"He was killed in a rock slide. Apparently, he must have left your great-grandmother, returned to Colorado, but then rejoined my great-grandfather in California. Three of them died. My great-grandfather, Seth, and my father's twin brother. A fourth man, Caleb McKnight, was the only one who survived."
"The one in the news clippings."
"Right. Did your grandmother have any special abilities?"
"Like you do? Everyone used to tease her that there was no sneaking around Grandmother because she heard everything. She knew things, too. Like when the weather was changing. She explained it was due to her arthritis. As for her sense of smell? She definitely smelled things more acutely than we did. She seemed to always sense people's emotions also, whether they were scared or angry, even when they were hiding their feelings."
"She could smell their fear."
"Yeah, although I thought it was because she was super-observant."
"What about the gold?"
Tessa frowned at him. "There is no gold on the property."
"Seth told my father he'd stockpiled it somewhere in Oregon for people who needed it more than he did. Never in a million years would we have thought Seth had a child by a human. Did you ever find a marriage certificate?"
"No. Lots of records are pretty difficult to locate. No birth record for my grandmother either."
"Apparently in rare cases a human can conceive a child with a lupus garou. But in all the years I've lived, I've never met anyone like that, and Leidolf had only met one during his lifetime."
But what if her line had an affinity for getting pregnant by a lupus garou?
Hunter must have realized what she was thinking because he smiled at her and patted her leg. "Seth must not have changed your great-grandmother and that's why she died of a fever. Maybe she didn't want to be changed, or maybe he couldn't do it. But you're already one of us, and the babies you have will fully be lupus garous."
She'd never thought about that. How was she to deal with being a lupus garou and raising offspring like that when she was totally clueless about herself still? Tessa sighed.
Hunter slowed down as wrecking crews waved them past a rock slide. Tessa glanced back to see if the red Escort was behind them.
"Heavy traffic. About five vehicles slipped in between us, but I've given my pack directions if we get separated." He pulled back into their lane past the rock slide. "So what else do we know about Bethany's murder? How come the sheriff found her? Was there a 911 call made?"
"Bethany had made a call to the sheriff, stating that Michael had become violent and she was worried he might return. She said she was taking a walk along the trail by the cliff. The sheriff stopped by to check on her, but when he couldn't find her at the house, he went down the trail and discovered her body at the bottom of the cliff."
"Phone records verified the call was made?"
"Yes."
"What if Ashton had made the call from Bethany's house, told his father he'd killed her by accident, and his father covered up for him?"
"Truthfully, I don't think Ashton killed her." Tessa rubbed her clammy hands on her jeans. "Gut instinct.
I think he really cared for her and if he murdered her in a fit of passion, I don't think he'd let Michael go to prison for it."
"Yet, he let him take the rap for minor crimes he was responsible for. On the other hand, what if your brother really did it?"
Tessa glowered at Hunter.
"What if he did? We can't discount that he might be guilty."
"He isn't! What if it's one of your kind?" Tessa choked on the thought. "You... you couldn't have a lupus garou convicted, could you? Once the moon appeared, he'd change and you can't have one incarcerated, can you?" Hell, even Ashton was one now.
"If we find one of them is guilty, we'll figure out a way."
She'd figure out a way. If she could just turn into a wolf and bite her brother in prison, the judge would have to have him released.
When they finally reached Hunter's house, Tessa figured someone would greet them, but nobody did and her heart began to race.
"Stay in the Humvee. Do not leave until I say so," Hunter ordered, his face dark and threatening.
Before she could respond, he slammed the door shut and strode to the front porch, then disappeared inside. She concentrated on the front door standing wide open and wanted to join him rather than worry about what was happening.
And then his face stormy, he stalked out to the Humvee and jumped in. "Jessup and his pack have taken them."
She hoped Hunter couldn't smell her fear, but she couldn't hide how she was feeling.
"We're to meet them at that burned out pine tree. I'm to hand you over to Yoloff and they'll release my sister and the rest."
Tessa looked behind them, but still didn't see any sign of the Escort.
"I left directions." Hunter pulled out of the drive and headed south on the coastal road.
"You can't face all five of them, Hunter. We should wait."
"They want us alone. I'll do what I can."
Stubborn damn alpha male. He was going to get himself killed and then where would she be? Just when she'd found the man she wanted to love forever. And what about Michael also?
Her skin crawling with anxiety, she looked into the backseat. No weapons. "What about the rifles at the house?"
"They must have taken them. None were there."
The closer they got to where the pine tree was, the more Tessa felt she could lose Hunter for good. She looked into the backseat again. Nothing. Leidolf was a neat freak. Not even a hint of dust. But what about the trunk? A tire iron?
"No matter what, you're staying in the vehicle. If they get the best of me, you leave."
"But your sister, and the others?"
"They won't harm them until they're assured they have you. You return to my place, gather the forces, call Leidolf. Hell, have him notify Devlyn of the problem. These guys won't be able to handle all that heat."
"But you can't charge in there and kill them all. Why can't you wait for the others?" She studied the tension in his face and frowned. "You don't think Jessup and the others will wait, do you? You think they'll kill some of them. Rourke and Ashton."
"I would have left you at my place, but I was afraid that they'd be watching and take you. So do as I say, Tessa. You're no match for any of them without having a gun."
They drove the rest of the way in silence and when they reached the designated place, Tessa couldn't stop shivering. She wasn't being an alpha, but she couldn't change into a wolf, which even if she could probably wouldn't have helped much against them. And without a gun, she was totally defenseless and useless.
Hunter pulled up and stopped. Yoloff and his brother stood as wolves near the burned up pine, watching them, waiting. Jessup stood farther away as a human, unable to shapeshift. He didn't have a weapon that she could see. Where were Redmond and Butch? Probably guarding Meara and the others somewhere else.
Hunter squeezed Tessa's hand. "Stay."
"Who are you targeting first? Jessup? He's their leader. If you take him out, maybe the others will tuck tail and run."
"Yoloff and his brother. They're the most dangerous in their wolf forms." Hunter opened the door. "Lock it after me."
Tessa climbed into the driver's seat and locked the door. Jessup motioned to her to come out of the vehicle, but she ignored him and watched Hunter strip off his clothes, sure of himself, muscular, ready.
Even though Yoloff and his brother stood their ground, she thought they looked a little nervous, their ears flattening and their tails drooping slightly. Hunter didn't take his eyes off Yoloff the whole time while he removed his clothes. Yoloff would die. She knew Hunter wouldn't allow him to live this time. Maybe his brother, too. But she was certain Jessup didn't intend to let Hunter rip him to shreds, if Hunter managed to best the brothers.