She rolled her eyes, and something eased inside his chest. “Of course, you wouldn’t hurt me, but I know you, Seth Volk. You were imagining what the sound of Kurt’s neck breaking would be like.”
Well, he hadn’t, but close enough. Amusement trickled through him. She really did know him, and that truth warmed him in places he’d thought would always be frozen. “So long as you’re not afraid of me, I’m good.”
“Of course, I’m not afraid of you.” She put her hands on her hips as if settling in to give a good lecture but not finding the right words. Anger looked good on her, though. She was sexy, and she was his. The life of an Alpha’s mate wasn’t an easy one, but he’d ease her way the best he could. So long as she remained safe. “I am worried about what you’ll do next,” she said.
It was a fair concern, but he’d do what was necessary to protect both her and his pack. She should know that by now. He smelled the agent before a loud pounding came from behind him.
“Mia, are you okay in there?” Kurt yelled.
Seth pushed away from the door. “His neck breaking would be a very satisfying and loud crack,” he muttered for her ears only. He twisted the knob with a little too much force, and it squeaked as he yanked the heavy wooden slab open.
A light pink filtered across her cheekbones, and she gave him a look—one that said to behave—although, certainly, she knew him better than that by now. Even so, humor ticked through him, flipping his heart right over. How did she do that? Before her, he hadn’t been a man who smiled much, if ever. Now, he had to fight the urge to grin at her.
Kurt stood on the other side of the door, his eyes blazing. “What is going on here?”
Mia sighed. “Seth, this is Special Agent Kurt Colbey. Kurt, this is Seth Volk, my, um, boyfriend.”
Seth didn’t bother to hide his smile at that. There was no way. Boyfriend didn’t quite cut it, now did it? He winked at her and then pivoted again so his body was partially in front of hers to block her from the jackass. “We don’t need your help here in town, but thank you.” He met Kurt’s gaze directly.
To his credit, the man didn’t back up. When faced with Seth, most people took at least one—if not seven—steps away. Kurt Colbey remained in place. “Are you the new sheriff?” he asked, his brows drawing together.
Seth smiled and let his teeth show—the sharp ones. “No, I just own the town.”
“I doubt you own an entire town. Even so, I expect you to stay out of our way since this is official business.” Kurt craned his neck to see beyond Seth, but he made sure to move just enough so the agent couldn’t. “Mia?”
“Yes,” she said, shoving past Seth and trying to push him out of the way, irritation filtering through her words. Man, she was cute when riled.
He didn’t move. Instead, he flung an arm over her shoulders and pulled her against this side. “To be honest, Kurt,” Seth murmured, “we were hoping Mia would take the job as sheriff here in town.”
Kurt’s chin lifted. “Why would she do that? She’s back with the FBI now if she wants the job.” He drew a badge from his back pocket and tossed it toward Mia.
Seth snatched it out of the air before it could hit her. Then slowly, deliberately, he handed it to her, noting how the metal felt frozen in his hand. He really didn’t want her back with the FBI. The physical threat was unacceptable, and the emotional danger of having to lie about Pete’s death while working with these folks could break her. His girl was honest and had a core of loyalty that was rare these days.
She looked at the badge now in her hand, but her long, curly hair hid her expression. “Do you have the pictures from the latest scene?” she asked quietly, still staring at the badge.
“Not yet,” Kurt answered. “The Seattle office is pulling rank. They’ll get us everything by the morning.”
Finally, she lifted her head and looked at him. “What about photographs of the other recent murder scenes?”
Kurt nodded. “Agent Strobe is bringing pictures from the Washington state police. We could set up here in the Lost Lake Sheriff’s Station. We might as well investigate both cases at the same time.”
Mia had enjoyed working with Agent Lionel Strobe in the past, as he was an excellent photographer. “There’s no case for Pete’s death,” Mia said quietly, sounding truthful. “I know it seems impossible to believe because he was such a good hunter, but there was an accident.”
“So, where’s his body?” Kurt challenged, his chin up. The guy had intelligent eyes and a jaw that could take a punch. Seth would like to confirm that fact.
She shook her head. “This place is rife with bears, wolves, and other scavengers. By the time we got to where he’d fallen, his body was gone.”
“Then how do you know it was a hunting accident?”
“Two people from Howler’s Ridge saw it happen,” she replied. “They were bird-watching with binoculars.” It was a story the entire pack had come up with. Thus far, everybody had seemed to believe it—well, except for TJ, aka Brother Jeremiah. All Seth needed was for Kurt and Jeremiah to get together. Somehow, he had to prevent that.
Kurt’s gaze wandered over Mia in a way that truly would get his entrails wrapped around his throat. “It appears the hotel in town is going out of business. I saw a sign in the front window. I don’t suppose you have a spare room?”
Not in a million fucking years. Seth smiled. “I own the hotel. We’ll make sure it’s open for your stay.” He didn’t want these folks staying in town at all, but at least he could keep an eye on them if they were headquartered at the hotel. Something told him that nothing would dissuade Kurt Colbey from either case. It would cause Seth problems if he killed the guy, but he’d do what he had to do.
“That’s very kind of you, Seth,” Kurt drawled, his gaze still not leaving Mia. “How about you and I go talk about the case and get caught up?”
“No, thanks,” Mia answered. “It’s been a long day, and we were out in the cold for quite a while. I need to go home and check on my mom and aunt anyway.”
Kurt straightened. “How are Gena and Dotty?”
“They’re great,” Mia said. “Seriously, Mom’s doing a lot better out here. And Aunt Dotty seems to have found a good place for herself.”
“Did she find a church?” Kurt asked with way too much familiarity.
Mia nodded. “Thankfully, yes. She’s also in a quilting group, and they’ve both taken up mah-jongg. It’s a good thing we’re here.”
Kurt’s focus cut up to Seth and then roamed back down to Mia’s upturned face. “Maybe tomorrow then.”
“Maybe.” Mia smiled.
Nope. Not going to happen. Seth hadn’t realized he had a possessive bone in his body. Apparently, he just hadn’t met the right woman. This one was his, and being around the FBI would be dangerous for her. It was time for him to put a couple of his men in uniform as deputies. Maybe Erik wouldn’t mind if it meant watching Mia’s back. “I’ll call the hotel for you.”
Kurt watched him, his gaze dark. “Thanks. We’ll just get settled in here and then head to the hotel.”