"I think I might puke," she breathed.
"Do it," I said. "I'll hold your hair."
Her laugh into my shoulder was more of a shudder.
We crouched by the creek until the sound of tires crunching gravel broke the silence. Xavier's cruiser materialized at the bend, blue and gold, catching the last of the sun as he rolled to a stop.
He approached with a steady, measured step, scanning the scene.
I stood, not moving far.
He took one look at Tash, shaking, bloodied, wrapped in my coat, and his jaw set so tight I thought he might chip his own teeth. "Ma'am. Can you talk to me?" He crouched near her, not crowding.
Tash nodded. "Yeah. I'm upset, but I'm not going to pass out or anything."
"I'm going to put this recorder on the log. Nothing else. Just tell me what happened, start to finish."
She did. No drama, no editorial. Just the facts. Two men, one named William, who she recognized from the town meeting. The other she didn't know but she described him. They tried to bribe her first, then kicked her samples, then hands on her, threats about the girls. The whole time, Huey alternated barking and getting kicked. "At the end, I just tried to hold on to the case. I didn't want to lose it."
"Can I see where he grabbed you?"
She peeled off my jacket and pushed back the sleeve. Ugly bruises were already blooming across her skin, angry and red. Xavier photographed them from every angle, as well as her face.
"Did he threaten your dog?"
She shook her head. "No. They kept kicking at him, though."
Xavier made a note. His anger had gone subterranean, hidden by his professional mask.
He turned to me. "What did you observe?"
"I came in at the end and saw William with his hand on her. Tash was yelling. I got between them. William is a good fighter, I'll give him that. I landed a few, so did he." I glanced at the recorder, then chose my words carefully so Xavier wouldunderstand. "I almost lost it." I pointed at my eyes and raised my eyebrows. "They exchanged a look and bailed."
Xavier pressed to stop recording. "You almost shifted?"
"Yeah, my eyes went a little off."
He nodded and pressed record again. "Describe the look they gave each other."
"Not fear. Not exactly. More like they'd found what they came for."
He considered that and stopped the recording again. "How's your temper right now?"
"Wrecked. Caden is barely holding it together."
He gave a single tight nod. He understood. His dragon, Xander, would've been the same. "Did you get the impression they were hunters?"
"If they were, they'd have pressed harder once they saw Caden's eyes. They would've pulled weapons, which I didn't see any at all. Unusual for hunters."
Xavier bagged the broken sample jar. "Any evidence left behind?"
I pointed out the muddy prints, the scuff where William had fallen, the clots of blood from his partner's nose.
Xavier bagged everything, then pulled out a field kit and handed me a sterile wipe. "Foryour knuckles."
I took it. My hands were swollen, two knuckles bleeding, but I hadn't noticed until now.
Xavier checked on Tash again. "You want a ride up to the house, or do you want me to call an ambulance?"
