Frankie waited to see if Yaeger would tell him, but when he stayed silent, she spoke up. "Yaeger almost died."
"Frankie…"
"What? What in the hell happened?"
"The rogue, my stalker, surprised him while he was chopping wood. He attacked before Yaeger could shift, shredded his chest, and used his arm for a chew toy. If I hadn't come by with lunch and found him, he would have died."
"You are one lucky son of a bitch," Locke said, gripping Yaeger's shoulder.
"Don't I know it," he replied. "We got snowed in and Frankie here nursed me back to health. She wouldn't let me do anything strenuous. She barely let me rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher."
"Hey! I was following doctor's orders. One of us had to. Goddess knows you weren't going to if given the chance."
Everyone laughed at that, including Yaeger. "Too true, darlin', too true."
They pulled up in front of the cabin. "Rustic," was all Lila said.
Frankie got the feeling the woman was more accustomed to high dollar hotels. She wouldn't find that in Thorne Bay.
"We've stayed in worse," Sumi said.
"True," Lila agreed. "Remember that shack in southern Louisiana? It didn't even have a bathroom, just an outhouse. It barely had running water."
"Don't remind me," Sumi said, shuddering. "Never again, Locke. I will never again work a case that puts me in a shack with a fucking outhouse. That was disgusting."
"Understood, Sumi," he replied. "Now, down to business. Sumi, you will be going home with Miss Riggs. You'll be her bodyguard. Knox, you're on Yaeger duty. We don't know what this fucker will do next. He's proven to be volatile, so watch your backs. Silas will work on ferreting out his whereabouts."
"That would be easier if we could get a name or a description, something to go on," Silas said, "but I'll make do."
"Sorry, I can't give you a description. All I've got is his scent," Yaeger said by way of apology. "He never got in my line of sight while in human form," he added.
"Don't worry about it. He's gotta have money if he's paying for flowers to be delivered daily. I'll find him. It's just going to take me a while. He might be good at hiding, but I'm better at seeking," Silas replied. "I'll set up at the dining room table where I can spread out," he added, taking his stuff there.
"Well, as great as it was meeting all of you, I have to go," Frankie said. "I have to work tonight, so I have to go home and get ready," she added.
"Thenwehave to go," Sumi corrected her as she went to where she'd dropped her pack. After putting her coat back on, she slung it over her shoulder. "Ready when you are."
"Knox and I will drop you two off at your place, darlin'," Yaeger told her. "Come on, big man, let's go." Knox was a beast of a man. Coming from Yaeger, that was saying a lot. He could give Jin and Yin a run for their money.
"I will keep you apprised of how things are going on our end," Locke told him.
"Much appreciated," Yaeger said as he headed for the door with Knox right behind him.
Frankie sighed. She didn't like having to have a bodyguard follow her every move, but what choice did she have? Her stalker was escalating. She slid into the passenger seat while Sumi got in behind her.
"Think of it as having an extended sleepover," Sumi said from the back seat.
"I'm just not used to all this attention. I don't understand how I ended up with a stalker to begin with. There's nothing special about me."
Yaeger growled. "I beg to differ. You're smart, compassionate, and beautiful. That all makes you special in my eyes."
"No one knows what makes a stalker latch onto any given person over another," Sumi said. "It could be something as simple as you smiled at him. The only thing that matters now is keeping you both safe."
"Sumi's right," Knox interjected. "Your safety is our priority."
"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, because I'm not," Frankie said quickly. "I appreciate you coming all this way to help me, us, with this problem. I just wish it didn't exist to begin with."
"No one wants to have a stalker," Knox said, "but if it happens, it pays to have people who can help."
