Chapter 52
“Will he make it?”
TJ shrugged. “With his shifter genetics, I think he’ll pull through. Whether the leg can be salvaged is another story.”
Donovan glanced down then back again. “I’m sorry.”
Perplexed, TJ peered over. “For what?”
“Because you had to see that. Be in the middle of it. Be unable to fix things with a magic wand. And be unable to have caught the hunter in the first place. I know you carry guilt for that very thing.”
Perceptive polar.TJ simply nodded. Exhausted and with a bit of a headache, he didn’t have much more to say on that subject. “The consensus is that the hunter sticks to the woods and the rural areas. No incidents in town or amongst humans. Theoretically, as long as we stay in civilized areas, we should be fine.”
“Should be?”
“That’s the best we’ve got for the moment.” And it was pretty damn lacking, too.
Donovan sat up, then stood, walked over to TJ, and sat down. He cupped the back of TJ’s head and gently tugged him closer.
TJ leaned into the hug. Savored it. Drew in the closeness, the warmth, even the sound of the steady beating of Donovan’s heart. Calming and caring.
He embraced Donovan, rested his cheek on Donovan’s shoulder, and simply held on tight.
They hadn’t known one another for long, but he realized an important fact—he cared more for Donovan than he’d ever had another living being. Tomas, included. And, if anyone threatened Donovan, they’d have one pissed off grizzly to deal with. He might be mortal, but he was damn hard to kill. 12
Two days later
Arriving home, Donovan placed the small cardboard package on the kitchen countertop. Intrigued by its arrival in the mail, he planned on opening it first. After all, no one knew he was there. It wasn’t addressed to “resident” either. His gut knotted at the mystery and solving it involved opening the package to see the contents.
At least no other shooting incidents had been reported. TJ was on pins and needles. Donovan, too, though not as antsy for himself. He lived pretty much in the town. Supposedly, that gave him some sort of protection. For now. TJ’s house, on the other hand, sat smack dab in the middle of a potential shifter target area. That fact kept Donovan up at night and searching for the culprit along with TJ every evening. With no sightings, they didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned.
On the positive side, TJ learned Trent had made it through the surgery. So far, he still had his leg. If it healed correctly, he had a chance of keeping it. Any complications, and there were many of those possible, he’d still lose it. But, for right now, hope shined brightly.
Donovan smiled in pride as he recalled what TJ had done. Taken care of the youth as best as he could and rode with him all the way to the hospital where the orthopedic surgeon waited. TJ didn’t have much in the way of supplies or equipment. Still, he’d managed to stabilize Trent and get him to the right place.
Then, he’d come to Donovan. Worn out. Beaten down. And the bearer of bad news. Donovan read the worry in TJ’s face and the emotional toll the experience had left. All he could do was to pull TJ into his arms and hold him. He’d done just that all night long.
And, it had felt right.
Donovan’s cell phone rang. He plucked it off the holder on his belt and checked the caller ID. Unavailable.Either it was a scam or…
He immediately answered. “Hello?”
“Is this Dominic Donovan Mercer?” a woman’s voice asked in a bored, tired tone.
His full name being used never bode well. Instantly, he stilled and held his breath. His gut knotted. “Yes.”
“This is the New York Department of Justice.”
“Yes.” His stomach sank. He knew what this was about—Bagsby. He’d signed up for notification about the bastard from the prison system. With any luck, the old asshole had died.
“Lou Bagsby escaped from prison yesterday.”
Donovan’s heart stopped. “He what?”
“He escaped from prison yesterday.”
A thousand questions raced through his mind, warring with worry to take the forefront position. “Why are you only telling me now?”
The woman sighed. “By protocol, we notify those on the victim and witness notification list up to twenty-four hours after the fact.”
Donovan tried to swallow, but found his mouth dry.
“He escaped yesterday during a routine transfer to the court system at 10:38 A.M.”
A day. An entire day to be on the loose and searching. Cold chills ran down Donovan’s spine. If he were in the witness protection program, things would likely be different. Instead, murders followed the kidnappings, threw the crime into the state’s realm. No federal protection. No US Marshalls. Just him, on his own, with a measly notification system to let him know that the man who vowed to kill him was on the loose.