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"We uy was trying to strong-arm her out of the restaurant I stopped him Alicia and I are to raphs at the art gallery, I worried that the thug who had been bothering her ether in a deep frown "You were at Cliffside Art Gallery?"

"Yes You can ask Mary Clebourne I dropped off soraphs of wildflowers just now"

The woured she was probably thinking that any raphed wildflowers couldn’t be all bad

"I need to ht," he added

The woht flowers for her mother, Missy Greiston The e several months back"

"Murder?" He frowned, the bits and pieces he knew about Alicia and her hts Why hadn’t Alicia mentioned that her mother had beento talk about when justsomeone On the other hand, he suspected she hadn’t wanted him to know

"Oh ht plants frohter, Alicia, cae They both really loved flowers" The woman cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes "No one has pinned the crime on anyone yet"

Jake remembered what the waitress, Ta a hter But had Alicia been dating a mobster? Or was that just a way for Taet involved with Alicia?

"Alicia’s at a ceoes to the place where Missy Greiston died It’s the trailhead at Spruce Creek Trail, twoarea" She sketched him a map "It’s not far from here And she just left If you hurry, you should be able to catch her still there Don’t tell her, but… I always remove the spent flowers before she returns at the end of the week I don’t want her to see how sad the wilted wreaths look upon her return"

Jake nodded, said a quick "Thanks" and grabbed theif Missy Greiston’sa bunch of mobsters Hell, the woman had to have a death wish

Maybe that wasn’t so far frolad there weren’t any cops or much traffic to delay hi heart nearly quit when he saw not only Alicia’s red car and a couple of others, but one of the black Mercedes he was sure he’d seen parked at the restaurant It was now sitting beside her car, too And the occupant or occupants were already on the move

Jake dashed out of his truck and sprinted up the heavily forested trail, hoping to hell he wasn’t too late Gunfire sounded, and another surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins He had to shift He didn’t have any weapons on hiun-wielding tyrants, if she was being targeted, except as a wolf After dodging off the trail, he quickly jerked off his clothes and willed hi hirow even hotter with the shift as his body changed from a human form to his wolf body, co teeth He tore off after thehis heart, ready to kill and praying that Alicia was still alive

As he bounded forth, he saw oneon the ground, and cursing a blue streak Gun in hand, anotherto lift his coun sun was ai man Her broere furrowed and her eyes narrowed in contempt at the two men

Jake stopped, momentarily stunned that she’d defended herself and coune to kill racing through his blood

All three of the, eyes ith fear, and the other gun man was the one who had threatened Alicia in the restaurant, and his words caet off so easy"

At least his partner didn’t look like he was going to get off so easy

Alicia’s rees when she saw Jake in his wolf form, and her dark chocolate eyes were now nearly black

If she’d been in s’ miserable lives But if he did kill theray as a ray ould be a prime suspect Despite his noble intentions, he was sure Alicia would think he was an evil wolf fro fired at Jake, but he had anticipated the ed back into the woods "Kill her," the injured un in my direction, and I’ll have to shoot you in a location that’s a lother with his weapon, her voice terse, her hands steady on the gun

Jake watched from the cover of the woods, ready to coroup ofin Alicia’s and the arht everyone’s attention

"Get up," the uninjured et out of here"

"Kill her," the injured man insisted