Blood in the Ozarks

35. Exit Little Bluff

I threw Ortega's machete blade first into the ground with a satisfying thunk. As I watched the bar burn, the adrenaline started to fade and the stings and aches slowly began to set in. But there was no time to rest yet.

With a heavy heart, we decided to move Dinah into the flames. The choice was better for everyone. No one would have to explain to the town and the humans working at the Sheriff's Department that Dinah was involved. We could easily frame the story as the new deputy was part of a gang or something. I didn't know what the story would be, that wasn't my job.

What was my job was finding the killer and ending their bloody trail. I didn't mean for the trail to end in flames obviously, but at least there was an end. Right?

I wasn't sure what would happen to the bar--if Daryl would rebuild or if the Pack would move on. As long as they didn't bother humans, the bureau didn't care. Our department didn't have the resources to keep tabs on them. They would just be another entry in our database until the next fire or whatever disaster sent up a red flag.

"I'll give you a ride back to the hotel," Cian offered.

The abrupt offer and the rough edge to his voice startled me. This wasn't a gesture meaning all was forgiven. But the ride was a step in the right direction. There were still a lot of words left for us to say. But for now, sitting next to each other in companionable silence would be amends enough. So when we were done, I found myself following Cian to his SUV.

Getting into the passenger's seat, I paused. Ortega was standing a few feet away next to Frankie. As if he could sense my stare, his head lifted up and his eyes met mine.

I didn't know what to say to him. I guess I should have started with thanks. Or maybe you were right--he'd fucking love to hear that.

The seatbelt was held tight in my hand as I considered if I should talk to Ortega at all. I looked over at Cian.

"Go," he grunted with a short jut of his chin toward Ortega and the bike.

I let go of the seatbelt and stepped down from the passenger's seat as Ortega pretended he wasn't watching me, waiting to see if I would come to him.

"You're not gonna clean that?" I asked as I approached. The machete blade he half-heartedly was trying to put away was absolutely disgusting.

The edge of his lips lifted and he held the machete aloft. "Nah. All the power is in those blood stains."

The mix of blood and dirt was beginning to cake on to the blade in a sickening maroon shell. Any sheen the blade held its own as completely masked. I'm not sure that the aconite from the dried blood would actually do any good. All I could do was roll my eyes and shrug.

He lowered the blade and faced me. Silence built a bridge between us, neither knowing what to say to the other.

"Whe--"

"Tha--"

We started to speak at the same time and both ended in a laugh.

"You first," I conceded.

Ortega's slight smile grew into a full grin. "When's dinner?"

I choked.

The bet. He obviously was talking about the bet. My mind thought for a second he was asking me for a date. I tried to recover, but I'd already shown my hand.

"Steak, Ross. I want steak."

Tension eased from my shoulders, the muscles thankful he ignored my second of panic.

"Right. Steak," I agreed. "Do you want that in a gift card or app transfer?"

"I'll take a public transaction where you state that I won."

I grabbed my phone from my pocket. "Should I include the word 'werewolf' on that?"

He chuckled. "If you want. As long as you include that I won and proclaim my supreme awesomeness, that's all that counts."

"Supreme awesomeness," I said the words slowly as I typed out the letters. I hit send and showed him the transaction before pocketing my phone.

"You could still come with me, you know." His voice had dropped, and so had the grin. "To dinner. Or where's after here."

The wind whipped through the strands of my ponytail as I glanced over my shoulder at the SUV. Cian was still sitting in the driver's seat, waiting on me.

When I turned back Ortega was back to packing up his bike with a furrowed brow.

"Tommy--"

"I get it." His clipped words cut me off before I could reason with him.

"Maybe another time?"

A hand scraped down his face and blew out a long breath. Then his brown eyes met mine again. "Door's always open."

Warmth planted in my chest and "Glad to hear it."

His eyes flicked up to catch Cian waiting behind me. "You better go before he gets cranky. You won't like him when he's cranky."

Half a smile snaked across my lips. "I think I can take him."

"I know you can." Ortega climbed onto his bike. "See ya 'round, Ross."

I backed away. "Bye, Tommy."

As I walked away, I considered the prize he'd really wanted from our bet. With every case, holding my badge got harder. The more I had to fight to get answers from the bureau, the more people died. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, Ortega's gray area of work had gotten us a lot farther than the FBI had. I'd wanted so badly to prove myself and show I was an asset in our unit. That I could handle cases on my own without a backup that out ranked me. And now in the wreckage and loss, I wasn't sure the bureau was where I belonged.

When I reached the SUV, I turned back to the spot Ortega had been standing. He and the bike were gone.

Once I climbed back into the SUV, Cian gave me a sideward glance. Then he focused back on the windshield and put the car into gear. I studied him for a minute, unsure of what to say. The firm set of his jaw and the tight grip on the steering wheel spoke more than words could between us. So I sat back in my seat, and let

We hit the road, leaving the fiends to sort out the rest of the burning mess. I sent Yvonne a quick thanks and told her I'd stop by before leaving town. Hopefully once I had the chance to shower and rest my appearance wouldn't draw a ton of questions. But if she piled on enough pancakes and bacon, I might end up telling her the truth anyway.

The exit to town grew nearer when I heard the faint sounds of a motorcycle's exhaust pipe. Ortega winked at me as he drove by before speeding up and passing us. He didn't take the exit into Little Bluff.