“What do you think’s going to happen?” Carmela asked.

  Roxie smiled. “I saved him. He’s mine.”

  Carmela laughed. “That’s what I figured. You wouldn’t just let some wolf live with you unless you already really felt something for him.”

  “Oh no, you’re right. She wouldn’t. You’ve seen how she dates a wolf. They do some things together, but she would never invite them to stay overnight.” Kayla cut into her lasagna again. “And then she’s inviting Dylan to stay long-term? The lasagna is delicious, by the way.”

  “Thanks. We made it just right.” Roxie loved making meals with her sister, and she missed that they didn’t get to do that very often any longer. “Yeah, he’s really special. I don’t believe I could find anyone who is as great as he is for me.”

  “I felt the same way with Michael,” Carmela said.

  “When I rescued Dylan from the pool and brought him back to life, I never thought he’d be someone I’d end up dating.” Roxie sipped her drink.

  “Yeah, but as soon as you could, you were at the clinic, and you were seeing him. I knew then there was more to it than just wanting to know if he had survived his injuries,” Carmela said.

  “Heck, I didn’t even know if he was a bachelor yet.” Roxie shook her head.

  Carmela laughed. “There was that. So you lucked out.”

  “Only because he and I get along so well.”

  “We have a lot of bets riding on this right now,” Kayla said.

  “Oh?” Roxie should have known that would happen. It often did when a couple of wolves looked like they might be interested in a mating. “Is that why you’re asking me how it is going between us? So you can get the inside story and know which way to bet?”

  The ladies laughed, but Roxie figured that was some of the reason, not only that they were curious which way this was going. As far as Kayla was concerned, Roxie’s mate choice would impact on the family too since they were so close-knit.

  “Which way are you gambling on?” Roxie asked.

  “Ha, this is the first time you’re letting a guy stay at your place. I’m betting you’re going to mate him,” Kayla said.

  “Yeah, I agree with Kayla. Unless something big turns up that changes the way you both feel about each other, I’d say yeah, you’re going to do it,” Carmela said.

  Roxie smiled. “We’ll see.” But she was definitely leaning that way.

  “The guys you dated before said no way would you mate the outsider, not when there are so many of them who would love to be the lucky guy,” Kayla said. “By the way, Landon is on the fence about your relationship.”

  “Landon is?” Roxie was surprised to hear it. She figured the whole family would believe she was stuck on Dylan for good.

  “Yep. He says you’re so picky.” Kayla smiled.

  Roxie laughed. “Well, he’s right. Blake thinks we will mate?”

  “Yeah. Blake said you saved Dylan, and you would be claiming him for your own.”

  “I had another thought too. What about Luke? If you and Dylan end up being together, Luke will want to move in with the two of you, I bet,” Carmela said.

  Roxie laughed. “Well, I think he’s in the perfect place with Darien and Lelandi and their kids as long as he’s happy with the arrangement.”

  Carmela finished another bite of the lasagna. “Yeah, I think so too. But it doesn’t mean Luke won’t want to suggest moving in with the two of you.”

  “I agree with you there.” If Roxie and Dylan were living together, getting to know each other, they didn’t need a teen to take care of too. He needed a stable family.

  Chapter 16

  Dylan was glad Michael, his brother, brother-in-law, and Deputy Sheriff CJ Silver were with him. They made a great group for teamwork and camaraderie. That night, they had set up camp, and the next morning, they made breakfast over a campfire like they had been working together for years. Then they packed up and headed out toward the cabin in search of Fennel and Jim. They hadn’t run into any sign of tracks or scents since early yesterday.

  They were still trying to reach Jim’s granddad’s cabin. It was only a couple of hours away now, and Dylan figured even if neither of the men were there, they might be able to learn if the men had visited. Maybe Dylan and his team members would get a clue at the cabin as to where the hunters had gone. The law enforcement agencies in Denver had been watching to see if either of the men had gone back to the city. But the hunters hadn’t returned as far as the police had witnessed. The hunters hadn’t checked in with their families. Or not that any family member was admitting to.

  “What’s happening with Xander?” Dylan asked CJ, figuring if anyone was in the know, he would be.

  “Doc cut off the tips of four of his fingers and removed two of his toes. The guy got off lucky. Doc says he figured the reason it was so bad was that he had fallen into the river, then swam across and trekked a long time in snowdrifts without getting into dry clothes and warming up. He wouldn’t have made it if he hadn’t found the cave to hole up in and then you and Roxie located him,” CJ said.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think thanking me is on his agenda.”

  “I know. Once he recovers, he’ll be jailed unless he can get bonded out. Right now, all they have on him is that he witnessed the murder and tried to hide the body so he’s an accessory to murder. Luke said he and Fennel helped Jim to hide the body, and then they all took off.”

  “They ought to get some time in jail for that,” Dylan said.

  “Exactly.”

  Then they packed up their camp and headed off to the cabin. A mile from there, they ran into Eric Silver. He hugged CJ, his youngest quadruplet brother, and shook everyone else’s hands. “I ended up reaching the cabin first to do some scouting. Someone is at the cabin. I don’t know the men’s scents, but smoke is coming out of the chimney. Someone else could be staying there. I wanted to warn you and figure if you’re going to catch Fennel or Jim, we need to approach it in stealth mode.”

  “Let’s do this,” CJ said.

  “Hell, let’s go then.” Dylan was so hopeful they would catch at least one of the men. As soon as he got close enough to the woods surrounding the cabin, he said, “I smell Fennel’s scent.”

  They parked their snowmobiles a thousand feet from the cabin. Humans wouldn’t be able to hear a snowmobile beyond 750 feet.

  Dylan might not have been in the military like some of the men with him, but he was ready for the hunt and just as capable of taking down criminals after years of martial arts and weapons training. Plus, with a wolf’s enhanced senses, he had the advantage over his human prey.

  CJ divided the men up to approach the cabin from different directions, each of them taking a window or the front door to ensure Fennel didn’t slip away if he was in there.

  Michael was at one end of the cabin while Dylan was at the other end watching the windows from the woods. Eric and Daniel were watching the front door and windows out front. CJ and Bryan were out back watching the two windows that way. They were ready to move in closer as soon as CJ gave them the signal. All of them had their guns out.

  But then Dylan heard movement to his right. It sounded like someone was trudging through the snow nearby. Fennel? Maybe he wasn’t even in the cabin right now.

  Dylan slowly moved in that direction and saw Fennel gathering more wood for the fire from a stack of firewood piled high. Fennel’s back was to Dylan, and he wasn’t carrying a rifle. He could have a gun on him though. As soon as Fennel had an armload of wood, Dylan said, “Fennel, this is Special Agent Dylan Powers. Turn around slowly. Drop the firewood and get on your knees. Put your hands behind your head.”

  Dylan didn’t shout the words, afraid Jim could be inside the cabin and start shooting at everyone. Fennel seemed frozen with indecision and didn’t move a muscle to comply, still carrying the load of firewood, still with his back to Dylan.

  “Xander has been picked up and is in jail.” Dylan hoped talking to Fennel about what had happened to another of his friends would defuse the situation. “We know about Eddie’s murder. This isn’t just about the four of you killing an elk.” Even though technically only one man had actually shot the elk. He paused to let that sink in. “We have a witness who saw exactly what happened.”

  Fennel’s shoulders dropped. He’d been standing so stiffly until Dylan told him the news about the witness. He appeared resigned. He had to know it would come to this.

  “You’re not going to get yourself out of this one as easily as you have done with your previous charges,” Dylan said.

  Still holding the firewood, Fennel slowly turned around, and Dylan saw he was carrying a holstered gun.

  Dylan had the safety on his gun, but he was holding it in case Fennel thought to shoot it out with him. “If you’re even thinking about going for your gun, don’t. I have several Silver Town deputy sheriffs with me. Drop the firewood, then very slowly pull your gun from its holster and throw it into the snow,” Dylan said, not liking the way Fennel appeared to be still weighing his options and not complying. Dylan suspected Fennel figured he was alone because Dylan always was when he had arrested these men in the past. But a lot more was at stake this time.

  The cabin door opened, creaking slightly, but Dylan didn’t believe Fennel could hear it. Hopefully, one of the other men with Dylan was checking it out, or if it was Jim, the other guys would grab him, which was the best-case scenario.

  “Is Jim here with you?” Dylan asked.

  “No. He said if we got separated and didn’t find each other again, we’d meet up here. In the woods, Xander and I parted company because he thought he knew how to get here, and I thought I knew which way to go. I knew he was wrong, but once Xander got something in his head, he’s damned stubborn.”

  “Fennel, I know you didn’t kill Eddie. You need to cooperate with us and drop the firewood, hand over your gun, and allow yourself to be taken in. You have a choice. Do the right thing. Remember your family.” Dylan continued to keep his gun at the ready.

  Suddenly, Eric and CJ approached Fennel from behind. Dylan was glad they were coming to back him up in case this got out of hand.

  “This is Fennel Keaton. He has a gun, but he won’t drop the firewood or his gun,” Dylan told them.

  “I’m Deputy Sheriff Silver. Drop the firewood and your gun,” CJ said, his gun aimed at Fennel.

  “The cabin is clear,” Eric said. “The only person who has been here recently is this man.”

  Dylan knew Eric meant that he couldn’t smell anyone else’s recent scent. Dylan was glad that Fennel hadn’t lied to him about being alone.

  Finally, Fennel released the load of wood in the snow and carefully removed his gun from its holster and dropped it into the snow. He raised his hands above his head. Thank God.

  CJ and Eric rushed forward to get his gun and grab Fennel. Once CJ secured the weapon, Eric put zip ties on Fennel’s wrists.

  “Fennel said Jim and Xander were to rendezvous with him here,” Dylan said.

  “Your friend Xander nearly died,” CJ said, hauling Fennel into the warm cabin. “You have Dylan to thank for saving his life.”

  Everyone went inside the cabin to get warmed up. Michael, Bryan, and Daniel watched out the windows in case Jim unexpectedly showed up.

  “Xander was being a stubborn idiot. I knew the fastest way here. He thought he knew best but he didn’t,” Fennel said, eyeing Dylan. “He should have stuck with me like I told him to. I’m not surprised that he nearly died.”

  They made Fennel sit down at the kitchen table.

  CJ read him his rights. “I’m going to record this interview. Are you okay with that?”

  Fennel nodded.

  Dylan wasn’t surprised that CJ would get whatever he could out of the hunter before they took him to Silver Town. Maybe they’d learn something more about where Jim was. And, of course, what had really happened.

  “We have a witness who states you were there when Jim killed Eddie and you did nothing to stop it. Not only that, but you helped cover up the body,” CJ said.

  For a long time, Fennel studied Dylan. Dylan wondered what was up with that.

  “It’s his word against ours.” Fennel tried to appear unshaken, but they could smell his fear. Sweat bubbled up on his forehead. He wiped it away with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, but the sweat beaded right up again.

  “We have forensic evidence that proves you were there and helped conceal Eddie’s body. Xander told us everything so he’d get a lesser jail sentence,” CJ said.

  “Hell.” Fennel glowered at Dylan as if it was all his fault.

  Dylan thought it was smart of CJ to make it sound like Xander was spilling his guts. At least Fennel wasn’t asking for a lawyer yet. “You know I don’t think Jim planned to return to the cabin to pick the two of you up. I believe he thought you’d never make it. He took off for the ski lodge, packed your stuff and everyone else’s in Eddie’s SUV, and tore off. Well, after he attempted to murder me.”

  Fennel took a deep breath and let it out, his eyes widening. It took him several minutes before he began to tell them what had happened as if weighing his options first. “Hey, I didn’t bargain on any of this.”

  “So when Jim fought with Eddie and shot him, you didn’t try to talk Jim out of it?” Dylan asked.

  “Jim was furious that Eddie had been seeing a girl that he had dated a few times. Jim had never said he was dating her exclusively. But Jim was enraged when…” Fennel stopped talking.

  “When what, Fennel?” CJ prompted.

  Fennel let out his breath. “Okay, look. We’d had a few beers and I hate to admit it, but Jim was telling us all about his conquests, as if he’s this big lady’s man. He does it all the time, acting like he has the market on women. Frankly, I was sick of it. The girl in question liked being with Eddie a whole lot better than she did Jim. I figured Eddie and Jana might even have what it took to tie the knot. Eddie was keeping the whole thing hush-hush, but I’d seen them together a few times, so I knew they really cared about each other. Hell, I don’t know what came over me to say anything about it, but I said something offhand like, ‘Yeah, but can you keep one happy like Eddie can?’ Hell, as soon as I said the words, Eddie gave me a wide-eyed look like I was treading on dangerous ground. It was too late. I couldn’t take back the words.”

  “What’s Jana’s last name?”

  “I never knew it. Anyway, Xander appeared puzzled because no matter what was going on, he always seemed to be out of the loop when it came to who was seeing whom. Jim noticed the anxious expression on Eddie’s face and figured out just what was going on. Maybe he had suspected it all along, except I had to go and shoot my mouth off and confirm it.” Fennel shrugged. “As soon as Jim raised his rifle and threatened to shoot Eddie, I knew this wasn’t good. Eddie was begging him not to shoot him. Jim was shouting at him, asking him how long he’d been dating Jana.

  “Xander and I just froze. I mean, I realized at once I would be considered the messenger, and I didn’t want Jim to shoot me, so I kept out of it. I’d already said way too much. I knew Jim would be furious that I knew all about it and hadn’t told him sooner. Xander was trying to ‘hide’ in the background so Jim wouldn’t even remember he existed. Eddie said, ‘All Jana was to you was a one-night conquest.’ But I knew Eddie wasn’t right. Jim had dated her a few times, not just one night. Still, as far as I know, Jana wasn’t seeing Jim any longer when she started dating Eddie. Then Jim shot Eddie.”

  “Jim sent you and Xander in search of the hiker who had witnessed the murder, right?” Dylan asked.

  “We were all looking for the hiker to see what he knew,” Fennel said. “But yeah, it was Jim’s idea. He said we were all implicated in the whole sordid affair because we did nothing to stop him. We buried Eddie. We would all go down if anyone had seen what had happened.”

  “So if you’d caught up with the hiker, then what? You were supposed to rough him up and make sure he didn’t talk?” Dylan asked.

  Fennel didn’t say anything.

  “Jim would already be wanted for murder. Do you think if he had caught up to the witness, he would have just warned him not to talk?” Dylan asked.

  Fennel squirmed in his seat. “We didn’t plan to kill the kid. We heard someone moving through the woods within hearing and seeing distance of where we were. We didn’t see him, but we found his tracks and they led us straight to his tent. There was no sign of him. No sign of his tracks anymore. Just an animal’s tracks. A wolf’s, it appeared to me. We found his ID, saw he was a teen from Denver. We figured if we didn’t find him in the woods, we could stop in on him in Denver when we all returned.”

  “And?” CJ asked.

  “It was Jim’s call. Jim split up from us so we could cover more area. I told him I thought it was a grave mistake. It was beginning to snow hard, and I thought we should all stay together. He didn’t agree. He never told us he was going to return to the lodge and grab Eddie’s car and all our stuff. He was supposed to be looking for the kid like the rest of us.”

  “So you knew the kid had overheard the whole thing, including the murder of your friend Eddie,” Dylan said. Something had to have happened that made them more than suspect Luke had heard everything that had gone on, and that was why they had gone and searched for him.

  “When Jim told us to split up to search a broader area for the kid, we didn’t do it.” Fennel didn’t explain why they were so sure Luke had heard or seen anything. “Jim took off in another direction, but not toward the lodge. Xander and I stayed together because it would be safer. But then Xander and I got in an argument about which way to go,” Fennel said.

  “I’d been tracking the four of you.”

  Fennel’s eyes grew big again. “You were?”

  Dylan swore his reaction was not only exaggerated but that he and the others had suspected he was following them. Then again, maybe not. Maybe only Jim had realized Dylan was tracking him and that was why he attempted to kill him. “I pursued Jim back to the lodge. I suspect he thought I’d seen what he had done to Eddie and was going to arrest him for that. And that’s why he tried to kill me.”