Storm Watch (Woodland Creek) Read Online Free

me you won’t call him. All I need to do is get my car unstuck and I’ll be out of your hair. This isn’t your problem. I can afford to pay you whatever he was paying.”
    “I don’t want your damn money, but I won’t call him tonight,” he allowed. “We can talk more tomorrow. You have to be exhausted. If you look in the dresser, there should be some t-shirts. You can use one to sleep in.”
    “I’m not a child to be sent to bed,” she snapped. She’d be damned if she’d admit that she was exhausted.
    He chuckled. “No, you’re definitely not a child, darlin’. But hey, if you’d rather entertain me for the night, I’m game.”
    Storm’s eyes widened as she looked at him. He couldn’t possibly think that she’d be interested in him or any other man for that matter. She wanted to just quietly get up from the table and walk from the room. Unfortunately, she couldn’t quite manage it. She bolted. She heard his chuckle as she fled from the room.
    Luke’s humor was short-lived. He sobered as he cleaned up the dishes. Was it possible that she telling the truth? He’d heard of Raymond Samuels. Hell, everyone knew who he was. The hell of it was, she was right. No one would believe her over him. Not in a hundred years. Now, he had to decide what to do with her. Part of him did believe her. That was the rub. As outlandish as her tale was, he didn’t think she was lying. Either she was as delusional as Samuels had alluded, or she was a liar and Oscar-worthy actress.
    Or she was telling the truth.
    And something had made her head here. Was she another sifter? Or a wizard? Even latent shifters and wizards would sometimes feel drawn here—the ley-lines assured that.
    Maybe he could do some quiet investigation. He still had a lot of friends on the force. Off the force for five years, it was entirely possible that the Raymond Samuels he’d heard of had shown his true colors. If that were the case, he had a few buddies that should have a clue. But, he’d need more information. Most men just didn’t own the police, as she’d said, without good cause. There would at least be some kind of conjecture within the department. He trusted the police chief implicitly. He’d trust TJ Rickman with his life. And, as a bonus, Rickman was aware of wizards and shifters—unlike most of the town.
    Even to investigate quietly, he needed a hell of a lot more information than she’d provided. Telling him she’d seen him kill a man in cold blood and that he owned the police just wasn’t enough to go on. On the chance that she was telling the truth, he’d have to ask his questions quietly and not tip anyone on possibly Samuel’s payroll.
    He was still considering his options an hour later when a scream came from her bedroom. Drawing his gun from his ankle holster, he ran into the room. She was thrashing on the bed, obviously caught up in a nightmare.
    Luke walked to her quickly and started talking in a low, soothing voice. “It’s okay, darlin’. Wake up, Storm.” She fought him like a wildcat, still not fully awake. He put his arms around her and tried to soothe her and bring her out of the nightmare gently. He pulled her against his chest, running his hand down her back gently. “Shh,” he crooned. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe.”
    He watched when she finally realized he was there. Her expressive green eyes focused by degrees. “Nightmare,” he explained gently. “You were having a nightmare.”
    She stiffened in his arms and tried to pull away, and he tightened his hold. “Just relax, Storm. I’m not going to hurt you. You’ve got my word.” God, she was awake and still terrified. He certainly couldn’t leave her like this! What did she think he was going to do to her? It should be obvious to her by now that he wasn’t her enemy. If he’d meant her harm, he’d have had plenty of time to do whatever it was she seemed so afraid of. “Relax.”
    “Let me go!” she said, trying to push against his