He’d walked into my lab when I was analyzing evidence from the Sebille Fenwick case—not to see me but to bring additional evidence to Red and Nate. And then he’d greeted me, not like an old friend but as a new acquaintance, and had handed me the handkerchief to wipe a smudge of blood from my cheek.
I didn’t really expect to see him again after that. But after his wife, Juliet, had been tragically killed and Nicky grievously wounded in a confrontation with Sebille Fenwick, I’d been one of the first on the scene. I’d had to witness the pain and torment in the eyes of the man I loved as I tried to stabilize him enough to get him to the Tale hospital. He’d gripped my hand, silently pleading, his gaze holding mine. He hadn’t needed to speak—I knew he was asking me to take care of his lovely bride, to make sure she was treated well. I’d nodded, letting him know he could count on me. And I’d made good on that promise.
I just hoped I’d never have to tell him what I saw when I’d looked into her eyes just before I let Nate take her soul to its final rest. With a sigh, I tucked the handkerchief back into my pocket. Seeing as how Nicky had gone off the grid after Juliet’s death, the odds of me ever having to face that dilemma were pretty slim.
I made my way to the mouth of the alley and jerked my chin at Nate. “All yours.”
“So, what did you see?” Red asked. “Anything to help you identify the killer?”
“Killers,” I corrected. “Plural. They were women, but I didn’t get much else.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Really? That’s all?”
I squirmed a little. “Vampires,” I admitted, knowing she’d see through me in a heartbeat if I strayed too far from the truth. “But not Vlad. I didn’t sense him at all.” I frowned. “There was something weird about these women. They had a Tale aura to them but . . . I don’t know. It felt wrong.”
Her brows shot up. “Do we need to have a chat with some of our contacts, let them know there could be a problem?”
I barely held back a groan. I knew exactly what she meant by “contacts.” We didn’t out ourselves to many, but there were a select few Ordinaries who’d been brought into our confidence—sometimes whether we liked it or not. So far they hadn’t divulged any of our secrets, but there was always the possibility that one of them could let something slip, which made me nervous as hell about sharing any intel.
“I’d rather hold off getting in touch for a while longer,” I told her, pulling on my winter gloves to keep my fingertips from going numb. “No sense dealing with them any more than we have to.”
Red gave me a tight nod. “Works for me. I’ll just—” She winced, sucking in air through her teeth, and bent forward a little, her hand going reflexively to her belly.
I closed the gap in an instant and put my arm around her. “Tess, you okay?”
She nodded quickly, but her eyes were a little confused. “Yeah, I’m good.”
I gave her a disapproving look as she straightened. “When did this start?”
“Earlier today,” she told me, her voice just above a whisper. “It’s nothing, though. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
I glanced around us to make sure none of the other agents on the scene were listening too closely. “We have no idea what your pregnancy will be like,” I reminded her. “Considering Nate’s not really a Tale, there could be complications we can only guess at. The minute he gets back, Nate’s taking you to the hospital to get checked out. Understood?”
When she met my gaze I saw fear there—something I’d never seen in her eyes before. Even so, Tess Little wasn’t the kind of person to admit she needed help. She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. “Just go! I got this.” I laughed a little. “I mean, seriously—the guy’s already dead. What could possibly go wrong?”
Chapter Two
I sipped at my coffee and cranked up the heater in the van as I watched the Investigators pack up their equipment. They’d finished photographing the entire crime scene and were loading the body into the van to send back to the lab for further examination. Nothing to do now but pack it in and call it a night.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t showed up,” Alex McCain mumbled, pulling his gloves back on as he prepared to leave the warmth of my van. Why he’d felt the need to keep me company was beyond me. He hadn’t really said a word the entire two hours we’d sat there together.
“Sorry?” I asked, not really needing further explanation. I knew who he was talking about.
“The Spider,” Alex said. “He’s been popping up all over the place lately, coming in, kicking some ass, and disappearing before the Ordinary cops arrive. The New Orleans office said he took out a couple of Tales down their way, though, so he appears to be an equal opportunity ass kicker. It’s like something out of a comic book.”
I grunted. “Comic book heroes don’t get themselves killed by butting in where they don’t belong,” I mumbled. “The guy’s a vigilante and he’s breaking the law just as much as the criminals he’s taking down. Don’t romanticize it.”
Alex shrugged, then hopped out of the van and made his way to the unmarked sedan he’d driven to the scene. He lifted a hand and offered me a cautious smile. I forced a smile in return, still feeling the sting of humiliation from my earlier tirade. As soon as he drove around the corner, I blew out a relieved breath and put the van into gear.
Thank God that was over.
I was just pulling away from the curb when I caught a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye. I slammed on the brakes and threw the van into park, then squinted into the darkness where the light of the street lamps didn’t quite reach. As I watched, the shadows shifted, darting to the left and slithering along the bricks before vanishing into the alleyway.
“What the hell?” I muttered. Without stopping to think, I hopped out of the van and hurried down the alley, my eyes searching for the false shadows. Only as my hair began to rise on the back of my neck and a heavy feeling of being watched descended upon me did I stop to consider what I might be walking into. “Oh, shit.”
I whirled around to race back to my van, but slid to a halt. Blocking my path was a woman with long blond hair who was clothed only in a cocktail dress and stiletto heels, the cold obviously not bothering her in the least. As I stared at the woman, her lips curled in a mirthless smile, revealing the tips of her fangs. I immediately recognized that bloodthirsty snarl from the dead man’s thoughts. Not waiting around to be a midnight snack, I spun and sprinted toward the other end of the alley. It was blocked by a chain-link fence, but I scaled it in a matter of seconds and dropped down on the other side. Only to find her companion waiting for me.
The brunette hissed at me like a cat, baring her fangs. She lunged, her hand outstretched to take hold of my throat. At the last instant, I sidestepped her attack and swung my fist, catching her hard on the side of the head and using her own momentum to take her down. Then I dropped, driving my knee into the back of her neck. I heard an ominous crack and she screeched with rage, flailing around, her limbs no longer under her control. I scrambled back to my feet, but a sudden impact knocked me to the ground, sending me sliding across the snow-slick pavement. Before I could scramble to my feet, someone grabbed my arm and twisted. I cried out as the bones snapped and white-hot pain shot through my wrist.
The blonde launched herself up, dragging me with her as if I weighed nothing, and hurled me toward the side of the building. I grunted as I crashed into the bricks and dropped, a pile of cardboard boxes breaking my fall.