his wife’s. “It’s imperative that you find her.”
“We’re here to ask you some other questions,” Kill told them. “I think you want to answer everything we ask you honestly.”
“I want to answer everything you ask honestly,” Mr. Blackwell repeated and his wife nodded her agreement.
“Gillian’s adopted, correct?”
“Yes. We got her when she was four days old,” Mrs. Blackwell said. “We were so happy. We got the call and we picked her up and went to our house in Texas and stayed there for a while. Told everyone that she was ours, that I’d given birth while I was away on our year-long cruise of the world.”
“Who called you?”
“Our lawyer said someone contacted him. We never knew who it was,” Mr. Blackwell said. “I can give you his name.”
“Please do.”
“The thing is, you know Gillian isn’t dangerous,” Killian said.
“She’s not dangerous,” Mrs. Blackwell agreed.
“She doesn’t need any drugs or hospitals. I think you can let her live her own life. Call off the search. Take down the reward money,” Killian told them. Stray read their minds and saw that Killian’s ideas had taken root. The problem was, neither wolf knew if the change would stick permanently. The longer the original memory had existed, the harder it was to replace.
Chapter 37
Cain was waiting in his truck when Angus came to his apartment. Angus got in the passenger’s side.
“I’m hungry. Mind if we grab food at the diner?”
“Works for me,” Angus said. He smelled like Cain, and Cain realized he was wearing one of his T- shirts.
His wolf definitely approved—Angus could tell by the glow in the Were’s eyes. Cain reached out and slung a hand possessively over Angus’s thigh as they drove and Angus wondered if the wolf would always be like this—or if his possessiveness would get worse.
Angus wouldn’t mind that, he realized.
“You’re nervous,” Angus said suddenly.
“Little bit. I talked to Liam and Rifter.”
“Let me guess—they want to kill me.”
“Maybe. But they won’t.”
“Great reassurance,” Angus said with a snort. “Listen, there’s a lot of chatter from the trappers about Gillian. About why the Dires are protecting her.”
Cain nodded, but didn’t offer up any
“Are they circling the wagons?”
“They’re staking out the woods at night, more heavily than normal,” he admitted. “They need that reward money.”
“Jinx said that the weretrappers lost a lot of ground—and a lot of money,” Cain explained. “That money would help them a lot.”
“She can’t hide forever, unless she goes deeper underground.” He’d worked with enough witnesses and some U.S. Marshals to know. “I could make some calls, try to get her help if she needs it.”
“It’s under control, but thanks.” Cain parked and looked at him. “You know I’ll tell you more when I can. This is more about you—the less intel you have . . .”
“The less valuable I am,” Angus finished. “If they believe me.”
Cain frowned and then he did that thing with his hand on Angus’s bare chest. The scenting protection thing, even though he obviously wasn’t worried that they’d be out in public together. And then he said, “We’re here.”
Angus finally looked out the windshield of the truck up into the blinking sign that said MO’S. “Never been here.”
“It’s a little more out of the way,” Cain agreed as they got out of the truck. Angus froze when his feet hit the pavement. “What’s wrong?”
“There are snipers on the roof,” Angus said without moving his lips or looking at the roof. Because it took a sniper to know one.
“Yes. Mo’s is a family-owned diner.”
“Family of weresnipers?”
“Something like that. And they’re for your protection as much as theirs.” Cain motioned him to follow, led him inside and toward the back. They ordered and Angus had just finished his meal and Cain was starting in on his third when Angus realized the real reason he’d been brought here.
The man walking toward him was a rock star in every sense of the word. His career spanned centuries, Angus knew that now, but this most recent incarnation had garnered Harm fame and fortune in the band Knives n’ Tulips.
It made sense now as to why he was moody and his concerts started so late.
He stood and met the six-foot-seven-plus wolf face to . . . neck. Stuck out his hand and Harm shook it without hesitation, said, “I didn’t kill any of those women.”
Harm was the reason Angus had come to this town. He’d been tracking the rock star for years, since he was a suspect in a long string of murders. Turned out that the murders had happened for hundreds of years, which is what led to Angus’s interest in the supernatural to begin with.
And now, he was face-to-face with the man—wolf—he’d hunted for so long. “I believe you’re innocent, especially after the evidence Cain gave me.”
“I’d like to see all your evidence. I’ll share mine. I need to find this wolf. You’re not the only one investigating me,” Harm said.
Ellen came over, took his massive order. Cain just shrugged and finished his fourth burger.
“We can compare. I need help with this. It’s what hunters do, right?” Harm asked and yeah, Cain was going to find Angus jobs within the hunter realm that kept him close to home. Well played, wolf.
Cain’s eyes glowed for a minute, like he’d read his mind, and the soft glow around his body circled around him as well. Angus’s heart filled.
“Okay, yes, I’ll help you, Harm.”
“For a human, you’re not that big of an asshole,” Harm said.
Angus could only hope that was a compliment.
Chapter 38
When they pulled up to Pinewood, there were several other parked cars hidden along the side of the road toward the woods. Jinx looked back at Gillian and Rogue, who rode in the backseat, and they both shrugged.
He turned to look at Jez, but the vampire was already out of the car, walking toward Rifter, who was with Stray, Killian and Kate. Jez shook Rifter’s hands and then turned to Jinx and said, “We need to talk.”
“What’s going on?”
“I have a plan. It’s going to work, and we need to execute it now,” Jez said. When they’d first left the house, Jez told them they were simply coming here to test a theory.
Jinx let the lie go, said, “Okay, so tell me.”
Jez straightened, stuck his chin out. “I’m going to lead the monsters to hell.”
