18. Devilish Smile

18

Devilish Smile

" I 'm sorry, Granny. I promise my phone just came back to life." I rest my elbow against my car door as I stare outside my window, looking at the log cabin coffee shop Cameron insisted we meet at. Technically, I could have called Granny after plugging my phone in and before wandering around the park, but I needed to clear my head first.

"I promise I'm fine. I told you, I got stuck at Jack's house when the storm blew through, and the power went out, so I couldn't call."

Granny clucks her disapproving worries in my ear, and I hold the phone away, rolling my eyes.

"I know, I know. I love you. I'll be home in a few hours, and we can talk more. Okay, love you, bu-bye."

She's still grumbling as I hang up.

I sigh, feeling shitty. Of course, Granny's worried about me. I'm here to investigate mysterious attacks and then go radio silence for over twenty-four hours. If I were my granddaughter, I'd be notifying the FBI, but Granny isn't a normal Granny. Well, that may or may not be true. I can't help the sliver of doubt nagging at the back of my head that Jack has gone completely nuts and made up an entire werewolf tale to get in my pants. Yeah, that would be a weird plan, but hey, it kind of worked.

Cameron has to know more than he's letting on. If just one more person can confirm what he's saying, maybe I'll completely believe it and discover my past.

Before I leave my car and head inside, I pull up my email on my phone and type a message to Angela, letting her know there's a family emergency that I'll be handling for the next few weeks. After our last phone call, it didn't sound like taking time off would be an issue. Normally, I'd put everything aside to focus on my work, but this is too big, and I know it will take a while to sort through. Even if Jack is crazy, I still need some time to figure shit out .

I sigh before opening my door and exiting my car to head inside.

Walking through the doorway, I immediately catch Cameron sitting at the booth near the back. He waves at me, a steaming cup of coffee cupped in one hand and a matching one across from him.

He exits the booth as I approach, a smile etched on his perfect face. "I was starting to worry that you swerved off the road from a brain injury."

"What?" I give him a disgusted look before sliding into the booth.

His smile fades, and he sits across from me, wrapping his large hands around the white mug. "Remember the soccer ball that just hit your head? Are you sure you're okay?"

As soon as he mentions it, the throb returns slightly. "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. It's been a day already, and I had to call my Granny and message my work."

He nods. "You mentioned you've been having some rough days." He looks down at the coffee in front of me. "I got you a black coffee, but we can get some cream and sugar if you want." His eyes search the diner as if looking for a waitress to summon.

"No, it's fine. Black is great." I bring the coffee to my lips, taking a tiny sip. Well, shit. He was right. This coffee is good. I don't feel like paying him the compliment for his suggestion, though. I'd rather get to the point .

"So," he says before I can get out my first question. "What did you want to meet with me about?"

I arch my neck back in confusion. "Meet with you? You invited me to coffee." How could he possibly know that I had ulterior motives for meeting him?

He sighs and shakes his head. "Remember when we met? Before you left, you said you wanted to meet with me again. Shit, Red, are you usually like this, or did Ben really knock all the memories out of you?"

Our last conversation materializes in my memories. It seems like ages ago, but it was only two days prior. So much has happened since he caught me in the woods and brought me back to his creepy cabin.

"No, I'm not usually like this, but as I said before, it's been a rough few days. I don't remember every conversation I have with a stranger."

Cameron makes a forced laugh and pushes himself back. "And I thought I just caught you at a bad time the other day. You really are a pain in the ass all the time."

"Excuse me, I am not a pain in the ass. You were the one who was rude to me, took me back to your torture dungeon, and then assaulted me in the park."

He leans forward. "Assaulted you? It wasn't… You know what, never mind. Are we done here?" He pushes himself back as if to exit the booth .

"Wait, no." I breathe out, my temper settling. Maybe I am coming on a little hot and heavy. "I do need to talk to you."

He shakes his head, an uncomfortable smirk marked across his lips. "And why should I talk to you when it's obvious all we do is argue?"

"Because I know you know more about the attacks, and I'm not giving up until I figure out what the hell is happening in this town."

I can tell he's trying to mask his expression, but I catch a bit of color drain from his skin. "Why are you so obsessed with those attacks?"

"Well, besides it being my job to investigate them, they've recently become a bit more personal."

He studies me. "What do you mean?"

I sigh. "It's hard to explain without sounding crazy."

"Try me." He leans forward, his dark gaze catching mine, sucking me into him.

I lean closer to him. Despite the magnetic pull, I don't want the sparse patrons of this coffee shop to hear me. "Do you know anything about werewolves?"

Surprise flashes through his eyes for just a moment before he pushes himself against the booth and laughs. "What kind of reporter are you, Red? "

I cross my arms. Sure, what I'm saying is crazy, but I'm picking up on his body language a little too well. He knows something. "Okay, then, how do you know Jack?"

A vein bulges at the side of his neck even as he steals his expression. "Family friend."

"Are you sure about that?"

He studies me before speaking again. "He's your boyfriend. Why didn't you ask him how we know each other?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

He scoffs. "Trust me, I know, but that's not what you said before he picked you up." He leans back and takes a sip of his coffee.

"I just said that because I thought you were going to lock me in those chains and murder me."

He laughs, and a devilish smile creeps across his face. "I told you those are for injured animals."

"Yeah, and I don't believe it for a second."

He shrugs. "Believe what you want."

"And to answer your question, Jack told me everything. He told me his real job and what roams in the woods you protect." He didn't tell me how he knows Cameron, but if what he says is true, maybe he's also a Werewolf Hunter. At least, it would explain the chains.

Cameron's calm demeanor snaps, and he grabs my forearm. "He's an idiot, and this is not the place to discuss it. "

I hit a nerve without even saying much. My heart beats faster as I notice Cameron's strong hold on me, static electricity zapping me at the place of contact. I pull away, and his eyes clear. He lessens his grip, shaking his head slightly. He exhales. "I'm sorry, but if you really want to talk about this, we need somewhere private."

He gets up and throws a few dollars on the table. "Follow me back to my place."

Before I have time to respond, he's walking out the entrance.

I scramble after him. As much as I don't want to follow the asshole back to his house, I don't have a choice. He knows what's going on, and he's willing to tell me the truth.