Moonlight

into me at the library, and let me go. It was like he needed to match a face with the scent he’d been tracking. That could be our only advantage in this. He knows I knew who Gabe was, and he mentioned I should stay away from wolves, but I’m pretty sure he tracked me to the lake by scent. He didn’t actually see us up on the rock.”

He thought about it for a minute and met my eyes again. “Why would he leave Gabe at your feet?”

“I have some hunches, but we need to go get my stuff first.”

“I’ll drive you back to the hotel, and you get security to take you up to your room to collect your things. Don’t go up there alone, got it?”

“Got it.”

Adam dropped me off at the back entrance to the hotel, and then drove away to park at the rear of the lot. While he watched the doors for any sign of a certain someone following me, I went to the front desk to check out and to ask security to escort me up. Being in the heart of Reno’s downtown gambling district, most of the hotels kept armed security on staff, and within five minutes I had a tall security officer walking me to the elevators. His badge read “Joe”—seemed like a perfect security name to me.

“Which floor, ma’am?”

Cringing inwardly over the ma’am, I answered. “Fifth floor.”

He pressed the button and stepped back from the elevator panel. Awkward silence descended as I watched the floor numbers light up. The elevator lurched to a stop at the third floor. I held my breath and waited.

When the doors opened to reveal a couple with their young son, I let out a sigh of relief. Joe and I stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor, and he followed me to my door. I slid the key card in, waited for the green light to flash, and then twisted the knob. As soon as the door opened, I caught his scent.

“Wait.” I stopped Joe the security officer. “Someone’s been in here.”

“How can you tell?” His hand hovered over his Taser.

I peered inside trying to see if anyone was hiding in my hotel room, but it looked empty.

Except for a note on top of my computer: You cannot run, Little One.

I crumpled the paper and packed up my laptop, trying not to let it affect me. He could be watching me right now.

Why was this “Organization” even fixated on me? They were sparing no expense, sending in a team and now some kind of lone agent to bring me in. And what did he mean about me being a treasure to their kind?

I had no idea.

Frustrated and scared, I headed out the back door, relieved to see Adam waiting right at the curb. I tossed my duffel in the backseat before I remembered a bloody body had been back there. I didn’t want to reopen a wound with Adam, so as I climbed into the passenger seat, I glanced over into the back.

His voice was quiet. “I cleaned out the Jeep while I was at the ranch.”

I turned around and slid down into my seat. “Sorry. I didn’t think about it when I tossed my bag back there.”

“It’s fine.”

But nothing seemed fine about Adam tonight. He drove cautiously through downtown Reno, circling around until I wasn’t sure where we were headed anymore.

“Are we lost?” I asked.

“No. But if this guy’s a tracker, I want your scent everywhere. Too many trails for him to follow.”

“He could be following us right now.”

“I’ve been watching for that. Unless he can fly, he’s not behind us.”

Adam finally slowed and pulled into a driveway. A pink driveway.

“You’re kidding right?” I was looking up at the bright pink towers with neon letters spelling Circus Circus down the sides. “Nothing about this place says ‘Don’t notice me.’ It’s like a big, pink, neon nightmare.”

Adam started to smile, but it faded away before it ever reached his eyes. “Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight, right? Plus, this is one of the busiest tourist hotels in Reno. It’ll be tough for him to find your scent here.”

I peered up at the pink tower one last time and sighed. “All right.”

Adam grabbed my duffel, and I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder to go check in. The good news was the pink hotel was half the price of my previous home base. The bad news? Screaming kids were everywhere.

It was like Las Vegas and Ringling Brothers all baked into one so-sweet-you’re-going-to-be-sick cake with pink neon frosting. Lights flashed, slot machines chinged, and trapeze artists performed overhead. We followed the psychedelic-patterned carpet to the tower elevators and headed up to my new accommodations.

Once we were safely inside, Adam sat on the bed and watched me set up my laptop at the small desk by the television.

“So, who killed Gabe, and how do you know he did it?”

I sat in the chair and turned to face him. Raw emotion burned in his gaze and rippled through his tense shoulders. I thought after the memorial for his friend, he might need a shoulder to lean on. Apparently Adam wasn’t much of a leaner. “Okay, I guess we’ll get right to it.”

“It’s been a long day. I need to go make things right.” He ran his fingers back through his hair.

I started to frown a little. “And how exactly will things be made right?”

“Lana please…” He broke eye contact and went to the window. “Just bring me up to speed.”

“First off, this guy is dangerous, okay?” I crossed my arms, remembering the way Gabe’s killer gripped my throat. “Second, revenge isn’t going to make anything right.” Flashes of Gabe’s wounds filled my head. The weight of the danger around me settled onto my shoulders, and Adam seemed hell-bent to run right into its arms. “If he didn’t see our faces up on the rock, then we could use that to our advantage. He won’t recognize you until he’s close enough to catch your scent, right?”

He snapped around so fast I almost flinched. “I don’t want to talk strategy. I want to know who he is.”

I stared at the silver bullet hanging from Adam’s neck. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me his name. His hair was black, his eyes were dark brown, and he seemed very well educated. I think he was quoting poetry at some point. Hold on.”

I turned around in the chair and quickly typed out the few words I could remember the creepy cat man saying. I could look them up later. Maybe it would be a clue. Hard to tell, but every little bit was worth a try at this point. I twisted in my chair toward Adam again.

“He also mentioned something about an organization that sent him to track me. It all still sounds nuts to me, but he said he knew what I was and that he was ‘like me.’ He’s also very strong and moves silently.”

“How do you know he’s the jaguar that killed Gabe?”

“Because he mentioned that I didn’t catch his scent at the lake today. And when I accused him of killing Gabe he didn’t deny it. He seemed…” I pressed my lips together, searching for the right words. “He seemed pleased. I know he’s the one who dumped him there, but I’m not sure why yet.”

Adam rubbed his forehead. “Maybe he’s been tracking you and found out you were in contact with werewolves. Maybe he left Gabe for you like some sort of warning.”

“Maybe.”

“Or he was setting you up.” Adam grabbed one of the chairs at the tiny hotel table, flipped it around backward, and sat straddling it, resting his forearms on the back. “Our Pack isn’t a secret to the Jaguars. They know we protect our territory. If he thought you were getting friendly with wolves, what better way to turn them against you than to dump one of their Pack members at your feet, right?”

“I’d lose any potential protection from the Pack.”

Adam nodded slowly. “Exactly.”

“Could this organization he talked about know about my CAT scan from Bellevue? Could they tell I was a jaguar? Maybe that’s why they sent one after me, to confirm their suspicions?”

“I don’t know,” Adam said. “But we need to find him to get answers.”

“Maybe so, but ever since you mentioned my real parents and how they should have showed me how to use my…powers? What did you call them?”

Adam smiled. “We call them instincts.”

“That sounds better. Less superhero-ey.” I cleared my throat, crossing my arms even tighter. “Since my parents never wanted me, I’ve spent my whole life not wanting them right back.” I stood up. I felt a little less