Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
I saw a shadow box apothecary decoration in Erica’s van and though she told me it was a gag gift, on one of the jars it said love potion number ninety-six. I figure it’s a lot safer to use a pheromone perfume than to have a witch cast a spell, particularly since Erica can’t use her magic and would likely refuse anyway.
Of course I want Jason Creed to want me because he really wants me, not because of a fake spell, but I couldn’t resist buying the perfume just as a little experiment to see if it catches his attention at all. To see if he even realizes I’m an adult female. Because he doesn’t act like it.
As I’m pulling into my driveway back at home with Stacy’s battered suitcase and the bag of gifts, I send my brother a text message.
Need me soon or ???
He messages back.
20 minutes?
I send a thumbs up.
I leave Stacy’s suitcase in my car, zip up to my bedroom, flinging my closet doors open to grab extra clothes for her. After I have about a dozen outfits on the bed, I pack them up and hit Mom and Dad’s liquor cabinet on the way out.
***
“Later,” Grey says and ruffles my hair on his way out the door.
The way he is with her is really, really sweet. And I’d have expected nothing less from my brother.
She’s timid. Nervous. She’s definitely grappling with some stuff. Grey is perfect for her.
“Be right back,” I tell her and follow my brother out.
He looks over his shoulder curiously at me.
“Talk to you for a minute?” I ask.
We get to my car and I open the back door. “Her stuff from the HoJo.”
He gives me a look, the look he gives me when I’m sticking my nose into someone else’s business. Which is kind of often.
“I’m friendly with one of the maids there. She said her room was paid up until yesterday so by tonight they’d have moved her belongings out into a storage area. She quit her job at the diner for a family emergency. I scented three shifter scents beyond your mate’s on those things. Not fresh, but also not all that old. One of the scents matches the guy in the freezer. Nadia said someone was banging on the door yesterday.”
“Fuck, Bailey,” he clips. “You realize what coulda happened, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“If any of them were hangin’ around there they’d have caught your scent, known you’re one of us and took you.”
“Oh,” I whisper. “I was careful.” I point to my nose. “I didn’t catch any scents there before I approached Nadia.”
He rolls his eyes and asks, “Anything else of interest?”
I shake my head. “She didn’t have much there at all. There’s a bunch of wrapped gifts with names on them that were hidden. I put them into the suitcase. I also found seventy bucks hidden under the mattress, wrapped between two bags of catnip. The whole suitcase had catnip dustings in it.”
I found out catnip helps hide scents from shifters from Tyson. Ty told us he ate it daily for years whenever he was within thirty minutes of Arcana Falls or Drowsy Hollow.
Grey says, “I’ll go through everything when I get back. Leave it here. But do not go maverick on this shit, Bailey. If your help is needed, we’ll ask for it. Yeah? Which room at the HoJo?”
I look away and roll my eyes. “Four.”
Jason Creed strolls up on foot looking and smelling as incredible as he always does.
“Grey. Squirt.”
I shoot him an evil eye for the nickname, but I don’t really mean it and he knows it. He snickers, flashing his dimples which makes me weak in the knees (as always) before his attention turns to my brother. “Anything I need to know before you go?”
Grey raises his finger to Jase and levels me with a serious look.
“Tell me you hear me, Bailey. My mate’s former pack alpha, her brother, is probably still out there plotting to take over, to take the council members out and kidnap Erica. Don’t fuck around.”
“What’d she do now?” Jason asks, looking tweaked.
Now?
“One sec, bro,” Grey says and looks me in the eyes. “Tell me you get me, baby sister.”
“Okay, okay.” I wave my hands in assent.
“Talk later, Bail. Thanks for comin’ over. Jase’ll hang and make sure all’s well until I get back.” He jerks his chin toward the door, giving me a meaningful look that means scram.
He already texted me saying she needs a friend, that she’s filled with guilt and that her former pack did damage to her self-esteem, doesn’t value and respect women. He said she’s feeling guilty about shooting Tyson, about poisoning some of our alphas. That she was forced to do these things. I assured him I’d help. And I will.
I grab the three-quarters full trash bag of clothes I threw together and go inside with my big tote bag slung over my shoulder.