A shiver ran up his back as he opened the heavy door and walked in. It was freaky how Barrett had this sixth sense of knowing who was on the other side of the door without even looking. Jayden often wondered if the Pack Master could see inside Jayden’s head as well.
He lifted his chin in greeting as Barrett motioned for him to sit in the chair across from his desk. Barrett continued studying a pile of papers in a brown folder.
Jayden eased into the leather chair that looked so out of place in the dreary room. The cinderblock walls looked more like a jail cell than an office. Even Barrett’s worn and scarred desk looked like he had bought it from the yard sale of a retired attorney. The walls held no pictures, except for one elaborate shield with the Arkansas state flag and the words, “LEADER AND COMMANDER BORN TO UPHOLD THE LUPINE LAW.”
Jayden fidgeted in his seat, the mood in the room growing heavier with each passing second. The other jobs that Barrett had assigned him had taken no more than a minute of discussion to find out the details before he was out the door.
Whatever papers Barrett was currently focused on had an uneasiness crawling up his spine.
“I see that your interior decorator has been on vacay,” Jayden joked as he looked around the room.
Barrett cut his eyes at him.
Jayden sat up straighter. Not that he was a *, but Jayden always got this lethal vibe off Barrett, like at any minute he could rip your throat out and then sit politely down and have a mocha latte.
“My decorator is dead.”
Shit. “I’m sorry.” Jayden swallowed and made sure there wasn’t a smirk lingering on his lips.
“Don’t be. I killed him.” Barrett lifted his head, fixing his blue-eyed stare on Jayden.
“Well, if he made my office look like shit, I’d kill him too.” Jayden cringed. He always did have a hard time holding his tongue.
Barrett cracked the slightest of smiles. A rare sight indeed.
“I have a new assignment that is going to need your utmost attention.”
Jayden leaned forward. Now they were talking. “Absolutely. Whatcha got?”
Barrett sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “It’s Haley Guthrie.”
Jayden felt the blood drain from his face. “What about her?”
“It seems that she has picked up a stalker.” Barrett pushed the folder towards him. “It started a week after she moved into the dorm.”
Jayden picked up the first note. It read “Hello beautiful. Hope you have a wonderful day.” He met Barrett’s gaze and shrugged. “Could be just an infatuated guy. And if gets more serious then just order her back to LSU.”
Barrett narrowed his eyes. “It’s more than an infatuated guy with a crush. And her parents are the reason she’s not at LSU anymore.”
Jayden looked up. “What do you mean?”
“When we rescued Haley, her parents weren’t exactly excited to have their precious little girl home.” Barrett narrowed his eyes as he eased back into his chair, never once taking his focus off Jayden.
“Why the hell not?” Anger flared in Jayden’s gut at Barrett’s words.
“It seems, in their eyes, Haley has brought shame to their family. To them, a raped female werewolf is ruined. Damaged goods.” Barrett’s voice vibrated with utter distaste for Haley’s parents. Jayden’s hatred for them doubled.
“How could a parent do that?” Jayden snarled.
“To some in this world appearances mean everything.” Barrett stood and walked over to the far wall and flipped a switch. The wall slid away on a track revealing a secret interior room.
Jayden followed Barrett inside. This room was vastly different from the Pack Master’s office. TV’s lined the wall, each capturing a different surveillance camera within the city. There were at least five computers along with monitors lined up on the stainless steel desks. There were no windows and only one way in and out. It appeared to be a safe room of some sort.
Barrett walked over to the far side of the room where a large map of the state of Arkansas hung on the wall, littered with colored stickpins. He pointed to the bright red pig that had been stuck on the city of Fayetteville.
Jayden chuckled.
LSU had their tigers. University of Arkansas had their razorbacks.
“So if she is being stalked then why not just move her to another state?” Jayden curled his hands into fists.
“I believe he’s dangerous and will follow her wherever she goes.”Jayden crossed his arms over his chest. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up and he knew whatever was about to come out of Barrett’s mouth wasn’t good.
“Stalkers like this usually turn out to be serial killers.” Barrett turned back to him.
Jayden’s heart sped up. His fingernails cut into his palms and he knew if he looked he would see blood trickling out from the wound. The urge to shift into wolf swamped him in a rush.
“How long has this been going on? Has Haley gone to the police?” Jayden forced himself to keep his voice calm despite the volatile storm raging inside.