Indirect Lines: Halle Shifters, Book 5 (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

Heather was staring at a piece of paper with such an intent expression that he had the sudden urge to tiptoe right back out of the room.

“Jamie Howard, Marie Howard and Hope Walsh.”

Her soft voice was distant, but it was her words that made Barney take that step into the room. Chloe’s warning was still ringing in his ears, and hearing Heather say Dr. Howard’s name made shivers run down his spine. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “Why did you mention Jamie Howard?”

Heather jumped, her head jerking toward him. “Barney?” Her eyes were huge, her expression startled. “You scared the hell out of me.”

He didn’t have time to reassure her. “Why did you mention Dr. Howard?”

She blinked and looked back down at the piece of paper. “It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”

“How so?” He tried to keep his tone light, but he knew he’d failed when she shot him another fearful glance. “Chloe told me ‘Beware of Jamie Howard’.”

“Oh.” Heather bit her lip. The plump, pink flesh against the whiteness of her teeth tempted him to drop his questions and just kiss her so stupid she never mentioned the name Jamie Howard again. “Are you sure that’s what she meant? You know how her words get tangled up.”

“Her eyes were silver when she said it. I think it was a direct message from Fox.” Barney took the slip of paper from her hospital table, ignoring her faint cry of denial. Instead he handed her the sack of food he’d brought. She tore into the burger wrapper while he glanced over the notes, the simple math, the words “marriage” and “two becomes one” with the “s” underlined three times. Julian and Chloe’s names were written down, but she’d drawn arrows moving Chloe’s name above Julian’s. Alex and Ryan’s names were crossed off, and Jamie Howard’s was written several times, along with Marie Howard and Hope Walsh. She’d crossed off the word…“ghost”?

She’d actually written
Jamie and Marie Howard minus Marie Howard equals Jamie Howard
, followed by
Jamie Howard plus Hope Walsh equals???
.

“That’s where I get stuck.” A pencil eraser tapped the triple question marks. “How do Jamie and Hope make three?”

There was only one thing Barney could think of. “A baby?”

“I thought that could be it.” Heather moaned as she bit into her burger. “God, this tastes so good.”

He tapped the word “ghost”. “I doubt Marie is going to haunt them. From what I hear, she wasn’t like that. Besides, I doubt the spirits would want such an arrangement, even if it could be done.”

“So you agree that those three together makes the most sense? That they’re the ones the prophecy speaks of?” Her hopeful expression belied her calm tone. She wanted someone to believe in her theory, even if it seemed far-fetched.

Barney stared at the paper, debating whether or not her theory had any validity to it. Looking at her notes, he could see how she’d come to the conclusion that Jamie was the key to the whole mess they found themselves in. “It’s worth looking into. No one else’s theories have panned out, so for all we know you’re on the right track.”

“Julian thinks it has more to do with the Bear and Fox that are spoken of. He doesn’t think Dr. Howard has anything to do with it at all.” Heather’s expression was determined. “But he’s wrong.”

He stared at Heather, surprised by her ferocity. “That sure, are you?”

She nodded firmly. “It’s the only thing that makes any sense whatsoever.” She glared at him as if it was all his fault somehow. “Go talk to Dr. Howard. Find out if he knows anything about this.” She tapped the paper again. “Maybe with his help we can finish this.”

“And get to our mating?” He leaned forward, touching that tempting bottom lip of hers with the tip of his finger. Her expression immediately softened, her eyes turning the reddish-brown of her Fox. “You know, when this is over and I mate you, I’ll be taking you to my home, not your parents. It will be just you—” he stroked her lip, following his fingertip with his gaze, “—and me.”

“I’m not a child. I know that.”

She was fucking nineteen years old, almost the same age Chloe had been when she met Dr. Woods. He was twenty-seven, and had seen more pain and horror than any grown man should. How could he not want to bundle her up in bubble wrap and keep her safe and sound in his den, far away from the horrors of the world? He had a pretty good idea that was how Dr. Woods saw things too, but Barney wasn’t going to wait for Heather to “grow up”. He was going to claim his mate sooner rather than later. Her wounds were more than enough to drive home the point that living without her wasn’t an option anymore. “You
are
a child still, but you’re also my mate.”

She blew some of her red hair out of her eyes and glared at him. “Am not.”

Her pout was absolutely adorable. “Are too.” Before she could argue more, he kissed her, gently parting her lips until she let him inside the sweet warmth of her mouth. He tasted her lips, savoring her unique flavor. He kept the kiss gentle, not ready yet to unleash the full force of his passion on her. She wasn’t ready for that. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her.

When he pulled free she whimpered and chased after him, trying to draw him back into the delicate sensuality he’d been weaving around them both. He gave in to her, kissing her once more, diving into the tenderness she offered like a starving man. God, he wanted her so badly, wanted to touch that smooth, freckled skin, lick each dark mark until he’d relished every single one. Without thought he reached for her breast, brushing his thumb across the nipple. It hardened under his touch, his mate moaning softly as he continued to caress her.

She pulled back with a gasp. “Not here.” Her eyes were still foxy brown, her pupils dilated with desire.

“No, not here.” He gave her breast one more touch before pulling back with a sigh. His cock was throbbing, his Bear growling to take her, bite her, but the hospital wasn’t the right place to take her. She needed to be in his temporary den, in his bed, snuggled safe and warm before they marked her.

She leaned back against the pillows, her lips plump and red, her breath coming in soft pants. Hell. This was pure hell, seeing her red hair against the white sheets, her skin flushed with desire, and being unable to do a damn thing about it. “I want to stay in Halle with my family.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up.

As if he’d argue with her. He gave her his best shit-eating grin. “I guess I could think about it.”

She blinked, her arms lowering. “Really?”

Damn it. How could he tease her when staying in this town meant so much to her? Her eyes were green again, but so filled with innocent hope there was no way he could tell her anything but yes. “I tell you what. If I give you a budget, do you want to go house hunting while I work on the case?”

She squealed so loudly the nurses at their station probably heard her. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and bounced on the hospital bed. “Yes yes yes!”

“Careful.” Her shoulder was doing much better, but not that much. “No pulling your stitches or hurting yourself.”

“I won’t. I’m not. It’s just…” She took a deep breath, her expression so joyful he just had to kiss the tip of her nose. “I thought you’d fight me on this.”

“Why? It’ll cause a few problems with work, but I was planning on talking to Carl about setting up a Hunter training program here. We have enough of us in the area to pitch in, and frankly it’s too big a job for one person. We usually do the training one on one, but Halle is close to the Poconos, to cities…we can train for just about any scenario here without problems.”

“And the Pumas would more than likely be thrilled to have more Hunters around, especially now.”

“The Pride would be the biggest hurdle, or rather, Max and Emma Cannon, the Alpha and Curana of the Pride.” Barney ran his hand down Heather’s back. “But I’m pretty sure they’ll be all right with it. They have rules for the shifters attending college here. Something can be worked out for the newbie Hunters.”

“What about your territory?”

“You let me worry about that. Another Hunter will be assigned there, that’s all you need to know.”

She frowned for a moment, but it quickly disappeared. “I want a dog.”

He blinked, confused. “Okay?”

“Good.” She pecked at his lips before settling against the pillows once more. She took a deep breath and let it out with a satisfied smile. “I need a new tattoo.”

“Right. So you deal with the house and the dog, I’ll deal with the riddle and getting my ass transferred here. Deal?”

“Nope. I’m still going to try and figure out the riddle, but I’m not going to try and fight or anything. Is that a deal?”

“I can live with that.” Barney stood and kissed her on the forehead. “Rest, Heather. I’ll let you know how things go with Dr. Howard, okay?”

“Okay.” She settled back with her pad and pencil, but this time, instead of working on a riddle, she began to draw. Probably her new tattoo, if he were to guess.

He left her to her drawing. He had to go get permission from Max to visit with Dr. Howard, since the man was holed up in his mansion and not speaking with anyone. Chloe had warned him to beware of Dr. Howard, but she’d never said anything about avoiding him. If he had any of the answers Barney needed, or even a direction to point him in, the trip would be worth it.

Since Max had ordered everyone to stay away from Dr. Howard due to his anger issues, Barney would do the polite thing and speak with the Alpha first. One way or another, he was going to speak to Jamie Howard.

Chapter Thirteen

Heather put the paper down and stared at the door he’d just walked out of. She hadn’t wanted him to see how nervous she was about his trip to see Dr. Howard. From everything she’d heard, the doctor used to be a good man, but now he was borderline psychotic. So she’d pretended to be drawing, hoping he’d think she was all right when she was anything but.

Barney is a Hunter. He can handle Dr. Howard.

She could tell herself that all she wanted, but the truth was she was always going to worry about him. She couldn’t join him when he fought. She had to remain behind, waiting and watching, hoping that he came home safe and sound. Was this how the spouse of a cop felt? If so, she felt like maybe Sarah Anderson, the Pride Omega, might understand how Heather felt. Sarah’s husband, Gabe, wasn’t just the town sheriff, he was also a Hunter. Maybe she should talk to her, and not just about being the spouse of a Hunter.

Maybe it was time she spoke to someone about her assault when she was younger. Bears didn’t have Omegas who could help sort out emotional issues. They had to do it on their own, or with a human psychologist. But how could a human understand what she’d been through?
Doc, they tried to force me into puberty by trying to get my Fox to come out to defend me, and I still don’t understand why.
It was a nightmare either way she looked at it.

“Knock knock!” Tiffany entered the room, her high heels clacking on the linoleum. “Bored out of your skull, little sis?”

“You have no idea.” None whatsoever. Bored? She wished.

“Did I see Barney earlier? I thought I caught sight of him, but I wasn’t sure.” Tiff settled in the visitor’s chair next to the bed. “I have to admit, you bagged a pretty yummy mate.”

Heather bared her teeth at her sister and growled.

Tiffany just laughed. “Oh, scary. I remember changing your diapers, kiddo.”

“Just keep your paws to yourself and I won’t eat you.” Heather stared at Tiffany, wondering if her sister would help her. Maybe Tiffany was just what she needed to take her mind off of her mate. “Barney said I can go house hunting.”

Tiffany’s eyes lit up. “Shopping trip!” She rubbed her hands together and cackled gleefully. “You’ll need furniture and lamps and plates and silverware and sexy underthings—”

“Hey!” Heather could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks. “Knock it off.”

Tiffany laughed, the bitch. “He’s a big guy. You think he’s big like that all over?” Tiffany held her hands up, squinted at them, then gradually widened the gap until they were a good nine inches apart.

“I hate you the most right now.” Heather slumped down, embarrassed by the deepening heat of her face. She could see the redness spreading to her chest. She probably looked like a cooked lobster.

Tiffany picked up the tablet Heather had been doodling on and turned it to a blank page. “So, what kind of house are you looking for?”

“It has to suit a Bear and a Fox.” Finding a home that appealed to both of them should be easy enough, especially in this community.

“And since he’s a Hunter, he’ll probably want some sort of security.” Tiffany made a quick note. “No bushes or trees close to the windows. He’ll need to see if anything is coming for him.”

“We might want the house to be near some woods, so I can run.” Heather watched as Tiffany made another note. “Maybe we can ask Max if we can use Pride land to run on.”

“He lets Tabby and Alex use it, so I don’t see why not.” Tiffany tilted her head. “But it would be nice to have our own space too.”

“Buy your own house.” Heather pulled the pad and pencil away from Tiffany, making her own note. “No. Bitchy. Relatives.”

“Damn. You’ll never have any visitors.” Tiffany chuckled when Heather threw the pencil at her. She picked it up, tossing it back to Heather. “Look, anything you want should be fine, right? I mean, Barney doesn’t want a purple and green house or anything weird like that?”

“I swear, I hope your mate is named Yogi.” Heather picked up the pencil and began drawing once more. This time she began to draw a simple house with a large front porch and dormered windows on the second floor. “I want something like this.”

“Cute.” Tiffany pointed toward the trees Heather began to sketch in. “Go for land, you can always expand the house when you have kits.”

“True.” And it might also prove useful if Barney could get the training program off the ground. They could add some sort of room to the back of the house where Barney and the other Hunters could hold classes. “Wait. Kits?”

“Yup. You’re going to have them, right?” Tiffany grinned. “Think about it. A little boy with your hair and Barney’s…stubbornness?”

“He’s more than just that, you know. He’s very affectionate when he’s with me.”

“Is that right, Frodo?” Tiffany’s mocking expression was going to get her smacked.

“Yup, Gimli. He even understands Second Breakfast and my unhealthy obsession with mushrooms.” She added a stick-figure Tiffany with lousy hair and Gimli’s beard to the picture.

“I don’t look like that!”

“Oops. You’re right.” She put little stilettos on the stick figure.

“Bitch.” Tiffany’s expression became serious. “You scared?”

“Of you? Hell no.” Heather smirked at her sister. “I know your weak point.”

“Don’t you dare.” Tiffany glared at Heather as Heather opened her mouth, ready to sing. “I swear I’ll tell Barney all about your naked Barbie orgy.”

“They were hot tubbing, you sicko.” Heather hummed the opening bars to
The
Phantom of the Opera
’s “Think of Me”.

Tiffany sighed. “I love that play so much. She should have gone for the Phantom.”

“The Phantom was a stalker.” Heather had been through this so many times it wasn’t even funny anymore. “But…
Raoul
,” she sighed, batting her lashes. “He’s so
dreamy
.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Puh-lease. He shows up, remembers he’s always wanted to shag her, and carries her off into the sunset. Pfft. The Phantom loved her for who she was, but Raoul loved the memory of her.”

“And she fell for the pretty boy, blah blah blah.” Heather closed her eyes. None of this was helping her forget the danger Barney was in.

“Hey.” A warm, gentle hand pushed her hair away from her forehead. “He’s going to be okay.”

“He’s tough. So tough he’d been tasked with training other Hunters on how to be a badass.”

“Right. So you don’t worry over him, all right? If he finds out you’re making yourself sick over him.”

“I’m not.” Heather opened her eyes and scowled. “I’m going to get out of here soon and be claimed by Barney.”

Tiffany giggled. “I still can’t get over his name.”

“Is it that much worse than Bunny?”

“Bunny doesn’t have a song.”

Oh really?
Heather couldn’t resist. “Little Bunny Foo Foo hopping through the forest—”

“Don’t even bother, we already know he’s been turned into a goon.” Tiffany picked up the pad of paper. “A house, huh?”

“Yeah.” Heather bit her lip. “He’s staying.”

“Good.” Tiffany stood and gave her a hug. “We can start planning your wedding then.”

Wedding? “Can we wait on that until he asks me first?”

Tiffany blinked, looking confused. “Why?”

“Because?”

“If that’s all you’ve got, I think you should look at maybe doing a double wedding with Chloe and Jim.”

Hell. Barney was going to flip the fuck out.

A soft tap on the door had her looking at her doctor. She sat up, eager to hear the news she’d been waiting for. “I’m being sprung from this joint?”

The doctor laughed. “You’re being kicked out. Put some clothes on, get out and give me my bed back.”

“Yay!” Heather did a sitting-down booty-dance.

“Remember, you need to see your regular doctor to check your wound, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The nurse will be in with your discharge papers. Sign them and you’re gone.” The doctor winked at her and left.

Heather waved her hands at her sister. “Gimme my pants, woman!”

Tiffany laughed. “Did anyone bring you any?”

“Mom and Dad brought stuff for me to change into once I got discharged, but that stupid fever kept me from leaving.” Heather wriggled on the bed in excitement. She’d have to call Barney and let her know she was going home with him today.

She blinked.

Holy fuck.

She was going home with her mate today. Which meant…

“Heather?” Tiffany waved her hands in front of Heather’s face. “Yoo-hoo.”

Heather finally focused on Tiffany’s face. “Does it hurt?”

“Does what hurt?” Tiffany stared at the jeans in her hands. “Well, I suppose it could, but only if you get your short and curlies caught in the zipper. But that’s what panties are for.”

Heather rolled her eyes. Maybe asking her sister about her first sexual experience wasn’t such a good idea after all.