Hers(44)

“I haven’t felt this light-hearted in months. You remind me of how I used to be with my mother. We bantered back and forth, and I could tell her anything. Thank you for the wonderful time.”

Gretel and Lena came to her and hugged her. Sammy cried hard as she soaked up the love. They patted her on the back.

“We did nothing. You were just so easy to get on with. We will definitely be doing this again. I had fun.”

Gretel chuckled. “See, you just got a massive compliment. Lena had fun with you. She wants to have a play date. She’s really picky with who she likes.”

“Really, Mum.” Lena rolled her eyes heavenward.

Sammy smiled. She knew she’d just found some great new friends.

****

Slater was unsure what to expect after Brock called him and told him what was going down. He was pissed at Brock for using Sammy as bait to help get people to talk.

Walking into the barbeque he was unsure of what to expect. Slater knew most of the people in Brock and Jake’s precinct, but there was a huge number of humans he didn’t know at the party.

Slater couldn’t see Sammy anywhere. He scanned the party until he gave up on finding her outside and thought he’d give inside a go. The lounge room was a no go, but in the kitchen he found his mate hugging two women and crying.

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath that came out on a snarl at the smell of Sammy. That fuckwit. Sammy’s emotions were everywhere, and she wasn’t ready for what Brock was about to do to her.

Pissed off he snapped, “What’s going on?”

Sammy detangled herself from the two women, one he remembered as Brock’s captain’s wife. “Slater, what are you doing here? I thought you had to work as you had two sick chefs.”

He stalked her, his bear going crazy at her sad emotions. “I decided to take it off to make you happy.” Sammy didn’t need to know the real reason right now. He needed to get her out of here before anything happened.

Sammy came to him and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks.”

She leaned up on her tip toes, and he leaned down letting her press her mouth to his. Slater didn’t touch her back or let himself kiss her. He knew if he did he would leave here right now with her slung over his shoulder. It was probably the safest and nicest idea, but he didn’t want Sammy angry with him for embracing her.

Sammy backed away from him. “What’s up?”

“I’m pissed. We need to get out of here now. Please, you’ll thank me later.”

Sammy studied him before she nodded. “Let me help put this stuff out, and then we’ll leave. Gretel, Lena, this is Slater. Slater, this is Gretel and Lena. Gretel, I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t mind if we help put this stuff out to the dinner table outside, then leave?”

Slater knew that was probably the best he would get. Sammy wouldn’t just leave without helping and then saying bye. “Nice to meet you.”

Gretel smiled and passed him the potato bake. “That’s fine. You can go. You’ve been here for a while.” Slater narrowed his eyes then. The woman knew something was going on. “Let’s go feed the hordes.”

Slater walked behind Sammy as she grabbed the salad and a large box of plastic knives and forks.

The farther outside they got the shakier Sammy got. Crap! The other precinct was already there. When she placed the stuff she had on the table Slater looked around and saw half the eyes were on Sammy.

“I didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything,” Sammy whispered over and over.

Slater concentrated on the smells around him using his shifter senses. Fear, anger, astonishment, and hate. He shoved the potato bake down and wrapped his arms around Sammy, who, he could tell, was barely holding it together.

He was going to kill Brock. Slater was glad he had come now, and he wished he’d been here earlier to get Sammy away sooner. He had to get Sammy out now.

“I didn’t tell anyone anything. I haven’t told anyone. I promise.” Sammy voice was getting louder, and she shook in his hold. “I kept all your secrets.”

He let his bear show through and used all his shifter senses, growling when he heard soft whispers between two men somewhere in the back of the group..

“I thought Greg killed her the last time she went out with her friends.”

“Stupid slut deserved to die. She’s going to expose us all if she doesn’t shut up.”

“Why did he let her live? She knows too much.”

The last whispered comment had his bear ready to kill.

“Why didn’t Michael kill her? We told him she was compromised.”

Slater watched as Brock and his partner and two other shifters went to the two guys who’d spoken. Brock took a hold of one and dragged him to the officials. Brock then went up into the face of a panther shifter and a wolf, who stood to the side of the panther.