“Heal,” he managed before he slumped over and shifted.
* * * *
Maverick hung up his phone, clutching his arm around his grandson, Xavier. That was the second time someone had tried to kill the black panther. He believed Mark when the mate had said he suspected someone cut Jordan’s brakes. The human would have to examine the truck, but Maverick was pretty sure Mark’s instincts were dead on.
A few other shifters had run-ins with the Vampire Hunters as well. Reno, a firefighter at the station, had said that he caught a Hunter snapping pictures of him from a distance. And Kade, a snow leopard who owned his own handmade furniture store, said someone had been following him.
Maverick needed to get rid of the Vampire Hunters. He just didn’t know who they were or where they were hiding out.
“Is he going to be okay?” Cecil asked as he walked into Maverick’s office and plucked Xavier from his lap.
“Mark said that Jordan just needs to heal in his panther form.”
“That’s a good thing,” Cecil said as he took a seat on the black sofa. “Do you know who is trying to kill him yet?”
“Vampire Hunters,” Maverick answered. Who else could it be?
Cecil shook his head, his amethyst eyes pinned on Maverick. “The others are just being followed or having their picture taken. Why is Jordan suffering all these attacks? It sounds pretty personal if you ask me.”
“But who would want Jord—Son of a bitch!” Maverick sat forward, slamming his fist on his desk. His grandson looked over at him curiously but didn’t cry at the sudden aggressive outburst. “This is personal.”
“Duh, I just said that.” Cecil sat Xavier on the floor so the boy could crawl around.
“Look at this from another angle, Cecil. With all the vampire stuff going on all around us, who would we immediately suspect was out to kill Jordan?”
“The Vampire Hunters,” Cecil gave the obvious answer.
“But who would want Jordan out of the way? Who would gain from Jordan’s death?”
Cecil scratched his head. “Does he have a life insurance policy?”
Maverick chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about Bailey trying to off him. Who did I kick out of town?”
Understanding dawned in Cecil’s eyes. “But why would Harley want Bailey? He is a gigolo. One man doesn’t interest him. Besides, wasn’t Bailey shot at?”
That was true. “Maybe Harley wanted to throw everyone off his trail. I have a feeling that Bailey could have stood on his tiptoes and he wouldn’t have been hit by a bullet. It was a scare tactic, nothing more. “
Cecil sat back and threw his arm over the back of the sofa. “And the Vampire Hunter that came after Jordan in the garage?”
“Totally different incident. It just so happens that Harley returning for Bailey came at a time when the Vampire Hunters decided to pay our town a little visit. The two situations are separate.” Maverick leaned down and pulled Xavier from the floor. His grandson had crawled right to him. The little guy knew who his favorite granddaddy was. He would just never tell Cecil.
His mate sat forward, wiggling a finger at Maverick. “If Harley was the one who poisoned Jordan, how would he know about wolfsbane? Only a shifter would know about that stuff. And from what you told me, Harley is human.”
Maverick was becoming aggravated. “Stop shooting down all my ideas.”
“I’m not. But if you are going with the Harley theory, you have to tie up all loose ends. How would he know about wolfsbane?”
Bouncing Xavier on his knee, Maverick mulled it over. He didn’t like what he came up with. It was a disturbing thought. But it fit perfectly. “Because Harley Grouper is a Vampire Hunter. The very first Kenyon sent in.”
“But what about that cop a while back? He had been working for Kenyon,” Cecil stated.
“Harley has lived here longer,” Maverick answered in cold dread. If a resident who had lived here for a few years had been a spy, then who else was working for Kenyon? Maverick didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t trust the townsfolk. Brac Village was supposed to be a peaceful place to live.
The low-slung buildings and the few existing traffic lights called to the community who were long on pride and history. The businesses’ names were stenciled on the front windows or chalked on a board right outside the front door. Some newer ones were neon. They advertised anything from places to eat and drink to places a person could buy handmade furniture. Maverick even loved the old-fashioned barber pole outside of Heaven’s. The grey wolf had set a bench out there for the old timers to sit and pass the time regaling over their youths.
It was a quaint village and Maverick wanted it to stay that way.
If he was right about Harley, then there was no telling if any of the other humans had been bought by Kenyon. He was glad now that he had allowed Christian’s vampires to wipe the residents’ minds when they discovered that shifters existed. Maverick had been opposed to the idea, but the Ultionem had decided that it was best that no unmated human knew they existed.
Even if a few of the vampires had gotten out of hand. It was better than any of the residents being armed with the truth. Now he had the daunting task of figuring out who was an actual resident and who was a spy.
It tore at his heart to know that the small community he had worked so hard to build just might crumble. He was going to do everything in his powers to rid the town of the Hunters and spies and bring peace back.
Chapter Ten
Bailey sat on the side of the couch, watching Jordan finally shift back into his human form before waking. He was used to his mate shifting by now. Jordan had done plenty
