Electric Storm (31 page)

“Agreed. Would you mind if I did some digging?”

She stifled a snort at the polite inquiry. “Would I be able to stop you?”

The smile he returned didn’t boost her confidence. “No.”

“The only lead I have on the drugs is Jackie.” She avoided looking at anyone but Randolph. “The other person who had any information was murdered yesterday.”

“I don’t have to stand for this.” Jackie twisted away from the table. She took a few steps when Randolph gave a signal. She soon found herself blocked on all sides. The twit paled and quieted.

“She’s been using the drugs to gain status. And if I would have to guess, she’s too stupid to cover her tracks.”

“So she’s not selling it?” He nodded toward the glass.

Raven paused to think about it. “I think someone gives it to her to play around. She tested it and found she liked to pretend she’s alpha.” The idea had merit. “If I had to guess, I’d say her alpha is as suspicious and wants her gone as well or else he’d be here to protect her from the warning I issued this afternoon.”

A little grunt escaped the hunter across from her. “A drug like that could be used as a weapon by anyone, rogues searching for power, vampires or even humans who want to put shifters in their place. The drugged shifters would be vulnerable, which would leave the pack vulnerable to attack.”

“Agreed.” None of the options were good. “Be forewarned, the drug’s addicting, so whoever had a taste will want more.”

Randolph reached into his pocket, and Raven resisted the urge to put him out of commission. As if sensing her unease, he carefully lifted one hand. “I found this.” He tossed an envelope stuffed full of paper across the table. “You might find it useful in your investigation.”

He stood and gave a light bow. “It’s truly been a pleasure.”

She thought he might have been sarcastic, but the hardness in his eyes softened. It was the first time she could tell the color. Winter green. That’s when she realized his power rested in his gaze. He must have realized what she’d guessed for he straightened abruptly. “We’ll meet again.”

The promise sounded more like a threat. Some people adapted to their new life as one of the paranormal, others fought it tooth and nail. Randolph liked the killing, liked the thrill. If they met up again, he would push her to see what she could do, test himself against her. She didn’t think he’d kill her, she was too much of anomaly to destroy without probing for answers, but that was a gamble she wasn’t willing to bet her life on.

When Randolph walked to the door, people didn’t seem to notice him even as they moved out of his way. One of his lackeys pulled an unrestrained Jackie from the club.

Raven didn’t take a deep breath until after they left. Before she could even relax, Durant snatched her wrist and hauled her toward the back of the club, nearly pulling her off her feet as he did so.

Jackson followed, Taggert a step behind, pausing just long enough to pick up the gift Randolph had left at the table. And Raven realized it was a favor, one that he expected her to repay.

How the hell did she keep digging herself deeper into other people’s problems? What happened to all the easy cases where everyone minded their own business and stayed out of hers?

“Wait here.” Durant didn’t even pause to see if the men would listen to his demand when he dragged her into his office and slammed the door in their faces.

“Raven!” Cassie rushed forward, only to stumble to a halt at Durant’s growl. But that didn’t stop her from talking. “Did you find him?”

Her informant. Something on her face must have given her away. Cassie stilled, not even breathing. “I believe so.”

“Dead.” Cassie’s voice went flat, the animation in her eyes dimmed and bled black for a second as emotions stormed through her.

“I’m sorry. He was already gone by the time we arrived.”

“Yeah. I think I already knew that.” Cassie nodded, and some of her control returned. Remarkable for one so young. For being dead, she was quite vibrant, her skin a healthy pink, her mahogany hair shiny even in the dim light. Death agreed with her. Shifter blood had advanced the change by a couple of weeks. Cassie grabbed her jacket, avoiding their gaze as she walked to the door. A light ginger spice clung to her. “I think I’ll take a walk.”

“Take the guys with you.” She didn’t know why she said it, but she didn’t want Cassie alone, not with Randolph in the neighborhood. When the door closed, Raven watched it for a moment longer.  

“She’s fed. Your pack’s safe.” The carefully restrained voice made her tense. He was furious, his anger battering her shields.

He had no right. He’d invited her into his business, so he must have wanted her to handle it. She’s the one who should be angry. Now a hired killer, a trained hunter, knew about her. All her work to keep below the radar was fading fast. Soon, others would know as well.

“What the devil did you think you were doing?” Durant swung her around, the angry tiger right beneath the surface and ready to fight.

“You invited me. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let him kill one or both of us?”

“I can take care of my own business.” A hint of fangs peaked out from his mouth.

“Then why the hell did you call for me?” His eyes turned golden, his animal shredding his humanity. Raven snapped her mouth shut, her fingers itching to reach for power and defend herself.

A growl sounded around the room. “How the fuck is the pack supposed to protect you if you throw yourself into danger?”

“What do you mean? It’s my job to protect you.” The volume increased with her frustration until it matched his. Every time she thought she knew what to expect from pack, they changed the damn rules.

“You protect us by ruling, not by endangering yourself.” He calmed a little at her confusion. “The pack is there for your protection. If anything happened to you, everything would fall apart. Some other alpha could step in and take over.

“You have to make alliances, plans to have your pack absorbed by another. Unless they have some talent that makes them useful, your pack members will either be killed outright or revert to rogue status. That’s why pack wars are a bloody, desperate fight to the death.”

The dire future he painted didn’t look so rosy. “Why would shifters set up the ruling structure that way?”

“To keep the pack strong. Weed out the weak.”

“An alpha should be strong enough to protect everyone.”

“You’re only as strong as the weakest link in your group.” Anger left Durant, and he gentled his voice, his comforting leather scent twirling about her. “We don’t follow human rules for a reason. We’re not always human; most of us enjoy the animal side of our life and revel in the lax laws.”

To be able to rule the pack, she’d have to understand both shifters and their laws more. She thought she’d known what to expect but obviously, she’d underestimated what needed to be done to keep her pack alive.

“What do I need to know?”

“Trust us. Allow us to guide you. Don’t push us away.” He stepped closer, clasping her hand in his. “I–”

“Raven.” The door flew open, and Taggert entered. “Dominic’s on the phone. The police found another body and are asking for you.”

 
Chapter Twenty-four

DAY 7: AFTER MIDNIGHT

S
cotts’ dour face peered at her over the police line. She plucked at the bright tape and raised a brow at the necessity. They were three miles into the forest with no one around but authorized personal.

“One body is torn apart and scattered through the woods like breadcrumbs.” Scotts ran a hand over his head and blew out a heavy sigh. “We marked the area off. Easier to find and collect all the evidence.”

The tape wound around a dozen trees, the space at least thirty feet across. There had to be only shreds remaining of that poor soul.

“The other body is for you.”

“Me?” Raven almost got whiplash turning to look at him and nearly missed a step. Those hard cop eyes of his watched her for any nuance, searching for answers...or guilt?

She very deliberately relaxed her posture. Scotts’ stiff body language and all-cop attitude scraped her skin the wrong way. Something was very wrong. “Explain.”

“This.” He pulled out a plastic bag. Inside rested a letter, the surface half-matted with blood. One word jumped out at her. Her name. The letter was addressed to her specifically.

“The note was found pinned to the poor bastard’s back with an eight inch blade.” He hesitated before handing over the letter. “He’d been alive when it was done.”

Evil saturated the note; she could feel it reaching for her, ready to drag her into hell. Dread clamped hard on her chest. The killers knew her name. Since she worked hard to keep her life private, it had to be those damned newspapers. “Body first, then the letter. Show me.”

“Come.”

The breeze sliced through her, stealing her breath. Floodlights barely fought back the invading darkness. People milled about, their sideways glances slamming into her back. She registered their looks then dismissed them. Though disturbing, they weren’t the ones who sent that slice of unease deeper. There was a presence that lurked in the air that seemed to be stalking her.

The body lay sprawled face down under a pool of lights three yards away. Large. Male. Mid-thirties. Malnourished if the clear lines of his ribs were any indication. And not an inch of flesh remained free of mutilation. The police left the body untouched for her. Raven drew up short. “Why do I have a feeling you’ve already decided my fate, and I’m being marched to the gallows?”

“Look at him. Read the letter.” The gruff voice held no warmth.

The chill in the air wrapped around her skin and burrowed into her flesh. The branches smashed ominously against one another, the sinister sound like a clank of a skeleton as it dragged itself toward her. That haunting image of her past rose so vividly, she couldn’t force herself closer, couldn’t bear to see him try to speak, begging her for help.

Surprisingly, it was the stench of congealed blood clogging her nose that reassured her. With the vile taste coating her mouth, she pushed forward and breathed lightly in hopes of keeping her lunch. She needed to see everything. She didn’t have time to be weak.

The pressure in her chest eased. The analytical part of her mind shoved aside the horror scattered across the forest floor. She had a killer to find. “What happened to the flesh?”

“They skinned part of the body, then cauterized it with a blow torch to prevented him from healing too quick.” Scotts looked at the darkness as if unable to bear gazing at the ravaged body.

Raven tightened her lips and crouched, unwilling to miss anything because of her squeamishness. Pus and blood continued to ooze in spots while others were crusted over. Some areas appeared waxy. She shooed away the flies, noticing the recently hatched larvae busily eating away the evidence. “A shifter. You can tell by the new skin growth. He tried to heal.” She shuffled closer, noticing the fingers. “Claws or nails were torn out of his body.”

She picked up a stick and lifted his hand closer. Twigs and leaves stuck to his fingertips. She couldn’t imagine the pain. “He was crawling toward something when they stuck the knife in his back.” She glanced up to see Scotts looking at her. “He was heading north. Away from the road. Away from freedom.” Toward the shredded body. Only one thing would make a shifter do that. Pack.

Without a word, Scotts stuck the letter in her face. The comforting tobacco scent she associated with him was sharper, more blunt, and anything but peaceful. She obediently read, knowing she wasn’t going to like what she found.
“Let’s play a game of cat and mouse. We skinned the kitty, see if you can catch us before we capture and devour your little mouse. We look forward to the chase.”

A tremor shook her hand, and she shoved the letter away, wishing she could push it out of her mind as well.

She cleared her throat. “They must have grabbed a weak shifter. If we don’t catch the killer, they’ll do this again.” She nodded to the corpse. “From the pronouns in the note, there’s more than one killer.”