“Hey, not that you would want me to come join you or anything, but if I wasn’t swamped with work and didn’t have to teach my new partner the ropes before I can even think of taking a vacation, I would do it in a heartbeat. South Padre Island? I had to look it up, and I have to say it really looks like a nice place to visit.”

  “It is. So you have a new partner?” She was surprised to hear it because he hadn’t said anything about that before. She guessed he had just learned of it. She hoped the new partner worked out as well as Josh had. The two of them had made a great team. And being wolves in the same pack had made it even better.

  “Yeah, and the best thing is that she’s a red wolf too.”

  Sierra couldn’t believe it. She was thrilled that he had another wolf partner, but she was really shocked to learn he did. And that the detective was a she-wolf on top of that? Sierra was almost disappointed. And she didn’t know where that feeling was coming from either. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. I couldn’t have hoped for better.”

  “Because she’s a she-wolf.”

  “Hell, she may be married or engaged to a wolf. I don’t have any idea. I just stuck her with a bunch of my cases and have been trying to locate you ever since.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” She truly was because she knew how hard Adam had been working on his caseload and she wished her brother hadn’t burdened him with her problems. She was glad Adam had a partner to lend a hand now, but she was surprised he hadn’t made the time to learn more about his new partner, though Sierra appreciated that he’d looked into her disappearance for her brother.

  She hadn’t thought anyone would know she wasn’t at Richard’s. She just planned to return home after her vacation and take an Uber to her place, and she hadn’t intended to tell anyone what had happened. Jethro had totally screwed that up for her.

  “No problem. I know how you feel. I went through the same thing with a woman a while back. I just couldn’t let go and she couldn’t either. Then I got shot and she dumped my butt. No doting girlfriend there. She wasn’t the caregiver type.”

  “Probably not me either.” Sierra didn’t know why she even said it. He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. And if his new partner was available, he could have a built-in partner/girlfriend. “But that is horrible.” She guessed she should have said that first! “Did you tell Josh about your new partner?” She could just imagine him laughing. If the woman was the right age and available.

  “No. I was concentrating on finding you.”

  She smiled. “Richard wouldn’t have bothered, even if he knew I had come and gone.”

  “He’s an ass.”

  She let out her breath, glad Adam agreed with her, though she hadn’t planned to waste her breath talking about Richard when Adam was so nice to have tracked her down and called to check on her. “Yeah, he is. And thanks. Tell my brother I’m fine. I’ll turn on my phone. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

  “Are you kidding? You’re a valuable member of our pack and with our police bureau and my favorite art teacher. Enjoy your vacation. Oh, I sent the postcard from DM to fingerprint analysis. I’ll let you know if I get anything back on it. If you need anyone to talk to, you can cry on my shoulder, and I’ll tell you all about my ex-girlfriend.”

  She laughed, feeling much better. “Thanks. You never know. I might take you up on it.”

  “Good. No sense in feeling bad alone when we can swap stories and commiserate. I’ll let you go now and get back to your vacation.”

  She was thinking about his offer to go boating with him and her family and how much fun she’d always had with her parents and brother when she’d still lived at home and they’d had a boat. “Um, hey, uh, do you still have room on your boat for one more person?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been saving the spot just for you.”

  She smiled. “Okay, good. ’Night, Adam. See you when my vacation is done.”

  “’Night, Sierra.”

  As soon as they ended the call, she retrieved her phone and turned it on. When she did, the ringtone jingled a tune. The caller ID revealed it was her brother. She sighed and answered it.

  “Do you want me to come there and punch him out?” her brother asked before she could say anything to him about wasting Adam’s time searching for her when he was so busy with real criminal cases.

  She smiled. Brother to the rescue. “No. I don’t want you locked up.”

  “Did Adam tell you he would beat me to it?”

  She couldn’t believe Adam had told her brother that and hadn’t even let on he had! “No, he didn’t say anything about that.”

  “Well, he would. I hope you’re not going to see the louse anymore.”

  “That’s a given. And sorry, Brad, for worrying you. I only turned off my phone because Jethro kept calling me. I didn’t ever think he would end up calling you.”

  “I gave him hell to pass along to his brother. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. Thanks. It’s just beautiful here. I’m going to enjoy the sunny days.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you go then. I’ll pick you up from the airport when you return.”

  “I can take an Uber.”

  “No way. We need to talk. Enjoy yourself.”

  She sighed. She should have figured he would want to know everything that was going on between her and Richard. “Good night.” She was taking an Uber when she returned.

  “’Night, Sis.”

  She ended the call and stared at the TV, no longer interested in watching the movie. As much as she thought she would enjoy her time here, she suspected she would be bored if she stayed longer than a week by herself. With a friend, she would have had a blast staying for the two weeks.

  She turned off the TV and her bedside lamp and settled down to sleep. She wondered what Adam’s new partner looked like and if she was mated or courting someone already, like Sierra had been.

  Sierra hadn’t a clue why she wanted to know those particulars about the new woman, who undoubtedly would soon be a member of their pack, if she wasn’t already. Sierra wasn’t dating again until she was ready. And if the wolf’s job always took a priority over her, she… Well, she couldn’t fault the person if he was someone like Adam who was always on call when he had cases he was investigating. Richard should have told her to cancel her flight, but she suspected that was an oversight on his part. Which meant he hadn’t really been looking forward to her visit, or he wouldn’t have forgotten she was coming!

  * * *

  Adam closed his eyes that night, and all he could think of was the pretty redhead and her brilliant blue eyes, envisioning her lounging on a sunny Texas beach. Man, did he wish he could be there with her, making her forget all about the ass she’d been dating. Being in paradise for two whole weeks by herself might be what she needed, but as he heard the rain hitting the bedroom windows, he wished he could be there to enjoy the time with her. Not as a boyfriend but as a friend, a fellow pack member. He could use the break too.

  It seemed as though he had only closed his eyes when he got the call the next morning that there was another home invasion and now a homicide.

  He hurried out of bed, again wishing he was far away from the wet Portland weather, on a beach enjoying the sunshine with Sierra.

  When he arrived at the crime scene, the rain was finally letting up and Tori was already there taking notes. He was glad to see her there, making him reminisce about how dedicated he and Josh had been to the job—at the office early, usually having cups of coffee and working over cases, trying to shed new light on them with each other.

  “Did you get ahold of Sierra?” Tori asked.

  “I did. She’s enjoying herself on South Padre Island, Texas. Safe and sound.” He crouched down to see the muddy footprints on the tile kitchen floor.

  “I’m glad she’s fine. I bet you wish you could join her.”

  Wondering if Tori had the wrong impression about his checking on Sierra, Adam glanced up at her to see her expression.

  Tori smiled and began taking more notes. “Oh sure, you were checking on her because her brother called you and asked you to and because you’re a police detective and can get the work done. But”—she pointed her pen at him—“there’s more to it than that.”

  She’s a wolf, he wanted to say, a pack member. And wolves looked out for their own and other wolves in need. He wasn’t about to admit he had been thinking the very same thing about being with Sierra.

  “I asked her brother what’s going on because I want to be her friend when she returns home. Especially since she works with us too. Her brother said she’s having boyfriend trouble and it might be over for them. At least Brad hopes so.” And so did Adam. Sierra needed to be here with them in the Portland area, forgetting about returning to Texas unless it was to see her parents or go on a vacation. “I think we all feel the same way.”

  “You should date her.” Tori shrugged.

  “She might not want to date for some time, if she’s even given up the guy for good.”

  “Well, I would sure convince her to drop the bum.”

  He hoped Sierra didn’t need any further encouragement.

  “I wouldn’t wait too long on the sidelines when she gets back. I’m sure a lot of bachelor males are waiting to see how this all unfolds.”

  He wondered if Tori was mated or already seeing someone out of state. He hadn’t even asked where she was from or anything else about her. He’d been too busy trying to track down Sierra and then working on cases again. Yet even now, he didn’t want to ask Tori if she was seeing someone…or mated. It might sound like he was interested in dating her. Maybe after he had worked with her a while, he would feel something different for her. For now, he was more concerned about how Sierra was feeling.

  They maneuvered around to the back door where the glass window was broken. “A paver was used to break the window,” Tori said.

  “But no one was home at the time, correct?”

  “Right. Their neighbor called in the break-in. Then the renter walked in on the would-be thief, now wanted for murder.”

  Dr. Patrick Silverson, the coroner, arrived. He was a gray wolf who had moved into the area a couple of years ago and was glad to be with a pack, even though it was a red wolf pack. “Another Ryson.”

  “Yeah, the last of three brothers,” Adam said. “Probably same thing as before. Selling illegal drugs in another drug lord’s territory. These guys never learn.”

  “Too much money to be made,” Patrick said. He glanced at Tori and smiled. “Do you work with this guy?”

  She smiled back at him. “Yeah.” She offered her hand and he shook it. “I’m Adam’s partner now. Tori Rose.”

  “Adam sure lucked out. I’m Patrick Silverson. Uh, you’re not with anyone, are you?” Patrick asked.

  “Nope, not yet. Are you?”

  He smiled. “Not me.”

  “Good, then why don’t we go to an Italian restaurant—tonight, if you’re free,” she said.

  “Hell, yeah. Would seven be all right? I’ll pick you up at your place.”

  “Sounds like a deal.”

  They exchanged cell numbers, and she texted her address to the doc.

  Adam couldn’t believe the doc was hitting on his partner over a dead body and making a date. But he was a coroner. And they were wolves.

  Then they finished their business there, and Adam and Tori headed for their cars.

  “What do you think of the coroner?” Tori asked Adam.

  “He’s a good guy, cares about his job, enjoys seeing people, fun to be around at a party. As to dating, I haven’t a clue.”

  Tori laughed. “I might have waited for you to ask, but I think that’s a lost cause.”

  “Oh?” He figured Tori was referring to him being interested in dating Sierra.

  Tori just smiled and shrugged and wouldn’t say. “So why did Doc wait to ask me to go out?”

  “You would have to ask him.”

  “I think he was waiting to see how you responded, worried he might be stepping on someone’s toes. That’s why I asked him to go out first. To let him know I was free and available. You know why I know you have some draw to Sierra? You didn’t once ask me if I was free to pursue.” Tori smiled.

  “Maybe I was giving you time to get acclimated to your surroundings and your job.”

  “Nope, you were too busy being worried about Sierra.” She patted his shoulder and headed off to her car.

  “Don’t tell Sierra that when you meet her.”

  Tori only smiled.

  Hell, he needed to make sure Tori didn’t let on that he really did have a thing for Sierra. He could see that getting him in hot water immediately.

  Chapter 5

  A week later, the postcard sent to Sierra was still nagging at Adam on his drive home from work. He was traveling through the flooded streets in Portland when the summer storm turned vicious and the case took second billing. At least the Ryson case had been solved. A rival drug gang had ordered the hit and was searching for his drugs. One of the gang members was in jail awaiting trial for the murder.

  Winds suddenly picked up and shook Adam’s car, making it feel like an earthquake was breaking up the road. Thunderstorms were roaring through the area, but he hadn’t thought it would get this bad.

  Rain poured down in a deluge, making the roads slick and slippery, his wheels sending floodwater shooting through the air. His wipers struggled to clear the persistent falling rain, covering his windshield in an avalanche of water. Lightning struck all over the place and thunder followed with tremendous booms. His heart racing, Adam saw a dark-gray funnel headed a little south of him. Tree branches were torn from trees and flew across the road in front of him. A blue-and-white patio chair flew off a front porch and bounced off the black roof of his Hummer. If that was all the damage his Hummer suffered, he’d count himself lucky.

  He wondered if he should have stayed at work until the worst of this was over. Then the funnel headed farther south. He could still see it dipping down from the dark sky, the swirling motion of the clouds, and what looked like black birds flying through the air—but were really shingles or other debris torn up and tossed and swirling in the high winds.

  It was rare to have a tornado strike in Portland, Oregon, but it had occurred the year before too. Some said that everyone nationwide could experience “weirder” weather. He believed it.

  He worried about the wolves in his pack and whether they were safe right now. He worried about his fellow coworkers with the Portland Police Bureau and hoped everyone was okay.

  A red cedar tree suddenly uprooted in the yard next to the sidewalk, making the most horrendous noise, and crashed across the road in front of his vehicle. Adam slammed on his brakes and avoided hitting the tree branches extending out several feet.

  Another red cedar was ripped out by its roots in the eighty-mile-an-hour winds and landed some feet away on the other side of the one blocking his path. The second tree hit a house with an awful bang and crunch. Despite the driving rain and wind, Adam had to take the chance and see that those inside the house were safe.

  Before he could do that, a pin oak cracked in half and landed on electrical wires, bringing several down onto the fallen tree in front of his vehicle. All the porchlights, streetlamps, and lights on inside the houses in the neighborhood went dark in one fell swoop. It was early evening on a summer day, so the sun had a long way to go before it set, but the storm was making the sky appear as dark as if the sun was already setting.

  Adam saw a man video-recording the wild storm from an upstairs awning window. He suddenly reached out to close the window against the growing wind. Struggling, he couldn’t make any headway, and the wind tore the window out of his grasp, and it flew off its hinges. The window sailed through the air for several feet, disappearing behind a fence.

  Adam yanked off his seat belt and hurried to remove his suit jacket. Then he got out of his vehicle in the deluge and raced to the two-story brick home where the tree had crashed onto one side of the roof. His shoes filled with water as he ran through the deepening puddles on the road, and he was quickly soaked from the heavy rain.

  He pounded on the door. “Police detective with the Portland Police Bureau! Is everyone all right?”

  A gray-haired man answered the door, his gray eyes widening to see Adam soaking wet, standing on his porch, the rain coming at a slant and still soaking him, the roar of the wind deafening. “Thanks for checking on me and my wife.” He shook Adam’s hand. “We’re okay, Detective, but we’ll have to leave the house. It’s not safe staying here. My son’s trying to make his way here to pick us up.” He motioned to the garage. “No way to get the car out now.”

  “Okay, I’m calling in some assistance to help clear the roads and take care of the downed power lines and trees.” Once Adam was assured the couple were okay and on their way to safety with their son, he returned to his Hummer and called the electric company servicing the area and the city about the tree removal.

  Then Adam’s phone rang, and he saw the call was from Leidolf. “Hey, Adam, I got an emergency call from Sierra.”

  Adam immediately worried she was in trouble. “She’s still in South Padre Island, isn’t she? Or did she return home early?” He wished she’d told him, and he would have picked her up from the airport. Then again, her brother had told Adam he planned to take her home whenever she arrived at the airport. Adam suspected Brad wanted to talk to her about not seeing the boyfriend any further.

  “She arrived at the airport and took an Uber, but after she left the airport, the storm got bad. A tree fell on the roof of a woman’s car that was driving in front of them. Sierra wanted the Uber driver to stop so she could assist the woman in her car. The Uber driver let Sierra out and set her suitcases on the pavement, and then tore off and left her stranded. She’s attempting to get the woman out of her wrecked car. Sierra tried getting help, but everyone’s tied up. I thought of you, since I suspected you were headed home, unless you’re still stuck working on a case or got caught up in this weather too.”