“The Black Widow.”
Josh’s bar was packed. It always had a decent crowd, but on a Friday night, even more so. Jazz leaned against Rafe and listened to the familiar sounds—music, laughter, and the drone of voices. She didn’t go out often, but when she did, she usually came here.
At the moment, she regretted her choice. Everyone watched them. The waitresses stared openly at Rafe, not that she could blame them, but after ogling him, their curious gazes landed on her. She saw the questions in their eyes. And the accusations.
Everyone assumed she’d eventually get back together with Josh. They’d dated on and off through high school and college, but after a couple of months working her first full-time job, they’d parted ways for good. It had been her doing.
She hadn’t known how else to handle the situation with Seth and Levi. She certainly couldn’t have let Josh think the boys were his. So, she’d made up a lie—the first of many—about how she’d gotten pregnant by a guy she’d been seeing behind Josh’s back.
Josh had been angry. The things he’d said had made her cry, but the moment he laid eyes on her kids, he swore they’d eventually get back together. In fact, she’d heard she was the excuse he gave to his dates as the reason he didn’t date.
And…here she was with Rafe, a delicious specimen of a man who held her against his chest and nuzzled her neck.
One of the waitresses walked by, looked them up and down, and huffed.
Jazz inwardly cringed. “Let’s get a table on the upper deck.” Where less people would see them.
“Okay. It’s a nice—”
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his features hardened.
“I’ve got to take this. You go on up. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.” He kissed her cheek and slipped out the door.
She frowned at his abrupt departure, but he had been texting on and off since he’d picked her up. He’d said it was business. They were working a security detail in town. He had to tie up some loose ends.
Her heart skipped a beat. Once he finished his job, he’d leave. Just because he’d said plans could change and he might stay longer didn’t guarantee he would.
No. Tonight. She’d keep her focus on the present. They were on a date. She planned on enjoying it.
She blew out a breath and made her way across the bar to the stairs. They were narrow, no bigger than the ones in her house. Not surprising. The bar had started out as somebody’s home back when neighborhoods had a pub on every corner.
Halfway up, she ran into a man rushing down. She gasped and teetered backward, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her against him.
A whiff of cigars and cologne filled her lungs. She choked on the stench and coughed into her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
Bright-brown eyes focused on her, and a grin spread over his face. In the dim light she couldn’t see many other details, but the tiny hairs on her arms stood up. Fear slithered into her belly and churned it. He set her aside before the sick feeling spread.
“No problem, sweet thing. I’ll keep an eye out for you from now on.” He rushed down the stairs.
She watched him until the bend in the staircase blocked him from view, then slumped against the wall. The rushing blood in her veins echoed in her head. She stood there and trembled but didn’t know why. The guy had saved her from falling. He hadn’t done a single thing to make her afraid. She shook off the weird sensation and hurried up the stairs in case he came back.
Chapter 11
Rafe leaned against the light post in an alley alongside the bar. Besides his SUV, the alley was the most private spot he’d get. Since it was closer, he retreated to the shadows and dialed Devin.
“Talk to me,” Rafe demanded as soon as the call connected.
“The fire chief stopped by Josh’s parents.”
Rafe tensed. “Were you able to hear anything he said?”
“Every single word. Josh’s mother ushered the man onto the back porch so as not to disturb Megan.”
“And?”
“Seems Tony died from a broken neck, not smoke inhalation.”
Rafe cursed. “He was murdered?”
“The fire chief didn’t think so. In fact, he was calling it a tragic accident. Apparently, Tony was found lying at the bottom of the stairs with a fire extinguisher near his hand. The conclusion is he was rushing down the stairs and fell.”
“Why would he be running downstairs?” Most people kept a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. At least they did in the large home he shared with Kade.
“The fire started in Megan’s room. There was some indication Tony had tried to put it out. The fire chief is speculating Tony ran when the flames grew too intense and fell. The smoke would’ve been thick so it would make sense he missed a step or tripped.”
Rafe had rushed to save humans from burning buildings a few times over his long life. He knew firsthand how quickly a fire could spread. He dropped his head against the pole. “No other suspicious signs?”
“Not that the fire chief mentioned, but Josh’s mother had been crying by that point. The human gave his card to her and left.”
“I guess that ends our worry then.”
“I guess.”
The careful tone Devin used tensed Rafe’s muscles. “Has anything else happened that would make us think otherwise?”
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just that…”
“Just what?”
Devin blew out a rough breath. “Megan. She acts strangely for a five-year-old.”
“How so?”
“She’s normal enough when Josh or his parents are around, but when she’s alone, she talks to herself.”
“Maybe she’s talking to her cat.” Rafe had remembered doing so as a child before he realized they couldn’t exactly understand him.
“She’s a single shifter. At five, her cat wouldn’t be strong enough to assert its will on her yet, and considering she’s been living with humans, she shouldn’t even
