expression lighting her wide eyes. “It’s not a secret,” I said, standing back up to my full height and folding my arms under my breasts.
She stared at me for a long moment with her mouth gaping open before she took in a shaky breath to speak.
“You know that’s incredibly creepy, right?” she asked with a long blink and wide eyes. She flung her thick chestnut hair from her face as she shook her head.
“Yeah, but I made my point,” I answered, pursing my lips. “I don’t want Jackson covering his tracks. If the pack knows, he’ll find out.”
“All right,” Jade said, focusing back on her work. “I don’t like it, though,” she bit out as she hit the keys on the console with more force than before. “I just want that on record.”
“Duly noted, and thank you,” I whispered and turned to leave.
“You really think he’s up to something?”
If Jackson challenged Dean and won, it would be disastrous for the Pack and for everyone else associated with the Pack. Including Jade.
We can’t let that happen , she whispered like a fog through my mind. What would that mean for Kurt?
I had a feeling Kurt wouldn’t live long enough to find out. Jackson wasn’t a big fan of Kurt’s, and Jade knew it.
“Yeah, I do,” I replied. “Let me know if you find anything.” I turned the corner and climbed the stairs.
“Will do,” she yelled after me.
Chapter 8
“Hey, Kid, I thought you were a night owl.” Derek’s voice boomed over the other end of the line in a chuckle. I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Blaring in angry red digital letters, 3:30 a.m. stared back at me. Either he hadn’t been to sleep yet or he was full of caffeine. I was betting on the latter because he was UP.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I growled, rubbing my eyes and shoving my hair out of my face. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got another body for you,” Derek stated, suddenly sounding very tired.
I was starting to wonder if being a homicide detective was a good idea after all.
I jotted down the address and listened to the edge in his tone as he rattled the numbers off. It had been three days since the last body had turned up. Three days with no sign, no scent, and no rumblings of strays anywhere.
“Derek, that’s a residential neighborhood,” I said.
“Yeah, I know,” he snapped.
“Is Taggar on duty tonight?” If this was our pair, he needed to be there to verify, and I needed back up with a better nose than mine.
“Um, no.”
“Call him in, and I’ll meet you there,” I dictated as I jumped out of bed. “Hey, Derek.” I slid in, quick, before he had a chance to hang up.
“Yeah, Kid?”
“What are you telling the other cops about me?”
“Psychic.” He chuckled.
“Perfect!” I rolled my eyes. “You shouldn’t throw that one around too much,” I cautioned. “You don’t want to become that cop.” I hung up the phone and let him chew on that for a while.
I jumped into the shower and was out the door in 30 minutes, wet hair and all. I headed east to Gahanna, where chain restaurants were king, ranch-style homes lined each street, and every drive had a Ford F-150 parked out front—whether they needed it or not.
The crime scene was easy to spot at 4:20 a.m. It was the only house on the block with all the police cars and flashing lights out front.
Parking several houses away along the curb, I marched the trimmed sidewalks of suburbia to the edge of the police tape. Neighbors of the deceased stood outside on their lawns in groups, watching the police move in and out of the house.
In the dark, the house seemed kept up and clean; the lawn was mowed, the edges trimmed, and the shutters painted. I stepped up to the tape and cleared my throat behind the first cop I saw. He snapped his head around to face me with a grim expression tightening his jaw.
“Excuse me?” I gave him my brightest, friendliest smile. At half past four in the morning, there’s no way he’d be able to tell if
She stared at me for a long moment with her mouth gaping open before she took in a shaky breath to speak.
“You know that’s incredibly creepy, right?” she asked with a long blink and wide eyes. She flung her thick chestnut hair from her face as she shook her head.
“Yeah, but I made my point,” I answered, pursing my lips. “I don’t want Jackson covering his tracks. If the pack knows, he’ll find out.”
“All right,” Jade said, focusing back on her work. “I don’t like it, though,” she bit out as she hit the keys on the console with more force than before. “I just want that on record.”
“Duly noted, and thank you,” I whispered and turned to leave.
“You really think he’s up to something?”
If Jackson challenged Dean and won, it would be disastrous for the Pack and for everyone else associated with the Pack. Including Jade.
We can’t let that happen , she whispered like a fog through my mind. What would that mean for Kurt?
I had a feeling Kurt wouldn’t live long enough to find out. Jackson wasn’t a big fan of Kurt’s, and Jade knew it.
“Yeah, I do,” I replied. “Let me know if you find anything.” I turned the corner and climbed the stairs.
“Will do,” she yelled after me.
Chapter 8
“Hey, Kid, I thought you were a night owl.” Derek’s voice boomed over the other end of the line in a chuckle. I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Blaring in angry red digital letters, 3:30 a.m. stared back at me. Either he hadn’t been to sleep yet or he was full of caffeine. I was betting on the latter because he was UP.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I growled, rubbing my eyes and shoving my hair out of my face. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got another body for you,” Derek stated, suddenly sounding very tired.
I was starting to wonder if being a homicide detective was a good idea after all.
I jotted down the address and listened to the edge in his tone as he rattled the numbers off. It had been three days since the last body had turned up. Three days with no sign, no scent, and no rumblings of strays anywhere.
“Derek, that’s a residential neighborhood,” I said.
“Yeah, I know,” he snapped.
“Is Taggar on duty tonight?” If this was our pair, he needed to be there to verify, and I needed back up with a better nose than mine.
“Um, no.”
“Call him in, and I’ll meet you there,” I dictated as I jumped out of bed. “Hey, Derek.” I slid in, quick, before he had a chance to hang up.
“Yeah, Kid?”
“What are you telling the other cops about me?”
“Psychic.” He chuckled.
“Perfect!” I rolled my eyes. “You shouldn’t throw that one around too much,” I cautioned. “You don’t want to become that cop.” I hung up the phone and let him chew on that for a while.
I jumped into the shower and was out the door in 30 minutes, wet hair and all. I headed east to Gahanna, where chain restaurants were king, ranch-style homes lined each street, and every drive had a Ford F-150 parked out front—whether they needed it or not.
The crime scene was easy to spot at 4:20 a.m. It was the only house on the block with all the police cars and flashing lights out front.
Parking several houses away along the curb, I marched the trimmed sidewalks of suburbia to the edge of the police tape. Neighbors of the deceased stood outside on their lawns in groups, watching the police move in and out of the house.
In the dark, the house seemed kept up and clean; the lawn was mowed, the edges trimmed, and the shutters painted. I stepped up to the tape and cleared my throat behind the first cop I saw. He snapped his head around to face me with a grim expression tightening his jaw.
“Excuse me?” I gave him my brightest, friendliest smile. At half past four in the morning, there’s no way he’d be able to tell if
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