by Vella Day
Deke glanced at her once more and then strode toward the detective. “Sure.”
Logan stopped her. “We don’t have to go in if you don’t want to. I’m sorry about the betrayal.”
“It’s okay. It’s because of the betrayal that I have to see this through.”
“Then come on.”
Logan was the best. He kept proving it time and time again. The group followed Deke inside, passing through the building’s large interior and then continuing down one flight of stairs. Using a keypad to unlock the security room door, Deke opened it up. Because the space was rather small, only Deke and the detective entered.
Once they were inside, Logan moved them off to the side and wrapped an arm around Wendy’s waist and leaned in close. “As much as I wish you had never met Deke, I’m sorry you did so under false pretenses.”
“Thank you. While Deke’s confession shocked me, I’m actually angrier at myself for thinking he cared,” she said.
“He did care. You heard him. He could have killed you, but he chanced the wrath of his father by returning to Thedia.”
“He should have stayed to protect me. If his father wanted me out of the way, didn’t Deke think his father would just send someone else?” She cupped Logan’s cheeks, pulled him a bit closer, and brushed his lips with hers. They were there for business, not sexual excitement, which was why she kept the contact brief, but she needed to drink in his goodness. She leaned back.
As much as Wendy wanted to peek in and see what they were doing, Mr. Landry and another officer had wedged themselves in the doorway, blocking most of the view.
While it was difficult to make out what Deke and the detective were saying, it was evident their voices were becoming more and more animated.
“There I am,” Landry called out from the entranceway.
“Yes, you are,” the detective said, his voice directed toward the exit. “The time stamp indicates it probably was after Mr. Darnell was dead.”
Wendy looked up at Logan. “Someone had to have entered the building at some point. He didn’t rip his heart out of his own chest.”
Logan’s eyes flashed. “If his face doesn’t show up in the feed, it’s possible the killer was in the building already. Did Deke ever say what his mate did for a living?” he whispered.
“No, just that she was very busy with work.”
“Could she work here?”
Now that was an idea. “When he comes out, I’ll ask him.”
Someone shouted inside the room. “Who is that?” the detective asked.
Silence.
“That’s Becky,” Deke responded in a cold, flat tone.
“Can you zoom in any closer?” the detective seemed to be speaking to the technician in charge of the feed.
Wendy clasped Logan’s arm. “We could really use Meena right now. She could transform into bits of light, fly in there, and see what is going on.”
“That would be a great talent—one I wished I possessed.”
Her imagination ran rampant. “Nah. You’d lose the bad boy look if you were a firefly. I’m not seeing it.”
His smile was brief. Several people were talking at once, and Wendy couldn’t make out most of the details. So much for wanting to have more eyes on the video. A moment later, the detective and Deke exited the room. Hopefully, they found something.
Deke grabbed the detective’s arm to stop him. “I’m telling you, it can’t be Becky.”
“Let. Go.”
Deke lowered his arm. “What are you going to do?” Deke asked the detective, his voice a bit shaky.
“Look for your girlfriend and bring her in for questioning. She is a werewolf, and your father could have been murdered by one. We’ll know more after the autopsy.”
“A wolf shifter could never overpower my father.”
“We’ll see.”
They suspected Becky? She had to agree with Deke. Wendy didn’t think a slip of a woman could get the drop on a strong dragon shifter. It didn’t matter if his dad was in his human form at the time or not.
Once the entire party exited the building, Logan placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s let the cops search for Becky. What do you say we head back to town to grab a drink and maybe some decadent dessert before retiring? I know I could use the relaxation. My mind is spinning with possibilities.”
Wendy couldn’t say no to his plea. So what if she wasn’t in the mood to celebrate? She did need to unwind and talking about the case might help her sort things out. While she had wanted to ask Deke a few more questions, she suspected Logan would have been against it, and he might be right. “Sounds good.”
In the now-empty parking lot, he shifted and then picked her up. A few minutes later, Logan landed in the park where he’d first taken her after the hotel fire. “Do you have a place in mind for this drink?” she asked. Logan seemed to have every aspect of his life planned out.
“No.” He slipped her hand into his and guided her across the street, moving away from the burned-out hotel. Logan pointed to a well-lit restaurant/bar two blocks down the road. The lamps on either side of the door lent the place elegance. “Want to try this one? First drinks and dessert and then maybe some fun between the sheets?”
That made her laugh. “Do you always have sex on your mind?”
“Me? Never. I blame it all on my dragon. Don’t tell me you have no interest.” He wiggled his brows, clearly trying to bring some levity to the overwhelmingly confusing situation of tonight’s events.
While possibly inappropriate considering a man had died today, Wendy enjoyed flirting with Logan, but she wasn’t sure how far to push it, especially since their relationship was so new. “I might consider it if you treat me right.”
Logan smiled, leaned over, and lightly kissed her on the lips. The next thing Wendy remembered was flying through the air and landing hard on the sidewalk, her head bouncing on the cement. Her forward momentum propelled her another ten feet, tearing up her palms and knees on the rough surface. When she came to a stop, her pulse had skyrocketed, and her body burned. Nothing fully registered for at least three seconds. Had someone just tried to kill her? Or had it been a chance accident?
Her thoughts jumped to Logan. Oh, no! Had he been hit too?
“Logan?” she called out, her voice a mere squeak.
When she was finally able to lift her head and look around, all she saw was Logan sprawled out on the sidewalk in a pool of blood. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Fear and injustice raced through her. Even though her body was screaming, she forced herself to sit up.
Shift so I can heal you, her wolf demanded.
I have to go to Logan first.
Wendy’s bones ached, and her skin was on fire, but he needed help. Standing—or at least rising somewhat to her feet—took a lot of effort because of the sharp pains. After stumbling a few times, she made it over to him. Wendy squatted down and shook his shoulder. “Logan?”
He couldn’t be dead. Nothing short of removing his heart or stabbing him in that soft spot would kill a dragon shifter or so he’d said.
He moaned, and her hopes soared. “Can you shift?” she asked, even though part of him would land in the street if he did.
Since there weren’t any cars traveling in either direction at the moment, he could do it. Then he could fly somewhere to heal.
Logan started to push up using his hands but then dropped back down. “Fuck.”
“Are you okay?” That was a stupid question. “Do you know what happened?”
With a lot of grunting and wincing, Logan rolled onto his back, his breaths coming out fast. “I was hit by a car. I can’t believe I didn’t hear it especially when the tires hit the curb.”
“Damn. If it jumped the curb, this probably was no accident.” No car was in sight, nor was anyone running to their rescue, which implied the hit and run had been on purpose.
“I’m glad I was able to push you out of the way,” he said.
The gentle but forceful shove on he
r back filtered into her memory. “You saved me! Again.”
Logan draped one arm across his stomach, and using what appeared to be his uninjured arm, pushed up to a sitting position. “Give me a sec. I’ll shift and head on over to the park where I can heal. I’d carry you, but with only one good arm, I fear I might drop you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll meet you there.” It was only a block away.
“O-kay.” While Wendy’s head was still pounding and blood was dripping down her cheek and legs, nothing appeared to be broken. Even though she was insanely stiff, she rose once more and stepped back.
Wendy would have offered to help him up, but Logan had too much pride to accept it. She waited until he was on his feet—make that wobbly feet—and hoped he had enough strength to shift.
To her relief, Logan went from human to dragon in a few seconds. While his flight didn’t reach much more than twenty feet above the ground, it was sufficient for him to make it the park.
Noting where he’d landed, Wendy looked both ways before crossing the street. She could have shifted, but it would be less painful if she waited a few minutes.
At the park entrance, Wendy followed the path to where she believed Logan had landed. Before she could locate him though, a woman stepped into her path.
“Hello, Wendy.”
Oh, shit. It was Becky.
Chapter Twenty-One
Even though every nerve ending was firing, Wendy had learned how to control her response to unwelcomed events. “Becky, what are you doing here?” she asked with amazing calm.
“Looking for you.”
Wendy’s pulse soared even higher. This wasn’t good. “I’m guessing Deke told you we spoke?”
There was no way he had, unless he’d secretly texted her. If Deke believed Becky had killed his dad, he would be searching for her, not aiding her escape.
“We didn’t talk, but he did sneak a text to me to warn me that you were on the warpath.”
On the warpath to find a killer. Wendy couldn’t think of a reason why Deke would even contact Becky, but maybe it was a trap he and the detective had set—at least she hoped it was something like that.
“Listen, I’d love to hear why he claimed I’m on the warpath, but I need to go to my mate. Someone tried to run him down tonight, and he’s somewhere in the park in his dragon form healing.”
Wendy hoped that if Becky knew Logan was near that she wouldn’t try anything.
“Trust me, I was aiming for you.” Becky moved closer. Out of instinct, Wendy took a few steps back. She might have considered yelling, but no one seemed to be in the park at this late hour—at least she hadn’t sensed any shifter signatures other than Logan’s.
“Why would you want to kill me? I barely know you. And Deke left me, not the other way around.”
Becky shook her head. “I didn’t take you for someone so naïve. Of course, Deke only has eyes for me, but since you are going to die for real tonight, I might as well tell you my reasons for needing you dead.”
Really? Becky thought she could just rip out her throat? Not likely. Wendy was a good fighter. She had to be, growing up with a father like hers. The issue right now was that her body had yet to heal from being knocked down. However, the longer she kept this crazed woman talking, the more chance her wolf would have to build up her strength.
“Before you start, may I ask if you were responsible for setting the hotel fire or poisoning me?”
Her brows rose in appreciation. “Close. Actually, Landry set the fire. I was with Deke at the time. I’d say ask him, but you won’t live long enough for that.”
Confident, wasn’t she? “Landry? Why would he want to harm me? He was trying to hire me.”
Becky’s laugh sounded maniacal. “Landry is behind everything.”
Wendy expected to see a black halo above Becky’s head, but instead the only thing behind her was the light pouring down from the lamp post. “He’s a human.”
“Yes, a human who found out Robert Darnell’s drug dealings and was extorting money from him. Landry would go to any lengths to keep that man’s secret—including taking you out. Why do you think he wanted to hire you?” Becky waved a hand. “It was the old saying: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Wendy’s already turbulent stomach churned, and bile rushed up to her mouth. She swallowed and then inhaled. “I know Landry didn’t kill Robert Darnell. So who did?”
“For a journalist, you aren’t very bright. I did, silly.”
Truth or brag? Wendy wasn’t sure she could trust the lack of a halo. “How? Darnell is a dragon shifter, and Deke said you were a wolf shifter.”
Becky pulled out what looked like a small dart gun and waved it. “With this. It contains a paralytic. The poor man was awake the whole time I removed that vital organ, but he wasn’t able to move a muscle.” She grinned. “It was glorious.”
It was horrifying. Becky was insane. Wendy might claim to be a cool and calm person, but seeing the paralytic gun scared the shit out of her. “What about Deke? Didn’t you think it would tear him apart when he learned of his father’s death—especially when it occurred in such a violent way?”
She laughed. “Deke is so much better off without that controlling man. Did you know his own father threatened to cut Deke out of everything if he didn’t kill that Sanderson boy so Robert could have his revenge?”
Meena’s words came back to her. They made sense now in light of what Deke had said earlier. “Revenge because a banker was doing his job?”
“So you say.”
“Whatever. Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe Deke’s dad didn’t deserve to have his loan extended?”
“Possibly, but the lack of funds caused Robert to turn to dealing drugs, something he said he didn’t enjoy.”
Good. “A lack of funds didn’t cause him to do anything. He chose to deal drugs,” Wendy said.
Becky lifted a shoulder. “Maybe. I didn’t know him back then, but he was angry how things had turned out.”
“That’s no reason to kill anyone,” Wendy said. “Did you say that Deke killed the Sanderson boy? And Mike Evans along with him?”
She waved the hand holding the dart. “No. His father ordered him to, but that weakling wasn’t capable. That’s why I had to do it.”
Wendy doubted Becky would confess to protect her boyfriend. She seemed too cold-hearted. “You? I’m impressed. How did you do it?” Wendy was proud that she could keep shooting questions at the egotistical woman. Clearly, Becky loved to brag.
Good job. Keep her talking. I’m working fast to heal you, her wolf said.
“Easy. I knocked out their maid and took her place at the party as their server. When the two boys went into one of the bedrooms, I came in with the drug and told them one of their friends asked me to deliver it. When they asked what it was, I said it was something to get them high. In reality, it was a bottle of Crenathum laced with rat poisoning that Robert had given me. Once they ingested it, I left. I heard they didn’t last long.”
There was no regret in her voice, and Wendy became furious at the injustice. Then more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “You put rat poisoning in my tea, didn’t you?”
“I did. Apparently, I didn’t put enough in your tea. Then again, I didn’t want you to become suspicious. You do have a good sense of smell.”
Even though Becky claimed Wendy might die tonight, her journalistic spirit was alive and strong. “What about Ted Yancy?”
Becky waved the paralytic. “The truck driver? That was Landry’s doing. He would do anything to keep the money flowing, and that meant eliminating anyone who wanted to take down Robert Darnell.”
This was so sick, her stomach nearly erupted once more. “If you and Deke are mates, how could you do all of this—to him?”
Once more she laughed. “We are not mates. His dad paid me to tell people that. It provided me with an excuse to keep a watch on Deke. I was hired to make sure he didn’t interfere with his
dad’s business of selling drugs—or worse, turn him into the police.”
A small part of her was relieved but only because it meant there was a bit of decency in Deke, albeit not much. “How could Deke not know you two weren’t fated?”
“He knew, but he didn’t care. After all, we did set the sheets on fire when we were together.”
That was information she didn’t need to know. Her head was still throbbing, but the cuts on her hands and knees were healing, and most of the aches had disappeared. The big question was, was she ready to fight?
Hell, yes she was—but unless Wendy could stop Becky from using what was in the vial, nothing she did would make a difference. The only way to succeed was to shift now and be the attacker, hopefully knocking the paralytic gun from Becky’s fingers. Then Wendy would have a fighting chance.
Given this woman was a crazy mercenary, no telling how well trained she was. That meant Wendy’s best chance of success was to find a distraction.
Wendy looked behind Becky and waved. “Oh, Logan! We’re over here.”
Thankfully, her adversary fell for the trick and partially turned around. It was at that moment that Wendy shifted and charged. The look of surprise on Becky’s face when she realized she’d been fooled was priceless.
As if a new power emerged inside her, Wendy bared her teeth and catapulted herself into the air, aiming for Becky’s arm. Too bad, Deke’s fake mate still had enough time to lift her arm and take aim. Just as Wendy bit down on Becky’s wrist, she pressed the plunger. The dart hit Wendy, but somehow bounced off her furry skin. Victory! Although it was a short-lived one.
Becky jerked her arm upward as gravity forced Wendy back to the ground. A moment later, Becky was in her wolf form too. One eye was circled in black, but the rest of her coat was a combination of browns and grays. For someone so pretty in her human form, Wendy expected Becky to be a more vibrantly colored wolf. Some might say her ugly interior was showing.
Focus, her wolf reminded her.
Her wolf was right. Her appearance was the least of her problems. During those few seconds when Wendy let her mind wander, Becky got the drop on her. She had leapt onto Wendy’s flank and was biting down hard. She yelped but then became more determined than ever not to let this vixen get the best of her. Correction: this three-time killer—get the best of her.
