked.
Ted heard a hiss on the edge of the crowd, and a low growl rumbled from Alex’s throat. Caleb may have had a lot of fine qualities, but he could still be clueless about shifter politics. An open challenge like this helped no one. She, as the most dominant cat at the scene, needed to step in.
“Listen, McCann, this is far from my first murder case. Over seventy percent of murders—”
“We don’t know that it’s murder yet,” Ted said in a low voice as she approached the three men. “What are we fighting about?”
Alex’s eyes were glowing. “He asks for Josie’s number, then tells me she’ll have to answer questions about Marcus’s death.” He was spitting mad, his wolf very close to the surface. “Does she even know her husband is dead yet? Has anyone talked to Joe Quinn? Who’s driving up there? If that woman and her kids get a damn phone call—”
“She’s not gonna get a phone call!” Caleb threw his hands up and pointed at Jeremy. “You explain it. I’m done with him.”
Alex’s lip curled up. “If you pull any shit with Josie—”
“Threaten me, McCann.” Caleb took a step closer and lifted his chin. “See what happens.”
Ted’s heart warmed at Alex’s protective stance toward Marcus’s family, but the two men were seconds from blows being exchanged. And despite current appearances, she knew that Alex actually liked Caleb and would regret tearing off one of his limbs in anger.
Probably.
“Whoa, boys.” She stepped between the two, then patted Jeremy on his shoulder and gently pushed him away. The poor guy was stuck between future alpha of his pack and his boss. “Remember, no one wins when testosterone starts flying. Jeremy?”
The young deputy turned to her, an instinctive response to her more dominant animal. Sometimes, it annoyed her, but in situations like this, it was useful.
“Yeah?”
“Can you go to my Jeep and grab the bag in back? There’s a backboard there, too. We need both to get Marcus’s body back to my office.”
He glanced at Alex, who nodded briefly. Then he ran toward Ted’s green Jeep, and Ted stepped between the two glaring men.
“Alex, the Chief already talked to Old Quinn. Marcus’s sister is on the way to meet Vegas PD. She lives in Henderson, so she’s close. They’re probably already on their way to Josie’s. And Caleb, can we wait to talk about questioning people until we know for sure that this is a murder?”
“I’m done talking about any of this with him ,” Caleb bit out. “He’s not my boss or my alpha. As far as I’m concerned, he has no role in this investigation. Send your boys home, McCann. This scene is going to take hours to process, and no one gets to work until I say so.”
Alex growled low in his throat, but Caleb was already walking away.
Ted stepped in front of him, and put her hands on his shoulders. Thoughts of their fight the night before flitted through her mind, but she swept them away. Ignored the tense stares of the men around them.
Alex had lost a friend. He needed calm. He needed comfort. He needed… petting.
“Alex?”
“What?” He was still glaring at Caleb’s back, and she could see his eyes glowing gold.
Ted slipped her arms around his waist. He tensed, then wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sorry about Marcus,” she whispered.
His arms tightened, and she felt his cheek against her temple. “Ted, this is… It makes no sense.”
She stroked his back, urging him to calm with her touch. “He was a good man.”
They stood like that, lion and wolf embracing, until she could sense the tension of the crowd behind him start to dissipate. Low murmurs started as men and women got back to work. She could hear some moving toward vehicles. Hear what sounded like a foreman start to organize the ones that were left. Within a few minutes, the breeze had carried away the scent of adrenaline.
Alex didn’t let go. “What the hell happened?” he asked.
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