Ginger felt unease ripple over her. There was no way Jax would approach this situation with any diplomacy – but after the way the sheriff had flipped out last night, she doubted he was in any better mood to deal with it either.
She walked back to the filing room to resume her filing. It was nearly impossible for her to concentrate; she could barely remember the alphabet.
A little while later, Portia came and knocked on the door.
“The sheriff wants you at a scene,” Portia said, her expression neutral.
“What kind of scene?”
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“Death that was just reported this morning. It appears that the body’s been moved. We want to find out what happened during his final moments. Come with me.”
Portia turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
Ginger scrambled to follow her, head whirling. The sheriff wanted her to go with Portia? That was hard to believe. Then again, it was also hard to believe that the punctual sheriff had never showed up to pick her up this morning, and hadn’t even bothered to call her to explain what was going on.
Her heart sank. He really didn’t care what happened to her.
Silently, she climbed in the car with Portia. “Where are we going?” she asked as she shut the door.
“You’ll see when we get there,” Portia said coldly, and took off with a lurch as Ginger was buckling her seatbelt, so fast that Ginger slammed into the dashboard in front of her and then was slammed back into her seat.
Portia’s lips curled into a small, cold smile as they headed out of town.
After several minutes of driving, Portia suddenly took a turn down a narrow country road that was shaded by trees.
Ginger’s unease grew, and she wondered how much longer she should put up with this silent treatment before demanding answers. Could she even demand answers? Would this get back to her pack somehow, and get her in even worse trouble?
Frustration curled inside her, and she folded her arms across her chest, scowling.
“What’s the matter?” Portia asked snidely. “Don’t like the country? Then you’re in the wrong place, sweetheart. You should get back to the city where you belong.”
“I agreed to serve as the sheriff’s assistant for two weeks. I intend to keep my word,” Ginger said, in a cool but neutral tone.
“I should think it would be fairly clear by now that the sheriff has already lost interest in you. You could leave town right now and he wouldn’t even notice.” Icicles dripped from Portia’s words. “In fact, you should. You’re just embarrassing yourself, panting after him like a lovesick pup.”
Was that true? Ginger wondered. She knew that Portia was bitterly jealous of her – but still, after the way the sheriff had vanished, Portia’s words stabbed at her.
“You know, it’s obvious to everyone that you’re incredibly out of place here,” Portia continued. “A red wolf in a gray wolf’s territory. A half-breed running with an Alpha. Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous to leave the safety of your pack?”
The car slowed. Suddenly Portia’s eyes were glowing amber, and the bones of her face began to shift and lengthen. Thick black claws shot from her finger tips.
And that was that.
Ginger had had it.
She’d grown up being bullied, taunted for being different, for being fat, for being weird, for talking to people only she could see. And, back in middle school, she’d finally gotten tired of it. She was never the type to start anything – but she’d sure as hell finish it.
Her foot shot out and slammed on top of Portia’s foot, jamming on the brake so hard that the car skidded and bounced on the road before screeching to a halt.
“What the hell was that?” Portia shrieked, as Ginger’s fangs sprang out and hair sprouted on her face.
“That was me saying I’ve had enough. You’re obviously counting on the fact that a typical red wolf is half the size of a gray wolf. Well, I’m not a typical red wolf, in case you hadn’t notice.” Her voice came out in a snarl.#p#分页标题#e#
Portia stared at her, frozen in shock, her eyes widening.
“I’ve got a good eighty pounds on you in human form. You want to find out how big I am when I turn? You want to find out how we deal with bullies in New York? Step outside of the car and let’s settle this.” Ginger opened her door and gestured at the road.
Portia just kept staring, breathing hard, and finally she turned back to the road, started up the car again, and said in a cold, quiet voice “Please close your door.”