Chapter 7

The storm lightened up around three in the morning and that was the time I fully embraced sleep. I was up by seven in the morning and fighting with the beaten-up coffee machine. I heard Dash enter the bathroom in the hall. His room didn't have a bathroom.

"Damn thing," I groaned when it wouldn't produce coffee.

The doorbell rang several times before I could think who it could be a fist pounded on the door. I froze for a second, pondering my next move.

"Zora Fisher! Open this door I know you're in there. I can smell you remember?"

I breathed a sigh of relief as I unlocked the door.

"I thought you were someone crazy."

"Trees fell all over town last night and I wanted to make sure you were okay." She stepped inside.

"I lost power it only came on this morning but I'm fine."

"I would have rushed over but Kaleb wouldn't let me drive in the weather."

"I'm sorry I should have called you first thing I just-"

The door upstairs slammed shut and my heart sank.

"Damn it, Zora. The shower's busted."

Cass smirked. I couldn't stop the naughty wolf face she got.

"Cass, no."

"Oh, you have a man over! That's why you were too busy to call me."

"Shh!" I hissed.

Dash appeared on the top of the staircase dripping wet with nothing but a towel to hide his man parts. and I nearly died. Cassidy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"It's Dash," She chuckled.

Dash smirked. Why was he laughing, did he think this was funny?

"Cass this is not what it looks like."

She shifted closer and smirked. "It's okay Zora, you need to get laid more often. Is that dildo working for you?"

I glanced at Dash and caught his smile. I got a crippling blush. I grabbed my best friend's shoulders and dragged her towards the door.

"Goodbye Cass!"

"Do everything I would do."

I closed the door behind her and wished the ground would open up and swallow me.

"End me!"

I pressed my body against the door, thinking Dash had retreated to get changed I opened my eyes and found him a few feet away from me, clutching his towel with a fat grin on his face.

"Red lingerie and dildos does it get any better?" He said with a grin.

"Couldn't you pretend you didn't hear that part?" I asked.

"Nah… I like the shade of pink you become when you're embarrassed."

He reached out and stroked my cheekbone. His touch sent out a bolt of electricity throughout my body.

"I'll be back in the afternoon," Dash said, his voice now serious like him.

"Why? Don't tell you want nothing to do with me then come over for afternoon tea."

"So you want me to leave you with a busted shower?" He grunted.

"No," I frowned.

"Zora, I wish I could stand by my words, nothing can happen between us Zora, not again but the second I heard you were hurt I came rushing and now I want to help you figure out what happened to your parents. If that's what you want?"

My heart raced for a thousand reasons. I wanted the truth about my parents and about why he left me suddenly as well as why he hated me. It was like he was fighting his feelings for me. I needed to fight them too but it was so much easier said than done.

"Of course I do," I whispered.

"Good, so we have to work together."

"And have boundaries," I finished.

Dash straightened his spine. My eyes wandered to the smooth brown hair on his chest and then to his defined six-pack. I looked away before he caught me staring.

"Yeah, boundaries. I have to be at the pack house and explain to my Alpha why I missed an important meeting."

And I had to prepare for another day of work. What if the shady man from yesterday came back to question Mr Dean again?

***

I knocked on Mr Dean's bedroom door before I entered. He sat in his wheelchair and stared out the window.

"Good morning, Mr Dean," I said warmly.

He turned his head and smiled.

"Lovely morning isn't it?"

He certainly didn't seem like a frightened old man. I sat on the edge of his bed with my clipboard in hand.

"I saw you had a visitor last week and yesterday."

The smile on his face vanished. The last thing I wanted was to frighten this poor old man. The only time anyone came to visit him was when they wanted to intimidate him.

"A young man. He wanted something… I don't know what." He stared out the window yesterday.

"Yeah, he looked like a scary man."

"You saw him?"

I nodded. "He asked about a Pandora."

Mr Dean's blue eyes held my gaze. He reached for my hand and squeezed it with his little might.

"Do not speak about the Pandora for your own good."

***

The sound of pool balls smacking against each other coupled with hearty laughter welcomed me into Pointer's Bar. Cass was at work I was here to meet with Gunner. I spotted Kaleb in the corner with Christine on his lap. My stomach churned when he caught me staring. I told myself there was nothing there for me and scanned the bar for Gunner.

I found him at the pool table talking to some guys.

"Gunner," I said.

He straightened up after taking a shot. The stripped ball hit the other stripped one and entered the whole. The other guys groaned and I guessed he won.

"Nice uniform," he said.

I didn't have time to go home and change then come find him. I came to the bar in my mint green pants and shirt uniform.

"We have to talk," I said.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd show."

He placed his large hand on the small of my back and led me to a table in the corner of the bar. I sat down and the exact intense sensation someone was watching me hit me from behind. It was the same as Kaleb's welcome home party when I turned around there was nothing there but a bartender serving drinks.

"Cassidy isn't here, why'd you show up?" Gunner asked.

"Because we have to talk. I spoke to Mr Dean and-"

"Stay out of that Zora it's dangerous," he demanded.

"So?"

"So?" Gunner hissed. "What if someone finds out you're snooping around? You're human you can't fight off a wolf and I might not be there to protect you when something happens."

"I don't need your protection, Gunner. I've been fine on my own."

He snatched my wrist and pinned it down. His wolf flashed in his eyes for a second.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Zora but that's not good enough for me. I'm the Alpha let me handle things okay? Please."

I groaned. "It's not like I was going to track down anyone."

"Zora," he frowned.

"Fine. I only wanted to tell you what I found out."

"What'd you learn?"

I explained everything to Gunner, including the mysterious woman who visited him. No matter how I asked the question, Mr Dean didn't remember her.

"I'm going to ask you again, don't tell anyone about this, got it?"