Janice was fixing them all glasses of water. “I think it’s just awful what’s going on with you and these men.”
“We’ll get them,” Adam reassured her, wanting in the worst way to end Dover’s obsession with getting even with Sierra for identifying him.
Before Adam could drink any of his water, Sierra wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. “Adam will get them. All of them.” Then she changed the subject. “I really enjoyed tonight.”
Adam kissed her back, pressuring for more when her brother walked out of his bedroom and smiled at them.
“Uh, I guess we ought to be getting back,” Adam said before her brother threw him out, but Janice was smiling like she approved. “And thanks for the security detail.”
Sierra gave her brother a hug. “Thanks for coming with us.”
He hugged her back. “What are big brothers for? But I still think you ought to stay with us.”
“I’m staying with Adam, closer to work than out here, and I’m—”
“Dating him?”
“Yes,” Adam said.
Sierra finished her water. “I am. Where are Mom and Dad?” Sierra asked her brother.
“They’re staying with Leidolf and Cassie. When they learned you had dumped Richard and there was no chance you were returning to Texas to live, they decided to check out the pack.”
“Ohmigod, they’re thinking of moving here?”
“Yep. There’s nothing to hold them there now.”
Sierra smiled. “Good. How long will they be here?”
“For about a week. We’ll all have to have lunch together. Sunday all right?”
“How about dinner? We are going out on the boat earlier, remember?” Sierra said.
“That will work,” Brad said.
“Okay, we’ll do that. We’ve got to go.” Sierra headed for the door. “Come on, you, before you get the third degree when you’re used to being the one who gives them, Adam.”
“’Night, Sierra, Adam,” Brad and Janice said.
“’Night, Janice, Brad,” they both said to them.
They thanked the other men who were coming in from guard duty as they left Brad and Janice’s house.
Leidolf joined them and said, “There was no trouble along our borders while you were running as wolves. One of our men followed the two cars that were behind you when you drove onto the ranch. If one of the cars had been tracking you for some dark purpose, they kept going. They could have seen our man leaving the ranch and following them and decided it wasn’t a good idea to do anything further tonight.”
“Okay, thanks,” Adam said.
“Did you want anyone to follow you home and give you protection?”
“No, we’ll be fine,” Adam said.
“Okay, well, it looks like your parents are planning to join us, Sierra.”
“That is such great news. I didn’t think they would ever leave San Antonio.”
“We’re glad to have them. Good night,” Leidolf said.
Adam and Sierra got into the Hummer, waved goodbye, and drove back to Adam’s house.
“That was a great workout. I haven’t enjoyed watching the sun set in forever, and the waterfall was really beautiful,” Sierra said.
“It’s the perfect place for a picnic too, if you want to have one there.”
“I would love that. I just can’t believe my parents are moving here. I’m so thrilled.”
“I’m really glad too.” Adam was thinking more about having kids with her, as far as extended family went, and he knew he was getting way ahead of himself there. But having her brother and sister-in-law there and her parents too would be really important for them.
He focused again on making sure they were not going to have any trouble, looking at his rearview mirror, watching to see if anyone was following them.
She glanced at her side-view mirror. “There’s a car back there.”
“A couple. But I doubt they are following us with any evil intent.”
“Just think, if you didn’t feel the need to protect me, you wouldn’t have any worries.” Sierra sighed.
Adam shook his head. “With the work I do, I’ve had threats before. At a restaurant that had billiards, one woman nearly hit me with a cue stick when I went to question her husband about a home invasion, and I ended up having to arrest both of them. It turned out that they were both involved in the home invasions.”
“It’s good that you caught both of them then.”
“Yes. And they were both given jail time. After she was released, she followed me in her car several times. I threatened her with more jail time, and that was the last of it. Another time, a mother of two juvenile delinquent sons chased me down in her pickup truck, trying to run me off the road. She was charged with reckless endangerment, and that was the last she bothered me.”
Smiling, Sierra said, “Okay, then I guess if I run around with you too much, I may be with you when you get yourself into more trouble.”
He laughed. “You might be right. I’m sorry I might be dragging you into any trouble I could have at some future date.”
“Well, maybe I can help protect you then.”
“I’m all for having your help.” He smiled at her.
They finally arrived home and he parked in the garage. “Did you want anything before we call it a night?” Adam asked.
They entered the house and he turned on the lights.
But then Adam got a call. He let his breath out, hoping it wasn’t something he had to go in about, though he wasn’t on call tonight. “Yeah, what’s up?” he asked the officer, Roland Paulson. “Work,” Adam mouthed to Sierra.
She nodded and headed for the bedroom.
Adam hoped she wouldn’t be annoyed that he might have to go in at any time for work-related issues. Then again, she also might have to. And hell, there was the issue of him having to leave her alone if he went in.
“We were chasing down a suspect who attempted to burglarize a hotel room. We think he’s one of the men involved in the theft ring you broke up when Sierra Redding identified the other man. I know you’re not on call tonight, but since it was your case before, I thought you might want to come and investigate. You know. Because your sense of smell is so good, maybe you could tell if he was one of the men involved in the other robberies.”
The officer was beginning to worry Adam a bit. What did he really know or suspect? “Okay, thanks. I’ll be right in.”