Papa startled and then gave him a nod. “Good to meet you.”
He returned his attention to me. “Now, you tell me about the guy in the green jacket.”
The shift was abrupt, but I was grateful for it. I rolled my mug between my palms and tried to summon every detail. “He came in right before close. Didn’t say anything, just stared at me. He had these… I don’t know, dead eyes. He bought a scone and paid in coins. Then he sat in the corner for almost an hour, watching me.”
“Did he eat?”
I shook my head. “Never even touched it. When he left, he left the scone on the table, but the bag had a symbol drawn on it.”
Papa straightened. “Describe the symbol.”
I closed my eyes, trying to picture it. “It was a triangle, I think. Maybe a stripe through it? Or dots inside?” I opened my eyes, frustration rising. “I threw it out without even thinking. I should have paid more attention.”
He nodded, not judging. “Triangle with a stripe, or dots. Anything else?”
I shook my head. “That’s all I remember.”
He drummed his fingers on the table. “You said he looked at you like he knew you. Not like a customer. More like…?”
“Like he was studying me,” I said, the words coming out cold. “Like I was a puzzle or something. I didn’t really notice it at the time, just that he was odd. I had a bunch of other people here.”
He nodded, accepting it.
“You think it’s a witch thing?” I asked, voice small.
Papa stared out the window, jaw tight. “More like it’s a hunting thing, that’s for damn sure. Could be witch, could be demon, could be something else. But the fact that he left a symbol means he wanted you to see it.”
Oscar spoke up. “I agree with Big Papa. I believe he is associated with whoever is hunting you. I don’t know if he is aware. His eyes seemed empty. He may be under someone else’s control.”
I shivered, hugging my arms around myself. “What does it mean?”
He shrugged, but there was nothing casual about it. “Not sure yet. But we’ll find out.”
I looked at him, searching for the part of the conversation where he’d say something reassuring, or promise it would all be okay. He didn’t. He just kept his gaze on mine, steady and unbreakable.
“You’re not alone,” he said. “We’ll figure this out together.”
Something loosened inside me; a knot I hadn’t even realized was there. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He gave me a half-smile, the kind that creased the scar on his cheek. “You’re welcome.”
We finished in silence, but it was the good kind, like a peace treaty between two people who’d finally admitted they needed each other.
After the dishes were cleared, he poured another round of coffee and set his mug down with a deliberate thump. “We need to figure out that symbol.”
My heart lurched. “You think that will tell us who is stalking me?”
“I think it will tell us something more than we know right now.”
He looked at Oscar. “You have any ideas?”
Oscar shook his head. “Sadly, I do not. I didn’t know about it until after she had thrown it away. And what she has described doesn’t sound familiar to me.”
He grinned, all wolf. “Well, you’ve got an entire pack behind you now. And I know someone who’s very good at finding the answers people don’t want found.”
I blinked, surprised. “You do?”
He nodded. “Wrecker and his mate, Parker. She’s a tech genius, best hacker in the county. If anyone can figure out what that triangle means, it’s her.”
