12. Nate

Chapter 12

Nate

Being hidden away in the mountains was more relaxing than it should've been. My bear loved being able to shift, and my human side loved having not just one but two alphas taking care of me at every turn. The connection between the three of us grew with each day. If someone told me we could stay here like this forever, I'd have jumped at the opportunity, but life didn't work that way, as nice as it would've been.

I should've also been more worried about my predicament, but being out there in the mountains with my men felt like a romantic getaway. And more than that, it felt safe. The rest of the world might be a cold and cruel place, but this was a slice of heaven thanks to my two men and our beautiful surroundings.

I was on top of the world. At least until Trig came back from town on Tuesday afternoon with news from his detective friend.

News none of us wanted to hear.

Garin crossed his arms over his chest as he paced the small cabin. "I can feel your tension, Trig. Just tell us."

Trig chugged a bottle of water, clearly stalling as he found the words to say what he needed to say. "Okay, Aaron said there were two other witnesses."

"I hadn't realized that. On the news, it sounded like only one."

Garin continued to pace.

I hated that I was the cause of his anxiety. "Where were they? I don't remember seeing anyone." But then again, it was an alley that could be reached from two different roads, and my goal had been to get out of there, not observe who else might be around.

"Sounds like they were from the laundromat next to the pizza place Nate went to, and they were found dead last night."

That was how much I paid attention. I didn't even remember the laundromat, and I'd been to that pizza place before. I needed to make a habit of being more aware of my surroundings. Sure, I could take care of myself in most circumstances, but this wasn't one of those. Had I been a tad louder or a few seconds earlier, one of those bullets might've been mine.

My jaw dropped as that reality settled in.

Trig sat next to me on the bed, and Garin immediately flanked my other side, each of them boxing me in with their strong and secure presence.

"Guess it wasn't an accident." Garin's wolf was not taking the news well.

"No, not an accident, and they were left out in plain sight. They wanted them to be found. Part of it was getting rid of the witnesses, but he said the information they had was basically useless. They heard shots. That's it. They saw nothing. The knowledge they had would do neither side a stitch of good."

Garin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which means this was a warning?"

"That's the current theory."

"What does that mean for me? For us?" We'd been staying there, playing house. But now it was clear that my paranoia over them coming after me wasn't paranoia at all. They were, and we were sitting ducks. Sure, they could probably find out I hired Shifter For Hire easily enough, but then they'd also see that I canceled it. Maybe that was enough?

Trig pressed against my side, providing comfort by just touching me. "The authorities are looking for you. They're worried you might be a third victim. For now, there's no one connecting Garin to you, but that could change once they realize Garin isn't at home or working remotely right now."

"Fuck, I should log in." Garin blew out a long breath. "Tell a few people I've been feeling sick, but I'll get back online as soon as the fever goes down. Some bullshit to keep them quiet."

Trig nodded as he seemed to contemplate his own situation. "Me too. I told them I'd be gone a few days, so I don't think anybody's concerned yet, but maybe you and I should come up with some sort of contagious disease that will keep people from stopping by with chicken soup."

He shrugged. "Chickenpox?"

I cringed, remembering when Justice and I had it as kids. "Oh yeah. Nobody wants to get that shit as an adult. That should keep people away for at least another week or so… Or measles. That was in the news lately, and even if they somehow knew we had chickenpox from a story we told one time, they won't think we had measles. Right?"

"Done. I'll send a text in a little while to buy us a few more days."

I tapped my chin with a deep furrow of my brows. "Should we just head back home? I can turn myself in to the police so they know I'm fine."

"No." Garin and Trig spoke at the same time.

Trig reached for one of my hands.

Garin took my other hand and pressed a kiss to my mark. "Right here, we know you're safe. Anywhere else, it's hard to tell who we can trust."

I nodded, and my eyes drifted shut as Trig kissed the other side of my neck. "He's right, little one. I know we can trust Aaron, but I don't want to put him in danger when we've got a perfectly safe spot right here."

"Okay." I looked at each man in turn, making sure they knew I was sincere. "I trust you both."

"It sounds like they've got video footage from some car cameras that were running, so they know who did it. Once these guys are found, you'll be safe to go home. We just have to give it a little bit more time." Trig lifted me onto his lap, and Garin scooted in closer, hugging us both.

A smile broke out across my face. "That sounds good to me."