Wolf Protector by Milly Taiden Page A

only imagine how alone she must’ve felt when she told the truth and was labeled a liar and crazy. His stomach clenched, and the urge to go over to the room where she sleeping and hold her struck him. He never wanted her to feel alone again. He looked up and saw Brock eat the last of his burger. “What happened after that?”
    “Well she was in a hospital for a little while. They did all kinds of tests, and Erica realized she needed to keep her mouth shut in order to be set free. Once they found out she really wasn’t crazy, they sent her to a group home. But by then she’d enrolled in an early college program. One thing she’d never done, even with all the things she was going through, was let her grades slip. She was accepted into a criminal justice program and went off with a full scholarship. That’s when her life really started.”
    Trent could sense a hidden message in there. “But?”
    “But she learned not to trust anyone. When she came to the academy she was always alone, but she has a deep connection to the crime victims in a way no one else has. And from that, she could understand things about the perpetrator that no other evidence could show us. I created a new unit, a special unit, and wanted her. She was the only person who could do what she does. She sees the crime as it happened. She sees the killer.”
    “How did you find out about her ability if she doesn’t trust anyone?” Trent’s jealousy returned.
    “I knew of her past from her files, but the way they worded things, it truly made her sound like an unstable person, a psychotic who heard voices. But the longer I worked with her, the more I realized her file was filled with lies. So one night on our first big missing person’s case, I handed her a photo of the victim. She grabbed it without realizing what I had given her, and you can imagine what happened next.”
    Yes, he could. “Scared the shit out of you, didn’t it?”
    Looking down at his burger, Trent decided to give it another chance. He picked it up, took a bite, and glanced back at Brock.
    Brock nodded. “Hell yes. There we were, talking calmly one minute, and the next she was screaming at the top of her lungs to be let out. Thank god we were the only ones working that late, or someone would’ve thought I was killing her. It took some persuasion. I had to tell her how helpful it would be for the job if she told me about her skills. I was given the go ahead by superiors to create the Federal Paranormal Unit. You, Ramirez, and Donovan joined next. But I made sure to work one-on-one with Erica, alone at the crime scene or at the victims’ homes. Most cases I have acted as her guardian and helped her work up to the moment of contact. I made sure she didn’t push too far too fast.”
    “Why do you have so much interest in her?”
    Brock shook his head as if trying to let him know he was taking things the wrong way. “She’s got no one else. I couldn’t stand seeing her live her life believing she had no one on her side. She doesn’t trust anyone, but she knows I have her back.”
    “So what you’re trying to tell me is that she’s going to make it difficult for me to have a relationship with her?”
    Brock laughed. “Buchanan, she’s not just going to make it difficult, she’s going to make it so hard you’re going to think you’re back in boot camp.” He chuckled again like Trent’s love life was the biggest joke in the world. “I like you, and I think she likes you too, which is why I’m telling you all this.”
    Trent frowned, trying to remember what he knew of her past love life. “But she’s had other relationships before, hasn’t she?”
    Brock shrugged. “Not really. I know she dated in the past, but she always cut them off when they started to look for more. She’s scared to trust and depend on anyone. When she thinks that’s where the relationship is headed, she dumps the poor saps.”
    “Wait, if that’s what’s waiting for me, why would you want