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***
I wonder how the others are faring on their neighbor-locating missions as Dylan and I ring the doorbell of the house next door for the third time. In fact, I can see Zane and Dakota walking away from the house across the street to try the one beside.
Is the whole neighborhood off to work or hiding from us?
“You haven’t been to work again,” Dylan remarks as he tries to look through a window, cupping his eyes to see through the glass.
Took him a while to comment on this. My face warms. “I asked Mason for a day off. I wanted to be part of this,” I wave a hand vaguely, “hunt.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” He smiles at me.
I felt bad for not being there for Zane before, and I made up my mind to ask for time off. Mason didn’t like it, but hey, tough. Work isn’t the most important thing in my life. “I needed to use some of the overtime Mason owes me anyway.”
Dylan’s brows shoot up, and okay, ever since Mason hired me I’ve never talked about using my overtime, or taking time off.
I’m regretting it. I should’ve done it earlier. Should’ve put my priorities straight.
“Something has changed with you, hasn’t it?” he whispers, and I lean in to kiss his rough cheek. “Not that I’m complaining.”
I smile against his face. “Good. I told you, I’m planning to be around more often. My job was never more important than you, Dyl. God knows I’d have given everything up to be with you.”
“But I wouldn’t want that.”
“I know. Which makes it my choice, and it’s not like I’m giving anything up. Just finding the right balance.”
“I bet—”
I never find out what he was about to say, because the door of the house creaks open, and a suspicious eye gleams in the opening.
“Who are you?” a gravelly voice says, and it takes me a moment to realize it belongs to a woman. “What do you want?”
“Hi.” I insert myself in front of Dylan who’s scowling, pasting on a bright smile. “We’re looking for Kenneth Shaw. We’re, uh, his friends.”
I hope she didn’t notice my hesitation.
Dylan lets out a small growl behind me, and I reach back and pat blindly at his arm. What’s with the werewolf behavior? I shoot him a scolding glance over my shoulder.
“Friends of his?” the woman asks and her voice rises. “Friends?”
Crap. “Well, not exactly…” I falter.
“He owes us money,” Dylan says, grabbing my waist and pulling me to his side. “We have been looking all over for him, and only now someone recognized his face, and we ended up here. Does he live in the house next door?”
I’m standing there in shock, wondering if the woman will slam the door in our face.
But she doesn’t and belatedly I realize that her voice when she’d said friends had not only been incredulous.
It had been angry.
She doesn’t like Kenneth Shaw, I think, as the pieces fall into place. And Dylan figured it out the moment she spoke those first words.
I stare at my boyfriend, flabbergasted. That was hot. Smart guys are hot, and mine is the smartest, sexiest, yummiest—
“He owes you money, huh?” The woman’s voice jolts me out of my lust-induced trance. “That doesn’t surprise me. That guy creeps the fudge outta me.”
Okay… I glance sideways at Dylan who’s nodding at her words.
“Why’s that, ma’am?” he says, and the woman opens the door a bit more. Dylan can charm the clothes off little old ladies, if and when he puts his mind to it. I kinda knew that.
