They stopped abruptly. Lifting her head from Murphy’s body, Nessa kept her gaze averted from the other men. She’d already accosted Jasper while he’d been naked, too happy to see him alive to even register he’d been sans clothing. She didn’t want to accidentally ogle anyone now that she was very aware of how little they each had on.
Her mate reluctantly set her on her feet, keeping one arm securely around her while he opened the driver’s side door to his SUV.
Haphazardly, Murphy pulled a pile of clothes from the front seat, tossing garments to each naked man. He grabbed his own clothes next, letting go of Nessa only to dress himself. It was then she realized he’d been without clothing this entire time, too; his scars fully exposed to everyone.
Pride warmed her from the inside out. He’d been so confident and so concerned for her, Nessa hadn’t even noticed him acting uncomfortable around the other men. Did that mean he was learning to accept his body?
She hoped so. She loved all of Murphy.
When Murphy finished changing, he scooped her back up into his arms.
Tossing his car keys to Zeke, Murphy opened the back driver’s side door, hopping into a seat and pulling Nessa in with him and onto his lap. He paused, a frown crossing his features, and then sighed.
Gently, he deposited her into the seat beside him, buckling her in. “It’s not safe for you to sit on my lap,” he explained before buckling up his own seatbelt.
The hatch of the SUV opened. Nessa looked over her shoulder in time to see Colter dump Angelo unceremoniously into the back of the vehicle, her brother’s wrists and ankles tied with thesame rope that had kept her bound just minutes before. A piece of cloth was shoved into his mouth.
He glared angrily at Colter as the bear scooted into the back with him. Dante followed suit, closing the hatch once he’d settled in.
Nessa blinked at Marcus’s twin in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed he’d come along with the others.
What was he doing here?
She turned back to Murphy, sending him a questioning look.
“Dante offered to help find you. He was familiar enough with the town that he could pinpoint your location.” Murphy placed his hand over Nessa’s thigh, his palm spreading a comforting warmth through her.
Jasper climbed into the back seat, dropping into the spot on Nessa’s other side. “He came through when we needed it.” He patted Nessa’s knee affectionately.
The touch was unexpected, but even more unexpected was Nessa’s lack of reaction. She didn’t flinch, her pulse didn’t spike, and she didn’t feel anxious by the small, innocent gesture. Just like when she’d hugged him back in the barn, all she felt was comfort. Safe.
She’d thought it was impossible for anyone to make her feel like that, until Murphy. But Jasper had put himself in jeopardy for her sake, multiple times. All the men in this SUV had.
How could she not trust them?
Dante cleared his throat, breaking Nessa’s train of thought. “I was happy to help,” he answered hesitantly.
Marcus settled quietly into the passenger seat, and Zeke twisted the key in the ignition, starting the vehicle.
They’d just pulled onto the dirt road when Nessa suddenly asked, “What are we going to do about the bodies? We can’t just leave them there.”
The barn had looked worn down and long forgotten, but who knew if it really was?
“Hand me the phone in the glove compartment,” Murphy instructed, holding out his hand over the center console.
A second later, Marcus dropped an older looking cell phone into Murphy’s hand. Her mate turned it on. The screen lit up. Quickly, he scrolled through the contacts, finding what he needed and pressing a button.
The phone rang twice, and then the call connected as he held it to his ear. Nessa heard a woman’s voice, but her tone was too low for her to catch any words.
“This is Alpha Murphy of the Granite Peak Bear Clan. I need a discreet cleanup crew.”
A cleanup crew? Like crime scene cleaners?
“Witches,” Jasper whispered into Nessa’s ear, startling her. “They’ll take care of everything. Costs a fortune, though.”
Witches? Nessa perked up, immediately intrigued.
“Blood. Around ten dead bodies. Maybe a few more. Bullet holes are likely the only structural damage.” Murphy squeezed Nessa’s thigh, going silent for a moment. “Yes, I can send the approximate coordinates via text. How soon can someone handle this? A rush fee is fine.”
