Her tone hardened suddenly and sharply. “Not a goddamn cent. I was a victim of them, not a partner. And I’ve had nothing to do with any vamps since. And certainly not any drugs. Ever. Is that clear enough?”
My years of working New Omaha’s streets told me both her eyes and lips weren’t telling lies. I couldn’t finish it there though, unfortunately, despite her obvious pain in answering my last question.
“Clear as crystal. And I’m sorry if some of these questions are upsetting, but I have to ask. Just like I have to ask if you might know what vamp might’ve been flashing your picture around.”
“Conrad Marchand.” She shuddered. “It’s the only name I have for you. Or perhaps his friend, Armand. But really it could’ve been any vamp at the club that night.”
“What night was that?” I pulled out my phone to make a note of both names she’d thrown out.
“Last Wednesday.”
“Could you pick those two out of a photo lineup, if needed?”
She nodded.
“Hunter, I’ll need your security footage from that night. All of it.”
My twin’s jaw flexed, but one look at Serenity, and he said, “Fine. Come by the club tomorrow.”
The ginger cat moved onto Serenity’s lap, and she cuddled her tight. “Is there anything else? I’m not sure I can talk more about vamps right now. But I’ll help if I can.”
I slid my phone back into my pocket. “We can leave that, for now. I’m sorry I upset you. But why did you leave the shelter so suddenly yesterday? Why didn’t you wait for the police?”
Petting the cat’s head, her eyes teary, she replied with her tone climbing higher and more flustered with each sentence, “I was stressed out from it all. Beatrice said classes were cancelled and that I should go home and rest. I didn’t even know the police would be called. How could I have known? I thought he’d had some sort of epileptic fit or something. Why would I wait around for police?”
A fair answer. And her eyes had been honest the whole time. I was about ready to strike her off my suspect list.
Bryce chimed in, his voice now stern. “I think you’ve got the answers you came for. If you still think she’s in on this, you’re a moron.”
I laughed. All that money had made Bryce quite comical in some ways. “I’m a moron? You know that news station of yours is practically a propaganda machine for those creeps at the Temple of the Pure Breed? You know how much pro-Temple bullshit I see when the news comes on?”
Bryce tugged at his shirt collar, flustered. “I know some of the reporters are members, maybe they go a bit far in their praise sometimes. I have a lot of companies to oversee. I can’t micro-manage every goddamn employee, I—” He paused, breathing deeply. “I’m working on it. I don’t want my news channel biased to any group any more than you do. Especially the Temple.”
I set my half-finished coffee on the table and stood. “Yeah, you do that, rich man. Because for all I know, in fact, I have some strong suspicions, the Temple might have a part in all this drugs mess.”
Serenity looked at Bryce, her face masked in confusion. “The Temple?”
“A bunch of fanatics,” I said, butting in before Bryce could answer. “They’re the reason most humans moved out of Nebraska to begin with. They formed when the Agreement was signed. Started spouting their bullshit. All against humans and half-breeds. This drug that’s being dealt around here in New Omaha, and is showing up across all New Nebraska now too, only seems to have severe reactions in humans and half-breeds. That’s mighty convenient from theTemple’s point of view, wouldn’t you say?” I turned toward Bryce. “And getting their image whitewashed by your news station helps their cause even more.”
“He said he’d look into it,” Hunter said, his words wrapped in a snarl. I could tell his patience was coming to an end. He could go fuck himself.
I fixed my gaze on Serenity. “You gave me straight answers. I believe you. And I’m glad it looks like the kid’s going to be okay. Sorry for upsetting you.” I glanced at Hunter and Bryce. “I’ll see myself out.”
I started walking toward the elevator, but paused when Serenity’s voice called after me. “Detective?”
Turning, my jaguar pining as we met eyes once again, she said, “If you catch the monsters who are doing this, could you let me know? I want them in prison as much as you do, if they’re hurting people, especially vulnerable kids.”
I liked that. I even managed a genuine smile. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Thanks, I’ll give you my number,” she said and I didn’t bother telling her I already had it from the shelter, appreciating her offer to give it to me freely. She moved to get up and the cat pounced right on the table where I’d set my cup down, spilling coffee onto it and the rug underneath. “Oh!” she cried, trying to sop some of it with the sleeves of her hoodie.
“We’ve got it, Serenity.” Bryce hurried into the kitchen for towels.
“Go ahead and give him your number, it’s okay,” Hunter said, nodding toward me.
She slipped off her soiled hoodie, threw it over a bar stool and grabbed a pen and notepad off the counter, scribbling out her digits quickly. I strode over to take it from her. “Here,” she said, pressing it into my hand and in that instant, everything I thought I’d known about my life up until that moment changed.
Standing inches apart—the closest we’d been all morning—her sweet scent filling the space around me, my jaguar roared within me and smacked me with a single thought:MATE. He rarely pushed his thoughts into me so violently, but this time he did, again and again, like I hadn’t heard the big, needy guy the first time, saying it over and over so emphatically,mate, mate, mate, mate, mate.
