“I’ve got plenty of cash and a new mate to spoil—let’s get out of here,” Leif gestured back the way they came, and Alec jumped back across the room to the door; he laughed when Leif did the same, clearing the mess.
“You don’t need to spend your money on me if you don’t want to,” Alec said, trying to convey his sincerity without getting too emotional. No one spent money on him, not since his mom passed.
“You’re my mate and I want to,” Leif promised him, guiding him back out the hall to the living room. He used the shirt to wipe the door handle then tossed it aside. He paused, turning to the front of the house, frowning. “There’s a car slowing out front.”
Alec went to the nearest window overlooking the front. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
“The cops.”
Leif
Alec ledthe way out of the house, stopping in the middle of the yard and waiting on the two deputies who took their time getting out of the older-model cruiser. The driver was a tall, scrawny man, Leif’s nose telling him this one was a regular smoker and nervous for some reason, eyeballing Leif’s truck like he wanted to hock it at the nearest chop shop.
The passenger was a bigger man, not taller, but broader, and Leif smelled salt, gunpowder, and blood. This one was a hunter. He smelled only deer, but that was enough—it was the off-season, and no one, not even the police, were allowed to hunt in the off-season. Poaching was an option for poorer folks, one Leif understood, but this man was hardly starving and drew a steady state check, judging by his flashy watch and healthy muscle mass.
“Alec, haven’t seen you around in a while,” the bigger man said, placing himself as the one in charge, passing the remains of the sidewalk and coming to a stop not far from Alec on the brown grass. “Where’ve you been?”
Leif did not like the way the deputy was staring at his mate, but he held back the instinctive growl.
“Hey, John. Been living with my boyfriend,” Alec replied without hesitation. “Came by to get the last of my stuff.”
“This the boyfriend?” the bigger deputy, presumably John, asked, jerking his chin at Leif.
“Yup,” Alec replied, not volunteering a name, and Leif said nothing, merely stared at the humans with distaste.
“Stu never mentioned you got a boyfriend,” Deputy John said, sounding like he didn’t believe a word Alec told him.
“The boyfriend clearly exists,” Alec retorted with a wave to Leif from head to toe, making Leif smirk in amusement. “What’s it to you?”
Leif was suspicious of the human deputies—they showed up so quickly after Alec and Leif arrived at the house. Too quickly. Someone must have been watching the house, probably a neighbor, and called it in. Though Stu had hardly been gone more than a day, judging by the scents in the tiny house, and no one knew the bodies were in the woods up the mountain.
At least, not yet.
“Ain’t nothing but curiosity,” Deputy John defended. “Got a call that strangers were in Stu’s place. Had to check it out.”
“Oh, sure. Thanks for checking, I’m sure Stu will appreciate it.” Alec sounded appreciative and gave the deputies a shallow smile, there and gone again. “We were just headed out.”
“You don’t have anything, though? Thought you came for the last of your stuff?” Deputy John asked, eyeing Alec.
Alec sighed, loudly, and rolled his eyes, gesturing back over his shoulder. “Stu trashed my room. Nothing worth keeping in there. You can go check if you want. But you know Stu—man never picked up a thing in his life.”
The deputy grimaced in distaste. “That’s alright, I believe you. We’ll see you around then, yeah?”
“Sure.”
“Never got your name, Mr. Boyfriend,” Deputy John said to Leif directly.
“Leif,” he replied, short and simple. His surname was the modern equivalent of ‘son of the wolf’ and he didn’t feel like spelling it aloud for the deputies.
“Leaf?” the deputy repeated with an exaggerated, deep Appalachian accent, making it obvious he was pronouncing it wrong on purpose.
Leif said nothing, merely stood there, watching intently, though he did let his wilder side come to the fore—he knew his eyes were glowing when the deputy startled a bit, swallowing hard.
“Right, let’s get back to our patrol; see ya around Alec,” Deputy John said, hustling back to the cruiser, the other deputy hurrying to catch up.
“Why we running?” the other deputy hissed out, looking back at Alec with a frown.
