Brock's Punishment(7)
“Yes, sir.” Ranger saluted from the other side of the glass.
Chapter 4
With his bag in hand, Shaw walked up the stairs leading to the private plane. Ranger followed him, but hadn’t spoken since finding out they were heading to New Orleans. Shaw didn’t push him for answers. They would be on the plane long enough for a conversation. Taking a seat, Shaw dropped his bag at his feet before buckling up.
“I slept with my friend’s mate,” Ranger said, dropping a bomb that Shaw never saw coming.
“Holy shit,” he breathed out.
“They weren’t officially mated, but I knew that Maddox belonged to Scout.”
“There has to be more to that story,” Shaw insisted.
He couldn’t believe his old friend would come between a mate bond. It was unheard of. Paranormals were blessed with one mate, and anyone willing to try to break what fate decided usually ended up hurt or killed.
“Yeah, a lot more, but I just wanted you to know that some of my pack mates won’t be happy to see me. At least now, you’ll know why.” Ranger sat on the other side of the couch. He clicked his buckle into place and leaned his head back. “That’s the main reason I called you. I needed a change of scenery. Leaving New Orleans was really tough, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay.”
“I’m sorry, man.” From the look on Ranger’s face, Shaw knew that the man had true feelings for Maddox, even if the man wasn’t destined to be his. “I wish you would’ve told me. I could’ve brought someone else.”
He didn’t want Ranger to feel uncomfortable. This was an investigation and Shaw didn’t need any negative issues with Ranger’s former pack. He’d assumed bringing Ranger might give him an advantage in the investigation with Gideon Channing.
“No.” Ranger shook his head. “No way. I was just giving you a heads up.”
“If there are any issues or blame to be placed, it’s on my shoulders. I’m the lead on this case.”
The plane door closed and locked. The pilot came over the speaker, alerting them to take a seat and buckle up before the plane started moving. Shaw stared out the windows across from where he was seated, watching the landscape rush by.
“Do you really think a shifter killed a human in Gideon’s territory? That man knows everything that happened in New Orleans. There’s no way that a wolf killed a human without his knowledge. I know Gideon. He’s a straight-laced rule follower.”
“Honestly, I think it’s a false alarm. It happens a lot, unfortunately.”
“So you don’t think we’ll be staying long.”
“Nope.” Shaw shook his head. “A couple of hours tops.”
“Enough time to eat some delicious food? Because I would kill for a plate of crawfish etouffee.” Ranger looked at him, his face lighting up with glee.
“What is etouffee?”
“It’s a thick stew seasoned to perfection with plump crawfish, it’s similar to gumbo, but it’s not.”
“It’s a plan. After we check out the crime scene, we’ll eat.”
* * * *
Shaw tossed his bag into the backseat of the rental car before climbing into the passenger seat. The three hour flight from New York to New Orleans had gone by fairly quickly, and Shaw hoped that they would be able to return to the agency compound by night fall.
“You’re letting me drive?” Ranger asked.
“Letting you drive doesn’t define my masculinity, Ranger.” He rolled his eyes heavenward. “You know the area better than I do. Now, get your ass in the car and drive me to the Barataria Preserve.”
Ranger chuckled, following Shaw’s orders. “Do we need to check in with the human authorities?”
“Not yet.” He shook his head. “I want to go to the preserve first before anyone else can trample over my scene. Afterward, we can head to the coroner’s office to look at the body.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Ranger pulled out of the rental car parking lot and eased his way onto the highway.
“Are you going to be able to deliver the punishment to a pack mate?” Shaw asked, even though in his gut, he knew that Ranger wouldn’t be able to.
“I’ll do my job.” Ranger tried to convince him, but Shaw knew better.
As they drove through New Orleans, Shaw hoped that a shifter wasn’t responsible. He wanted this to be a false alarm so that they could get some food and head back to the compound in New York. Now that they were here, he was concerned that if the killer was a shifter, Ranger wouldn’t be able to follow through and punish a friend.