Chapter~30~The guardian within.

Nick~

'I don't like this Harley!'

'Neither do I, Nick!'

"Was CSI able to recover any boot prints from our crime scenes?" Harley asked.

Captain Howard nods at her. "They did cast a few clear ones; it's a shot in the dark, but you should check them out once they dry. In the meantime, we need to cover the streets with these guys' ugly faces."

While waiting for the print shop to send over the flyers the Captain wants us to distribute, I kept my eye on Harley, sitting at her desk, not enjoying the distance between us to maintain the pretense of humanity. However, it gives me a chance to process what she'd told me.

It must have been a powerful guardian who came to Harley and me. I also know there must have been a reason beyond introducing herself. Perhaps they also know about Ian's plans for Harley and are trying to protect one of their own. It makes sense that Harley would have left out that part since Ian isn't supposed to exist; either way, it means I am running out of time.

I'm sure the guardian will be back, and it wouldn't make any difference if Harley and I left tonight. There isn't a place I could take her where the guardian couldn't find her. On the positive side, at least she is letting me in. I'm feeling like the luckiest wolf on earth that I get to witness the powerful force of good magic my mate will become, and it also scares the hell out of me because I still don't know where I am supposed to fit in.

'She is falling in love with you, Nick, and I know you must feel it too. She-wolves don't leave their beloved unless he does something stupid, like try to deny her of her birthright.'

'I got it, Zeek! Find your sock, will you?'

'It needs to be soon, Nick.'

'Nick?'

'Yes, Amante.'

'I miss my wolfman.'

'I miss you too. Have I told you how much I enjoy hearing your voice in my head?

She looks up at me, and my heart skips a beat. 'A couple of times, yeah, but I never tire of hearing it.'

My phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and saw it was Kyle calling. 'I have to take this; it's the agency.'

Man, it is hot as fuck in LA. A place in the mountains sounds better all the time. "Yeah, Kyle."

"I have been waiting to hear from you. What is happening there?"

"I am with Harley, and she is safe, and you were right about Luccese calling the shots here."

"I didn't want to be. Maybe you should both get out of there. How did Harley take the news about Ian and the Lake?"

"I haven't told Harley yet that Ian is involved. Since she is my mate, I hope I can avoid it somehow. But the guardian of Sauther Lake has already visited her. She asked me to help her find the place."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I would do some research, I don't know what to do."

"You're worried you are going to lose her."

"Yeah, I am. Either to the Lake or because of my part in all this."

"I don't think even the guardians could override the moon goddess's will. Since you are her fated mate, Harley would decide whether to join them or you. Why not tell Harley I sent you? It's technically true. Have her call me, and I will back you up."

Zeek is growling at me. It's just another lie, but I don't listen because I remember Harley's sadness when I pushed her about a sibling. "Ok, I will tell her tonight. For what it's worth, Kyle Harley loves you, and she misses her brother."

'Is everything ok, Nick?'

"I've gotta go. Kyle Harley is calling for me."

'Yes, Amante.'

A few moments later, we are all gathered back in the room that my Amante doesn't like. Her emotions shifted the moment the Captain closed the door, so my Amante is claustrophobic. I rested my arm on the back of her chair.

The Captain sat with a deep sigh. "We will not ot get any help with the stalker's ID from the bank. The manager just informed me that Luccese set up the savings account online about two months ago, and no one has ever visited the bank or inquired about it since. However, the card linked to the account gets used several times a week at the bank's ATM."

A wave of relief rolled off of Harley as if this were a good thing and easy to fix. "So, pull the bank's surveillance footage."

"I have already, Detective; the problem is that the bank's cameras are on a 48-hour loop. There has been no activity on the card since the stalker went MIA a week ago."

"Not here in Santa Monica, maybe; Culver City has a branch, I think."

"They do; my aunt is the manager." Graves said. "I could ask her to look for the account discreetly."

"It's worth a shot." Captain Howard distributes the flyers to Brock and Graves. "The plan is to put these three in a pressure cooker and see which one pops his top. Our stalker is going to get pretty nervous seeing his face plastered everywhere. When one gets nervous, one gets sloppy."

"I think we should start on the bay and cover the piers first," Brock said. "A private boat is best for someone going and coming off the island if they don't want to be seen."

"What about us, Captain?" Harley asked.

Captain Howard focused on her. "You two will sit on the bank; according to Lucesse's bank records, today is the stalker's payday."

'What's a sit on?'

'A stakeout.'

'How long do those take?' She's giving me the moron look again.

"We will keep in touch through the secure channel only. No phones; we still have a snake in the henhouse." The Captain rose and opened the door.

Harley goes to her desk and gathers the pictures, files, and water bottle from the drawer. "Ready, Agent?"

'To have you to myself, Amante? Oh, yes.'

"Yes, ma'am." I gave her a salute and took the files and the bottle from her.