Jon smiled grimly. Mack had obviously been doing some research into the Circle. Professional or personal curiosity? "I don't know much." And wasn't that the damn truth.
"Ante up what you do have, then."
He had nothing to lose by doing so. Besides, it was always better to keep on the FBI agent's good side.
Things got dangerous when you didn't.
"Whoever is taking these kids is using them for some sort of ritual that's performed on the night of the new moon. If we don't find them before then, we won't find them alive."
"Why Taurin Bay?"
Because an old witch told me the evil was centered on this area—for now.But Mack was not likely to believe that Seline, the president of the Damask Circle, was anything more than the harmless old lady she appeared.
"The bodies of four of the kids currently missing have turned up in nearby areas. The nick on the wrist, the lack of blood—it's all exactly the same as the five that have been found along the West Coast." He shrugged lightly. "Taurin Bay is the one thing all the recent disappearances have in common—they were all at school camps here sometime within the last year."
"Interesting," Mack drawled softly. "We've just found another body."
He stood up straight. "One of the missing kids?"
The big man nodded. "Found him up on Saddle Mountain."
The same area where he'd been shot down. "Which kid?"
"Samuels. The kid was only missing a month."
"They're getting careless," Jon commented softly.
"Or getting ready to leave the area and just don't care any more."
So Mack thought the people behind all this were in Taurin Bay, too. "Any suspects?"
The agent just gave him a toothy smile. "I want you to keep in contact with me. I want to know if you see this woman, or find any information. I want the people who did this alive and unharmed and in prison.
Clear?"
Jon wondered if the man knew he was parked next to Maddie's truck. Probably, he thought, returning Mack's hard gaze. "Very. Anything else?"
Mack's gaze narrowed. "Don't mess with me, Barnett. Not on this."
Jon nodded, not moving until the agent had climbed into his car and driven away. Then he turned and made his way to the café's entrance.
A woman opened the door as he approached, and a familiar tingle ran across his skin. He stopped at the base of the steps and studied the woman's dark eyes. A brief flash of confusion, even fear, ran through her gaze. He didn't think its origin was something as simple as being confronted by another shapeshifter in her territory.
Then she smiled. He couldn't help responding.
"I do believe we've met before." She tossed back her mane of golden hair, her voice as smooth as a fine malt whiskey.
Designed for seduction, he thought. There was something about her that seemed oddly familiar, yet her eyes were dark, not the green of the cat he'd seen in the forest.
"Surely not," he replied lightly. "I'd never forget such a beautiful face."
Maddie, he thought with amusement, would probably have made a face at such an obvious line. Or gone into fits of laughter. This woman merely smiled, though he felt a wariness in her that matched his own.
And it wasn't the usual wariness of two shapeshifters meeting for the first time.
"Eleanor Dumaresq," she said. "Perhaps you have time for a cup of coffee?"
He took her offered hand. Her fingers were warm and pliant against his, yet he felt an inner core of strength in them. The woman was more than simply a shapeshifter. Old magic swirled about her, a sense so strong he could almost taste it.
He let his touch linger a little longer than was necessary and studied her eyes. Her gaze called to the wildness in him.
Old magic was the key—and the danger—Seline had warned of when she'd sent him to Taurin Bay. It was an image that seemed to fit Eleanor well. Yet there was nothing more than a gut feeling and the words of an old witch tying Eleanor to the disappearances.
But as much as he would have loved to accept Eleanor's invitation and pursue the mystery she presented, he couldn't. Not with Maddie waiting for him in the café. He didn't want to endanger her by introducing her to someone who might well be involved in the attempt on his life.
"I'm afraid I can't just now," he said, glancing past her to study the restaurant's interior. Why did he suddenly feel Maddie needed his help?
"A shame," Eleanor replied warmly. "But I'm sure we'll meet again. Taurin Bay is such a small town, after all."
He glanced at her sharply. There was definitely an edge of warning in her mellow tones. "I'm sure we will."
In fact, he'd make damn sure they did. Eleanor might not be the cat he'd seen in the forest, or even the one in the inn, but something told him she was involved in the disappearances. The brief flash of confusion in her eyes the moment they'd met told as much. As did the shimmer of hate that shone through her aura.
He watched her walk away, then quickly entered the restaurant.
"Mr. Stewart, what a surprise to see you here." Maddie forced a smile, and hoped she didn't look as nervous as she felt.
"I was about to say the same thing." He dragged out a chair and sat down opposite her. "This restaurant is not the usual tourist stop."
"My sister recommended it," she said quickly, then silently cursed her own stupidity. Any mention of Jayne and Evan was plain suicidal if this man was involved with her nephew's disappearance.
"Really? Does she come here often?"
Though Hank's question was casual, she couldn't miss the edge of tension around his thin mouth. She nodded, lowering her gaze as she took a quick sip of her drink.
"What's her name? Maybe I know her."
"Jayne Smith," she replied, knowing her sister had only visited Taurin Bay under her married name of Gaskell.
The dangerous light in Hank's eyes faded. He sat back in the chair and lightly toyed with a knife. She suddenly felt like a mouse facing a large and hungry cat.
"The only Smith I know is the lovely young lady now sitting opposite me."
He meant to flatter her, but he only succeeded in making her feel ill. She pushed the rest of her milk shake away and gathered her bag. She'd be damned if she'd wait any longer for Jon—especially if Hank intended to keep her company.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stewart, but I really must go."
"No time for another drink? It would give me a chance to apologize for my abrupt behavior this morning.
You might even find yourself enjoying my company."
She forced another smile and shook her head as she stood. "I'm sorry, but I really have to leave."
"Why? Are you meeting someone?"
Her gaze jerked to his at the question. He knows, she thought, studying his eyes. He knows I'm involved with Jon somehow. I should have stayed home, stayed safe.
But being safe wouldn't find Evan.
"What business is it of yours?" she retorted tightly, her fingers clenched against the strap of her handbag.
"Do you usually take this much interest in the inn's guests?"
He smiled lazily. "No. Just the exceptionally pretty ones."
The man was a sleaze, whether or not he was involved with Evan's disappearance. "I'm sure the inn's owners will be pleased to discover you take such an interest."
He laughed, white teeth flashing. Her stomach turned. Evil haunted the depths of his laughter. Maddie swallowed and looked away. What on Earth made her think that? God, she needed a drink.