She stirred, reminding him he was with her now. She reached for his arm and tugged it against her chest, nestling against him even more. If he died right now, he’d die a lucky man, a happy man, and that thought carried him back to sleep.
When he woke with a start for the second time, it had nothing to do with the weather.
And everything to do with the lack of body warmth pressed against him.
Tess was gone.
Rays of early morning sunshine penetrated the tinted window. He jumped to his feet and looked around for any sign of her. His clothes sat in a neat pile on the office chair—not where he’d left them—and a sniff told him coffee, strong and caffeinated, percolated in the tiny office kitchen. Maybe she’d decided to play happy morning after, doing domestic by folding clothes and making coffee.
Yeah, right. When hell froze over.
He caught the time and almost choked on his own tongue. Eight o’clock. Holy shit. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept until eight. That meant it wasn’t Tess outside his office door, but Gavin. Or maybe Tess and Gavin. Great.
He dressed quickly and headed out of his office. If he found the twosome bonding over a cup of coffee he wouldn’t complain. He’d rather that than discover she’d actually left without a word.
The door to Gavin’s office stood open and the inside empty. Passing the conference room, he poked his head inside and found it also bare. That left the reception area. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room. Gavin sat comfortably on the couch reading the newspaper.
No Tess.
His heart fell into his gut with the weight of a bowling ball, leaving a gaping hole where the damn thing used to beat. His mind whirled with reasons why—and why not—this made sense. If he could kick his own ass he would. He hated that he’d slept through her fucking escape. How had she gotten away without him knowing it?
She’s an eliminator, that’s how.
“Morning,” Gavin said, sounding so goddamn cheerful Hugh wanted to punch him.
“Yeah.” He took quick inventory of the area. No purse, no scent, no carbon footprint, no couch pillow out of place. She’d successfully eliminated any trace she’d been there at all, and from the looks of things, had been gone for some time.
For Tess, a head start like that was equivalent to ten shots under par. It would be close to impossible to catch up. If he even knew where to begin.
“Rough night?”
“No.” He moved to the kitchenette to pour himself some coffee.
“I didn’t see any log to say you’d made it to San Diego last night. You guys leaving this morning?” Gavin folded the paper and put it to the side.
“Doesn’t look like it.” He took the chair next to the couch, careful to avoid Gavin’s curious eye.
Was this it? Was last night the last he’d see of her? A sharp pain lanced the side of his head. He knew, knew with every animal instinct he possessed, that what had happened between them last night and the days leading up to it were out of the realm of ordinary. A connection that defied the odds existed between them.
Her reasons for leaving could be many. She might be heading to San Diego on her own to locate Dobson. She had, after all, fulfilled her end of the bargain and helped him find Trey. He knew she’d gotten enough information, enough help from him, to take her in the direction she needed to go. And now she wanted to do it on her own.
Or did she go back to P.I.E. to report on her progress and plan her strategy for eliminating him?
Or…
He took another deep breath.
Or maybe she’d run away because she was scared. Afraid of her feelings for him. Afraid that she wouldn’t be able to do what the job required.
From their conversations concerning her work, he gathered her boss, Christian, was a real SOB. From what he’d heard about P.I.E. before he’d ever met Tess, he knew the organization ran with precision and no room for mistakes. She’d said Christian had told her this was her last chance. Would he really kill her if she failed?
In his peripheral vision, he saw Gavin’s mouth moving, but he couldn’t shake thoughts of Tess to comprehend the words. If it came down to her killing him, which he suspected it would, he’d not flinch at letting her succeed.
But what if he could save her? What if he could take her out of P.I.E. and give her a new life? He’d fought the idea of mating with everything he had, but as sure as the moon rose, he wanted to spend every day with her.
Every. Day.
Until his last one.
A swift kick to his knee brought him out of his revelry.
“Yo, dude. Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“No. And don’t fucking kick me again.”
Gavin scooted back on the couch. “Aren’t we the happy camper? I mean you’re usually unpleasant in the morning but today you’re not pulling out any stops. I guess things didn’t end the way you wanted them to with Tess.”
The way “Tess” rolled off Gavin’s tongue—like he knew her and liked her—riled him. He knew it was irrational. Gavin was a smooth talker. A natural people person. That was why he handled most of the charter services. And that was why he ground his teeth together and reined in his anger. It wasn’t Gavin’s fault Tess had left without a goodbye.
“You could say that.” He took a gulp of coffee.
Gavin picked up another section of newspaper. “Go get her then.”
“What?” Hugh put his cup down. It tasted like shit this morning.
“I said go get her. It’s obvious she means a lot to you.”
“How the hell would you know that?”
“Because you’re barking like a dog, look like you got maybe four hours sleep, and in the five years I’ve known you, I don’t think you’ve been on more than three dates. This girl, from the way you were looking at her last night, you want to have more than dates with.”
The distance he always kept with Gavin shrank. His body relaxed some. The muscles clenched with agitation mellowed. His partner had pegged him to a T. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, Gavin knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. “Maybe you’re right.”
He should fly to San Diego and help Tess, no matter her thoughts on the topic. If Dobson was a wolfen and involved with the Wolf Seekers, it was important he get to the bottom of things.
Wait a minute. Tess’s disappearance had mottled his brain. There was no should. He needed to get to Dobson. Hugh was positive everything was tied together somehow. And he needed to find out why for the safety of his pack.
“I’m rarely wrong.” Only Gavin could sound conceited and endearing at the same time.
Rising to his feet, Hugh felt better about the situation, felt his head clear. “Gavin, you’re a genius.”
“It’s a curse I live with 24/7.”
“I’m going to take the—” The ringing of the telephone cut him off. He got up and grabbed it off the reception desk. “Langston Aviation.”
He fisted his free hand at hearing the voice on the other end. “Hugh, it’s Lieutenant Andrews.”
“Lieutenant, how are you?” He knew the answer to the question. The police didn’t call just to say hello.
“I could be better. We need you. A rock climber set out yesterday afternoon and hasn’t been heard from since. His mother phoned us this morning when she discovered he hadn’t come home. He’s somewhere in the Angeles National Forest.”
“Somewhere?” Hugh moved around the desk and sat. He opened a side drawer and pulled out the Angeles National Forest map.
“The boy’s mom has no idea where he went. She did say he always carries a cell phone, but so far we’ve had no luck.”
“How old?”
“Nineteen. A student at Loyola. You got the time this morning?”