Page 46 of Cursed Touch
Joel pulled the conversation back to the break-in and updated Peter on everything he had seen inside, starting from the strange scent he smelled.
For learning about the supernatural world recently, she was quite proud of herself for adjusting so well. She listened to them men speak quietly in case the officers stepped out. Still no one knew who the threat to her was, and she could tell that them not knowing was making them nervous.
Vanessa knew she should be worried, but she wasn’t. She was not alone. She had Carter at her side, and at least one of Peter’s wolves were assigned to her daily. If anything, she was annoyed to cause such problems for them. She was sure they all had better things to do other than babysit her.
Movement caught her eye when the two officers stepped out. They lowered their voices, so she could not hear their words, but by the way both Joel and Peter stiffened, she guessed they had.
“How bad is it?” she asked Officer Turnel before looking at the officer who had not introduced himself.
He shrugged. “As far as break-ins go? Not bad, but you’ll want to file a claim to have all the glass counters replaced. You’ll need to do inventory and report what is missing as well.” His face turned, and a strange silence fell among them before he spoke again. “And who are you?” he asked Peter.
Peter uncrossed his arms and offered a big meaty hand. “Peter Rawley.”
Another moment of silence passed. “How do you know Mrs.—”
“Miss Rayne, Vanessa Rayne,” she said, since they had never bothered to ask. “He’s a friend. Will you be able to find the culprit of this break-in?” she asked, before any more testosterone stepped into her business. With all the dicks flapping in the wind, it was a surprise she was not blind yet.
The no-name officer spoke. “We’ll go through and see what evidence we can gather.” The man shrugged. “I’m real sorry,” he said, and she had the distinct impression he felt anything but sorry. She had no reason to disbelieve him. Plenty of people came off as assholes, but it did not mean they were outright malicious. But this man, like Joel had said… There was something about him.
“We’ll write up a police report, and when you have a better idea of what is missing, you can come to the station to add it. We’ll get you a copy so you can file your insurance claim,” Officer Turnel said.
The cops walked to one of their cruisers, and after a few minutes of rummaging in the trunk, they passed the group on the way back inside. The four of them stood around for what felt like hours, waiting for them to be allowed in.
“Hey, it’s Dr. Broderick. Look, there’s been an emergency, and I don’t think—”
Vanessa grabbed the phone from him and covered the microphone. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to work at the hospital today, and those patientsneedyou! I’ll be fine.”
Peter put a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “We got her if you need to go in. Call any of us if you want to check in.”
The tightness of his face told her he did not like it at all. Raising to her toes, she kissed him and smiled. “Go, Peter and Joel will stay with me.”
He raised the phone to his ear. “Sorry, there was an emergency so I’m running late, but I’ll be there in fifteen.”
He hung up and sighed, his attention flitting to each of them. “I guess I’m going. I don’t like it but… Thanks, guys, for keeping my girl safe,” he said and shook each of their hands. When he turned to her, his eyes darkened with emotion before he grabbed her face and kissed her.
They watched him maneuver his car through the tight lot as she tried to unscramble her brain after his scorching kiss. Between Carter’s insistence and whoever had taken over Ethan’s body, she had been told she and Carter were soul mates multiple times. She refused to blindly accept it, but each time they touched, it was always the same.
Breathless, electrifying, and toe curling.
Chapter 22
“Is Vanessa okay?” Brandy demanded through the phone.
Carter leaned his head against his office chair. “She wasn’t there when it happened. Mind if I call you back in an hour or so? I’m only just finishing up at the hospital after running late this morning.”
“Sure, Car. I’ll talk to you later.”
He had lost track of how many of those calls he’d received, and finally decided to set his phone to silent. His day had dragged after the break-in. He hated not being at her side and vowed to do everything possible to make sure it never happened again.
He was rather proud of himself for not reacting when she’d defiantly moved to Joel’s side after the cop had stared at him judgingly.
A knock sounded on the door and he sighed. “Come in!”
“Hey, Doctor, the CT scans for room four thirty-five are in. Good job on playing catch-up, by the way. What happened?” Beverly asked.
He rolled the chair away from the desk. “Someone broke into my girlfriend’s store,” he said and pushed to his feet.
Her neck tightened, and her eyes widened. “Yeesh… That sucks. Let’s get you to that last patient so you can get back to her.”
