Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I could practically hear Boone’s grin through the phone. “You claimed her! That’s fucking awesome.” I heard Summer’s voice, and Boone spoke to her. “Yeah, he claimed his mate.” To me, he said, “So, what now? Can you convince her to move here? Or are you going to figure out how to be a city wolf?”
I laughed softly. It felt good talking to him without any kind of danger looming. Or dead bodies at my feet. “I’m hoping to convince her to move in with me. We’re driving back today. She’s packing a bag right now, and we’ll see how things go.”
“Well, hot damn. We can’t wait to meet her.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her, either. She’s incredible.” I couldn’t help but grin. In fact, it hadn’t slipped since she said she’d go with me.
“Tell him to send a pic!” Summer called out.
A picture. Damn, I wished I had one.
“I don’t have any, but I’ll get one after I pick her up. She’s Korean. Long black hair and a smile that melts your soul. She’s absolutely stunning.”
Boone’s chuckle sounded indulgent. “I’m sure she is. We’ll host a barbecue, so the whole pack can meet her. I’m sure the other human females will be able to help her adjust.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Relief over a tension I didn’t realize I was holding trickled in at that idea. Summer and the other human females would make Brooke comfortable about the whole mated-to-a-shifter-thing.
Fuck, I hoped she would stay in Montana.
But if not, I’d move to Denver. We’d figure it out. With Lazano out of the fucking picture, we had all the time in the world. Fucking forever.
“All right, well, let me know when you get home,” he replied. “I’ll give Ace the good news.”
“Great. Thanks, Boone. See ya soon.” I ended the call as I pulled up in front of Brooke’s house, parking at the curb.
I turned off the engine and grabbed the keys. I climbed out and shut the door. I was oddly nervous. Meeting with Casey was no big deal. I had fought in foreign wars. Could tear men apart with my bare hands. I could handle small talk with my mate’s best friend.
Brooke opened the door, and I smiled. Fuck, I loved her.
My wolf was relieved to see her, and something in me soothed.
She stopped on her porch and folded her arms across her chest. The slender blonde who must be Casey came outside to stand beside her.
I froze. Fuck. What was this? Suddenly the soothing feeling was gone.
“Hey. You must be–” I started to introduce myself to Casey when Brooke uttered the words that shattered my happy bubble.
“Roy, I’m not going to Montana or anywhere else with you.”
30
BROOKE
* * *
Roy stopped on my sidewalk. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Then he shut it, and clenched his jaw.
I tried to suck in enough breath to have this conversation with him. I can’t believe I almost went off with someone who might be unstable. Maybe I was crazy because my mom would probably be proud of what I’d almost done.
“Why, sugar?” Roy said carefully, glancing between me and Casey.
“You’ve killed before.” I tipped my chin up. Now was not the time to start crying, but it was really hard not to.
God, I’d been so stupid. I should’ve run fast and far the moment I realized he’d killed those guys in the parking garage.
Oh wait. I had.
But then he’d shown up here at my house–that was another flag that had been beyond red–and I’d ignored every one of them along the way because he’d saved my life.
I’d been in fight or flight mode with a drug dealer trying to kill me, so I’d selectively omitted the part about Roy also being a killer and latched onto him. He’d been the safer of the two options. He wanted to screw me–not kill me. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn violent in the future the moment things didn’t go right with us.
He didn’t look surprised that I’d found out. In fact, all he did was nod. “Yeah. More than once. I killed for my country. I killed as a soldier.”
“Did you also kill your commanding officer?” Casey asked. “It seemed pretty well covered up, but I have a friend with security clearance. She did a background check on you.”
Roy scrubbed a hand across his face. “Yeah. It’s true. Do you…do you want to hear what happened?”
My head wobbled on a nod.
He tucked his hands in his pockets, as if he did it to keep himself from reaching for me. “There were these deaths on my last tour. Local Afghani women. They were raped and tortured.”
I blinked.
“W-what?” I asked, stunned. “He–”
“I had my suspicions,” Roy replied, with a nod. “I have a nose for shit that doesn’t smell right. I thought my commanding officer was responsible. So I followed him one night. I found him torturing a woman and–well, you don’t need to know that part. I guess I…shoulda brought him in, but I stopped him, and then we fought, and I, uh…well, I killed him.”