Out of Body

He tossed his head and bayed. And he parted the robe, let it fall.

Her scream convulsed her. Back and forth she scrambled, dragging hair from her face to search for escape. Then she was on her feet but staggering on the soft pillows. She pushed herself as far from him as she could, shoved into the wall as if she could make it open and swallow her.

She might be swallowed if the idea appealed to him, but if he ate her whole she was too large not to disrupt his digestion. He would only have to regurgitate her.

A button he pushed flooded pulsing pink light over him, and her. He knew that she would see his eyes as gouges filled with blood and his mouth, a cavern lined with great, slathering, needle-tipped teeth.

He hooked his talons beneath the neck of her dress and opened bloody gashes that stretched the length of her body by the time he had torn off her clothes.

Too bad she was too terrified to attempt to cover herself. He savored the futile efforts of a victim who clung to conventions that would never have meaning to her again.

“Don’t,” she whispered, and that surprised him. “You’re a man. I know you are. I’ve already made sure someone knows where to find you and what to look for.”

She lied.

Welts and scarlet scratches violated her white breasts, her belly and thighs.

At last his own trembling began. Sexual demand sprang in his loins. He swelled, and lunged, took hold of her legs and yanked her feet from the ground. She crashed down like a disjointed doll, struck her head and shoulders on the hard floor.

His one regret was that the hide that sheathed him dulled feeling and when he fanned his claws over her breasts, he could only imagine the texture of that flesh.

No matter.

Wild, stronger than he had expected, the woman struck out at him, tried to push her nails into his eyes.

A fine idea.

Two talons returned the favor, only he didn’t miss. He pushed through her eye sockets until he felt sinew tear and small bones break inside her head.

Damn.

Dead.

He should have held back but she was dead and much too soon. He shrieked and rocked over her, picked her up as he could have a child, and shook her broken body.

For a few moments he clutched her against him and sobbing sounds of misery tore from him.

He cradled her with exquisite gentleness.

Chapter 8

Gray increased the pressure on Danny Summit’s shoulder and stared into Marley’s shocked eyes. He couldn’t look away. The bunching muscles in his back had less to do with his flexed arm than what he was thinking about; he wanted to touch her, just touch—for a start.

He hadn’t been surprised to see her here.

But he should have been—he should have been amazed.

“Hey, man,” Danny Summit said, squirming. “You’re killing me here. I need that arm.”

Gray released his hold on the other man, who muttered under his breath, gingerly opening and closing his fingers. He stared from Gray to Marley, managing to convey confusion, suspicion—and physical pain—at the same time.

Too bad.

“Are you okay?” Gray repeated to Marley. The way she looked at him suggested he’d grown horns—or worse.

“Yes, I am, thank you.”

“That’s great, then.” His attention was split between Marley, who visibly shrank away, and Sidney’s voice from behind him. “You got a problem, Danny?” he asked.

“Yeah, I reckon I do. There’s something going on here. You two know each other.”

Gray raised his brows. “Why would that be a problem? I came to meet up with Marley. She’s a friend.” He looked into her very green eyes, willing her not to call him a liar.

Freckles showed plainly over her nose. Such white skin, but he guessed that went with the red hair. He hadn’t known many redheads.

“You’re late,” Marley said.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and he figured he’d probably have to pay for her cooperation. An interesting thought. What could he have that she wanted? Must be something.

“I shouldn’t have touched you,” Danny said to Marley. “I don’t usually lose control like that. Sorry.”

“What’s with you?” Gray said to Danny before Marley could respond. He took off his jacket and slung it over a shoulder. Unless you stood in front of icy blasts from air-conditioning vents, the place was tight with wet heat.

Danny started to walk away, but he stopped. “She won’t tell me why she’s asking questions about Amber,” he said, nodding at Marley. “You understand what that means to me. You know what Amber means to me. She hasn’t come back. I haven’t even had a call from her. I don’t know what to do next.”

Gray didn’t know Danny was involved with Amber, or he hadn’t until now.

“You could start by coming clean with the police,” Marley said, then she wouldn’t meet Gray’s eyes.

“I’m not having them poking around in her things,” Danny said to Gray. “And it’s none of their damn business how I feel about her.”

“Danny,” Gray said. “How long have you known Amber? You know what I mean—personally?”

“Why would that matter to you?” Danny bristled. “I should be the one asking you questions. Two of the people you were supposedly writing an article about have disappeared. Liza Soaper and Amber were doing just fine till you showed up.”

“Coincidence,” Gray said, knowing that in the other man’s place, he’d be coming to some of the same conclusions. “I’ve written about a lot of people.”

Then he noticed Marley’s face. Stunned. She clutched the edge of the table.

Damn, if Danny hadn’t opened his mouth she still wouldn’t know about his connection to Liza and Amber. It hadn’t been mentioned in front of her at Nat Archer’s office. She didn’t have to say a word for him to know she was connecting dots and drawing an ugly picture of him. At least she wasn’t linking him to Pipes Dupuis, or to the Cooper woman’s death—yet.

Danny sat on the end of the banquette across from Marley. He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand back and forth over his mouth.

Gray met Marley’s eyes. She had already collected herself and shut away whatever she felt.

“Do either of you know anything?” Danny said. “If you do, for God’s sake tell me. I don’t know where to go for help.”

“Did Amber live with you?” Marley said.

Gray watched Danny’s reaction.

“That’s it,” he said, getting up again. “I know when I’m being taken for a ride. You two have got your own agendas and they’re not about helping Amber or me. The only people I’ll be talking to are the police. And don’t think I won’t tell them to take a long look at the two of you.”

Just what I need. “That’s up to you,” Gray said. “But don’t forget I like Amber. She’s got a lot of guts and she hasn’t had it easy. I’ve got no reason to wish her any harm. If you point the cops in my direction you could make yourself feel better, but you’ll only be taking their time away from the case.”

“I gotta go,” Danny said. He shook his head slowly all the way back to the bar.

“You know Liza and Amber?” Marley asked softly.