Each of his brothers scowled. Their reluctance to put aside their work didn’t surprise Calian, but they had competent staff. They’d slogged to make their company run with or without their presence. It wouldn’t hurt for them to step away for a month. Besides, they all owned phones and could work remotely if necessary. It was the age of the digital nomad. Why not embrace the fact?
“I couldn’t find anything helpful, but take it if you want. There were business cards and phone numbers I don’t recognize in his billfold,” Misty said.
“Do you have the number for the cop in charge of Hunter’s case?” Calian decided the cop might give him something. Hunter and another army buddy had been in Miami with several of their friends. A reunion of sorts. Hunter and his friend had witnessed a murder. Both had been remote witnesses, questioned from afar by the lawyers for their safety.
Calian and his brothers had always thought Hunter’s murder linked with the drug lord’s son who had died in prison shortly after incarceration. Hunter’s death smacked of revenge, and Calian wondered if investigating Hunter’s friend might stir more trouble along with secrets. Yeah, speaking with the cop and laying out the truth might net answers. It was worth a try.
“Can we have a peek at our nephew?” Dakota asked.
Misty eyed them with a stern parental glare. “If you wake my son, you will stay to settle him again.”
“Misty, why don’t you grab a nap or take a relaxing bath?” Matto suggested. “We’ll stay for a few hours and keep an eye on Rufus.”
“You’d do that?” Tears formed in Misty’s big brown eyes.
“We’re your big brothers. Of course we’d let you rest,” Dakota said.
“And you’ll find this woman for me? I’d do it myself but it’s difficult with the baby.”
“We will,” Kansas promised.
“Thank you. I knew I could count on my brothers.” Her mouth opened in a huge and loud yawn. “I am tired. I haven’t slept through a night since I brought Rufus home from the hospital.”
Once Misty left the room, Calian stood and walked outside onto the terrace overlooking the beach. His brothers followed.
“Are we sure about this?” Dakota asked. “Hunter and Misty were mates. She’d bitten him. Hunter wore a mark.”
“He wasn’t a wolf,” Matto said. “While Misty bonded to him, it wouldn’t necessarily be reciprocal. She told me he didn’t know she was a werewolf. It’s easy enough to hide these days.”
“Look at this.” Calian pulled up the photo on the phone. “It’s a snap of Hunter and Misty. The intimacy between them makes me uncomfortable. That is not a cheater.”
“It’s a recent photo,” Kansas said.
“What are you saying?” Dakota asked. “That these other photos are innocent?”
“I’ve no idea.” Calian turned off the phone and shoved it in his jeans pocket.
Matto stepped off the deck and kicked at the sand. “We’ve promised Misty we’ll check it out.”
“And we will,” Calian said. “But we should do it with an open mind. I liked Hunter, and from what I saw, he loved Misty. We should tread carefully and build a case rather than jumping to conclusions.”
“Ooh! Big brother is reading mysteries again,” Kansas teased.
“They help me relax,” Calian retorted.
“You should try sex.” Kansas waggled his eyebrows. “Works for me.”
“It works for me too. But I like to have a little variety.”
The cries of an unhappy baby drifted to them, and Dakota and Kansas hustled off to tend to their nephew. They both possessed healing powers, their touchy-feely gift aiding those who experienced trouble sleeping. The twins also helped people with injuries. They’d send Rufus back to sleep in no time.
While Calian didn’t enjoy digging into Hunter’s past, it occurred to him it might present an opportunity for them to get back to their wolves. It was seldom they were in the same place together. A month spent bonding with each other and their wolves wouldn’t go amiss.
Yeah, he’d set plans in motion. They shouldn’t set aside their wolf heritage even if humans weren’t ready to accept myths and legends held more than a smidgeon of truth.
2 – Renee’s Quest For A Man Fails
Three months later
