Page 23 of Jacob

He wasn’t the one with the shifter nose.He couldn’t go out there, shift, and sniff around until he found the bear shifter.It would make things easier, but unfortunately, Tony was human, and he had to use what fate had given him.

He was worried.Someone was going to get hurt, which was the last thing he wanted to happen.

“You’ve been staring at that stack of files for at least an hour,” Taylor said as he came into the office.

He didn’t knock, but the office door was open.Tony almost scolded him anyway, but Taylor put down a cup of coffee on his desk, and he was too grateful to complain about anything.

He picked up the coffee and took a long sip, sighing in pleasure.He could tell the difference from the coffee Taylor often got him at the coffee shop, but it was still good coffee, even though it had been made in the station.

He leaned back in his chair.“I’m worried,” he said.

Taylor flopped into one of the chairs in front of Tony’s desk.“About Jacob?You don’t have to be.I know he’s probably a little standoffish, but that’s just him.He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve like Drake.He’s pretty private and quiet, but I know he likes you.”

“That’s good to know, but he’s not what I was talking about.I’m talking about the shifter.”

“Oh.Has something happened?”

“The usual.You took most of these reports, so you already know.”

Taylor’s expression was serious now.It was one of the things Tony liked about him.He could play around one minute, but when it came to the job, his seriousness came right back.“There are a lot of them,” Taylor said.

“Which makes sense now that we know what’s going on.”

“Are we sure the shifter’s homeless?Maybe they’re just camping or something.”

“I doubt it.They could have another reason to live in the forest, but considering what Jacob and I found, we can assume they’re homeless.They’re stealing to survive.”

“Man, I hate that.No one should have to steal pies from porches.I mean, Mrs.Porter’s pies aren’t even that good.”

“I don’t know about that, but no, no one should have to live like this, and we don’t know if this is what the shifter wants.At the very least, I’d like to talk to them.They need to stop stealing, and maybe if we can help them, they will.I’ll assume that they’re living in the forest because they have to and not because they want to until otherwise proven.”

“What do we do about them, then?Someone’s going to get hurt if we don’t stop this.That last man with the trash cans kind of scared me, and I’m a deputy and a tiger shifter.I was sure he was going to get his gun and shoot me when I said it wasn’t that serious.”

“It is serious to people.It’s their stuff.”

“I can understand the pies and the blankets and whatever, but the trash?If I saw someone digging in my trash, I’d ask them if they were okay and offer them food, not get my gun.”

Tony sighed.“You’re not wrong.We need to find the shifter, but I’m not sure how to do it.”

Taylor’s eyes twinkled when he answered.“You should probably call Jacob and spend more time with him.He can continue sniffing around until he finds the shifter, and you’ll be with him to talk to them when you find them.”

“That sounds like you’re trying to convince me to spend time with Jacob for my own sake and not to help the shifter we’re looking for.”

“You can do both.”

Tony wasn’t sure about that.Spending time with Jacob meant that he’d been distracted.He’d been fascinated by the way Jacob worked.Jacob was smart, and he always had interesting things to say.He was also beautiful in his human form and his tiger form.

As a tiger, he was a predator, but he was also gentle and clearly knew what he was doing when it came to tracking scents.Tony had been impressed by the way Jacob shifted back and forth.By the time he’d done it four times, they were both more relaxed about Jacob’s nudity.It didn’t mean that Tony had looked at things he shouldn’t be looking at, but it had been hard to resist the temptation.

Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to spend time with Jacob on a personal level.They could get the staring and everything else out of their system and continue being professional at work.Tony doubted it would ever be easy not to stare at Jacob when he shifted, though.There was something beautiful about the shift.Jacob became a different being, but he was still himself, with his own feelings—including those for Tony.

Taylor sighed.“Just talk to him.He’s not going to bite you unless you ask.”

Tony laughed.“I’m your boss.Should you really be talking to me like that?”

“You don’t mind.You would’ve already fired me if you did.”

“You’re not wrong, but still.”

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