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"You didn’t answer et permission from her family first, or not?"
"They want this resolved one way or another Got the key right here" Rourke dangled it frohtly south, Hunter listened for Ashton He better be in a dead run, heading straight back to Tessa’s place
"That’s good Then I’ll call the sheriff and have him verify with her fa" The deputy glanced around "Where’s your vehicle?"
Rourke shoved the key in his pocket "We walked fro for any clues on the way over and by the cliff where she fell"
"In this weather? It’s only going to get worse After I clear this matter up, I’ll drop you off at Tessa’s place"
"Why don’t you take us back to Tessa’s house while you’re verifying this?" Hunter asked "The winds are whipping up et stuck here in whiteout conditions"
The deputy held the phone to his ear and he nodded at Hunter, but then turned his attention to the phone "Hello, Katie Is the sheriff there? Where?" He laughed "Tell him to call me when he has a chance" The deputy shook his head and pocketed his phone "Sheriff’s seeing so over his two-ti unsuccessfully to keep it under wraps Cliet you back to Tessa’s"
The road conditions worsened by the ust of wind blew the deputy’s car to the other side of the road Between the slick conditions and the increasing wind, Hunter was surprised they weren’t blown off the cliff
"The sheriff will probably issue an evacuation order soon We’ve never had winds this high And waves cresting forty-five feet? Unheard of Soine," the deputy said
"Williah school team," Rourke explained to Hunter "We always said we’d blow this toe graduated"
The deputy chuckled "Yeah, look at us now"
The two continued to talk about old school days while Hunter watched out the , hoping Ashton would get to Tessa’s place and that Hunter’s worries about the grays were unfounded But he could still thrash Ashton for leaving the woe to take over the deputy’s driving, they were inching along so slowly Hell, at this rate, Hunter could jog faster
As soon as the house carabbed hold of the door handle Once the deputy stopped the vehicle, Hunter threw open the door and bolted for the house
"He’s worried about Tessa," Rourke explained to the deputy "Sheriff probably mentioned to you that she’s had a couple of break-ins You drive safe"
"Will do I’ll let you know if the sheriff issues an evac order"
Rourke waved good-bye and the deputy drove off Hunter tried the front door Locked He rang the doorbell No answer He and Rourke raced to the back of the house Ashton’s clothes were sitting half-buried in snow on the patio Hunter stared at the kitchenIf Tessa had been at the sink, she could have seen Ashton shapeshift
Hunter bolted to the back door and tried the doorknob Locked He pounded hard enough he figured he’d break the door down
"Co!" Meara yelled
He released the breath he had been holding Everything sounded fine But when Meara let him in, he sensed the tension in the air Meara was the only one of the three woured it had to do with the fact Ashton was stillTessa stared at Hunter as if he had sprouted devil’s horns, her back rigid against the dining room chair
Ashton’s disappearance was probably the reason why all of the, like Tessa had seen Ashton change into the wolf
"Have you seen Ashton?" Cara asked, her voice wobbly
"He’s cory over Ashton’s actions, Hunter still felt responsible for hiloves "I’ll take a look to see how far behind us he was"
Hunter nodded and Rourke exited the house, seized Ashton’s clothes frorabbed her coat and gloves "I’ll go with him" She slammed the door shut behind her
Meara looked like she wanted to search for Ashton also, but it wasn’t in her nature She was more the wait-and-see kind of woured she kneould go after her "friends" when he discovered herthem They were lucky Hunter didn’t find theoing on with Tessa "We didn’t find anything incri, I’m sorry to say, that would automatically clear your brother of the crihtened