“Something called diazepam. I found the bottle.”
“Lord, that makes sense,” Cooper said. “If he gave you enough, it would cause amnesia. He was probably simply trying to keep you from being able to reach out to us.”
“I can’t believe that asshole kidnapped me.”
“Yeah, he’s a worse egg than any of us thought possible,” Cooper said. “I wasn’t here for his previous antics with your last two brothers’ matings, but I heard he was a true asshole both times. They simply couldn’t pin enough on him specifically.”
She nodded. “Yes. That’s what happened. We knew he was with the group of bigots who threw a brick through the bedroom of the condo just days after Zachary mated with Corbin and Laurie. Corbin was pissed. As a deputy on the reservation, he beat himself up for not being able to more thoroughly protect us. And he has worked with Sandhouse ever since that day. He had no proof. I’m sure he wanted to wring the guy’s neck. And here we are.”
Jackson slid a hand around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. “You scared the hell out of us.”
“Not intentionally,” she muttered against his mouth.
“Did he say anything?”
“Sandhouse?” she asked. “Yes. It was all a pile of craziness though, as if he’d gone insane. He babbled on and on about how this was my fault for mating outside my race.”
“Shit.” Cooper set a hand on her back.
Sharon eased back so she could see both her mates. “He said he met his mate once. I guess she was white, so he denied her.”
“Seriously?” Cooper’s eyelids shot up. “I never heard of that. If that’s the case, there must be a woman out there who knows.”
Sharon shuddered. “Yeah. I’d hate to be her.”
“And he thought he would ruin your life since his world was ruined too?” Jackson asked.
“I guess. He seemed to think he needed to punish my family. I imagine he was on a mission to make sure as many other people’s lives were destroyed since his was.”
Cooper grabbed her hand on the other side. “Let’s go inside. We need to tell someone what happened.”
She nodded, wishing she could just go home and sleep for fifteen hours. Whatever that drug did to her, in addition to keeping her asleep for hours, it obviously hadn’t worn off completely because she was still so tired. Even the adrenaline rush of the last hour didn’t help. And now it was the middle of the night.
She swung out Cooper’s side of the truck and took a deep breath as they headed for the front door of the sheriff’s office. Trace looked up when she walked in and motioned them toward a room to one side. At least it would be quieter in there. The volume in the station’s main room was high. Understandable with a volcano threatening the town, but the noise made Sharon’s head pound even worse.
She followed Cooper into what looked a bit like a conference room and sighed when Jackson closed the door behind her. Cooper took two strides to reach the blinds on the window that permitted everyone in the rest of the station to see in. He pulled the string on one side, closing them.
Two strides back and he had her in his arms. Jackson plastered himself to her back at the same time.
She sucked in a sharp sob. Now that they were safe, her adrenaline rush deflated quickly, and she nearly collapsed. If Cooper and Jackson hadn’t been holding her up, her knees would have buckled.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Cooper cupped her face and kissed her forehead.
Tears fell down her cheeks. Relief. Stress. Fear. Every emotion possible flooded her system. She grabbed his forearms and fisted her fingers into his jacket.
Jackson leaned his face around to her cheek and kissed it tenderly. “You’re okay now. It’s over.”
She shuddered as the door to the room opened, twisting her head around to find Trace and two other men stepping inside. They shut the door behind them. Thank God both men with Trace were shifters. She didn’t think she could hide her relationship with Cooper and Jackson even for a moment. She needed to touch them, and she needed them to touch her.
Cooper and Jackson angled her to sit in a chair at the table, each of them flanking her. Other than the table and a few chairs, there wasn’t much else in the room.
Trace leaned over the table and spoke first. “Sharon, you know Sheriff Bergman.”
She nodded and shook his hand.
“And this is Sheriff Richards from Sojourn,” Trace continued, indicating the other man.
“I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through today. Do you mind answering a few questions?”
“Of course not.”
The three men took seats across from her.