me to cook. Eat up, while it's still hot.'
It was hard to imagine Duncan being on his own for any length of time. And he'd hardly have the reputation he had if he was. She sat down on the opposite side of the table from him, picked up the knife and fork, and quickly discovered the meal tasted as good as it looked. They ate in silence, and when they'd both finished, he took the plates over to the sink and poured them both a mug of coffee.
'So,' he said, sitting down once again. 'You want to explain why you and your sister are so adamant the killer is hiding in the Sinclair mansion?'
'You want to explain why you think he isn't?' His smile was grim. 'I know my family. They're many things, but they're not killers.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'Even you?'
He met her gaze squarely, and though his face was expressionless, his exasperation and anger stirred around her . 'Even me.'
She leaned back in her chair and contemplated him over the rim of her coffee cup. 'Then why did you go to jail?'
'You mean you haven't already gotten all the details from your sister?'
'She's only just woken, so I haven't had time.' Besides, she wanted to know just how willing he was to be honest with her now that he knew what she wanted--and why she was at the mansion. 'But I do know it was drunk driving related. Did you kill someone?'
'No. And I didn't spend a lot of time in jail--just enough for the police to find the evidence that backed my story. '
'Not a lot of time could be one month or one year, depending on your point of view,' she said dryly. He didn't react, though the anger touching the air increased. In some regards, that surprised her. After all, he didn't seem to care what anyone else thought, so why did it matter what she thought?
'In this case, it was only a couple of days while the police checked my story, and only because I couldn't make bail. A man who suspected I was having an affair with his wife cut the brake lines, and I couldn't stop the car. Luckily for us both, the driver of the car I crashed into wasn't seriously hurt.'
'But you were drunk at the time.'
'Like most wolves, I have a high tolerance for alcohol. I was nowhere near drunk, but I was right on the legal limit.'
Until the lawmakers decided how to legally deal with the different makeup of humans, werewolves and shapeshifters, all of them had to cope with the laws as they were. And it didn't matter diddly-squat if the legal limit was barely tipsy for a wolf. It was the law, and they had to live with it. 'So you got a fine and did community service?'
'Yes.'
'So why is it that Savannah thinks you're a felon?'
'Because it's not the first time I've landed in jail for being drunk, though the other times, I wasn't driving.'
'So you were a fool thrice over?'
'Yes.'
'And were you having an affair with the husband's wife?'
'They were separated.'
'So the answer is yes, you were.'
He shrugged and didn't answer, his dark gaze as impassive as his thoughts. If not for the mix of exasperation, anger and hunger that burned between them, she would have thought him totally disinterested in both her reaction and her.
'Have you seen her since you got out of jail?'
'A fool I might be, but an idiot I'm not. I got the hell out of Denver the minute I legally could.'
'And you've been with search and rescue since?'
'Basically.'
'And sober?'
'Definitely. I have no intention of ever going back to jail. Being locked up for a couple of days was long enough for me to realize that being locked up for a long time would kill me.' He regarded her for a moment, then said, 'Satisfied I'm willing to tell the truth?' It would be easy enough to check the authenticity of everything he'd said, though she really didn't doubt he was telling the truth. 'Can I ask one more question?' He raised an eyebrow. 'What?'
'Why did you leave Ripple Creek, and why did you come back?'
'Why I left is none of your damn business, and you've already guessed why I'm back.'
She sipped her coffee and mentally made a note to ask Savannah to do some digging into his background--if she hadn't already. 'So you are here to investigate the murders for your pack?'
'Yes.'
He crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table.
Hunger slipped between them, caressing her skin with its heat, stirring her mind with its fervor. The deep- down ache increased, and she squirmed, trying to ignore the sensation. She might as well try to ignore the rising of the moon.
'Now,' he continued softly. 'Are you willing to offer the same sort of honesty?'
She hesitated. 'Yes.'
'Then tell me why the rangers suspect it is one of the Sinclairs behind the killings.'
She took a deep breath and slowly released it. Savannah wasn't going to be happy with her for doing this, but instinct suggested she had to trust him. And right now, instinct was the only thing she did trust.
She certainly wasn't about to trust common sense, which was currently suggesting she leap this table and dance herself senseless with this beautiful but uncaring man. 'They haven't got anything concrete, and certainly nothing that would be admissible in a court of law.' His dark eyes watched her intently.
Hungrily. 'But?'
'They found scent trails near two of the three victims that led back into the mansion, and they've identified them as belonging to Kane and Tye.'
'Considering they were the ones who found the bodies, that's logical. They undoubtedly found Rene's scent near the fourth victim, as well as mine.'
And probably hers, though it had been well covered by the scent of jasmine. She'd have to remember to tell her sister who was responsible for that particular scent, otherwise the rangers might waste precious time chasing a dead end.
'They also found several hairs on the first and third victims.'
He nodded. 'From a silver coat.'
'No. These were human.'
'Really? It wasn't mentioned in the reports I read.' She gave him a long look. 'I wouldn't be telling me something like that. Not unless you want it reported back to my sister.'
He reached across the table, capturing her hand, turning it palm up. His thumb stroked her wrist, a gentle, almost possessive caress that sent shivers of desire skating across her already overheated skin.
'You won't tell on me, will you?'
It wasn't a question, but an order. And the power that slipped between them ensured she'd obey. She tried wrenching her hand from his, but he held her tight. 'You could have just asked. You didn't have to use the moon bond.'
'Didn't I?' The smile that touched his sensual lips was laconic. 'Considering the lengths you've gone to track down your sister's attacker, I think I'll continue to play it safe.'
'So, you're asking me to trust you, but you're not willing to offer the same?' Annoyance bit through her tone, and he smiled.
'If it came down to a choice, you'd take your sister's side every time.'
He was still stroking her wrist, and it was beginning to do weird things to her breathing. 'Naturally.
She's family, and I love her.'
'Exactly. While I--' he hesitated, his gaze seeming to deepen. 'Mean absolutely nothing to you.'
