Chapter 43

As soon as Jo stepped out of her last class, she saw Ryker. She'd practically felt his presence, although admittedly, maybe that was just the small crowd of women eyeing up her man that cued her into his location.

If it wasn't for him being more than a head taller than most of the girls, she might not have been able to see him.

Highly irritating.

More on edge than she'd care to admit, Jo didn't even hesitate to march straight up through the group, her arm wrapping around Ryker's waist posessively as she sent the girls a dark stare. Then she ignored them to look up at Ryker. "Hey, babe."

Okay, maybe, that was a little louder than necessary.

Ryker's expression was amused as he looked down at her, but as always, he was more than happy to be physically and verbally affectionate. "Hey darlin'," he leaned down to kiss her lips first, then moved his kiss to the spot near her ear, chuckling at the face she made. "What, I thought we were into pet names now."

"Definitely not that one," Jo muttered, rolling her eyes. Still, she didn't step out of his embrace--it was a warm comfort after a very long day. A day of a lot of texting and checking in with her parents, who seemed stressed every time she checked in with them. She hated not being there yet.

Ryker squeezed her for a moment in a hug, then leaned back a little, checking her facial expression.

"How are you doing? Your parents holding up okay?"

Jo was vaguely aware in her peripheral vision of the group of girls giving up and moving away. Good riddance. More relaxed now, she sighed. "Okay as can be, I guess. I'm just ready to see them."

Ryker nodded and stepped back, holding out his hand for her to take. "Let's hit the road then."

It was roughly two and a half hours to get to Charlotte from Jackson's Hollow. Ryker stopped once when Jo looked longingly at a Starbucks sign, but besides the break for a venti iced mocha for her and a massive black coffee for him, the trip was straightforward. It warmed up the farther they went east; while the mountains were gearing up for the winter, the Piedmont region was starting to figure out it was supposed to get cooler. Summer was a very long season in North Carolina outside of the Smoky Mountains.

Luckily they weren't going into the city proper, since Ryker had grudgingly said he didn't like city driving. Jo's parents lived in a little suburb right outside of the city, so he didn't have to worry about driving his truck around in city traffic.

"This is it," she said, pointing to a little light grey two-story surrounded by tall hardwoods. It was a nice neighborhood, one of the older ones in the area. The yard was dotted with flowerbeds and a couple lawn ornaments. Beside the mailbox was a small replica of the Hatteras Lighthouse, a fan favorite among Outer Banks tourists. Her mother's parents had retired at the Outer Banks, so her family spent quite a bit of time down there.

"They're expecting us, right?" he asked as they pulled in.

"Yep," she replied, her hand already on the door handle. She knew her parents were fine, but something in her said they weren't, or at least they weren't until she actually laid eyes on them.

Even as she was getting out of the truck, the front door opened. "Jo!"

"Mom!" Jo rushed over and practically dove into her mother's arms.

Jo had taken after her mother, Maira, when it came to looks. She had her mom's light brown skin, the same dark hair, a similar height. Jo's brown eyes came from her father though, because her mom had deep green eyes.

Speaking of, her dad was right behind her mother, reaching over her shoulder to ruffle Jo's hair and then wrap both of them in a bear hug. While he had left the mountains, the mountains had never quite left him. He always had a big salt-and-pepper beard and dressed like he might be heading out to go hiking.

Her mother's great-grandparents had been immigrants from India, who had made their way to Charlotte, where her family had stayed. Jacob's family, on the other hand, had lived in the mountains of North Carolina for ages.

Maira and Jo's dad, Jacob, had met during college, when they had both attended UNC Charlotte. Jacob had been the first in his family to go to college while Maira was a legacy student. While one might not have thought a mountain boy and a city girl could make it work, the two of them had been married for almost twenty years.

"You really didn't have to come," her mom said, hugging Jo again. "It's such a long drive."

"I actually didn't have to drive," Jo said. She pulled back slightly and realized that she had left Ryker by the truck. He had wandered slightly up the drive but was hanging back, probably to give them a bit of privacy. She waved him over. "Um, so, this is Ryker Monroe--"

"The boyfriend," Jacob said, glancing over at Ryker. "You're Malcolm's boy?"

"One of them," Ryker said, walking up behind Jo.

"Jo's told us so much about you," her mom said, a smirk hiding in the corner of her mouth. "I mean, at first you were the annoying, rude boy at the hardware store--"

"Mom! Really..." It was funny when she was joking about it with his family, but did it have to be the first thing her mom mentioned? Maybe this was karma for last night at his house.

"But everything she's said since then has been very positive," she teased. Most of Jo's own joking nature came from her mother. She reached out and squeezed Jo's elbow before smiling at Ryker. "We're really glad you brought her to visit."

"I just wish it wasn't under the circumstances," Ryker said, nodding his head to her parents in a quiet apology.

"Life happens whether we want it to or not," her dad said with a quiet chuckle.

"Never heard a truer statement," Ryker said, a hint of a smile on his face. Oh yep, the mountain men were bonding.

Her dad had always been the more laidback, calm one of her two parents. He accepted life as it was and continued moving forward. Jo had always appreciated his ability to help her see how to accept her problems and find solutions rather than dwelling on the fact that she was dealing with problems.

That trait he'd taught her was a big part of why she moved to the mountains. It might not have been a perfect solution, but it was the only way forward at the time.

And apparently, it'd been the best choice in the end, because it'd brought her to Ryker. She could never regret that.

"Well come on in," her mom said, beckoning them in. Jo was hit with the smell of chicken casserole as soon as she stepped through the door--one of her favorite meals growing up.

"You made my favorite!" She said, beaming at her mom.

"Of course," Maira returned, rolling her eyes. "What kind of mom would I be if I didn't make it for my daughter's first visit back from college?"

"I'm not complaining, it smells delicious," Ryker said, stepping in after her.

"You shouldn't be worrying about cooking for me right now," Jo said, frowning at Maira.

"You know better than to try and stop your mom when she gets a notion in her head," Jacob said. He paused by the fridge. 'You kids want anything to drink?"

Jo got water while Ryker had another coffee before they moved to the living room. Apparently they'd spent time today checking in with the police again, getting a locksmith out, and cleaning up the house--mom said it gave her the heebie jeebies to think of some stranger rifling through her things. Dad gave Jo a long-suffering look--apparently he'd been put to work vacuuming, which was his least favorite of chores.

"Well, we can help out with anything you need finished up after dinner," Jo said firmly. Oops, she hadn't meant to speak for Ryker. She looked over at him and he smiled and nodded, reaching out to squeeze her hand with his. His thumb rubbed over her knuckles in a gesture that instantly relaxed Jo.

That's right, Mr. Fix-it probably lived for this kind of stuff. She just hoped he wouldn't be too tired for the drive back home. Even though he said they could stay as late as needed, she didn't want to push it too far--she cared about her parents, but she also cared about her boyfriend too. They were both important to her.

"Really, there's not much more that needs to be done," her mom said, shaking her head. "They didn't take anything or really even do much." She sighed, leaning back, her hands wrapped around one knee. "It's so strange. But hey, how about you go upstairs and check your room while we finish getting dinner ready?"

"We didn't think much in your room was moved, but it's your stuff," her dad added, "You know everything in there better than we do."

Hmm, that made sense. But if she remembered correctly, her room had been a little messy... Oh well. "I guess I could."

"We'll call you down when everything's ready," her mom said.

With Ryker following, she headed upstairs, past the pictures of family vacations and holidays that lined the walls. A tug at a loop of her jeans made her stop on the stairs, looking back at Ryker. He pointed to one of her baby pictures, the one where she was covered in sugar from a cotton candy stick, pieces of the candy fluff stuck in her hair. Her grin was huge, probably because little three-year-old her was definitely on a sugar high.

"Sweet tooth, much?" Ryker asked.

She reached back and gave his shoulder a playful shove. "It starts early! And you're not allowed to ask for more embarrassing pictures."

"No promises."

Her room was the first one on the left off the second floor landing. She still had the same bedspread she'd had throughout high school, one that looked like it was covered in watercolors. Painted handprints from her friends covered her wall along with pictures, posters, and sketches she had done in high school. Before moving to the mountains, she used to like to sketch. Now there never seemed to be free time for it.

While stepping into her room should've felt like stepping into her own inner sanctum. But it didn't. And it wasn't just the time that had passed or how much she had grown in the past few months. No...

Everything was just a little off. Pictures had been moved a tiny bit, the things on her dresser were off-kilter, her shoes weren't where she left them on the floor.

"What's wrong?" Ryker said almost instantly, stepping around her so that he was in front.

"I...they were in here," she said. Normally she would've been amused that he was trying to protect her from a threat that wasn't there anymore, but...She moved past him and opened one of the drawers on her vanity.

It had been gone through. The papers and old notebooks and trinkets that had been in there were still there, but she knew that they had been gone through. She opened another drawer. Same thing. Hurrying to the dresser, she opened the top of it. The diary she had kept in middle school was still there, but the lock was popped.

To anyone else, it would've looked untouched. But for Jo, she knew someone had gone through each and every thing in her room.

Ryker's hand moved to her back instantly, trying to impart comfort. "Did they take anything from here?"

"I..." she looked around, feeling a little bit at a loss. "I don't think so. Not that I've seen so far."

"I could..." Ryker hesitated, looking back at the door, then stepped away to close it. "My sense of smell is only a little better than average in this form, but if I shift, I may be able to pick up on something. If you want me too?"

She understood his hesitation. Her parents were here, and of course they didn't know about werewolves. Or her ability either. But she needed to know everything she could about what happened.

"That's probably a good idea, if you don't mind. My parents won't come in without knowing."

Ryker nodded than moved over to the window, pulling the blinds and then drawing the curtains closed. "Better turn the light off for a moment," he said. "Don't want neighbors to see any funny silhouettes."

Jo did as directed, then listed to the rustle of clothes as he removed them in preparation to shift. She felt her cheeks warm as she realized this was the closest she'd ever been to a completely naked Ryker. But a second she was distracted as she felt a wet snout press against her hand, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Ryker!" Jo hissed, flicking on the light. The wolf gave her an open-mouthed expression that was a very good imitation of a grin, then went to work smelling everything in the room while Jo continued to look through her things. It was hard, trying to decide if something was missing or just had been misplaced somewhere else.

It must've been around 5-6 minutes later. Jo was going through her books, trying to decide if a yearbook was missing, and Ryker was letting out the occasional soft growls as he sniffed around her room. "How's it look Jo?" Her mom's voice was not too far away, probably floating up from the bottom of the steps.

"Um, they were probably here too, but it seems like it's about the same as the rest of the house," Jo called back, cracking the door a bit. "We'll be down in a minute!" After getting her mom's affirmative, she shut it again.

Ryker came to stand by her, then looked up at the light. Oh yeah. Getting the hint, Jo turned the light back off and waited, back to the room...

"Next time I get undressed in your bedroom I think it should be followed by a different activity."

Jo chuckled as warm arms came around her--her skin heated instantly as she realized he hadn't put his shirt back on yet. "Don't be a cliche male."

"You don't want me to be attracted to you?"

Jo rolled her eyes and jabbed his ribs, turning to face him. She wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. "Put a shirt on."

"Yes ma'am," Ryker returned with a cheeky grin, grabbing his shirt off the bed. When his face emerged from the shirt though, he looked somber.

"Jo...I don't know what it means, but they were all over this room." He frowned, shaking his head. "I wish I could compare it to the rest of the house to see if they were this thorough everywhere."

"Do you think it was Duncan?" Jo asked, voicing her first concern.

Ryker frowned. "Strangely, no. It didn't smell like him. Or like werewolves. Whoever was here smelled completely human."

Okay...Jo sat down on the edge of her bed, her fingers wrapping around her soft comforter. She had been prepared for this to somehow be Duncan's fault. Obviously, he had been the one ruining things lately. Learning that it really was a regular human and not someone supernatural almost unsettled her more. Now she didn't have any idea who had done this. Or, well, maybe she did.

The mattress sank a little as Ryker sat down beside her. "Could've been a home invasion gone wrong. A neighbor could've heard them, and they ran without grabbing anything."

"But they touched everything," Jo said, looking around her bedroom. "Why? If they had that much time, why not take anything?"

Ryker was quiet, but he radiated displeasure. "Is there someone who doesn't like your parents?"

"They're a nurse and an architect," Jo said, "We're not in the mafia or the mob or anything."

"I know, I'm just trying to figure it out."

Someone who didn't like her family. Or maybe it wasn't her parents that were the target. Could it possibly be that guy? Jo didn't want to think about him, but now she had to admit that it was a possibility. He had a motive, even if he didn't know where she lived. But shouldn't he still be in the hospital? Then again, that had been several months ago.

Ryker's fingers brushed her cheek. "What is it?"

Jo started to say something, but her mother's voice broke in, calling them down for dinner.

Reaching up, she caught his hand and squeezed his fingers. "I'll tell you later, okay? I don't think it's anything." If it was the person she thought it could be, then her parents weren't in danger since he had probably figured out she wasn't living there anymore. Her dad had also said they were installing a better security system for the whole house.

But it couldn't really be him, could it?

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A/N: Midweek update for fun! :D So excited about writing this story, hope you like it. <3