She blinked her eyes to keep them open, but she had to admit, she was probably too tired to be driving.
Coward
.
You should have stayed and gotten some sleep. It would have been safer. Physically if not emotionally.
She shifted in her seat and turned the volume on the radio up louder. A hard rocker was screaming so loud now he could probably be heard well into the next county, but Andrea didn’t care. It gave her the jolt she needed to stay alert a few more minutes.
She wondered if Sean realized she’d left yet. Probably not. He’d been sleeping like a man who’d had one helluva workout, poor baby. A small grin lifted one side of her mouth. As far as goodbyes went, it had been pretty darn memorable. She almost wished—
Her foot hit the brake. Andrea’s car jerked to a halt so fast she almost went out the front window. It took her a second to catch her breath after her seat belt roughly yanked her back into the seat.
What the—
She shook her hair out of her eyes and gasped when she saw the
thing
standing three feet from her front bumper.
Andrea had seen enough cheesy horror movies to be able to say with certainty the creature staring back at her was
not
a werewolf.
But it looked awfully close.
On two legs, it was probably shorter than Andrea’s five-ten. From the seat of the SUV, she had to look down slightly to meet its eyes.
Scary orange eyes. Angry eyes. Menacing.
If that was Tom Davis in another costume, the man deserved an Academy Award. Call it a gut reaction, but Andrea knew without a doubt this was a living, breathing animal, not someone in a costume.
Its dark, hairy lip curled upward in a snarl, but the creature didn’t move. It just continued to stare at her through the glass as if it was royally pissed she’d interrupted its early-morning stroll across the roadway.
What the hell does it want me to do? Stay here and wait until it moves on? Throw seasoning on myself so it can enjoy a snack? What?
It wasn’t budging.
Her best course of action was to reverse and speed off, backward if she had to. She slowly reached for the gear shift beside her and felt her hand bump against her cell phone in the process.
Camera phone. Duh! Get a picture!
Since the creature could have already attacked her if it wanted, the reporter in her couldn’t resist the impulse. It continued to just stand there and watch as Andrea gripped the phone with her right hand and flipped it open. Her fingers fumbled with the camera feature.
Come on. Come on. Stupid piece of—
She lifted her hand and pressed the take button.
The thing growled low and moved forward, but Andrea’s hand was already working the shift and gunning the vehicle in reverse. She took her eyes off the animal only long enough to check for obstacles as she sped back.
When she looked forward again, it was gone.
Andi’s rental was still at the motel.
Sean took that as a good sign. He’d been certain he would arrive only to find she’d already checked out and left town. Not that he could entirely blame her. What had happened between them had spooked him too.
He’d never felt such a wild, instant hunger for a woman before. The sex had been hot. It had been reckless. It had never been so good. When he’d woken up and found her gone from his bed this morning, half of him had been glad. This woman could tangle him up in a way no other woman had ever done.
But the other part of him made him get dressed and drive over here to try to stop her from leaving. Damned if he understood why.
He steeled his nerves and knocked on the door. She opened it almost immediately.
“Andi, I—” She looked like hell. “What’s wrong?”
She grabbed his arm and tugged him into the room. “Thank God you’re here. I’ve been dying to show this to someone.” She pushed him toward her laptop.
“What?” He glanced at the screen and saw a large, blurry photo of…“What is this?”
“You tell me.”
“Uh, I don’t know. It’s not very good quality.” He tried a guess. “Maybe some kind of tree?”
“Crap!” She put her hand to her forehead and walked away.
This was not what Sean had expected. Was she trying to distract him from what happened between them? “Come on, do you want to tell me what this is about?”
She sighed. “No, not really.”
He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. If she was going to blow him off, she could at least look at him. “Why did you run out on me this morning?”
She yanked her arm free but met his eyes. “It happened. No need to dwell on it.”
“Then why are you still here?”
She closed her eyes as if in pain. When she opened them again, he saw a vulnerability he hadn’t seen in her in a long time. “Because I saw something.”
“What did you see?”
“Look, I honestly don’t know what I saw, but I’m not leaving this town until I figure it out.”
“Whoa, hold on. Tell me.”
She did. Her reporter’s instinct left out no details and kept her from making snap judgments. She described the creature as looking like a person, covered in dark, matted fur, but with a German shepherd’s head on its body.
“But its arms were longer than a normal person’s. It even walked kind of funny.”
Sean had always been on the fence about the sightings. He’d never seen anything, and the idea of a werewolf had always seemed so preposterous. He’d always thought it was a case of mistaken identity. But now…If this woman had seen something, he had to wonder.
“Maybe someone in a costume, trying to trick you? You do seem to have that effect on people.”
“Maybe. But it wasn’t the same costume I saw last night.” She nodded. “Maybe it was a bear.” She shook her head instantly, looking unhappy and puzzled. “It didn’t look like a bear. It looked like a freaking werewolf. If I’d had a real camera, I could have gotten a terrific picture. Instead—” She picked up her cell phone and tossed it angrily onto the bed, where it bounced and landed against a pillow.
Sean smiled. It was always fun watching skeptics fall a peg or two. “So what? You’re going to stick around until you figure it out? People have been trying to figure this one out for a few years, Sunshine. What makes you think you’ll succeed where they failed? And you think you can do it in, what, a few days?”
“Of course not. I’m not that arrogant. I just want to make sure it’s not Brandon or anyone else playing tricks on
me
.” She sent him a pointed look. “On the off chance this thing
is
real, I don’t want Brandon to be the cause for it being declared a hoax. Fair is fair. That’s all.”
Sean was glad to hear it. Whatever kept her around for a few extra days was fine by him.
“A lot of reporters wouldn’t care. They’d take the story, real or not, and run with it. I’m impressed. You have ethics.”
She sighed, the sound reflecting her irritation. He smiled. The lady had more integrity than most people he knew, reporters and all. Yet another attractive trait. Sean shifted uncomfortably on his feet, suddenly remembering the way she’d responded to him last night. The way her soft skin felt against his. The way she’d tasted. Sean had the definite feeling she wouldn’t have to try very hard to make him crazy about her. He was already halfway there.
He touched her arm. “All right, then. Let’s go.”
She didn’t have to ask where. She slipped her jacket on. “Since it rained last night, I hoped there might be footprints, but I haven’t worked up the nerve to go back there alone.”
“You? Scared?”
“Damn straight.”
She was again dressed casually, in jeans, and it really suited her. He especially liked the red sweater that scooped down toward her breasts and was so tight it accentuated all the curves he’d felt pressed against him last night. He couldn’t help but sigh when she covered it all up with the jacket. She tugged her long hair free from the collar—she was wearing it loose today, another improvement—and sent him a guarded look.
“We can take my car.” She grabbed the keys from the table, along with her handbag, sunglasses and a cup of coffee.
Sean grabbed the keys from her before she could protest. “We can take your car, but I’ll drive.”
She started to argue but shut her mouth when he sent her a look of warning. He’d had more sleep, and she knew it.
Andrea gave him directions and settled back into the passenger seat. He turned over the engine and his ears were assaulted by loud, blaring music. He wasn’t talking Brittney Spears here. He was talking ear-piercing rock ’n’ roll.
“Sorry.” She turned it down. “I like my music loud.”
“Obviously.” He frowned as he glanced at the CDs she had stuck in a cubbyhole. He’d never heard of half the bands.
He shook his head, grinning at this newest discovery about her. If you’d asked him sooner, he would have pegged her for a Celine Dion, maybe a little-eighties-thrown-in, kind of fan. Obviously he’d have been wrong.
Miss Priss was a hard-rock girl. Amazing.
He cleared his throat. “So, did you get your story turned in?”
“Sure did.”
“Think it’ll get published?”
She sort of laughed at that. “If I know Brandon, it’ll be edited to death and quite a different version from the one I turned in.”
“Hmm.”
“What does that mean—that hmm?”
“You two were dating, right?” Andi turned her head and sent him a confused look before returning her attention to the road. “Reed told me he’d researched you, so I gave it a try myself. Funny thing was, every time your name popped up, so did Montgomery’s. You two make a nice couple, by the way. Very photogenic.”
Sean didn’t mention how his gut tightened and the immediate, irrational hatred he’d felt for Brandon Montgomery after he’d seen the pictures of Andi and the other man together, always smiling, always at some event together, looking happy, looking like the perfect society couple.
And that had been
before
he’d slept with her.
She waited a beat before responding. “We stopped dating about seven, eight months ago.”
“Sounds messy.” He was really glad to hear it. “I’m surprised you still worked for the guy afterward.”
“He was a reporter when we dated. Didn’t get promoted to editor until later.”
“Come on. I’m sure that newsroom has to have at least half a dozen editors. And you just happened to get assigned to him?” He clicked his tongue. “Let’s see. Guy’s family owns the rag. He probably has a lot of pull. I don’t know, Andi. I think he’s trying to keep you under his thumb for some reason.”
He thought he saw her jaw clench. Yeah, she’d thought the same thing—he could see it in her eyes. And she didn’t seem to like the idea any more than Sean did.
“So, what happened? Typical breakup or did he do something horrible to make you mad? Did he give you an annoying nickname like ‘Sunshine’?” This he added with a smile and a look in her direction to gauge her reaction. She was fighting amusement. “He’s obviously trying to win you back, so that means you had to do the breaking off, am I right? Feel free to tell me it’s none of my business.”
“It’s none of your business.”
Oh, but it was his business. Clearly she didn’t want to talk about what happened between them, and he could accept that.
For now
. Sooner or later, they’d have to deal with the fact that they had slept together.
They were both quiet for a minute or two. Then Andrea laughed. “You actually researched me?”
“Sure did.” He remembered some of the information he’d obtained in doing so.
Handful of awards from her time at the
Chicago Sun-Times
. Runner-up for journalist of the year in Colorado. He’d even found some archived stories she’d written for the
Naked Truth
. He’d been floored by their quality for a tabloid.
She’d told Reed she was a terrible photographer, but he’d also found her name attached to two photo awards from her days in Tennessee. She had made herself look bad to build that kid up. Yeah, she might want people to think she was tough as nails, but when it came right down to it, she was a softy.
“You know what I find strange?”
She laughed. “In this town? Do you
really
want me to answer that?”
His lips twitched. “Most reporters spend their whole careers trying to establish their credibility. You, you had it, you had a promising career and you walked away from it. What happened to make you want to give it all up? Why did you go to the
Truth
? For the money?”
A hint of sadness crossed her features. Why? He wondered. What was she hiding? She hesitated, but only for a second. “You could say that.”
“No shame in that.” He glanced at the trees he drove past. He wouldn’t push her for more answers now. “That was a hell of an article you wrote for the
Truth
about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath for low-income residents. You know, I never really read an issue before. I guess I always judged it by its cover and never bothered to examine its contents.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He wondered if she was talking about herself, in college, and he felt his face turn a little red with shame. He was different now. Couldn’t she see that? As if reading his mind, she shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Most people do the same. So did I before I worked there.” She sent him an inquisitive look. “What’s your excuse? You left the
Times
for the
Dispatch
on purpose?”
He could have explained it to her, but he decided to keep his explanation as simple as possible. Meg didn’t like too many people to know what she’d gone through. “Family,” he answered. “My family was here.”
Andi sent him a sideways glance that told him she knew there was more to his story than that, just like he knew there was more to hers. Still, she didn’t push. “Family, huh? I guess that’s a pretty good reason.”
He saw a chance to change the conversation. “Speaking of family, my sister called me this morning to nag me about why I haven’t brought you over since you’ve been in town. She wants me to invite you to dinner before you leave.”
She shifted in her seat and looked away. “For all I know, I’m leaving tomorrow. But tell her I said thank you. She seems very nice.”
“She’s the best.”
She smiled, sort of sadly, and he got the feeling she was thinking of her brother—the one who’d died. He knew she had a younger brother too, but she’d never said much about him. Sean figured that meant she wasn’t close to the boy and wondered why. She got along with Reed like ink on paper.
The road where Andi had seen the creature was just as deserted now as it must have been in the early morning. He followed her as she carefully inspected the ground for evidence.
“Look, Sean!” She knelt beside a spot of grass. He saw flies gathered around some roadkill. A large rabbit, maybe?
“It does look like it’s been munched on.”
“Ewww. No, not that.” Covering her mouth in disgust, Andrea pointed to a series of footprints, very similar to the one they’d found last night on Bluffs Parkway. “Do you think—”
“I think I should go get my camera from the car.” It was overwhelming. Andi really had seen something.
She fumbled with her bag and pulled out a camera of her own. He should have known she’d beat him to it.
It wasn’t until they were back in the SUV that she turned to him. “Do you know what this means?”
“What?”
“I’m not crazy!” And she laughed, relieved. With a sigh, she reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “All right. There’s one more place we need to go. You game?”
He nodded. Where this woman was concerned, he was pretty much game for anything.
The Alten residence was located in a nice neighborhood, Andrea noted, taking in the homes they passed until they came to the address they were seeking. Set off from the road by about a hundred yards or so, the Altens’ modest ranch house was surrounded on three sides by trees.
Once out of the car, Andrea turned to Sean, “I’m just an observer this time. This is your show, Hunter. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Feel free to jump in anytime you like, Sunshine.”
“We’ll see.”
She’d almost forgotten about the lead Charles Browder had given her yesterday, she’d been so preoccupied with her own sighting. Fortunately, it had been one of her first thoughts upon seeing Sean today. Probably because she’d intended to give the lead to him before she’d left last night, but that hadn’t happened.
She’d been a little, um, distracted.
Sean’s arm brushed against hers as they entered the small house, and Andrea felt her face heat, remembering the intimate way he’d touched her. They’d used two condoms before they’d collapsed, spent and exhausted, tangled together in a heap on his bed.
Why hadn’t he mentioned it yet? She expected him to hound her about it, maybe gloat a little. She was glad, for the most part, but the red-blooded woman in her couldn’t help but feel a bit slighted that he seemed to have brushed it aside so easily. Maybe he was so used to one-night stands it didn’t faze him, but she wasn’t. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life. It was just another reminder of how different they were. Andrea took a seat beside him on the couple’s comfortably worn sofa and struggled to pay attention to the reason they were there.