Saint squinted at the feed, then exhaled. “Sheriff Tate.”
Another knock. Firmer.
Wolf didn’t move, not until he had eyes on the sheriff through the peephole and confirmed he was alone.
Only then did he open the door a few inches.
Sheriff Tate’s stern face appeared under the hallway light. His eyes flicked around, taking in the tension, the weapons, Wolf’s stance.
“Someone want to explain why my phone lit up with a motion alert and one of my deputies reported a male figure loitering on Main Street at three in the morning?”
Wolf didn’t step aside. “We saw him too.”
Sheriff Tate’s expression tightened. “Same build as the guy you’re hunting?”
Wolf didn’t glance back at me, but his voice was steady steel.
“Yeah. And he’s getting bolder.”
The sheriff exhaled. “Then we’re escalating.”
Trigger stepped forward. “To what level?”
Sheriff Tate met Wolf’s eyes. “Tofull threat protocol.”
My breath caught.
Wolf’s gaze hardened. “Then we’ll be ready.”
Sheriff Tate nodded once, slow and serious.
“That’s why I came,” he said. “Because whatever’s happening—it’s just beginning.”
26
Wolf
Sheriff Tate stepped inside only after Saint verified the hallway was clear and Trigger secured the door behind him. The sheriff gave each Ranger a heavy, assessing look—Trigger standing alert, Havoc braced like a wall, Saint clutching his tablet—and finally, his eyes landed on Nora.
His expression softened, even if only barely.
“You alright, Miss Carver?”
Nora nodded, but I could feel the tremor in her breath as she stood close—so close her shoulder brushed my arm. I didn’t move away.
Sheriff Tate exhaled hard. “I figured something was wrong when the motion alerts hit my phone. But I didn’t expect this.”
Trigger stepped forward, jaw set. “We caught movement. Human. Watching the building.”
Saint held up the tablet. “He positioned himself with a clear line of sight to Nora’s window.”
Sheriff Tate muttered a curse under his breath. “Yeah. That tracks with what I found.”
He reached into his coat and withdrew a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was a metal button.
Old.
