She almost smiled. And he caught himself waiting for it, wanting it. Something about this woman was intriguing as hell.
“I’m a black belt, and I own my own dojo.” She walked around to the other side of his desk. “This isn’t my first dislocated elbow.”
He opened and closed his hand. The pain already receded, his body healing itself. Sunglasses in hand, Gabe snatched his jacket with his good arm. “Let’s hit the road. I want you to show me exactly where you saw him.”
“Okay. You can follow me down to my place in—”
“Nope.” He took her elbow.
Tegan yanked it free, stepping away from him. “Excuse me?”
“You hired me to help you find this guy. Until I do, I don’t want him finding you first.” He gestured toward the door, but his new client remained frozen in place.
“It’s been four years. I doubt he’s still looking for me.”
“He came to San Diego, right?” He leaned against the doorframe.
She shrugged. “Coincidence.”
Gabe straightened, struggling to keep a grip on his patience. This woman obviously had no clue how dangerous a Hingo demon could be. They were similar to incubi, but instead of impregnating a woman with a bastard half demon, her body became a living cocoon for another demon. Women didn’t survive Hingo attacks. They became demons. At least, until now.
He shook his head. “I don’t buy it. You wouldn’t be here if you did, either. Come on. I’ll drive.”
Her jaw went slack for a second, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “Last time I checked, I am hiring you. You don’t get to order me around.”
Gabe sighed, glancing down before meeting her eyes again. “You hired me because the police don’t believe you. I do. Let me do my job.”
He waited her out, watching her frustration settle into wariness. Seeing the shadow of fear creep back into her beautiful eyes pained him. He caught himself wanting to protect her, to make the damned demon pay for what he did.
But this couldn’t get personal. This was just another job. Plain and simple. He shoved the unwanted emotions aside and allowed an easy smile to curve his lips. “You’re not going to make me say please, are you?”
Tegan rubbed her hands down her face. She couldn’t be seriously considering getting in a car with this guy. “I can’t just leave my car an hour away from home.”
“It’s locked, right? I’ll make sure Martie keeps an eye on it for you.” He walked over to her and held out his hand. “You came here for a reason. Let me help you, Tegan.”
He said her name. Correctly. Her knees did their best to give out at the small gesture of attention, but her will was stronger. She walked past him without making any contact. Gabe met her in front of Martie’s desk in the lobby.
She followed him outside, still promising herself she wouldn’t get in the car with him.
“Are you a meat-eater?”
Tegan’s jaw dropped, her eyes narrowing. Did he just…?
“Excuse me? But that’s not—”
“Burgers? We need to get you some food before we get started. You look like hell.”
“You’re one to talk.” She clenched her hands into fists but followed him outside anyway.
He walked to a shiny black ’69 Mustang and opened the door for her. “Consider this a business meeting. You can fill me in on your case while we eat.”
Her conviction wavered. He was right. They did need to talk.
Tegan took a breath and gave him a single nod before scooting past him…into the passenger seat.
Gabe shut the door, slid his shades into place, and came around to the driver’s side. “There’s a great burger joint on the beach. And it looks like the marine layer is going to give us a break and let us watch the sunset. Can’t pass that up.”
His new client shook her head. “I watched this guy bury a woman’s body on the beach last night. Forgive me for not feeling like a burger. We should just get back to San Diego so you can find this guy. We can talk on the way.”
He should do it her way. The customer was always right. But he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. It wasn’t his place to take care of this woman, in fact, she’d obviously rather that he didn’t. But he couldn’t have his clients fainting on him, especially not when they were this fascinating.
Shit.
He turned the key and the Mustang’s V-8 roared to life. He revved the engine and glanced over at her. “Won’t do either of us any good if you pass out. When was the last time you slept or ate?”
She rolled her eyes and stared out the passenger-side window. “I’m fine.”
He slammed the clutch to the floor and slid the gearshift into reverse. “Yeah, well, I need food, so you might as well have some, too.”
On the drive, she told him about the webcam and the morning visit to the Sheriff. But the moment he asked about her attack, she shut him out, glaring out the passenger window. He wasn’t going to coax it out of her. She’d share when she was ready.
Right now, his top priority was finding the Hingo demon. And the first step would be keeping his only eyewitness alive.
About the Author
Lisa Kessler is an award-winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for best Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror, and many other awards. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award. Lisa lives in southern California with her husband and two amazing kids. Visit her at http://Lisa-Kessler.com.
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