He felt floppy, his head all fuzzy as though he’d just come out of the tumble dryer. It was kinda nice, actually, and for once his thoughts weren’t racing at a million miles an hour.
Johnny had been totally out of it when Taylor left for work, lips all puffy, curly hair squashed flat to the pillow.Manit’d been difficult not to slide back under the sheets, especially when he’d had his wolf rattling around in his brain chanting things likeProtect, protect, protect. Mate, mate, mate,all fucking night.
Was Taylorclingynow? Had Johnny Ateba turned him into a clingyman-child who sighed into Coke cans and checked his phone every two seconds?
Yes, apparently he had.
Taylor sniffed, a fang grazing his lip as a small smile twitched the edge of his mouth. He didn’t even notice Isla staring at him,and it was only when her fingers came up to pinch his cheeks that he snapped out of his Johnny-induced daydream.
“Jesus,” she said, smushing his lips together like a fish. “You’ve got it bad, boy.”
Taylor flicked his gaze towards the window. “That obvious?”
“Just a little. I chalked it up to worry, but you actually look like you’re about to write a poem or… adopt a kitten. It’s cute, and kind of uplifting. I quite like having a budding romance in the office, even though it goes against all the regs.”
Amil snorted from behind his computer screen. “Yeah, about as uplifting as a sack of puppies near a rushing river.”
Isla jostled his monitor. “Just be happy, Amil. Things are good, the kid’s safe, Johnny’s on the mend and Falkington are starting to take us seriously.” She jabbed her thumb towards Taylor. “These two are finally getting their shit together, and wemightbe about to discover why we’ve got so many unwell betas on our hands. Honestly, if we play our cards right Imightbe able to convince the chief con to refurbish the custody block… Could you imagine? Wi-Fi and a working shower?”
Although Amil scoffed, there was the smallest speck of a smile behind his ingrained scowl. “Please don’t try to make me an optimist, Sarge. You’ll ruin my life.”
Isla stretched, spun around in her swivel chair and strode towards the window. She clapped once, pressing her mouth to her clasped hands. “We’re all born with love, PC Dua. Life is just about finding the right place to put it.” They both stared at her, watching as she appeared to be having some kind of epiphany.
Taylor’s eyes slid to Amil, who shrugged.
“Have you met someone, Sarge?” Taylor asked.
She waved the comment away. “Dear God, no. But I’ve made up my mind about something.”
Taylor cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m going to ask—no,demandthat Major Crime allocate Rueben Atkinson’s case back to me. Not just his interview but the whole thing. I can’t… I can’t let it go, and he deserves justice against every single fucker that was there that night.”
She looked at Taylor with a hard expression, as if she was daring him to make a comment about Rueben being a murderer. Taylor only nodded and took another swig of cola. “When’s the interview?”
Isla let out a breath. “Two weeks. It’s being kept hush-hush at the moment. Falkington have forced a press embargo on the case. I want… I would like everyone’s support on the day, but I won’t force it given your shared history.”
Taylor pressed his lips together. “I can’t speak for JP, but I’ll help. In whatever way I can.”
Isla gave him a soft nod, her eyes turning a little glassy. “Thank you. Now, why don’t you show me this stream? I’d like to see it for myself.”
“Stay close,”Taylor said across the bond, and for once Amil listened as both he and Wendy pulled in close behind.
Isla was at his shoulder, padding alongside him with her head low and ears forward. In wolf form Taylor could finally detect her sigma scent, and although it wasn’t unpleasant, he couldn’t deny that it aggravated something about his alpha wolf. It made him want to smash his muzzle into her scruff and aggressively scent her until he was absolutely certain that she wasn’t a threat.
He wouldn’t, obviously, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate as they wound along the edge of the stream anddeeper into the woods. The spongy ground felt unnatural as it seeped between his paws, like the soil had been absorbing something it shouldn’t. The stench of chemicals was getting stronger the further along they went, and the swirling, milky quality of the water was getting worse.
They were going deep into the woods, deeper than Taylor had been since they started in Dingly Heath. He shivered. The cool, undisturbed air that was trapped under the thick canopy had seeped into his undercoat, giving him the chills.
The others pulled in around him, trailing slightly as though he was their pack alpha. Something about that made his skin tingle, in a nice way, because other than the kids no one had ever followedhimbefore. Not even Johnny, who insisted on staying one step ahead.
It was nice, and he found himself walking a little taller, his wolf ears perking up a little straighter.
“Eyes up,” Amil murmured across the bond. “Movement.”
Taylor dipped his head again, keeping his nose close to the ground. He sniffed, noticing the undergrowth growing stickier and smellier by the second. The stream was flowing slower now, the water turning thick and sludgy. Something clanged up ahead. It sounded like a rusty gong being smacked with a cricket bat. Taylor skirted around the stream, letting his paws carry him between the trees and behind thick heather.
“Down ’ere! Hurry up!” someone called. A male’s voice, raspy and deep.
