Bodies by Bobby was a small gym housed between a deli and a tattoo parlor. It wasn't on the greatest side of Clarkton if the drug deal going on twelve feet away from them was any indication.
"Tell me again why we aren't watching Wizard of Oz and Return to Oz?" Rowena asked. She was feeling a little loopy from her pain medication.
"We have to get this done sooner than later," Cross answered. "We can watch your wizard movies later."
"They're not wizard movies. They're about a young girl who learns to appreciate her family despite their flaws. They're about friendship but I warn you now, Return to Oz may give you nightmares."
"I thought the Wizard of Oz was a family-friendly movie."
Rowena nodded as Cross opened his door and exited. He walked around and opened her door before she spoke. "It is but Return to Oz has a much different vibe. It has these things called the Wheelers which are super-creepy. There's also an evil woman who steals people's headsâliterally. It's truer to the book than the Judy Garland movie."
He helped her step down from his vehicle and gave her a thoughtful look. "You really do like to read, don't you?"
"Honestly, I couldn't imagine my life without books. I work at a home-goods store and tell fake fortunes to make a living. You've met my parents so you can imagine what my childhood was like. Whether it's healthy or not, books help me escape my reality."
"I guess it helps that those books don't judge you," Cross said sympathetically. He held out his hand for her to grab. Rowena eyed it warily before slipping her hand in his. He turned his head to hide his smile.
"Unless it's a self-development book," Rowena said, choosing to ignore his smile. "Those books can come across as judgmental."
"You read self-development books?"
She shrugged. "No one's perfect."
They stepped up to the gym's entrance. The building was made of gray bricks and had a wooden sign with its name painted in black and red. The two front windows were covered in vinyl cut-outs of men and women lifting weights. Cross held the door open for her with a whispered warning, "Let me do all the talking, Rowena."
"We'll see," Rowena mumbled. She would've shrugged but couldn't without causing herself additional pain.
She grimaced as the smell of sweat and old gym mats hit her. A few men were in the back spotting one another at the bench press area. Her brown eyes followed the sound of clanging weights. Cross reached for her hand and stepped forward, his sharp eyes looking around.
A tall man who had the physique of a bodybuilder spotted them from a small window attached to a back office. His eyes widened and he quickly stood up from his desk and approached them. He had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes that appeared nervous. He was wearing sweatpants and a tight red shirt with the gym's name emblazoned across the front in white.
It wasn't until he was standing directly in front of them that the blonde spoke, his eyes slightly lowered. "Alpha, what brings you here?"
Cross frowned. "What's your name?"
"Bobby Sullivan," the blonde answered. "I own this gym, Alpha." His blue eyes peeked up at Rowena before a growling sound escaped Cross. Bobby quickly lowered his gaze.
"You've never been part of my pack and I am not your alpha. Do not address me as such around outsiders," Cross commanded.
Bobby's head lowered a fraction more. "Yes, but you are the alpha of the Howler pack and I did not want to be disrespectful. The humans in the back cannot hear me and I've heard word of your human consort."
Rowena glared at Cross who was ignoring her.
"Is that so?" Cross asked.
"Yes. May I be of any service to you, sir?"
Rowena wondered if this was why Cross wanted to do all the talking. Maybe he knew Bobby was going to be compliant because he wasn't an alpha. She was slightly disappointed.
"You were part of the Nightshade pack," Cross said.
"Yes, until they kicked me out." Bobby nodded. "It wasn't fair, but I accepted it as punishment. I'm a lone wolf now. I've been told I can eventually be allowed back in the pack after ten years."
"You were exiled?" Cross asked. It was a punishment most alphas didn't use unless the crime warranted it. Cross didn't understand why Bobby had been exiled unless Bobby Sullivan did something besides engaging in a messy relationship that resulted in the pack's rec center being shut down.
Bobby nodded. "I suppose you came here to ask me about Casey Sloane. Her death was a surprise."
"We've heard you were blamed when she vandalized the recreational center you were working at previously."
A flash of something Rowena didn't quite understand appeared in Bobby's eyes.
"Is it true?" Cross asked Bobby. "Did you dump Casey to stay with your girlfriend? As payback, did she vandalize your place of employment which was pack property?"
Bobby didn't quite answer him. "I never meant to lead Casey on. I was in love with my ex, but Casey always had a way about her. She could entice anyone she set her sights on."
Rowena cleared her throat. "Just to be clear, you had a girlfriend but cheated on her with Casey?"
Bobby's cheeks flushed. He looked away for a moment and exhaled. "My ex was so much more to me than any label could define. It was my fault I gave in to Casey and ruined that relationship. I thought breaking it off with her was the solution. No one would know if Casey was already out of the picture. It would have been my secret."
"So, you broke up with Casey but she didn't take it well," Rowena surmised. "You've clearly never watched any Lifetime movies or read any books involving cheating. The mistress never goes away quietly. Never."
"You're right. Casey was livid. I tried talking to her brother, Flint. As you can guess, he wasn't sympathetic. He and I had been friends for years."
"You used his sister," Rowena reminded him. "You made her your dirty secret before you dumped her."
"She knew I was in a relationship. She knew how important it was to me, but she wouldn't stop coming on to me. She just wouldn't leave me alone. What was I supposed to do?" Bobby was staring at Rowena and didn't lower his eyes until he heard Cross growl. "Casey was a mistake. I told her I couldn't see her anymore and she vandalized the rec center. It took weeks to get it back to normal. I lost my job which was fine but then Casey also told my ex-lover I cheated. I was dumped. I lost the love of my life. I hated Casey. I might have murdered her if my anger overcame my grief."
Cross leaned forward. "Did you kill Casey?"
"Cross," Rowena hissed. "You can't just ask someone that. You have to build up to it or trick them into admitting it. Don't you watch any crime shows? I swear I'm working with amateurs."
Bobby lifted his head, his eyes wide. "No, of course not! I may have resented her for what happened, but I didn't kill her. I was eventually kicked out of the pack when our alpha found out why the rec center was vandalized. He said my weak nature was a threat to the pack. Even then, I still didn't kill her. Surely, you don't believe that! Flint was my best friend. I would never kill his sister."
"You just said you would have if you weren't so sad your girlfriend dumped you after finding out you cheated on her with Casey." Rowena felt Cross lightly squeeze her hand. She ignored his warning. "Or maybe you waited until Casey had a new boyfriend before you killed her. Maybe you were hoping he would take the fall for you,"
Cross stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
She pouted. "Why do you get to ask all the fun questions?"
Cross turned back to Bobby. "Is that true? We all know revenge is a dish best served cold. Did you wait to kill Casey for the downturn she caused in your life?"
"N-no! Of course not. All of this happened years ago. I have my own gym now. Why would I still hold a grudge?" Bobby protested.
"You said you lost the love of your life," Rowena said. "What was her name?"
Bobby flinched. Rowena's eyes narrowed. She didn't care how much the man protested; he was definitely on her suspect list.
"I cannot tell you that," Bobby said.
"Why not?" Cross asked.
"I promised."
"You're not making sense. Did you promise to never share the name of your ex-girlfriend? Why?" Rowena asked. "You weren't the only man who fell for Casey despite having a girlfriend. We know those women have get-togethers. We think this group killed Casey. If you give us the name of your ex-girlfriend, maybe we can prove their guilt."
Cross squeezed her hand again and shook his head. She wanted to protest but chose to bite her bottom lip.
"Even more reason for me not to share my ex-lover's name. By cheating, I could not protect our love. Perhaps my silence can protect them in another way."
"You will not give us the name?" Cross asked in his alpha voice.
Rowena watched Bobby wipe his hands against his sweatpants. His face was contorted in discomfort, but he shook his head and whispered, "No. As you said earlier, you are not my alpha. I am not obligated to answer your questions."
"Someone is trying to kill me because they think I killed Casey. I'm going to be burned at the stake or shot at this rate. We need your help," Rowena pleaded.
"I am sorry," Bobby said softly. "I cannot help you. Please leave."
"You can," Rowena corrected him. "You just choose not to. You're going to regret this, Bobby Sullivan."
She didn't wait for him to respond. Instead, she stormed out of the small gym, Cross right behind her.
"Now what are we going to do? That was a dead-end." Rowena would've stomped her foot but she still felt a little dizzy from pain. "I need a nap."
"That's why I told you to let me do the talking. You were too pushy," Cross fumed. He opened the vehicle door for her and helped her in. "He completely shut down on us."
"No, you were too pushy. You're not supposed to ask someone if they're a murderer. It's your fault he shut down," Rowena argued. "Like anyone is ever going to tell the truth when asked if they killed someone. How can you be an alpha and that naïve at the same time?"
"I didn't want to waste time, so I asked him directly. Let's move forward. We have to focus on the dog race tonight. It could be Bobby is innocent. Do you really need a nap? Abby's getting the disguises so you can probably take one before we leave this evening."
"Do you think disguises are really necessary?" Rowena asked.
Cross nodded. "Yes. Someone knows we were looking into this illegal gambling ring and decided to change the night of the race, remember? That means whoever Casey's betting partner is will be there tonight. If they knew Casey, they may know you and me. We need to be as inconspicuous as possible."
"Does that mean we can't just randomly ask people if they're murderers?" Rowena asked dryly.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Cross asked.
"Probably not. My family can hold a mean grudge. Also, did you hear what he said earlier? He knew about the whole consort thing. How could he possibly know all of that?"
"Well, you did pretend to be my girlfriend at your family's barbecue. We were seen together at the hospital. I'm sure we have shifters who work there."
"You're okay with people thinking we're a real couple?" Rowena asked, aghast.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be? Rowena, your grandmother said we were soulmates. Why are you fighting this so much?"
"One, she didn't say we were soulmates verbatim. Two, fighting what?"
"Us," Cross said. He was driving to Howler and reached over to grab her hand.
"Cross, I'm literally on the run for my life right now. Plus, I just got out of an ugly relationship with Reed. He cheated on me. Do you know what that does to a woman?"
"Probably the same thing it does to a manâwe just don't dwell on it or share our feelings about it like I'm sure you're about to."
She scowled at him. "Yes, you're rightâI am. When someone cheats on you it feels like a betrayal of trust. It hurts. It makes your self-esteem tank to the point that you doubt yourself and you feel unworthy. I didn't love Reed but we were supposed to have one another's back. I'm not exactly open to starting a new relationship right now."
He slid his fingers through hers and his thumb stroked the outside of her palm. "Okay, baby."
Rowena frowned. "Also, you shouldn't call me that."
"You said you liked it when I called you that."
"So? I was on lots of pain pills. You aren't supposed to know I like it when you call me that."
Cross chuckled. "Fine. I'll stop bringing up you being my consort and soulmate. We can be friends...for now."
"You're really agreeing to take a step back?" Rowena asked, unsure of how she felt about that. On one hand, she knew it was too soon. On the other hand, she was slightly disappointed he was okay with waiting. She mentally cursed her confusing emotions.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Cross stopped at a red light and looked over her. "Because it's what you need. Even if I can only sometimes give you what you want, I will always give you what you need. Right now, you need more time. So, I'm going to give it to you."
Rowena stared at their linked hands, thinking his definition of giving her time was different than hers. "Why?"
"Because," he said, lightly squeezing her hand, before saying the three words everyone secretly wishes to hear. "You're worth it."