Made braver by facing Rían’s back, I walked up behind him and slid my arms around his middle, linking my fingers around his hips. I rested my forehead in the center of his spine and breathed him in. He was slower to respond, his muscles taut and posture stiff, but little by little, he melted into my embrace.
“You’re too hard on yourself,” I mumbled into his shirt, smiling as his heart drummed faster in response.
His noncommittal grunt was a better outcome than I expected, so I let it drop.
“Let’s put a pin in this for now.” Liam stepped up to the curb. “I can finish embarrassing Rían later.”
“No.” I locked gazes with him. “He can tell me the rest, when he’s ready for me to know more.”
“Suit yourself,” he grumbled, but his attention was fixed on an SUV barreling toward us.
“Sloane?” I circled to Rían’s side, maintaining my hold on him. “You sent her ahead?”
As tense as our conversation had been, I hadn’t noticed she was missing.
“We couldn’t afford to face Jess with a divided front,” he explained, “so I handled it.”
Liam did that a lot. Handled things. I had assumed it was to shield Rían’s ideals, but maybe I got it wrong. Or not entirely right, anyway. Liam was shouldering the blame for the stain on Rían’s reputation brought on by his actions, even though it was clear the clan didn’t hold it against either of them. How could they, when Rían believed I had been slain and salvaged for parts?
“I want to hear more about how you found me.” I stroked Rían’s stomach with my thumbs. “But not now.”
A slow exhale moved through him, and he rested his hands on top of mine. “Just say when.”
Tires squealed as Sloane slammed on the brakes in front of us. Jess, her complexion pale, stumbled out her door and eyed the ground as if she were considering kissing it. I could sympathize. But not yet. Now it was time for us to get some answers.
six
We escortedJess into GSG and each claimed a seat in the waiting room to give our interrogation a more casual vibe. From the way Jess perched on the edge of her chair, muscles taut, ready to burst into motion at a moment’s notice, I got the feeling our vibing missed the mark.
“We apologize for the unexpected meeting,” Rían began, “but we have a few questions for you.”
“Yes.” Her gaze hit the floor and stuck there. “Of course.”
Uncertain if that meant she had expected us to question her at some point or if it was acquiescence, she was cooperating and not trying to murder us. Both good things. We were off to a solid start.
“What were you doing under GSG?” Sloane kept her tone polite. “I saw you exit the crawl space with a takeout container. You mentioned searching for more kittens that might have gotten separated from the rest, but something tells me there was more to it than that.”
“I…” Her fingers dug into the tops of her thighs. “You see…”
“It’s okay, Jess.” I rose slowly and crossed to her. “Just tell us the truth.”
“Ana, it’s not…” Her cheeks burned bright. “I never meant for you to know.”
“I can’t help if I don’t understand.” I silenced the negative voice in my head and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I need you to explain yourself.”
“You’re my friend,” she said softly, like an unanswered question.
“Yes, I am.” I dropped into the empty seat beside her. “So, spill.” I gave her a gentle shake. “What have you been up to?”
“There have been so many attacks on you, and you spend so much time at GSG. I know it’s weird for me to hang around all the time, and I didn’t want you to get tired of seeing me. So, I made a pallet under the salon. That way I can keep an eye on who comes and goes, and if anyone moved against you while I was there, I could protect you.” Her face glowed brighter and brighter. “I’m not much of a fighter, but I am a polar bear. I don’t have to be good to get things done in that form.”
“What?” Sloane shot to her feet. “You’re a freakingpolar bear?”
“I’m a creep who spies on people because they were nice to me.” Her shoulders bunched up around her ears. “No wonder I can’t make friends. I’m a freak. And now you know I’m weird, so I won’t come back.”
“Now that I know you’re a polar bear, you’re not going anywhere.” Sloane smacked a fist into her open palm. “Do you know how rare and awesome that is?”
“We’re here to determine whether Jess has shown any ill will toward Ana,” Liam reminded her.
