Animal Instincts (Entangled Ignite) (16 page)

“There.”

If he hadn’t heard the subtle noise, he might have missed the smartphone caught a few feet off the ground and camouflaged by leaves.

Plucking it free, he tried to turn it on. “Out of juice,” he told his mother.

“Maybe you can use my charger.”

He shook his head. Because she wasn’t comfortable using new technology, his mother kept a very basic cell phone. “Yours wouldn’t work with this.” But his would. And he had a charger in his car. “Mom, I have to leave.”

“Luc, be careful.”

“Always,” he said to soothe her fears as usual.

He signaled the guard at the window. The man immediately appeared behind his mother, urging her inside before closing the front door.

Luc raced to his Jaguar. Once inside, he attached the charger to the phone and plugged it in. Though he was anxious to see what exactly Shade had shown his mother, he feared it. He wouldn’t watch his friend die with anyone watching. And his mother was standing at a window now.

He drove away, waited until he got a few blocks south before pulling over.

With the smartphone still charging, he turned it on and in less than a minute found the app that would take him to the recorded video. He clicked on the app and saw more than a dozen frames. He went to the last few and played them, clenching his jaw hard against the sting of his eyes as he watched his good friend being killed. His blood rushed through him and he fought the urge to shift, not prompted by the violence, but by a need for revenge.

When he learned the bastard’s identity, there would be no help for whoever did this to Jez.

In the meantime, what could he do?

His mother had been correct that no one would have understood if she’d told them about the video. Seeing that footage would have confounded the police, Luc thought, especially when the body they found was human.

Skye would understand. Not that he wanted her to see this.

But she could take him to someone who should.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Turn here,” I said, eyeing Shade’s cell, still on the console, charging off the cigarette lighter adapter. “The Area office is ahead.”

I felt as if I’d swallowed something made of lead ever since Luc had told me what he’d found on my brother’s cell. He hadn’t offered to show the footage to me, and I hadn’t asked. Seeing Hank had been bad enough. I didn’t want to see Luc’s friend ripped apart, too.

I could hardly believe how subdued Luc was. He hadn’t even made an attempt to fluster me, and for once I could completely concentrate without being distracted by a physical pull. It was as if the magnetism he normally exuded had shut down. Purposely? Then again, I imagined the horror of his watching someone he cared about die so violently could cut him off from his normal state.

That I would have to watch the video when he showed it to Ethan filled me with dread.

I could have died in the habitat the night before if Luc hadn’t intervened. That somehow I’d magically repelled the shifter when it had first attacked me was still a puzzle I hadn’t solved. I’d never before experienced anything like that. Had I gained some kind of magic by signing
The Book of Powers
? More reading was in order.

Luc pulled the Jaguar into the visitor parking area, unhooked the cell phone, and asked, “You’re sure about this?”

“What choice do we have? If we want to shut down the operation, we need someone in the police department on our side. I’m telling you, we can trust Ethan.”

“I’m counting on that.”

So was I.

We left the car. When we walked into the Area office, I was relieved that Dad wasn’t there. I waved to a couple of officers I knew and hotfooted it to Ethan’s desk.

He looked up as we approached. “Skye, what are you doing here? And with
him?
”

I sensed Luc stiffening, but I put a hand on his arm without taking my eyes from Ethan. “You wanted proof. We have it.” Realizing there were too many detectives and uniforms around for my comfort, I asked, “Can we go somewhere private?”

Still giving Luc a wary expression, Ethan rose. “Sure. We can go to one of the empty interview rooms.”

I felt like all eyes were on us as we crossed through the room into the hallway. Luc went into the interview room first, followed by Ethan. Before I could join them, I heard my name.

“Skye.”

My father was walking from the other end of the hall toward me. “Dad, hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Talking to Ethan.” I half closed the door so he couldn’t see who else was inside. “Yeah, getting an update.”

“You shouldn’t be here.” He sounded testier than usual.

I realized that if I didn’t do something quickly, he would see Luc with Ethan and ask questions I didn’t want to answer.

I put out my hand as if to stop him. “Hang on a minute, Dad.”

I poked my head in the room. Luc had Shade’s cell phone in hand and was about to bring up the footage for Ethan.

“My father,” I whispered to Ethan. “I’ll keep him busy while you take a look.” I was glad to have an excuse not to have to watch the video with them.

Not having waited, of course, Dad was right behind me as I closed the door. My pulse skipped and I said, “Let’s get some coffee.”

“What about Ethan?”

“He’s busy with someone on a cell right now, so I have a few minutes.” True, if not exactly accurate.

“Okay, I suppose I can take a break.”

What would we talk about? Dad had always been difficult, especially with me. He’d related to Shade because they’d both been cops.

Dad. Shade. The baby.

Dad was going to be a grandfather, and I couldn’t tell him, either. Not now, if ever.

How had this happened to me? How had I become a person of half-truths?

“So,” I asked, “do you have any new information about the case?”

His expression closed. Dad didn’t approve of anyone but other coppers knowing their business. “Nothing substantive.”

“But there’s something, right?” I asked.

“You already know about it.”

Uh-oh. What had he heard? “About what?” I asked over the sound of my rushing pulse.

“The dogfight. You were there, weren’t you?”

I shrugged. “You know me and my dedication to saving helpless animals.”

Dad gave me an intent look, and I noticed his eyes were red-rimmed. Had he been crying about Shade?

“Well, it seems your brother thought dogfights were connected with some murders that Shade and Ethan were investigating.” He stopped a minute and cleared his throat, as if he was having trouble talking about it. “Turned out they were using other kinds of animals. You were there, so what do you know about that?”

Trying to figure out how to handle this—I couldn’t tell Dad the truth—I said, “Yeah. I was totally shocked—”

And was relieved when a uniformed officer called him. “Hey, Roger, we got a guy up front looking for you.”

Dad seemed torn. Maybe he thought he was going to get new information about the animal fights out of me.

Or maybe he wanted to talk about Shade. I clenched my jaw, fighting the sting in my eyes. “Hey, if you have to go, go. Don’t keep whoever it is waiting. We can always talk later.”

Nodding, Dad left to see what his visitor wanted.

When this was all over, I could try to get closer to him. Maybe I could even figure out a way for him to meet his grandchild without telling him everything.

I went to find Ethan and Luc.

I opened the interview room door, to my relief just as Luc clicked off Shade’s cell.

Neither man spoke.

Ethan appeared stunned, and I was doubly glad I hadn’t been there to watch. I didn’t need to see to believe.

I gave Ethan a minute before asking, “Are you ready to open up your mind now?”

“After seeing that, seeing a dead panther change into our last victim, what choice do I have?”

Ethan didn’t sound happy, and I could see that he was still struggling with the idea of anything supernatural. Luc had simply closed himself off for the moment.

“You can help us shut down the shifter fights,” I told Ethan, “without letting the whole city know the real details.”

“Hey, I’m not ready for a psych evaluation. This goes no further if I can help it.” He was staring at Luc as if he was trying to get under the other man’s skin. “How are you involved?”

“The woman in the video worked for my father. She was a good friend of mine, someone I knew since I was a child.”

Ethan shook his head. “I’m sorry for your loss. I recognized her. Our latest victim. Did you know the others who have died?”

“Not well. But the fight last night? They tried forcing my sister into that arena. Luckily we arrived in time for me to get her out of there.”

Ethan sat up straight. “So you’re one of them.”

Some emotion foreign to me passed through Luc’s expression. “I am my father’s son.”

“That’s no recommendation.”

Irritated that they were both dancing around the reality of what needed to be done now, I asked, “Ethan, are you willing to work with us to shut this thing down or not?”

Ethan was still staring at Luc, unanswered questions tightening his features. “Yeah. Matter of fact, I already started by digging into the histories of the fight venues. The properties were all bought in the last six months by different companies.”

“So what’s the connection?”

“They were shell companies. I tracked them back to a single corporation. Come back to my desk. I have something to show you.”

I followed Ethan, keeping an eye out for my father in case I needed to waylay him again. A silent Luc stayed at my side. Thankfully, none of the other detectives seemed interested in us. Everyone was hard at work on their own cases.

At his desk, Ethan shuffled through a stack of files and pulled out a sheet of paper. “This is the company logo for Fauna.”

Fauna meant animal kingdom. The company logo was a fancy
F
. A snake wound its way up the vertical line, and a panther crouched along the lower horizontal line, while a hawk perched on the upper one.

“How fitting.” All predators, I thought, like the animals in the habitat. “Did you get the name of the owner?”

Ethan’s expression darkened. “Unfortunately not. The ownership of the company is buried in a trust. Trusts aren’t recorded, so there was no way to find the names of the beneficiaries. All I could see was the name of the registered agent.”

“Who is?” Luc asked.

“Someone named Sam Hawk.”

Hawk as in one of the logo creatures, I thought.

Luc didn’t say anything, but I sensed his reaction. He’d gone stiff but was trying to cover. Whatever he was thinking, he was keeping it from me.

Ethan asked him, “Do you know this Sam Hawk?”

“The name is familiar.”

I had a feeling it was more than familiar to him. I was certain he knew the man but didn’t want to admit it. And I didn’t want to challenge him, not here.

I turned to Ethan. “If you brought Hawk in, do you think he would tell you anything?”

“If I can find him, I can bring him in, but I don’t know if I can break him. Considering…” He turned to Luc. “What are you going to do with this information?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“I suggest you figure out exactly who this man is in your father’s organization. And then tell me where I can find him.”

Luc nodded but didn’t answer Ethan. I wasn’t sure Luc was willing to do any such thing.

“We should get going,” I said. “I’ll let you know anything we learn.” I flashed a look at Luc.
And you’ll do the same, right?

His refusal to answer made my chest go tight. What did he know that he didn’t want to share?

Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to press the issue, not here. But when we were alone, I was going to get some answers from him.

…

“Who is it, Luc?” Skye asked after Luc had wheeled the Jaguar out of the parking lot. “You know something. I can feel it.”

He didn’t say a word, simply drove fast, his moves between and around other cars sharp. And dangerous. He didn’t care. Part of him already felt destroyed.

“Please slow down. You’re scaring me.”

He slowed the car, if barely. “I don’t want to believe what I think is true.” Even though he’d seen the logo for himself. And the owner’s name being Sam Hawk couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Tell me.”

“Not here. Not like this.” Hollow inside, he didn’t want to go out of control and hurt someone else. Especially not Skye.

“Where?” she asked.

“My place.”

“Your place. Assuming we get there alive,” she muttered.

Luc drove with the same aggression he’d needed to stay alive in Iraq. Images of those days were burned in his mind like photographs. Add to that Jez being ripped apart. And Hank’s poor body covered in blood. What next?

His decision about making a commitment was suddenly more confusing. If he became one of them by choice, he would have power over the Kindred that he didn’t have now. If he didn’t commit, could he stop more people he cared about from being killed? If he did commit, would he still even care what happened to them? He didn’t know. Look at what had happened to Nik. That thought unsettled him the most. The thing that had, so far, kept him from giving up his soul.

“Hey, this is the Museum Campus area,” Skye said, as if she suddenly realized where they were. “We’re nearly to The Ark. I thought we were headed for your place.”

“We are.”

He made a sharp turn east and headed down a line of high-rises straight in the direction of the casino boat. Reaching the building farthest east, he turned toward the garage entrance. The door lifted automatically, and he drove inside and parked.

A few minutes later, they were in the elevator, zooming upward. His apartment was a third of the way up the building. He could have gotten a penthouse, but he considered his apartment in the perfect position. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it was high enough for spectacular views both of the high-rise skyline to the north and the lakefront to the south, with a glimpse of the greenery of the surrounding trees. But most importantly, its shadow fell directly over The Ark, a quarter of a mile to the east, with nothing in between to impede his view. The living area was open concept with an incredible kitchen. And there was a very large balcony that swept the length of the apartment overlooking the lake and casino boat. He didn’t spend all that much time here, but when he did, The Ark was never out of sight unless he was asleep.

Crossing to the edge of the kitchen peninsula facing the windows, he grabbed a bottle of tequila and poured a shot. Maybe he could burn away the frustration and feeling of helplessness.

“Want one?” he asked Skye.

“No, thanks.”

Downing the shot in one gulp, he poured another. Liquid courage would bolster him for the discussion with her that he could no longer avoid. He opened the glass door to the balcony and stepped outside where he had a clear view of The Ark. His destiny, one way or the other. He felt trapped by his heritage, couldn’t simply walk away from it. And yet, as much as he hated it, he loved it, too.

He stood at the railing and tossed down the second shot of tequila.

Skye moved next to him. “Tell me now.”

Her arm brushed his, and for once he didn’t experience the hot attraction that usually zapped between them. He wasn’t feeling much of anything but pain that started deep inside and traveled outward to his raw nerve endings. He’d always known Pop’s world was filled with uneasy surprises, but this one was really ugly. Unable to describe the depth of his devastation, he set down the glass on a nearby table and leaned on the railing, his gaze pinned to the center of what would undoubtedly be his own destruction: The Ark.

Skye didn’t give up so easily. “Seeing the Fauna logo upset you. Why?” she asked.

Knowing she would keep at him until he talked, Luc said, “You only met my brother Nik briefly, but maybe you noticed his ring.”

Skye placed her hand on his arm. “Gold with predators etched on the surface.”

“A wolf, a snake, and a hawk.”

“Ah, like the Fauna logo. You fear that Nik owns the company promoting the fights. His ring isn’t absolute proof. ”