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“Has Emma said anything else?” Larkin asked Levi.
“She seems to be saying that he was gentle with Charlotte,” replied Levi. “Wait, there’s more. I can’t quite make out her words.”
… remember … can’t … hates …
“I don’t know what she’s trying to say.” Levi repeated the three words she’d spoken. “Now she’s sobbing and muttering her daughter’s name. I can feel her presence fading.” He posed a few questions at her, unsurprised when she gave no answers.
“Are there any pulses of physical pain in the air?” asked Tanner.
“No. I don’t believe he hurt her until the end when he broke her neck.”
Leaving the house, Levi and the other sentinels spoke with the neighbors. None reported seeing or hearing anything untoward, just as none had seen a car parked outside the house. Two people, however, claimed to have seen a man enter the house two days ago, but none could give an accurate description. They just kept using the word ‘average,’ but they could remember what he wore—jeans, a jacket, and a cap.
Gathering in Emma’s front yard with Knox and the other sentinels, Levi sighed. “As I see it, there are only two similarities between Emma and Diem—they were single, and they had a young child. They looked nothing alike, there was an eight-year age gap between them, and they didn’t have similar jobs or hobbies. Aside from being part of the same lair, they were in no way connected.”
“In terms of character, they were alike in some ways,” said Larkin. “Gentle. Shy. Quick to smile.”
“Making them nothing like my aunt,” Levi pointed out.
“Maybe his tastes in character have changed.” Larkin shrugged. “Emma and Diem were also good moms. And there was some friction between them and their family members.”
“In summary, then, he likes single mothers who don’t have the best support network,” said Keenan. “So, what, he wants a woman who he feels needs someone? He wants to be their savior?”
“That or he prefers victims he is fairly certain won’t have constant visits from family members as he doesn’t wish to be interrupted. We have to operate on the assumption that he’s using our lair as his metaphorical hunting ground,” Knox added, a thread of menace in his voice. “I want guards on every single mother within our lair—guards who will knock on their front door every morning, ask how they’re doing, and briefly check the house.”
Pausing, Knox turned to Levi. “Since a man has been seen at both crime scenes, I don’t believe it was the same person who attacked Piper or the killer would have concealed himself on entering the houses the way he did at the deli.”
“I don’t consider him a suspect. Being childless, Piper’s not his type. Also, I don’t see any reason why he’d target my anchor.” Levi looked at Emma’s house. “This thing he does … he’s trying to fulfill something inside him. He doesn’t get off on causing physical pain. He even makes the deaths quick. What happened to Piper was completely different, not to mention risky and sloppy.”
Knox gave a slow nod. “Whoever killed Diem and Emma likes control. Nothing about what occurred at the deli was controlled.”
“The person who attacked Piper … my money is on Sefton or Jasper.” Again, Levi slid his gaze to the house. “As for who did this, I have no fucking clue who we should be looking at. Part of me wants to go hunting, but I can’t bring myself to leave Piper’s side right now.”
“I understand,” said Knox. “Your instincts—not to mention your demon—wouldn’t allow it. But I would not ask you to go hunting in any case, because I believe that that’s what this killer wants: to draw you into a game of cat-and-mouse. As Tanner speculated, this person is reaching out to you. He wants your attention. So we’re not going to give it to him. That’s what will make him slip up. That and making it near impossible for him to harm other single mothers within our lair. We’ll get him, Levi.”
“Then he’s mine.”
“Oh yes, then he’s yours.”
CHAPTER NINE
The first thing Levi wanted to do on leaving Emma’s residence was seek out his anchor. Piper might not have been in his life long, but the urge to be around her while anger roiled in his gut was as instinctive as breathing. Seeing her, smelling her, hearing her voice—all of it would have soothed both him and his demon. But she was working, and he had a male demon to question.
Striding into her previous place of work with Larkin—who’d offered to come along, since Knox had returned home and relieved her of bodyguard duty—Levi scanned his surroundings. This studio had nothing on Urban Ink. It was too plain, and it lacked character. Aside from the equipment, nothing about it said ‘tattoo shop.’
The slender blonde behind the small reception desk gave Levi a quick once-over and then smiled. “Hi, do you have an—”
