Page 73 of First Chance

Three bullet holes ripped through his innocent body, doing more damage than any animal like this should ever experience in the wild. All because he trusted me to keep him safe here.

The last few hours have been a blur; my memory of it is already slightly out of focus.

Her hands are on my chest, her frightened eyes pleading with me to stay with her.

“Run to the house, call the Sheriff.”

“But, Lochlan…”

I rake my fingers into her hair like I crave doing every moment I’m near her. “Go, Jo,” I beg, wishing I could touch her like this without needing to push her away.

She takes off from the end of the footpath, crossing over the gravel lot to get to the house. As soon as she hits the porch steps, I take off toward the gunshots.

“Lochlan,” Hayes’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “I called the vet, he’ll be here in an hour.”

I rise, barely managing to move a few feet away before bracing my back against the trunk of a tree. Hayes and Seiver watch me warily.

“The rest of them?”

“It took us a bit, but we got eyes on the other bears. There were no more injuries. The fucker who attacked us only left one victim.”

“I need to check on Jo.” I don’t explain further, and they don’t ask.

Headlights sweep past me as I drag my feet back to the house. The Sheriff brought back up and now there are too many damn people here.

I should be more concerned that I’m walking up to a member of law enforcement with blood staining my hands, but all I can focus on is how close Jo’s standing at his side.

I chased down the truck shooting a shotgun into the bear enclosures without anyway to protect myself, hopped a fence to check on the wounded black bear who was minding his business until a selfish asshole decided to harm him, and slid my hands over the animal’s body checking for injuries before I knew if he would react aggressively.

But I’m hung up on the way Jo is shaking like a leaf.

And, seeking comfort from someone else when I wish it were me.

“I’m fine. I promise, I’m fine,” Jo assures the Sheriff as I approach them. He’s looking at her so tenderly,it makes me hate the man who’s been nothing but fair to me.

He sees me, but has to tear his eyes from her to really look at me. “Is that your blood?”

Jo gasps as she notices my hands.

“No.”

“A person’s?”

“No.”

“The bears?” Jo cries, covering her face with her hands, sinking down onto the porch steps. The Sheriff looks at her again, and I can see his need to comfort her. I feel the need too, but neither of us moves.

If he touches her, I might go to jail tonight.

“Lochlan, what are we going to do?” Jo asks me as the chaos continues around us.

Cops are combing the property for evidence, more than one is confirming there are no weapons here, just because there are felons in their presence.

Someone shot a gun at us.

This is way worse than all of the other harassment. This was deadly.

Sheriff Malec excuses himself to speak to one of his deputies, and we both watch him walk away. Actually, I watch her watching him.

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