Page 19 of What a Wolf Wants
“I–I haven’t spoken with anyone about it since ithappened, except for Noah, and that didn’t go well. You’re different. I just feel…well, that you would be more sympathetic. I had stayed home to manage the rental properties while my family went to the Florida Keys, my choice. I was devastated. It happened three months ago, and I still feel bad about it.”
“I’m so sorry. I totally understand.” He assumed she had survivor’s guilt and he wanted to help her navigate through those feelings any way that he could. He was glad she felt secure in speaking to him about it. He wanted to be there for her. “My dad and mother were both DEA special agents and died in a shootout with a drug gang—the same group I was trying to take down. First, my mom, and then my dad went after them with a vengeance. He hadn’t been working the case. He wasn’t allowed to because he had a personal stake in it. I was still working on becoming an agent with the DEA at the time. I knew how he felt, but I couldn’t stop him even though I tried.”
“Oh, how awful. But you went after the drug gang once you became a special agent, even though it would have been personal for you too,” Charlene said.
“Yeah. My boss, Grainger, had a similar circumstance with his father being a police officer and dying on the job. When he became a police officer, he found the man responsible and put him away. So he knew just what I was going through and backed me all the way. He also knew I wouldn’t just go in shooting and ask questions later. You know the house we hit—the correct house—was where we captured two of the men who were part of the gang who killed myparents. But there are still two others that we know of who are living the free life.”
“I’m glad you got two of them anyway.”
“Yeah. I wish I could have gotten all of them.” If he had, he wouldn’t be doing this undercover work next. But he wanted to locate the rest of the men and coordinate with his boss to send his former team to apprehend them. He wasn’t supposed to try to take them down by himself at any cost. He was fine with that. Ethan didn’t care who did it as long as it got done.
He didn’t like that he couldn’t tell Charlene what he was doing either—that he was still after the men who had ambushed first his mom and then his dad, but he didn’t want to blow his cover. Yet she was a red wolf, and he felt it was kind of a betrayal if he didn’t tell her.
“Oh, wow, look at the sunset over the water.” She lit up with happiness.
He loved seeing her like that. The sky was filled with clouds and the sky, beach, and water were all colored different shades of lavenders, oranges, and yellows. Just beautiful.
Then the server brought Charlene’s wild Northwest salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts and Ethan’s plate of flame-broiled halibut, baked potato, and green beans to the table.
“Enjoy,” the server said with a smile. She bounced off to see to another table.
“Oh, this is so good,” Charlene said after eating a bite of the salmon. “Have you ever been here before?”
“No. I haven’t. I have to tell you I’m so glad I can enjoythis with you and explore the beaches with you too, if you would like to.”
“Yeah, sure. I would love that. It’s more fun doing it with someone else.”
Which made him wonder again why she had left Destin and come to a place where she knew nobody. Which he blamed on always overthinking situations as a detective. She probably was thinking the same thing about him being here.
After dinner, they ordered dessert. He had planned to go the full course with her, perfect for a first date if she was hungry enough. She was and they both got a slice of white chocolate cheesecake since neither of them had eaten it before.
Once they’d finished their dessert, he wanted to go to her place to shift before they ran as wolves because she had a wolf door to go in and out of.
“Do you want to shift at your place?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“I don’t have a wolf door,” he said.
She smiled. “You’ll have to be risqué then when you want to shift at your place.”
He laughed. “Yeah.”
“Well, everything, including the cheesecake, was delicious. Thanks.”
“You’re most welcome.” He paid for the bill, and then they headed out to his car. “You don’t have any clue who might have sent you the vase of flowers?”
“No.”
“The manager of your rental unit wouldn’t have, would he?” Ethan asked as he drove to her place.
“No. I mean, if she had, she would have signed it. Wait. That guy who was working with you—the DEA agent named Renault?”
“Yeah, I was just going to ask you about him. He said he knew you from when you were dating his friend in Destin, Florida. Was this friend a wolf?”
Charlene rolled her eyes at Ethan. “Yes, he was a wolf—with a bad temper, I might add.”
“And he’s the ex-boyfriend?”
