Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers)

by Holt, Desiree

  Eve laughed. “My secret recipe. I try to make them most mornings in the winter. They seem to have magic thermal warmers built in.”

  “They certainly can use them today.” She peeked at the thermometer hanging outside the big kitchen window and shivered. “You’d think growing up in Maine I’d be used to it.”

  Eve laughed. “I think bitter cold is just something you tolerate. You never really get used to it.”

  “Logan still out with the herd?” Rebecca asked.

  “Yes but he and John will be in any minute. He just hollered from the barn to say they were feeding the horses and then they were through.”

  Logan had shown Rebecca his communications setup the first day. A small base unit was tucked into a corner of the counter in the kitchen. Every hand out riding the fence, herding the cattle or working in the barn carried a small radio unit hooked to his belt.

  “Sometimes in the winter the snow can get as high as twenty feet,” he told her. “And when you get a wind with it you can’t see your hand in front of your face. You can get buried in a drift between here and the barn door. Same thing out on the range. This way we can stay in touch with everyone all the time. Know exactly where they are. And if they need help.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  Even as she spoke the radio crackled to life again.

  “Eve? Did Rebecca get out of bed yet?”

  Rebecca grinned at the older woman. “Are you implying that I’m lazy?”

  She heard Logan laugh. “Actually I was thinking—” He stopped speaking suddenly, as if he’d forgotten Eve could hear him. She heard him clear his throat. “I was thinking you might need some rest considering all that’s been going on.”

  She swallowed a laugh. “I’m fine. Out of bed and waiting for you to get in here so we can eat.”

  “Great,” came back the reply. “I see Ben’s truck pulling up the driveway right now so the timing’s perfect.”

  Fifteen minutes later everyone was seated at the table digging into what Rebecca could only call a fabulous breakfast. There was little conversation, everyone’s focus on the food in front of them. Finally there wasn’t a scrap left on any of the platters. Eve had brewed a fresh pot of coffee and now she refilled everyone’s mugs.

  “Thanks.” Ben lifted his in a toast to her. “I think that’s the best meal I’ve had since I moved here.”

  When everything was cleared away, when John had gone back outside and Eve had left to go to the house she and John shared, Logan got out his tablet and the familiar files and spread everything out on the table.

  “Okay.” Using a red pen, he indicated within the triangle he’d drawn the area they’d covered the night before. “We’ve been over this part and didn’t even find the possibility of a hiding place.”

  “But we found what was left of those two marmots,” Ben reminded him. “So the thing at least came that far into this space.”

  “Marmots?” Rebecca looked at Logan. “You didn’t say anything about that. So you did find a trace of it.”

  “Only that it had been there. But it was long gone by the time we went out to run. And we didn’t find any trace of a hidey-hole for it.”

  Her gaze flipped from one man to the other. “So you’re going out during the day. Do you think it’s safe?”

  “First,” Logan said, “we’re going to the sheriff’s office and see if any of his people found anything overnight. And also check into what’s going on with the sketch artist we talked about.”

  Rebecca smoothed a stray hair back from her face. “I’m still not sure what you think that will accomplish. We have the pictures of the carcasses—bodies—whatever you want to call them. Aren’t they horrific enough?”

  Logan poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. “When I emailed the team about it they thought it was a good idea. Stafford especially is interested in any deviations from the bodies we already have. Any changes in the visible structure.”

  Rebecca shivered. “God forbid. Isn’t what we’ve seen horrible enough?”

  “Yes. But the more information we get, the closer we might get to finding who is breeding these things and where. Something that will give away the geography.” He rubbed his neck. “I know that sounds farfetched, but no more so than this whole ball of wax is anyway.”

  “You’re right. So what can I do today?”

  “Let’s hook up with the team first and see if Ric’s fancy new software has come up with anything. Then I’ll call Danvers, check on the sketch artist and after that we’ll make some decisions.”

  Rebecca moved aside so Logan could set up his laptop on the table and boot it up. She hitched her chair around to be close enough so she could not only see the screen but be seen when she spoke. She gestured for Ben to do the same.

  In seconds Ric Garza’s face appeared on the screen. The picture captured some of the team seated behind Ric and she caught just a glimpse of what she’d learned they called the war room.

  “Hola, compadres.” Ric gave him a tired grin. “Anything new up there? I hope not.”

  “Ben and Logan did a run last night,” Rebecca told him, leaning over Logan’s shoulder. “They found what was left of two very small animals but that was all.”

  “No hiding places,” Logan added. “We covered the bottom half of a triangle I sketched out and at least eliminated some areas.”

  “We’re going out again today.” Ben leaned a little more into the camera’s range of vision. “Since you guys tell me this thing can be either diurnal or nocturnal I guess we might as well take advantage of daylight.”

  Jonah Grey moved in behind Ric. “Save some time to run at night again. That’s always been our most productive time. Use the daylight to keep warning people.”

  Rebecca saw the look of sadness on Logan’s face and realized he was thinking of Jade.

  “Fat lot of good that does us,” he spat out, then drew in a breath and let it out. “Okay, jefe, what have you got for us?”

  “Some things that I think will narrow your search for the next target.”

  Today Ric was using the standard keyboard since no one in Logan’s dining room could see the big screens in the war room and he needed to get the graphics and charts up on Logan’s computer. His fingers danced rapidly over the keys.

  “Just sent you an email with some attachments. Open them up, then we’ll talk.”

  Logan opened the email and three pairs of eyes watched as each attachment appeared. One was a map of the county, much like the one in Rance Danvers’ office, with red dots where the bodies had been found. Sprinkled in the area around them were other dots in green. And finally, spread out over the county were tiny arrows in bright blue. The other two attachments were charts, which Logan minimized for the moment.

  “Okay, what am I looking at?” Logan asked.

  “I ran everything through that new probability software, feeding in the counties where the last three series of killings occurred, the locations of the bodies in each and the spots where the beast was finally captured and killed. Using that information I was able to predict some likely areas for the third victim. Those are the green dots.”

  “Shit.” Ben leaned at an angle to get a better look. “So many of them?”

  Ric nodded. “Six. That’s as much as I’ve been able to narrow it for the moment. What I’d like for you to do is get me some photos of houses in those locations and we’ll analyze them here. See if we can refine your target a little more.”

  “I can do that,” Rebecca said. She looked at Logan. “Do you think one of the deputies would drive me around to do this?”

  “I’m sure Greg will,” he told her. “He’s got a particular interest in this.”

  She remembered then that Logan’s sister-in-law had been Greg’s sister. This was definitely personal for him.

  “Or I can do it,” Ben put in. “Once I’m done with the sketch artist I’ll have time available.”

  Logan shook his head. “You and I are going to do some day
light hunting, buddy. I’ve got two snowmobiles ready to go.”

  Ben frowned. “Won’t that scare off the beast?”

  “We used them in Maine,” Rebecca said. “And I’m not sure anything can scare it, except large animals.”

  Ben looked at Logan. “Maybe we should use the horses.”

  “We’ll talk about it.” He turned back to the screen. “Can you help us with this, Ric? Does that fancy software have a way to predict where this thing might be hiding? It sure would make our search easier.”

  Ric nodded. “Somewhat. This software is unbelievable. I was able to feed the topography of the area into it and see what it came up with. That’s what the blue arrows are.”

  The three of them studied the map then Logan clicked a command and sent the document to his wireless printer.

  “There’s a copy for each of us,” he told them. “Ric? Text or call me if you come up with anything else. Or if Craig’s scientists discover anything new in the bodies they’re autopsying that might give us a hand here.”

  “I’ll do it. We’re still running all the databases to see if there are any new items about kills anywhere else. Maybe something that got written off as something else.”

  “Good. We’ll be in touch.”

  “Stay safe.”

  The screen went blank.

  Rebecca looked at the two men. “That map shows a lot of possibilities where the beast could be hiding.”

  Ben grimaced. “No shit.” He slid a glance at Rebecca.

  She laughed. “The last thing you have to worry about is watching your language in front of me. Believe me. Logan? Why don’t you call Sheriff Danvers and see what’s up with the sketch artist? Then we can make some plans.”

  * * * * *

  Why are they bringing a kid in to handle this? She’ll have nightmares for weeks.

  That was the first thing Ben Crater thought when Rance Danvers introduced him to Randi, the sketch artist who’d come down from Kalispell. In jeans, a University of Montana sweatshirt and a ponytail she looked about eighteen years old. When the sheriff told them she was almost thirty Ben had a hard time believing it.

  She caught him staring at her and grinned.

  “I get that look a lot.” Her words had an impish tone.

  Ben blinked and heat crept up his cheeks. “Sorry. It’s just, you don’t look…” His words trailed off.

  “Old enough?” She laughed. “My whole family’s like that. Good genes.” Then her face sobered. “No problem. Whatever you need I can put it together for you.” She turned to the sheriff. “Where do you want me to work? The conference room?”

  “I’d say that’s the best place,” Danvers answered. “Out of the line of traffic.”

  He set them up with coffee and closed the door. Once they began to work, once Randi started asking him questions, all thoughts of a teenager fled from his brain. This woman knew her business.

  As she pulled details from his memory and the image began to take shape the terror of the moment engulfed him again. Terror and stupefaction. He still had a hard time believing what he’d seen was real. And that he remembered it in such detail.

  Who am I kidding? I’ll never forget one single feature or aspect.

  As she continued to click her mouse and work her program on her computer Randi’s skin paled, but she kept drawing, kept asking questions, forged ahead with the sketch.

  By the time she finished creating the drawing her perkiness had long disappeared and Ben just hoped she didn’t faint from fright. Adding the color had been the capper, producing an image to terrify even the strongest person.

  Now he leaned back in the chair and drained the last of the liquid in the disposable cup he was holding. He didn’t know if the caustic taste in his mouth came from Rance Danvers’ battery-acid coffee or from looking at the finished sketch on the computer screen in front of him. Logan Tanner had been right when he called the thing a devil beast.

  “You actually saw this?” she asked as she continued to move her mouse over the picture, refining it here and there. “I mean, in the flesh? Or whatever it’s made of?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.” He crumpled the coffee cup and tossed it in the nearby trash basket. “I think my heart actually stopped beating, and after Afghanistan and Iraq it takes a lot to frighten me.”

  “I thought I’d seen everything but holy crap. This is like something out of a science fiction movie.”

  “I guarantee you the deputies didn’t sign on to deal with something like this.”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip as she refined the picture a little more. “Who did, for god’s sake?” She clicked her mouse two or three times. “Let’s get the sheriff and show him what we’ve got. I’m sure he’ll want to make copies.”

  Ben pushed back his chair but the door opened before he could get up. Danvers walked in, followed by Logan Tanner.

  “Where’s Rebecca?” Ben asked. “She said she wanted to see this. See how it compared with the photos you’ve got.”

  “I convinced her I could manage to have nightmares for both of us,” Logan answered. “She’s got a county map with addresses and locations to go with the map Ric sent. She and Greg Mattison just left to check out all those spots and see if people would listen to their warnings. She’s also going to take pictures with her phone to send back to the team’s headquarters.”

  “If anyone’s tuned into this thing, it’s Greg,” Rance told them. He lost family to it. And Rebecca says she’s a crack shot. That right, Tanner?”

  Logan nodded. “Besides, she worked the case in Maine so she knows what to look for.”

  “Speaking of looking.” Ben motioned them over to Rachel’s laptop. “We’ve got the drawing as good to go as we can. What next?”

  Logan studied the sketch on the computer screen and his body gave a barely perceptible jerk. Something indefinable flashed in his eyes before he sat down and dropped a folder on the table.

  When he opened it and spread out the photos inside Ben saw every bit of blood drain from Randi’s face. They might just have met an hour ago but he knew exactly how she felt looking at the reality of the Chupacabra. He didn’t think he’d ever forget the apparition in his barn, not even if he got drunk out of his mind.

  Automatically he curved his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. She tensed slightly then leaned into him as if seeking support. And maybe that was all it was, but in the middle of this bloodthirsty battle Ben’s cock sent him a message.

  She’s hot. Hot, hot, hot.

  He ground his teeth together, exerting every bit of self-control. What class, he told himself. It wasn’t enough that they were all in the middle of trying to find and kill this devil beast before it attacked another victim. No, here he was with a woman he’d met only an hour before, scared her half to death with his description of the devil beast that she had to draw and now he wanted to put the moves on her?

  Smooth, Crater. Very smooth.

  Still, it wasn’t lost on him that except for the initial reaction she hadn’t moved away from him.

  Then in the next moment as he scanned the photos on the table, his mind emptied of everything except what he was seeing in front of him. He glanced up at Logan who seemed to be waiting for him to say something, so he looked at the photos again, then the drawing, then the photos once more. And it clicked into place in his brain.

  “It’s changed.” He wondered if he sounded as shocked as he felt. “It’s—different.”

  Logan spread the photos out more, pulled a couple toward him and slid them in front of Ben.

  “This what you mean?”

  Ben studied them then nodded. “Its front legs are more elongated than in the photos. Almost human-looking.” He suppressed a shudder. “And here.” He picked up a pen and pointed. “These things under the upper limbs. That’s what you’re talking about too. Right? They look almost like small wings.”

  “That’s right.” Logan dropped into the chair next to him. “Almost as if it c
ould extend its arms now and launch from the ground.”

  “Because the arms are longer,” Ben agreed. He touched the computer screen. “And the talons on its hands look more like extended fingers with wicked nails on the end.”

  Logan snapped his fingers. “That’s it. That’s what’s been bothering me.”

  Everyone stared at him.

  “What are you talking about?” Danvers asked at last.

  “The way the body is opened. It always looked as if someone had taken a box cutter to the victims. But this.” He pointed at the screen again. “This looks as if the body was surgically opened.”

  Revulsion surged through Ben. “As if someone has bred the creature to have razor-sharp fingernails instead of claws. Nails that could operate like a scalpel instead of ripping like claws.”

  No one in the room said a word. They all looked at each other, mute.

  Logan broke the silence. “Okay. I need to contact my home base and give them this information. Sheriff, where can Randi hook up her laptop to make prints of this?”

  Danvers shook himself back to reality. “Come on, Randi. You can use my office.”

  “I’m coming too.” Ben stood and picked up Randi’s laptop for her. She stared at him. “What? I’m just trying to be a help here. This has been unpleasant for you, to say the least. Come on. I’ll help you get set up and then get you a cold drink.”

  He felt Logan’s eyes boring holes in his back as he followed Randi and the sheriff out of the conference room.

  This can’t go anywhere. What woman wants a man who’s half wolf? Oh wait. Rebecca does. So if she and Logan can make it work, maybe I can. With someone. Maybe Randi. Maybe.

  * * * * *

  Rebecca trudged back to the SUV with Greg beside her. What was the matter with people? Didn’t they want someone to help them stay safe?

  “It’s a battle.” Greg opened the door of the vehicle for her. “We had the same problem when Julie and Wade were killed. No one wanted to think their safety was threatened.”

  Rebecca stopped, one foot in the SUV, as something slammed into her brain.

  “Wait a minute. You just mentioned Julie and Wade.”