“Protecting him?” Hunter growled. “The woman is a pedophile. She’s committing statutory rape.”
“And she’s wrong, and should be convicted,” Faye said gently. “But she must have issues, or she wouldn’t be doing this. We’ve asked for background information on her, but I haven’t seen anything yet—mainly because the chief of police won’t share. Usually in this situation, a female teacher who sleeps with an underage male student is unfulfilled at home, or abused, or just looking to be the centerof attention.”
“Does it matter?” Wolfe asked, leaning against the refrigerator and rocking it back against the wall.
“Not really,” Faye acknowledged. “But if we understood her better, we might get at least an idea of what she’ll do next. Of what we can do to protect Jackson. The more we know about her, the better off we are.”
Raider nodded. “Yeah. We’ve had pushback from the local chief of police, and I’ve called in my boss to deal withhim tomorrow.”
Hunter paused. So they were going to meet more of Raider’s team.That was good.
Wolfe grinned. “You’ll like Angus Force.He has a dog.”
Raider lifted an eyebrow. “That reminds me: hide the booze.”
Was Force an alcoholic? Hunter didn’t like the idea of Raider trusting a guy who had to have booze hidden from him. They needed to discuss this.
Wolfe looked around and then winked at Faye. “So. Where am I sleeping tonight?”
Chapter Six
Hunter didn’t sleep much, even now, so when the back porch creaked just after dawn, he sat up in bed. The footsteps were sure and heavy—Wolfe. Apparently Clarence Wolfe didn’t sleep any better than Hunter did. Thunder roared up above, and rain splattered hard against the roof and windows, assisted by a pissed-off wind. It drowned out all other sounds, and soon even Wolfe’s footsteps fadedinto the storm.
Maybe the soldier was going running. As long as he didn’t try to make another move with Faye, Hunter didn’t give a shit. When the guy had given her the kitten to sleep with, she’d lit up like one of those flashlight apps. Wolfe had been charming, but also seemed not to take anything seriously, including himself. What was his story, anyway? Hunter needed to sit Raider down for a chat sooner rather than later. Maybe this new HDD unit wasn’t such a great idea for his brother right now.
While Mother Nature kicked ass outside, the interior of the cabin remained quiet and still. Faye was in the guest room, Raider on the sofa, while Wolfe had grabbed the recliner—for some of thenight, anyway.
A scream had Hunter out of bed and running for the back porch, his gun already in his hand. He nearly collided with Raider, and they quickly shifted into sync, scouting the cabin and heading toward the door to the deck.
Faye emerged from her bedroom, her hair mussy, the kitten wide-eyed in herhands. “What?”
“Stay inside.” Hunter slipped into the rain, his gun down.
An angry female voice caught his attention first. “What in the holy hell are you doing? Who are you?” Dana came into view, being hauled across the rocks by a determined-looking Wolfe.
“Ah, shit,” Hunter muttered, his shoulders relaxing. “Lether go, Wolfe.”
Raider lowered his SIG Sauer slowly, his gaze ultra-alert. “I take ityou know her?”
This was nuts. “Yeah.” Hunter opened the door so Wolfe could drag a struggling Dana inside. She elbowed him in the gut, and his jaw tightened, but hedidn’t let go.
Hunter followed them inside. “She’s a friend, Wolfe. Let her go.”
Dana shoved Wolfe, her blond hair matted against her face and her pink raincoat soaked. She kicked him in the knee once for good measure as he released her arm.
“Hey.” Wolfe leaned down and rubbed his knee. “Was that necessary? You’re kinda mean.”
Dana’s eyes were wide and her face pale, making her freckles stand out. “You’re crazy. This is assault and battery. Whatin the world?”
Wolfe shrugged, his gaze sweeping her. “You were trespassing, and it’s wet out there. Figured we could discuss matters inside.”
She looked like she wanted to kick him again. “That was my favorite umbrella you threw into the river.”
Wolfe rubbed rain off his forehead. “Sorry. An umbrella is a weapon. Your mouth seemedsharp enough.”
Hunter winced, shaking rainfrom his hair.
Faye came all the way out of the bedroom, still holding Kat. She wore loose leggings with a tank top that nicely outlined her breasts, her eyelids heavy and her eyes tired. “Hey, Dana.”
