Doctor Wolf’s Human Nurse (Fated To The Wolf #9)

17. Abby

17

Abby

A bby yawned as she climbed into her car to go home from the clinic. She was pretty sure that she had been running nonstop since the first patient showed up that morning. Luckily, they were run of the mill type cases. No new shifter cases came in. She and Sawyer had briefly discussed it and decided they weren’t sure whether it was because no new shifters had been affected or that all of them knew there wasn’t a treatment or cure yet, so they decided not to bother coming in.

She walked up to her front door and stopped. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a cold chill went down her spine. Her front door wasn’t closed all the way.

Abby dashed back to her car and called Sawyer.

“Someone’s been at the house. The front door is open.”

“I’m on my way. I’m going to call my friend Sebastian. He owns a globally renowned security and investigative company. I’m also going to call my friend who happens to be the police chief. Stay in your car with the engine running and the doors locked. If anyone looks like they are coming out of the house, drive away immediately.”

It seemed like forever before Sawyer screeched to a halt in front of her house, with a huge, black truck right on his tail. Two large men climbed out of the truck.

“Abby, this is Sebastian and one of his team members, Julian. Sebastian’s a member of my pack. Did anyone come out of the house?”

Trembling slightly, she shook her head no. “That doesn’t mean they didn’t go out the back, though.”

Sebastian and Julian pulled out pistols and carefully approached the house, disappearing inside. Several minutes later they reappeared.

“All clear,” Sebastian said.

The police chief and a couple officers pulled in behind Sebastian’s truck. Abby quickly explained the situation, and Sebastian said that they cleared the house.

“Let’s go see if anything’s been tampered with,” the chief said. He turned to his deputies and added, “You guys start knocking on doors and see if anyone saw anything.”

Abby carefully inspected her house. At first, it just looked like things had been moved around. She opened one of the cabinets in her kitchen where she kept her protein mixes and vitamins.

I know I always put my vitamins on the bottom shelf, not on the middle shelf.

“I don’t mean to sound paranoid or be an alarmist, but I think someone’s messed with my vitamins.”

Sebastian used a glove to take them off the shelf and open the bottle. He dumped a couple capsules on the counter. The chief and Sebastian inspected them closely.

“I think these have been tampered with,” Sebastian said. “Julian, give me a plastic evidence bag please.”

Julian held the bag open while Sebastian carefully opened one of the capsules. He jerked his head back.

“I smelled bitter almonds. I’m pretty sure that the contents will test positive for cyanide.”

The chief sniffed around the bag and nodded. “I agree. I’ll take the rest of these back to the lab for testing.” He looked at Abby. “Who did you anger?”

Abby opened her eyes wide and held up her hands. Tears sprang into the back of her eyes. “I don’t know. I haven’t been in Angel’s Creek long enough to make people mad at me.”

“I can think of one person,” Sawyer said grimly. “Dahlia. She would do something to you to get back at me. I think we’d better check the contents of anything she might have poisoned.”

Sebastian opened the fridge, pulled out her milk and sniffed it. He nodded and handed it to the chief.

Her orange juice and a jug of tea had been poisoned as well.

One of the officers knocked on the door and entered the kitchen.

“Your neighbor said she saw a woman here earlier. She thought that the woman was supposed to be here because it looked like she used a key to get into your house.”

“Did she describe the woman to you?”

The officer nodded. “She was tall, slim, and had dark brown hair in a bob. She was driving an army green jeep.”

“That is Dahlia,” Abby said.

“We have to throw away everything that could have been contaminated. We can’t take any chances,” Sawyer said. “I’ll replace your groceries since she did this because of me.”

He looked at Sebastian. “How soon can you put in a security system?”

“I’ll call them now and my team will be out here in an hour.”

“Send me the bill,” Sawyer said.

“I can pay for it,” Abby said.

“No. You’re only on her radar because of me.”

Abby knew that it was fruitless to argue. She went into the living room and slumped onto the couch. Sucking in a huge breath of air, she stared into space, feeling numb. She wasn’t afraid, mad, sad, or anything else.

Sawyer sat down next to her. “Why don’t you come stay with me for a while?”

Shaking her head, Abby replied, “No. I’m not going to let her or anyone else chase me out of my own house. That means that she wins.”

“You being dead means that she wins. You staying at my house means I can sleep tonight knowing that you’re safe,” Sawyer argued.

“Sebastian is making sure that I’m safe.”

Abby’s head was spinning and a sharp pain was creeping up from her neck up the back of her head and to her temples. Everyone was talking, asking questions, and making noise. The chief had called the forensic team and they were busy taking fingerprints on the door, cabinets, counters, refrigerator handle, and anything else they thought Dahlia might have touched.

It’s going to take me forever to clean up this mess.

A couple of hours later, Sebastian called her into the kitchen.

“Let me show you how everything works.”

He gave her the codes to the alarm and showed her how to look at the camera pictures from her phone and laptop.

“You can see what’s happening in real-time or you can see anything that’s been recorded for the last thirty days.”

She nodded.

“Every window and door have a sensor, which will alert the call center immediately if the code isn’t punched in within sixty seconds. I’ll make sure that the operators know that your place is a top priority.”

“Thank you.”

Sebastian looked at her sympathetically. “I know this must be hard for you. I’m sorry. My wife, Talia, who is a science teacher at the high school, wants to know if you would like to have dinner with us tonight. She makes a killer hamburger and potato casserole.”

Abby smiled weakly. “No, thank you. I would love a raincheck, though. Beth and the other ladies told me that Talia and Sadie are amazing people.”

“They are,” Sebastian agreed. “Sadie recently went through the mating ceremony with our local hero, Dakota Higgins. She recently gave birth to their first youngling.”

“Sawyer told me about them. I would love to meet them someday – just not today. My head hurts, and I just want to sit on my couch and breathe.”

Sebastian patted her knee. “I understand. It’s a bit overwhelming and I think you’re incredibly brave for sticking to your guns.”

“Stubborn is more like it,” Sawyer muttered.

Sebastian laughed. “Brave and stubborn both work. We’re going to get out of your hair. Call me if you need anything. Sawyer can text my number to you.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, Sawyer pays all the consulting fees. He makes the big bucks since he’s a doctor.”

Sawyer coughed and shook his head.

Soon everyone had cleared out except for Sawyer. “Why don’t you come to my place for dinner at least. You don’t have a lot of food here anymore.”

“I’m fine. Really, I am. I just want to sit here and veg. Please, don’t worry about me.”

“In other words, go home and leave me alone.”

Abby felt guilty for saying it, especially after the wonderful gift he had given her that morning, but she needed him to go. “Yes, please.”

She walked him to the door. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Abby felt the warmth radiating from his body and wrapping around her, making her feel safe. He put his hands on her face and leaned down to kiss her.

“You call me if you need anything.”

“I promise.”

She breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind him. Abby quickly punched in the alarm. She knew that Sawyer felt guilty and was very worried about her, but she simply didn’t have the emotional capacity to handle everything being thrown at her right now.

Instead, she got on the internet to the food delivery service and ordered some Chinese food, ice cream, and a bottle of wine. Looking around her kitchen, she sighed heavily at the fingerprint powder and the rest of the mess left by everyone and started cleaning, hoping that the activity would help relieve some of her stress – at least until the wine came.