Tameka's Smile

Chapter Eight

Tameka sighed heavily. “NeeCee, you know what I mean.

And why are you guys checking out my sister anyway?” Chad tensed beneath her. He and the deputy she didn’t know exchanged meaningful looks. She could feel the tension in the air. Something was going on besides her getting sick.

“We…” Chad began.

“They’re just being extremely cautious,” NeeCee interrupted. “You know how cops are. Oooo, new person in town, and look, she’s black. Better make sure she’s on the up and up.”

“NeeCee!” Not that she hadn’t thought the same exact thing that day when Chad pulled her over, but some things you don’t voice aloud.

“What? It’s not like you’ve never thought it,” her baby sister said defensively.

Tameka could feel Chad staring at her and fidgeted, avoiding his gaze.

“So how long are you supposed to be in here anyway, since you’re not dying and all?”

She was grateful when both men’s eyes swung NeeCee’s way. “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken with a doctor, or seen one for that matter. I have no idea what’s going on beyond what Chad just told me.” She frowned at the realization.

“The clinic’s head nurse, Carol, said you seemed to be recovering nicely but that Alex would probably keep you another day or two to be sure. In the meantime, expect to be groggy and sleep a lot as the medicine works its way out of your system,” Chad informed her.

“If you’re going to be stuck here for another day or so, can I bunk at your house? From the looks of things, the nearest motel is over an hour away.”

Since Tameka never thought she would stay anywhere else, she responded a bit absently. “Yeah, sure.” She turned back to Chad. “Do you have my keys? I don’t know where anything is,” she explained to her sister.

“I gave them to Bull. He’s been keeping an eye on the place for me. Bull, will you escort Ms. Jones…”

“You can call me NeeCee. Ms. Jones was my grandmother,” her sister interrupted.

“NeeCee to Tameka’s house and make sure she’s settled?”

“Sure thing. Right this way, miss.” The twinkle in Bull’s eye said he’d like to do more than help her get settle.

NeeCee opened her mouth to comment, but held back at the last minute. Unusual for her. Finally she said, “We’ll talk later, when things aren’t so…” She waved her hand, taking in the contents and the inhabitants in one sweep.

“Yeah, that will be good.” And it would be. She hadn’t seen NeeCee in a long, long time. Frankly she was amazed that her sister had come running when she found out she was sick.

“Here, Bull. Take this with you, and close the door on your way out, if you don’t mind.” Chad handed the deputy a large gold envelope with her name on it.

“Hey, that has my name on it. Hand it over.”

“Come on, Bull. I’m tired. That was a long drive. You people are on the backside of nowhere. I got lost twice. Let’s get out of here while I can still function.” NeeCee grabbed him by the arm and started tugging. “So, they call you Bull. Would that be because you’re hung like one, or because you frequently spout a bunch of bullshit out of your mouth?’

“Would you really like to find out? I’ll be happy to show you.” The expression on his face could only be described as lecherous as he paused at the door, waiting for NeeCee to exit before him.

The door closed on her response. Damn, she hadn’t seen or heard from her sister since NeeCee was a teenager, and it looked like she hadn’t changed a bit.

The hands still cupping her hips began a slow, sensuous massage as Chad flexed his hips. His cock rubbed against tissues still sensitive from their earlier mating, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Don’t think you can distract me with sex. I want to know what was in the envelope and why my name was on it.” It was hard to sound firm when what he was doing felt so good. She found herself matching him, doing a slow grind on his pelvis in a circular rotation that complemented his in and out micro-thrusts.

“Who says my goal is to distract you? Why can’t I simply be expressing the love I feel for my mate? You want to talk? By all means, let’s discuss whatever’s on your mind. I can multitask.” He punctuated the word multitask with a sharp jab of the hips that almost rolled her eyes up into her head.

Tameka planted her hands on his chest, raising her upper body for leverage and began to rock. “So…the packet.

What…was in it?” she hissed, eyes closing in bliss.

“I don’t want to speak of that right now. Tell me about your sister. Why haven’t you mentioned her before now?” His head was tilted back into the pillow, eyes closed, cords in his neck beginning to protrude.

Tameka froze. “You don’t want to talk about it,” she echoed. “Why not?”

Chad got a good grip on her thighs, planted his feet on the bed and pistoned inside her. “Because…right now…I want to focus…on pleasant things, like…how much…I missed you,” he panted. “How happy…I am that you’re…okay. How much I love…you and…I’ll never let…you go. You’re mine.” The last came out in a growl as his eyes started to glow.

Tameka wanted to argue. She really did but at that moment, deep inside of her something shifted. Something feral. It rose and took over. “Mate now; explain later.”

“What the hell is going on around here? Who is after my sister and what are you doing to stop them?” The alluring siren from a moment before was gone and in its place stood an angry, fire-breathing sex goddess. This side of her turned him on more than the other. His dick hardened painfully in his pants.

NeeCee Jones stood before him, model tall and slender, hands on her hips, tiny breasts jutting out and one hip cocked forward. The skinny jeans she wore lovingly molded to her long, lean legs, and his gaze helplessly traced the seam that ran through their juncture, wishing it were his hand. Or better yet, his tongue.

Her nipples were either pierced or clamped. Either way, he was determined to find out. He wanted to dip his tongue into her exposed naval and play with the diamond stud piercing. Then he’d examine her body, inch by succulent inch, and see what other delights her clothing was hiding.

She cleared her throat—loudly. “Excuse me. I asked you a question. If you’re finished ogling me, would it be too much trouble to give me an answer?”

Oh, yeah. He liked this woman, and before she left, he was getting a taste of her. His mind instantly got lost in all the ways he was going to take her.

Muttering something about “inbred hillbilly cops,” she stormed off.

The back view was just as luscious as the front. On her right lower back, just above the waistband of her pants was a tattoo—

a red heart with a jagged split down the middle caused by a striking bolt of lightning. He caught her with her hand on the car door handle. After spinning her around, he pinned her against the car with his body.

He was six-two. She stood only and inch or so shorter than he and was able to look him straight in the eye. That meant he could kiss her without getting a crook in his neck. Or, with the slightest bending of the knees, take her standing since their groins lined up perfectly.

The murderous look in her eye made him focus on the conversation. “How much did you hear?” She had to have been standing right outside the door.

“Enough to know that there are pictures in that envelope that Chad doesn’t want anyone—including Tameka—to see. And that someone is after her. Something she seems to have no knowledge of, and that the guy she’s with may not be human. I miss anything?”

Her expression dared him to lie, so he gave it to her straight.

“Someone is pushing your sister hard, trying to scare into leaving town and selling the land she inherited. They sent a box of dead roses, flattened two of her tires while the car was parked in her yard, butchered a dog and hung it from a noose in her front yard, and now these pictures.” He set the envelope on the roof of her vehicle and settled his weight more firmly against her.

“You can get Mr. Happy off of me. I don’t do white men,” she snarled while pushing against his chest. “What about Chad?

If he’s not human, what is he?”

He refused to budge. “You may not do white men, but you’ll do me.” He got right in her face and said, “Chad is a werewolf, and so am I.” Then he swooped in for a kiss.

She tried to bite his lip off.

He drew back with a silly smile on his face. Damn, I think I’m in love.

“Back off.” She tried to meld into the metal framework of the car. “I said I’m not interested. Werewolves? Him, I can believe. You’re definitely a dog. What kind remains to be seen.” She shoved him again, and this time he gave her just enough space to turn around, then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “You mouth maybe saying no, but I can smell the way your pussy is creaming for me. I can’t wait to lap it up.” She froze, muscles stiffening until she resembled a living, breathing, marble statue.

“Follow me and I’ll show you where your sister lives. By the way, I’ll be staying there as well until she’s able to come home.” He licked the shell of her ear, grinning when she shivered. Before backing away, he made sure she could feel how hard he was for her.

As he walked off, the cop in him came to the forefront and he turned back around. “On second thought, leave your car here.

I have an idea.”

Tameka collapsed onto Chad, so exhausted she could do nothing but groan. “I can’t feel my legs.” A supremely satisfied, belly roll of laughter rumbled out of the chest below her. “You need to eat. Once you get some solid food into your system, you’ll be back to your normal self. Let me call the nurse.” He reached for the call button.

“Touch it and die. Enough people have seen me naked. I want clothes and then food, in that order. And while I’m dressing, you can explain what was in the package that you didn’t want me to see.”

His heartbeat stuttered, and then began to race. Whatever it was, it must be serious. He really didn’t want her to know.

“Do I have clothes to put on?”

The hand languidly stroking her back paused. “I didn’t think to have Bull bring you some.”

She sighed. “No biggie. I’m not sure I like the idea of someone I don’t know going through my underwear drawer. I’m sure this place has a gown or something I can put on, even if it does leave my butt hanging out.”

The hand resumed motion. “I can do better than that. I have a shirt you can wear that should cover you sufficiently. Later, you can call your sister and have her pack you a bag.” When minutes passed and he continued to lie there, Tameka prompted him. “Well, are you going to get me the shirt or not?” He grumbled under his breath. “I don’t want to move. I miss being connected with you like this.”

She patted him soothingly on the shoulder. “I’m alive. We have all the time in the world to be connected like this.” On the word this, she contracted her vaginal muscles around his still erect penis.

Chad cursed and his hips flexed. “If you’re trying to convince me to pull out, you’re going about it the wrong way,” he muttered.

“Fine. I’ll just lay here and starve,” she complained despondently. “You can explain my death to the medical staff.” Her stomach chose that moment to rumble, punctuating her statement.

With a harassed expression on his face, Chad lifted her off of him, rose from the bed and brought her one of his shirts to wear. “Anything else I can do for you?” He placed his hands on his hips and arched his left brow.

She answered while donning the shirt. “Yeah, you can help me into the bathroom.”

He frowned ferociously. “I’ll have the nurse bring you a bedpan.”

“Only if you want me to bludgeon you with it. Help me out of this bed or I’ll do it myself.” She scowled back at him.

He snatched her up and plopped her down on top of the toilet stool. Leaning against the doorjamb, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

“Get out and close the door behind you. I’m not peeing with you watching.”

He opened his mouth, probably to complain, but Tameka didn’t give him a chance. “Now! The longer I take, the more time Mr. Winky has to wait to come back home.” His mouth snapped shut and he stormed out, muttering about stubborn females lacking the sense God gave a goose right before the door closed.

“And put on some pants!” she hollered through the door.

Once he was gone, Tameka allowed the smile she was suppressing to surface. He was so cute when he couldn’t have his way. Imagine the big, bad werewolf throwing a temper tantrum.

An uncomfortable fifteen minutes later, she was no longer laughing. Sweat poured down her face and she was so weak it was all she could do to sit upright. Pee shouldn’t burn coming out. There was also blood. Not much, but enough to frighten her.

Having never been seriously ill, now that she wasn’t being distracted by Chad, she was worried and wanted nothing more than to go home.

Too tired for modesty, she called for Chad and allowed him to assist. At her request, he sponged the sweat off of her body, gave her a fresh shirt, and placed her back on the bed seconds before dinner arrived. She picked at her food, having lost her appetite.

“Chad?”

“Hmm?” He glanced up from the steak he was devouring.

“Are you sure I’m alright? I don’t have some fatal disease and you’re just too afraid to tell me, do I?” Chad choked, coughing and pounding on his chest to get the food to go down. “What! No, why on earth would you think something like that?”

“I’m never sick. Something must be wrong. People don’t just suddenly up and have seizures, unless… Did I have a stroke?”

“No.”

“Well, I know it’s not epilepsy and I didn’t hit my head, so there’s no trauma to the brain. Hypoglycemia? I did get dizzy for a while there. That’s one of the signs of low blood sugar.”

“Your insulin levels are fine.”

“Oh, God, is it meningitis?”

He dropped his fork and just stared, a horrible, hunted expression on his face.

Her heart clenched. “That’s it, isn’t it? How bad is it? Tell me. I can handle it.”

“It’s my fault, all right?” He pushed his food away and surged to his feet. “I did it. You almost died because of me.” There was a moment of stunned silence, then she quietly said, “I don’t understand.”

He stalked over to the window and parted the curtains.

From the way the light reflected off of the glass, she doubted he could see anything, yet he stared intently.

“That day at my house, when I bit you…”

“You gave me rabies?” She said it half-jokingly, hoping to at least get a smile.

The fingers clutching the curtains turned white. “When I bit you, I licked the wounds to heal them. In the process, I flooded your body with too much of my DNA. That’s why you got sick.

You system couldn’t handle it and reacted.”

“I see.”

He spun around. “Do you?” he asked fiercely. “I don’t think you do. If you did, you’d be yelling right now, kicking me out of the room.”

“Why? It was an accident. You didn’t mean to make me ill.

It happened. I survived and we know not to do that again.” Tameka didn’t understand why he was being so hard on himself.

He was a different species from her, and he’d already admitted he didn’t know much about his nature. Only what he managed to learn through trial and error growing up. Accidents were bound to happen as they adjusted to each other.

“Was it, Meka? Are you so sure? What if I told you I did it on purpose?” He stalked over until he stood three feet from the bed, almost within touching distance. His hands were fisted at his side and his body rigid with tightly leashed anger.

If all of that rage were directed at her, she might have been nervous. But it was clearly self-directed. “I’m certain of it.

Whatever your intent, it wasn’t to harm. You would die before doing anything to intentionally hurt me.” The quiet confidence in her voice deflated him like a balloon. He sank to his knees beside the bed, an earnest expression on his face. “I swear to God, Meka, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Alex was explaining to me about true mates, and he said that the more of my DNA you had in you, the quicker you would accept that I was your mate. Only he didn’t get a chance to finish. I took it from there and almost lost you forever.”

“You wanted me that bad, that you were willing to change who and what I am just to keep me? Without my permission?”

“Yes.” His answer was stark and honest, but the feeling in the depths of his eyes shook her right down to her soul. This green-eyed Viking didn’t simply want her. He craved her the way a drug addict lusted after his next fix. He gazed at her as though he would die if he couldn’t have her, like she was the very air that he breathed.

She scooted over and lifted the cover. “Come here. You’re too far away. And take off those jeans. I want to feel you skin-to-skin.”

He hurried to comply. Once he was in the bed, she fell into his arms, immediately tangling their legs together. When they lay face-to-face with the same pillow supporting both of their heads, she asked, “Does this mean I’m like you now?”

“Alex believes so.” His gaze searched hers, as though he were trying to decipher how she felt about him and the news he’d just given her.

Logic dictated that she be angry. After all, thanks to him she was no longer human, but strangely, she wasn’t. Though she’d been furious at the time and believed it to be one big joke at her expense, she remembered every word of what Kiesha explained about true mates, the mating fever and bond, and its effect on her body. If Kiesha was to be believed, her changing into a werewolf was inevitable as long as she continued her relationship with Chad, and she’d done nothing to end it. In fact, she’d welcomed him with open arms once she realized he was telling the truth about who and what he was.

On the basis of all she’d been told, she deduced that all Chad had done was speed the process of something that would have happened anyway. She couldn’t be angry with him for that, although he clearly thought that she would be. She could see the guilt and self-condemnation written all over his face. He expected her to reject him, maybe the same way everyone else he ever cared about had. Growing up in foster care couldn’t have been easy.

She’d deal with that in a moment, but while he was being so open, there were a few more things she needed to know. “What was in the envelope?”

He stiffened and tried to move away, but she held him tight.

“Chad,” she growled warningly. She was sick and tired of him trying to evade answering this question. Something was going on. Something that effected her and she was damned if she’d let him continue keeping her in the dark. “Talk!”

At her tone, he looked at her. She was pissed. Her wolf peeked out at him from behind her eyes. He couldn’t put this off any longer. He started talking before her wolf could grab control.

“Pictures of us.”

“Is that all?” She rolled her eyes. “What’s so bad about…wait a minute. We haven’t posed for any photos. Who took the pictures?” First she looked puzzled, then suspicious.

“Pictures of us where…doing what? The camera wasn’t on when you stopped me that day, was it?” Her eyes were narrowed and mouth pursed as she glowered at him.

“No,” he responded absently as images cascaded through his mind. The first ones weren’t so bad. Tameka as she exited the house in his work shirt, flip-flops and nothing else, looking sexily rumpled. Him, right on her heels in his work pants, bare chest, and feet. Them examining the tires. Meka backing away as he tried to kiss her.

Then they changed. Him with his white blond hair covered head buried between her meaty brown thighs. The purplish, swollen head of his cock as it parted the puffy, fuchsia-colored, inner lips of her sex. Meka, head thrown back, eyes slitted and mouth parted, a look of ecstasy on her face. Another of Meka with her feet up in the air, one flip-flop dangling from her big toe as he bent her in half and rode her hard.

Thank God he’d been too intent on getting inside of her and bringing them both to completion to bare her breasts. From the angle of the photos, this person must have been in a tree upwind of them, or he’d been so focused on his mate he failed notice anyone else around.

“In your yard, but that’s not all.” He hurried on before she could probe for further details. “Those flat tires of yours were no accident. Neither were the flowers. You’re being stalked.” She reared back in shock. “Chad, that’s crazy. I just got here. Barely even know anyone. Stalkers fixate on their victims.

I haven’t been here long enough to attract anyone’s attention, let alone piss them off.” She was shaking her head.

“You got mine,” he reminded her quietly.

“But,” she sputtered. “That’s different.”

“There’s more. While you were unconscious, this same person butchered a dog and hung it from a noose in your front yard,” he continued grimly.

Meka froze and her eyes rounded as she searched his face.

Whatever she saw must have convinced her he was serious, and the threat was real. “Why? None of this makes sense. Stalkers don’t just randomly choose people.”

“The land,” he told her firmly. “It’s the only thing that fits.

We believe someone’s trying to scare you off, force you to sell.

This same person contacted the Markham Group to contract a housing development deal using your property.”

“Markham…but those are the people trying to buy my property.” Chad could smell her confusion.

“No they’re not. Someone’s trying to use them to hide their actions. Have you ever called the Markham Group and asked for this person?”

“What person? She never gave me a name. Even the letters never mention a specific contact, just a department. I don’t know why I never noticed before,” she finished, the disgust she was feeling rich in her tone.

“Why would you? It’s not like you were actually interested in selling. As far as you were concerned, this woman was just a nuisance.” He cupped her chin and gazed steadily into her eyes until she acknowledged the truth of his words.

He could literally see her brain processing the information he’d given her. Her face was that expressive. He wasn’t surprised when she continued questioning him, but the direction she took did.

“If someone’s trying to scare me off, why hang a dog in my yard? Just a plain noose would have been more effective. I would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that this was racial targeting a la the Ku Klux Klan.” Tameka rose up onto one elbow and rested her head in her hand.

“It was, but it was aimed at me, not you,” he confirmed, liking the way her mind worked. Of course, there wasn’t much he didn’t like about her.

“I hate to keep saying this, but I don’t understand. Enlighten me. How was this targeted at you?” She began to absently draw circles on his chest.

He caught her hand and held it, not wanting the distraction.

“The dog they chose was an Alaskan Husky, very wolf-like in appearance. And they left a note.”

“What did it say?”

“Beast lover. Go back where you belong.”

“So, whoever this person is, they know what you are. That should help narrow down the suspects,” she concluded confidently.

He felt a spurt of annoyance. “This isn’t an episode of CSI.

Real crime solving isn’t that easy,” he snapped.

He thought again of how little they knew and got pissed off all over again. This was his mate being threatened. He felt a burning desire to hunt down whoever was responsible and eliminate them, by any means necessary.

Heat rose and his skin felt on fire as his wolf, responding to his anger, tried to rise to the surface. He shoved it back down and clamped a lid on it before his beast could call hers. She was too new and didn’t have the needed control. The less her beast stirred the better. During sex was one thing, but this was totally different.

“I didn’t think it was, but actually, how hard can it be? You know it’s not one of…one of…” Her face scrunched as she searched her memory. Then she snapped her fingers. “You know it isn’t one of the pack. They all know whom the land really belongs to. So you’re looking for a human female that knows about you. This area is small. How many woman can there be that fit that description?”

She was so earnest that he forgot his anger. Besides, she was right.

“And another thing, why my land? There’s plenty of undeveloped property in this area for sale. I see the signs all the time. Not in Refuge itself, but definitely in the surrounding area.

Why is she so focused on mine?”

Chad was stunned. He’d been so intent on discovering the who, he hadn’t given much thought to the why, besides the obvious. He reached for his phone on the bedside table.

“What are you doing?” She sat up on the bed.

“Calling Rome.”

“Who’s Rome?”

“My boss.” He held up a finger, telling her to wait as Rome answered.

“Chad. How’s your mate?”

“Fine. Look, I was explaining the situation to Tameka and she brought up and interesting point. Why this land in particular?

There’s plenty around the county for sale.” There was silence on the other end. “That’s a good question.

Following her line of reasoning, that makes this personal. The note said, ‘Go back where you belong.’ The implication being that Tameka didn’t belong here. I took it to mean Refuge, but it may have been more specific to the land itself.”

“Was someone else in line to inherit my property? Did Mr.

Ned have any children that feel they’ve been cheated,” Tameka asked.

Chad’s eyes narrowed at this further proof that his Meka was no longer human. Before the transition, she wouldn’t have been able to hear Rome’s side of the conversation.

“Not that I know of,” Rome answered. “I can ask some of the elders. They’d know more so than I.”

“Whoever she is, she’s very angry and not just about the land. She doesn’t like the idea of humans and shifters sexually interacting. That’s why she butchered the dog and sent the pictures. She’s trying to shame me.”

Chad was stunned again by the way her mind operated.

“What makes you say that?” There was a wealth of curiosity in Rome’s voice.

“The dog that was butchered, was it male or female?” Tameka asked while Chad sat quietly holding the phone, his mind racing as he tried to figure out where she was going with this.

“Hold on.” The sounds of paper shuffling came through the line. “Male.”

“Was it castrated?”

There was a short pause as he looked for the information, then Rome cursed.

Tameka didn’t wait for him to confirm it. “I wonder if she killed the dog before or after she photo’d us having sex,” she mused. “Probably after. She took the pictures, then killed the dog and castrated it to show what she thought about werewolves,” Tameka concluded.

“Meka, this dog was completely butchered. She stabbed it over and over again. How do you know the castration wasn’t part of it?” Chad questioned.

“I’m guessing she started with castration, but it triggered her rage and she ended up mutilating the dog instead.” Rome whistled. “You want a job? The department could use a profiler. Doesn’t have to be full-time. You could work as a consultant.”

“What she says makes sense,” Chad interjected.

“More than that, I think she’s dead on target,” Rome added.

“But it still doesn’t explain the land. Momma E never mentioned Mr. Ned having children. If he did, I’m sure she would have insisted he leave the property to them instead. And did this thing start with me, or was she after Momma E as well?” Tameka asked. Chad could sense her concern. “You don’t think this person had something to do with Momma E’s death, do you?”

Rome immediately assured her. “No, your grandmother died of natural causes. However, Ned’s death might bear further investigation. It might not have been poachers as we originally suspected.”

“But if she killed Ned to get to the land, wouldn’t she have gone after Tameka’s grandmother as well?” Chad wanted to know. If their stalker was a murderer, that made her infinitely more dangerous.

“Not necessarily. If this woman is as familiar with us as she seems to be, she’d know a lot of shifters grieve themselves to death after the loss of a mate. With Emma’s age, all she would have had to do was wait for Emma to die and purchase the land for unpaid taxes. Since none of Emma’s family ever visited her here, she may not have anticipated Emma willing the land to someone.”

Chad could smell Tameka’s confusion and anger combined with a touch of fear, and it pissed him off all over again.

Whoever this person was, she had to be stopped.

“Tameka, you think about my offer. Chad, this gives me an idea on some leads. I’ll be in touch,” Rome said right before he hung up.

He rested the phone back on the table and turned to his mate, pulling her into his arms.

“Was he serious?”

He couldn’t quite place her tone. It sounded like a blend of intrigue, skepticism, and confusion, as if she didn’t quite know what to make of the offer. “About the job? Rome never jokes about police work. With your degree and experience, you’d be a tremendous asset to the department. Not just ours, but surrounding counties and municipals as well.” She leaned over him until they were face-to-face. “Do you think I should?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. As a rule, we don’t see a lot of crime, but the types of cases that require a profiler are…harsh,” he inserted, for lack of a better word. “If you’re interested, I won’t stand in your way. I’ll support you fully. Are you?” She dropped her head to his chest. “I don’t know. It’s not something I’ve ever considered.”

“Give it some thought. It won’t hurt to try. If you don’t like it, or it’s too gruesome, just stop. No one will fault you. Police work isn’t for everyone.”

Silence fell and Chad found himself stroking the silky skin of her back. Tameka gave a big yawn and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

“How’d you guess what was in the pictures,” he asked lazily.

“Your reaction. If it was nothing, you would have shown them to me,” she murmured, sounding half asleep. “Tomorrow I want to see them.”

“I’ll tell Bull to bring them.”