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Which made sense, given the kid had been snatched before last month’s new moon. What was surprising was the fact that he’d been found so soon. Previously, the bodies of the missing kids hadn’t turned up until months later. “They’re getting careless,” Jon commented softly.
“Or getting ready to leave the area and just don’t care how quickly we find the bodies anymore.”
So Mack thought the people behind this were in Taurin Bay, too. “Any suspects?”
The agent just gave him a toothy smile. “I want you to keep in contact with me. I want to know if you see this woman, or find any information. I want the people who did this alive and in prison. Clear?”
Jon wondered if the man knew he was parked next to Maddie’s truck. Probably, he thought, returning Mack’s hard gaze. “Very. Anything else?”
Mack’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t mess with me, Barnett. Not on this.”
Jon nodded, not moving until the agent had climbed into his car and driven away. Then he turned and made his way to the café’s entrance.
A woman opened the door as he approached, and a familiar tingle ran across his skin. He stopped at the base of the steps and studied the woman’s dark eyes. A brief flash of confusion, even fear, ran through her gaze. He didn’t think its origin was something as simple as being confronted by another shapeshifter in her territory.
Then she smiled. He couldn’t help responding.
“I do believe we’ve met before.” She tossed back her mane of golden hair, her voice as smooth as a fine malt whiskey.
Designed for seduction, he thought. There was something abo
ut her that seemed oddly familiar, yet her eyes were dark, not the green of the cat he’d seen in the forest.
“Surely not,” he replied lightly. “I’d never forget such a beautiful face.”
Maddie, he thought with amusement, would probably have made a face at such an obvious line. Or dissolved into fits of laughter. This woman merely smiled, though he felt a wariness in her that matched his own. And it wasn’t the usual wariness of two shapeshifters meeting for the first time.
“Eleanor Dumaresq,” she said. “Perhaps you have time for a cup of coffee?”
He took her offered hand. Her fingers were warm and pliant against his, yet he felt the inner core of strength in them. The woman was more than simply a shapeshifter. Old magic swirled about her, so strong he could almost taste it.
He let his touch linger a little longer than was necessary and studied her eyes. Her gaze called to the wildness within him.
Old magic was the key—and the danger—Seline had warned of when she’d sent him to Taurin Bay. It was an image that seemed to fit Eleanor well. It could also be the reason why her eyes appeared a different color in her human form than as a panther. Yet there was nothing more than a gut feeling and the words of an old witch tying Eleanor to the disappearances. Nothing more than a hunch suggesting she was the cat he’d seen in the forest. Still, his hunches had proven more right than wrong over the years.
And that meant she was someone he’d have to investigate. But as much as he would have loved to accept Eleanor’s invitation and pursue the mystery she presented, he couldn’t. Not with Maddie waiting for him in the café. He didn’t want to endanger her by introducing her to someone who might well be involved in the attempt on his life.
“I’m afraid I can’t just now,” he said, glancing past her to study the restaurant’s interior. Why did he suddenly feel that Maddie needed his help?
“A shame,” Eleanor replied warmly, “but I’m sure we’ll meet again. Taurin Bay is such a small town, after all.”
He glanced at her sharply. There was definitely an edge of warning in her mellow tones. “I’m sure we will.”
In fact, he’d make damn sure they did. Eleanor might not be the cat he’d seen in the forest, or even the one in the inn, but something told him she was involved in the disappearances. The brief flash of confusion in her eyes the moment they’d met told as much. As did the shimmer of hate that shone through her aura.
He watched her walk away, then quickly entered the restaurant.
“MR. STEWART, WHAT A SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE.” MADDIE forced a smile and hoped she didn’t look as nervous as she felt.
“I was about to say the same thing.” He dragged out a chair and sat down opposite her. “This restaurant is not the usual tourist destination.”
“My sister recommended it,” she said quickly, then silently cursed her own stupidity. Any mention of Jayne and Evan was suicidal if this man was involved with her nephew’s disappearance.
“Really? Does she come here often?”
Though Hank’s question was casual, she couldn’t miss the edge of tension around his thin mouth. She nodded, lowering her gaze as she took a quick sip of her drink.
“What’s her name? Maybe I know her.”
