Jackson’s gaze fell on me. “Did you recognize anyone?”
“No, I didn’t,” I replied. The few bodies I had seen didn’t spark any memories.
“Why would all these people from different clans meet at the dump?” Jackson asked.
“We don’t know. We are investigating the matter,” Jonas said.
“Did you or anyone in your pack know about the meeting at the dump?” I inquired.
“No. The pack had a meeting yesterday and nobody knew what was going on. The secretary showed a meeting logged in the book on the day he disappeared, but the entry didn’t say who he was meeting with.”
Great. He was as clueless as we were. Well, we had some clues at least.
Jackson’s eyes darted from Jonas to me. “Why is Sal interested in bringing you in? It can’t be because you failed to register with the clan. The fact he has your picture on the website suggests he is desperate to find you.”
“I’m not sure, but it’s putting the lives of my friends in danger,” I said.
“Have you tried to contact him?” Jackson asked.
I shook my head. “I haven’t had a chance.”
He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You said thirty people died from four different breeds. They met at the dump and you suspect someone killed them. The questions are who did it.” He counted with his fingers. “Why, and why is it being kept a secret.”
“Exactly,” I said. I had a pile of others needing answers too, but I felt certain they were all connected.
Jackson’s attention shifted to Jonas. “Why is the WWOPP interested in what happened?”
“The demon councilman is missing too,” I said.
“The councilman?” Jackson asked, sounding surprised.
“Everything has happened very fast, and we don’t have many answers. If you give me your card, I promise to keep in touch with you,” I said.
Jackson stared into my eyes. “Every demon is looking for you. How can you investigate a crime when you are the one being chased?”
He had a valid point. I couldn’t go far with the way things were.
“Does the council know you’re listed as missing?” Jackson asked. “Why don't you have them contact the local clan to clear this up?”
Damn this wolf was smart, and I was sinking fast. To make matters worse, every time I looked into his chocolate eyes, I wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him what I was and what had happened. If I didn’t get away from him soon, I would lose my self-control.
“We need to get to our friend and make sure she is all right,” I said, trying to hint urgency. “Will you take us?”
“Why do I still feel as if you are hiding something?” he asked. The twinkle in his luscious eyes tempted me to answer with the truth.
“Give me your card. I will call you.” I held my palm out toward him. “I promise.”
“Do you have one?” he asked.
“No, I don’t.” I turned to Jonas. “Do you?”
“In my wallet.”
I reached inside Tabby’s bag, took out his wallet, and handed it to him. He unfolded his wallet and withdrew a tiny card.
“If I call the council, will they confirm your investigation?” Jackson asked, studying the card.
“We have been communicating with the vampire councilman. If you need to confirm anything, I suggest you contact him.”
Jackson tucked the card into his chest pocket. “And you give me your word to contact me when you have information?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
“Then I will hold you to it.” His gaze bore down upon me. He wanted answers as much as I did. He wasn’t the enemy unless I failed to hold true to my word.
He stood and extended his hand. I rose and gripped it. Heat radiated from his gentle touch. In a swift move, he pulled me close to him. “You’re different from them.”
His thumb glided over the back of my hand in a soft caress. A tingle of excitement rose within me, considering the possibilities of his naked body with mine. My heart thumped faster, and I wondered if he could hear it.
Jonas got to his feet. “We should get going.”
Feeling overly warm, I lowered my eyes and took a step back. What was I thinking?
Jackson drove us to the hospital. Once again, I sat in the back like a criminal. When we reached the hospital entrance, he parked under the canopy and gave Jonas his card.
“I will be waiting to hear from you,” Jackson said.
Jonas shoved open the door. “We’ll call soon.”
Jackson’s warm gaze met mine. A gentle smile touched his lips, and I imagined them on me. A rush of blood made me flush.
“Thank you for everything.” I pushed open the door, anxious to leave before he could smell my desire.
“Stephanie,” he said.
I stopped in the open door and turned to face him.
“If I can help you with anything , please, don’t hesitate to call me.”
His eyes and smile made my heart jump. The werewolf had to know the effect he had on me.
“I won’t hesitate,” I said.
His smile grew. Why did I get the feeling that if I called him, he'd rush to meet me?
I shut the door and walked into the hospital. My thoughts about Jackson swirled around my head. Having a werewolf cop as an ally might be a very good idea. Maybe we could help each other out with the investigation. He seemed like one of the good guys and right now, I needed more of his kind on my team. While his priorities lay with his Alpha, I had a feeling he would bend a few rules to get to know me better, intimately perhaps. Hell, he’d already broken a few human laws just to help me and Jonas. He was loyal all right, sneaky, and very smart. He was a man I needed to be careful with.
A grin stretched across my face as I thought of his naked body. My own body warmed, recalling his solid muscles, all of them. The next time we would meet couldn't come soon enough.
Chapter 23
The waiting room was empty, except for the ample supply of chairs and magazines. Peach colored walls and worn carpeting made the room look old and outdated. A television sat on an anchor in one corner. An aquarium containing about a dozen various tropical fish separated a portion of the waiting room from the hallway. The air reeked of alcohol and staleness, but I wasn’t going to complain. The odor smelled better than blood, death, or rot.
Boss sat across from me, his arms resting on his chair’s armrests. The impassive expression on his face made it difficult to determine if he was angry with me, or simply worried about Tabby. We hadn't spoken since the night we’d had sex. Maybe he didn't know how to treat me now.
Regardless of what he thought of me, I wanted to hold his hand and offer him comfort. I had a fondness for the vampire. Not love, but admiration. We had shared an intimate moment together, but I didn't love him. The moment we shared came strictly from need. Instinct told me he would agree.
Jonas paced in the waiting area and the halls. If I had to guess, he was trying to keep a watchful eye for demons. The demon cop, Henry, had made only one call during our time of captivity. We were probably safe at the hospital, for now. Once someone discovered Henry was missing and connected his disappearance with the incident at the store, it probably wouldn’t take long for another demon to come snooping.
Tabby remained in recovery. The nurses had been by an hour ago and said she’d come out of surgery fine. They intended to move her to a private room and monitor her progress. Until then, they wouldn’t let us visit. Little did they know, I already had.
When she was in surgery, I’d changed into my mist form and snuck in the room to observe her progress. She slept through the entire operation without any complications. After the procedure, I came back to Boss and Jonas and gave them an update. As soon as the nurses moved Tabby into a room, I planned to change again and stay with her while Boss and Jonas patrol the area.
“I haven’t seen any more cops or demons around.” Jonas said as he sat next to me.
He had informed Boss about Jackson as soon as we arrived. Boss thought we should be cautious around the werewolf, but he didn’t believe Jackson would be a problem. Werewolves were loyal to their pack and since Jackson now knew his Alpha was likely dead, Jackson would do anything to find the killer. I certainly agreed with him, based on the short time I'd spent with Jackson. Boss went on to say he thought we should stay in touch with Jackson, since the werewolf had access to information. I concurred with Boss more than Jonas did.
“I doubt Jackson will say anything,” I said in support of our new friend. “And the only call Henry made was to someone telling them he had me.”
I crossed my legs and leaned my elbow on the armrest, propping my chin on my fist. Maybe I should stop hiding and face my problems head on. Sal had answers. So why should I run from him?
“I think I should turn myself in,” I said.
Jonas looked at me. “That would be a bad idea.”
“Why is it a bad idea? He’s got my picture posted on the damn website. Every demon knows what I look like. I’m not safe anywhere, and anyone seen with me will be in danger too.”
Boss shifted in his chair. “If you turn yourself in, we will never get any answers. And you will risk your own existence.”
“I doubt Sal wants me dead.”
“You don’t know for sure. He could have had the people at the dump killed. Maybe you were supposed to die too. Maybe he wants you so bad because you somehow managed to survive.”
There were too many maybes. “Do you truly believe he has the authority do such a thing?”
Boss clasped his hands in his lap. “All demons are tricky. Any of them with the means and right motivation could do it.”
“I agree with Boss,” Jonas said. “We don’t know enough. We should wait and see what happens with the council and local clan.”
“And what am I supposed to do, stay at the house twenty-four hours a day? Sal is going to have his goons looking for me. If he knows I’m with you two, what’s there to stop him from picking you guys up? Neither of you are safe, nor is Tabby.”
Boss leaned over his legs. “Give us more time.”
A nurse wearing a blue uniform came around the corner, bringing a halt to our conversation. “Hi. Are you with Ms. Kincaid?”
Jonas stood. “She’s my sister.”
The nurse smiled. “We moved her to room forty-one twelve. She’s stabilized and doing well. You’re welcome to come back during visiting hours to see her.”
“Thank you,” Jonas said. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to stay a while longer.”
She shrugged. “It’s up to you.” She gave each of us a pleasant smile and then disappeared.
Jonas sat back down. His gentle eyes bore down on me. “I saw what you did in the store, trying to stop him. You did everything you could.”
“Did I?” I uncrossed my legs and rose. “Because she could be dead.” I walked by him and he grabbed my arm.
“It’s not your fault,” Jonas said.
I glanced over my shoulder at Boss. “What do you think?”
“We work in a dangerous business. If he says it was not your fault, I believe him.”
Their beliefs were different from mine. The demon had shot Tabby because of me. He used her to get to me. I had to take the blame. And if Jonas and Boss continued to stick around me, they would get hurt too. Hell, a demon cop had killed an innocent man and shot Jonas a few hours ago. What was next?
“I'm going to check on Tabby.” I stepped away from them and headed to the bathroom.
Inside the empty restroom, I transformed into a dark mist. I passed through the door and floated down the hall. The numbers I passed were in the forty-four hundreds. I kept going, past two more nurses’ desk, and reached a set of double doors. A sign on the wall listed the room numbers. Following the arrows, I turned and headed down another lengthy hall.
I found Tabby’s room midway along and passed through the door. The small room had a chair at one end, a television in the corner above, and the bed, which consumed most of the space. Electronic equipment on one side of the bed monitored Tabby's heart and other functions. A small light glowed in the electronics. On the other side, a bag with clear fluid fed into her. As I moved closer to Tabby, I changed into regular form.
She looked peaceful while she slept. Her long dark hair flowed around her shoulders. Her arms rested above the covers and a plastic clip covered one of her fingers. The wire connected to it led to a black monitor. A green line moved in a steady pattern on the screen. Relief washed through me. My feline friend would be all right.
I looked down at Tabby and shook my head. She had been so scared in the store, but she had remained calm. She was a real trooper. I hated her being hurt.
Tears swelled in my eyes. This was my fault, damn it, no matter what Jonas and Boss believed. My presence put them all in danger.
Tears rolled down my face. “Sorry, Tabby.” I whispered before I kissed her cheek. Two of my tears fell on her, and I wiped them off.
“You shouldn’t do that,” a familiar voice said.
I jerked my head up. Benny leaned next to the curtained window. He had his arms crossed over his chest.
“I shouldn’t do what?”
“Get attached to them.”
“She’s my friend. I care about her.” I wiped away the tears on my face.
“Of course you do. But if you get too close, it will make it difficult for you to leave.”
I looked down at Tabby. Leave her? I didn’t want to.
“You did good,” Benny said. “You saved her life.”
I almost chuckled. “You’re the second person to tell me how well I did. For the record, I did poorly. She got shot.”
“But you saved her life.”
“You keep saying that. How did I save her life?”
He shook his head. “You don’t know, do you?”
I let out a big sigh. Maybe it was time to come clean with the angel. I walked around the bed and slumped in the chair.
“Benny, I have a confession.”
He turned to face me. “My name isn’t Stephanie. I lied to you. The truth is, I don’t know my real name, where I’m from, who created me, or what I’m doing here. The two men sitting in the waiting room found me, and offered to help me. I didn’t know I was a half-breed until you told me.”
He smiled. “I know, about the last part.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to say more. He didn’t.