Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers) (20 page)

“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 could 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.”

He nodded. “My sister. Married to Logan’s brother. Killed by
the Chupacabra.”

Rebecca hoisted herself into the seat, frowning. “But we’ve
been told the beast kills in a pattern of three. That’s what we learned from
the last three cases and that’s what our background research had told us.”

Greg came around and climbed into the vehicle beside her.
“But we only had the two kills that time. I’d know if there had been another
one.”

She snapped her fingers, a chore with gloves on. “The same
thing in Maine, The first time around my nephews were killed and we didn’t have
a third one. Damn!”

“What? Maybe it’s just changed its patterns.” The deputy
pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the two-lane highway bracketed on
both sides by high drifts of snow. “Isn’t that a possibility?”

“Of course it is.” She tried to tamp down the bubble of
excitement. “When Jonah Grey was sent to Maverick County in Texas to check out
the first body we investigated, the information we gave him was the beast had
an established kill pattern. Neither Logan or my sister disputed that.”

“Maybe it just didn’t register.”

“No, they’re too smart. Maybe they just thought the beast’s habit
had changed. But what changes it, Greg? What makes the pattern change?”

“Okay.” He slid a glance at her. “I can tell something’s
jumped out at you. What is it?”

“I have to call Logan. Right now.” She yanked off her gloves
and pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket, punching in the speed dial
for Logan. She tapped her foot on the floorboard impatiently until he answered.
“Logan?”

“Good. I’m glad you called. We’ve got—”

“I don’t care. I have something to tell you.”

“Rebecca, we figured something out,” he went on insistently.
“You need to know what it is.”

“What? No, listen. Just listen to me.” Her theory spilled
out so fast she tripped over her words. “So if what we believe is right, these
experiments have been going on for some time. And one group had artificial
intelligence implanted that signaled it to kill twice. But now they’ve improved
it so the pattern has gone to three. Hell, Logan. What if they can program them
to kill four times? Five? More?”

“Jesus.”

“We need to call Ric and the team,” she told him.

“Take a breath and let me fill you in on what we discovered
looking at the sketch the artist just did from Ben’s description.”

As she listened her impatience grew. “All the more reason
for us to call the ranch.” She looked over at Greg. “We’re done with this
today. How fast can you get me back to the sheriff’s office?”

The deputy grinned at her. “With or without lights and
sirens?”

“Without, but don’t pay attention to the speed limit. Logan?
You still there?”

“I’m here. You sure we should do this from Danvers’ office?”

“He has broadband, right? And you and Ben are already there.
We can do it from the conference room.”

“Okay. Get back here as fast as you can. I’ll text Ric to
let him know to be ready.”

Rebecca disconnected the call and leaned back in the seat,
nausea rolling through her. If they were right, whatever maniac was behind this
had ramped things up considerably. And the third kill could be just around the
corner.

* * * * *

“That really ramps things up,” Logan said. Tension vibrated
through his body as he absorbed all the new information. “You heard Ric. This
could also mean that this abomination will kill more quickly the next time.
That it may already have the bloodthirst running through it and staked out its
next prey.”

They had just finished the video call with Ric and the team.
Now they sat around the table, everyone trying to figure out what to do next.

“Forget about me spending my time trying to warn people,”
Rebecca put in at last. “The deputies need to keep up the patrols, Sheriff, but
they would have as much luck as I would. I need to hunt with Logan and Ben. We
have to find this devil beast before someone else dies.”

“But how do you pinpoint where to look?” Danvers looked at
his copy of the map Logan had given him. “There’s six different possible
killing sites on here and as many suggested hiding places.”

“We’ll have to figure out how to cover all of them,” Ben
answered.

The sheriff shook his head. “Impossible.”

Logan looked at Ben, exchanged a glance with him.

“Ben and I can handle most of them, Rance. We can take the
horses out. And we know the terrain a lot better than people who are used to
town living.”

And we can hunt as wolf, but Danvers doesn’t need to know
that. Wouldn’t believe it, anyway.

“It just makes me nervous for the two of you to be out there
by yourselves.”

Logan rubbed his neck. “You know what kind of a sheriff I
was. A damn good one. Give me credit for knowing what to do here.”

“Ric suggested coming up here with the helicopter,” Rebecca
broke in. “I think we should call him back and tell him to come on. He can
cover a lot of territory in a short while.”

Logan nodded. “And he can pinpoint places for us. He’s got
infrared equipment in that bird that can focus in on living things.”

“Yeah?” Ben frowned. “First of all, you don’t even know if
this is a warm-blooded creature. You’d have to get the reports from your boss
to see what they discovered. And how would you distinguish between it and the
other wildlife?”

“I don’t know. But let me talk to him. He can call Craig
Stafford and they can figure something out.”

“Do you need to set up another video call?” the sheriff
asked.

“No. I’ll call him on my way back to the ranch. You keep
those deputies out trying to warn people to be careful.” He looked at Ben. “You
coming with us?”

“I need to swing by my place and check on my horse and some
other stuff. Then I’m good to go.”

“Okay, see you in, what, an hour?”

“Pretty much.”

Rance Danvers cleared his throat. “This is all way beyond
me, Logan, but you know I’m on board now and will do whatever I can to help
you.”

“I appreciate that.”

Randi Turner stood to the side, holding her laptop bag and
her jacket. “I hate to take off now and not see what happens. I’m scared
shitless but I’d hate to be left out of things.”

“Would you like to come back to our house with us?” Rebecca
asked. “I don’t know how soon we’re going to wrap this up but—” She looked at
Logan. “It’s your house. Am I presuming to invite a guest?”

He gave her a quick hug. “Not at all. Randi, you’re more
than welcome.”

“Thanks. I do have an overnight bag in my car. My go-bag. I
never travel without it. I’ll just follow you out of town.”

“You could leave your car here and ride with me,” Ben
blurted out.

Everyone turned to stare at him. Logan forced himself to
swallow a smile.

That fast, huh?

“I think Miss Turner probably wants to have her own wheels
with her, right, Randi?”

Her faint blush told him that whatever current had passed
between her and Ben had sizzled her nerves too. Well. Didn’t that just present
another wrinkle in the situation?

“Um, yes, but thank you so much.”

“Rance?” Logan shook hands with him. “I’ll call you and give
you an update as soon as we have things in place.”

“I’ll be waiting to hear from you. And if I get anything
from my deputies I’ll pass it along.”

The beast crawled from its cave, sliding between the rocks,
peering around to see if danger awaited it. Its sensors hadn’t indicated any
but once or twice those sensors had been off and the creature had nearly paid
for it. But now, as the sun rose high overhead, the desperate thirst for blood
raced through its body again. Somewhere in its brain, whatever sent indicators
to various parts of its body was signaling that it was time to hunt again. The
big prey.

Blood!

The thirst for it—the uncontrollable need—was like a
rampaging monster devouring it. The small creatures had settled immediate
hunger, the need for flesh, but not the overpowering craving for the blood that
only the specific prey could provide.

Sometimes the beast’s head ached as messages bombarded its
brain with unrelenting force. What was it supposed to do? How was it supposed
to do it? Hunt at night? During the day? But then, as if a train had finally
found its way onto a track, the stream of signals became one long prompt. And
its body would respond. Just as now, when it knew the hunt was on.

It had searched the area programmed into its brain, finding
the first two victims easily. Expanding beyond its boundaries was tempting but
each time it passed a certain point painful jolts would zap through its body,
pushing it back to the defined area.

Isolated.

Unprotected.

Unsuspecting.

Like other wild animals they were the same parameters used
to define and hunt prey. The beast had identified its third victim and now the
urge to attack and kill possessed it.

With an unholy roar it leaped from its place and raced away,
homing in on the kill.

* * * * *

Russ Connolly stood on his back porch, late afternoon
sunlight warming his face, watching his Malamute Shadow doing his “I’m glad to
be out of the house” dance. The animal wore a collar that received signals from
the electronic fence Russ had installed. He hadn’t wanted to fence his property
with actual fencing. The ten acres sat about five miles outside of Overlook,
close enough to town for convenience but far enough out that he could enjoy the
isolation. The feeling of being embraced by nature.

He liked the fact that white-tailed deer could venture from
the protection of the huge ponderosa pines, stopping to stare at his house. In the
spring it wasn’t unusual to see fawns nursing, the does standing stock-still as
if frozen in place. In the winter the rutting bucks with massive racks
thundered across his backyard as they chased the does. And of course there was
the other wildlife, large and small, that he often glimpsed.

The electronic fence kept Shadow from racing into the woods
and getting lost or worse yet killed. It was bad enough that the occasional
stray dog found its way into his yard. Just yesterday, in fact, a mutt of
indeterminate heritage had come loping down the driveway, wagging its tail,
tongue lolling. Obviously looking for food, but Russ was smart enough to know
if he gave it anything he’d never get rid of it. When the dog had
growled—baring its teeth at the lack of response—Russ had hurried back into the
house and kept Shadow away from his doggie door.

Now, standing on his back porch, a shiver ran down his
spine, the kind people always said meant someone was walking on your grave.
Only of course he wasn’t dead yet. Retired, but far from dead.

He whistled for the Malamute.

“Come on, boy. Come here. We’re going inside.”

But the dog had stopped where it was, the hair raised on its
back, teeth pulled back in a snarl. A growl issued from his throat, the kind
signaling that danger was near. Russ looked around but nothing appeared out of
the ordinary. He took a step off the porch toward the dog, barely noticing a
shadow detaching itself from the stand of trees nearest the house.

His heart stopped at the apparition that emerged and he
turned to race inside, yelling for Shadow. Too late. With an unholy roar the
beast was on him and Russ Connolly fell into the snow, gripped by the worst
pain he’d ever felt in his life.

* * * * *

Rebecca disconnected the call on her sat phone and looked at
the people sitting around the dining room table. She waited until Logan had
finished the call he was on, one that apparently was not good news, judging
from the look on his face. She wondered what that was all about.

“That was Ric,” she said. “He’ll be here any time now. He
plans to land in the yard just behind your house and wants to know if there’s
anything beneath the snow he needs to watch out for.”

“No. He’s good.” A muscle twitched in his jaw.

Rebecca’s stomach cramped. Something really bad was
happening.

“What is it, Logan? Another kill? So soon?”

He shook his head. “That was Rance Danvers. Apparently his
people haven’t been able to sit on all the specifics of Jade Robinson’s death
and the gruesome details have made their way into the community. He said it’s
spreading through the county like wildfire.”

“But isn’t that good?” Randi asked. “If the deputies have
been out trying to warn people to be careful, won’t this make them more
cautious?

Anger flashed in Logan’s eyes. “Some asshole has started the
rumor that the sheriff—and Rebecca and me—made up the monster to cover the fact
that the killings are actually the work of a human. And they want Rance to come
out here and arrest him.”

“What?” Rebecca was stunned. “That’s absurd. Do they even
have a candidate for that?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” He looked at Ben, and Rebecca got that
sick feeling in her stomach. “You’re the newcomer to the area so they’ve
decided you’re it.”

“What?” He stood up so suddenly his chair crashed over
backward. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I wish. You’re the unknown so apparently someone’s decided
you’re out killing residents for the sport of it. Rance said someone told him
they think it’s the effects of PTSD, because of your tours in Afghanistan and
Iraq.”

Rebecca glanced at Randi, who looked as if she was about to
pass out. Rebecca put her hand on the other woman’s arm.

“I can promise you that’s not true, Randi. We haven’t known
Ben that long but I can tell you with no reservation that this is nothing but a
crazy rumor someone started.”

“Because they can’t accept the facts,” Logan added. “Sit
down, Ben. Please. Ric will be here any minute and we can start our search
again.”

“Sit down?” Ben looked around, wild-eyed. “What the fuck?
How can I sit down when the population of this great county is after my head?”

“Sit down, Ben,” Rebecca repeated. She wasn’t sure who to
attend to first—Randi who still looked about to faint or Ben who looked as if
he might stroke out. “Everybody take a deep breath. Logan, where’s that good
bourbon you mentioned the other night?”

“The bar in my den, but I’ll get it.”

“No.” She rose from her seat. “You keep everyone calm here.
I’ll pour us all a stiff drink. I think we can use it.”

By the time she returned to the kitchen, filled four rocks
glasses with ice and poured drinks for everyone Ben had taken his seat again.

He still looks ready to bolt any minute.

But a healthy sip of the aged whiskey put some color back in
Randi’s face and took the edge off Ben’s nerves. He still vibrated with tension
but the wild look was gone from his eyes.

Logan was about to say something when they heard the
familiar
whop! whop! whop!
of chopper blades. Rebecca looked out the
window and watched the helicopter land amid a swirl of the snow it kicked up.

“Everyone stay here,” he said. “I’ll get Ric.”

The look he exchanged with Rebecca was unmistakable.

We have to keep things under control.

But as Logan opened the back door they heard the screech of
sirens as at least one sheriff’s vehicle came screeching up the driveway.

It took every effort from both Logan and Rebecca not to let
things get out of hand during the next ten minutes. She slid Randi out of the
room and into the den, telling her to stay there.

Logan met Rance Danvers at the door and refused to allow him
into the house. Ric managed to make it in through the back door and lock it
just as two deputies rounded the corner of the house. Rebecca pulled her gun
from her purse on the counter and Ric slipped his from the holster at the small
of his back.

“You’re making a big mistake, Logan.” The anger in Danvers’
voice was like a knife slicing through the air. “You don’t know this man any
better than I do. These people could be right.”

“Get in here.” Logan’s voice was tight with rage. “Just you.
The rest of you stay the hell out there.”

Rebecca heard footsteps and in a moment Logan and the
sheriff appeared in the kitchen.

“Now.” Logan stared at Danvers. “Let’s put this bullshit
aside and talk facts. Who the hell started this anyway?”

“I don’t know, Logan. I wish I did. All of a sudden there’s
a gang of people busting into my office demanding I arrest Ben Crater.” He
sighed. “I think we should have started showing those photos of yours around
after Jade was killed.”

“And then what? You think anyone would have believed it? You
didn’t at first, and neither did most of your deputies.”

Danvers lifted his hat, raked his fingers through his
short-cropped hair and set his hat back on his head. “My deputies know Ben’s
truck is out there. What am I supposed to do? Send them away?”

“You tell them I’ll bring him in but not with a lynch mob
waiting.”

“Wait a minute,” Ben interrupted.

Logan held up his hand. “Think about this, Rance. If you
bring Ben in, that leaves the beast still out there. We’ve figured out that its
programming has probably been tinkered with. What if its kill cycle is now four
instead of three? Do you really want it roaming around your county?”

Danvers looked as if he wanted to cut someone’s throat. “Of
course not. But all these damn people are just—”

“Get everyone the hell out of here,” Logan broke in. “You
too. We’ll get the beast for you but we need some breathing space.” He gestured
at Ric. “Meet Ric Garza. He brought our ‘eye in the sky’ and we’re going
hunting. But not until you’re all out of here.”

At that moment the radio on the sheriff’s belt squawked at
him. He lifted it to his mouth with an impatient gesture.

“What?”

“Sheriff?” The voice of the dispatcher cut into the
tension-filled air. “We’ve got another one.”

“Another what?” he demanded.

“Body.” The woman’s voice sounded panicked. “Just like Jade
Robinson.”

Logan could almost see the blood drain from Rance Danvers’
face. “Are you sure?”

“Sheriff, I wouldn’t joke about something like this. A
neighbor called to see if Russ Connolly wanted to go into town for a beer and a
burger. When there wasn’t any answer he decided to stop by. That damn dog of
Connolly’s was barking its fool head off in the back. When the neighbor went to
see what was wrong he found the body. Sheriff, he sounded like he was about to
have a heart attack.”

“God damn it.” The sheriff ground his teeth. “Did you
dispatch someone?”

“I sent Ford and Greg. They’ve been the lead on the other
two and in on all your secret meetings.” She said the word secret as if it was
tainted.

“All right. Call the forensics team and the coroner. I’ll be
on my way in a minute.”

Ben was on his feet again, fists clenched at his side. “That
ought to prove something,” he said. “If I was with you all morning and then
here, I couldn’t have killed anyone.”

“Maybe when you went to check your place before coming
here.” But Danvers didn’t sound like he even believed it himself.

Ben snorted. “Get real. I don’t even know where this place
is where the body was found. Would I have had time to do that?”

“You said you’re convinced the beast is real and is doing
this,” Logan said. “Let us get out hunting it. The kill is fresh so it may not
have gone back to its cave to hide.”

“Give us the location of the body,” Rebecca broke in. “Ric,
do you have all that information we went over uploaded to your tablet?”

Garza nodded. “I do. We can plot where its escape route
might be. Maybe even get lucky enough to find out what happens to it next.”

Logan turned back to the sheriff. “Go on, Rance. Get your
men out of here. Let us get to work.”

He could tell the other man was reluctant but he also sensed
something was going on that he didn’t want to know about.

“Just get that thing out of here.” He stomped down the hall.
The next thing they heard was the front door slamming and in a few moments the
sound of tires on the snow-covered driveway as the vehicles pulled away.

“I didn’t think he’d do it,” Ben said, scrubbing his face.
“Jesus.”

“I think the fact that arresting you would leave the devil
beast still roaming his county was enough to persuade him.” Logan turned to
Ric. “We’ve got some serious work to do. Let’s bring it all up on your tablet
and figure out the best routes to take.”

They spent fifteen minutes working out the logistics before
they were satisfied they knew where to hunt.

“You bring the big rifle?” he asked.

Ric nodded. “I assume Bek is riding with me? She’ll handle
the rifle?”

“I am,” she told him.

“What about me?” a voice broke in.

They all turned to look at Randi.

Rebecca cleared her throat. “You might want to go in the den
and occupy yourself with your laptop for a while.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? After I drew
the sketch of this devil? I want in on this too. I think I have to see it with
my own eyes.”

Logan exchanged looks with Rebecca then with Ben.

“You might see some things that are hard to believe,” he
said at last. “Things it…might be better if you didn’t know about.”