Born to Love (The Vampire Reborn Series) (Entangled Ignite) (11 page)

Chapter Sixteen

An elegant black sedan cruised up and double-parked in front of Diana’s crime scene.

Daly raised an eyebrow at the sight. “Quite a change from your government-issue ride.”

“Stuff it, Daly,” she said, and handed the sedan keys to Maggie. “Can you finish processing the scene and get me a report as soon as you can? Then coordinate with David on whatever he’s been able to pull together.”

“Meet you back at the office?” Maggie asked, a worried furrow marring her features.

Although a bone-deep fatigue had settled into Diana’s body and she’d had a vague sense that deep in her core something wasn’t right, she had to press on with the investigation. Her best friend was counting on her for answers.

“For sure, Mags, and thanks for finishing up here. I’ll call you as soon as we’re done so we can coordinate.” Considering how tired she was, maybe a meeting at the condo would be more practical than Federal Plaza. And closer to her bed.

Diana headed to the limo and as she neared, the back door popped open. Ryder stepped out into the early dusk of the winter night, comfortable in his milieu of wealth. He was dressed casually in black jeans and a black cashmere sweater that hugged his leanly muscled body. A black leather jacket she knew would be butter smooth fit over his wide shoulders and nipped in at his lean waist. As always, he took her breath away.

He locked his gaze on her and gently grasped her hand as she approached. Even as tired as she was, that look and simple, comfortable contact roused desire deep within her, driving away some of her weariness.

He bent and took her mouth in a hard, hungry kiss, giving no quarter before he pulled away, and said, “You look beat, darlin’.”

“You sweet talker.” She slipped into the sedan where Rafe waited, hands clasped tightly before him. He bounced them on his knees, over and over, nervous energy crackling in every line of his body.

He glanced her way as she sank onto the seat beside him and Ryder followed, sandwiching her between the two very hunky men.

“There are more bodies?” Rafe asked, peering past her through the tinted windows to the fire-damaged brownstone.

Diana nodded. “Two young taggers who picked the wrong place to vandalize.”

Ryder leaned forward and gave the driver instructions on where to go. Then he shut the privacy panel and at her wary look, he explained, “Foley and Diego provided the name of a pub where we might find what you’re looking for.”

“Thank you,” she said, and laid her hand on his. With a smile, he twined his fingers with hers, offering support. He glanced at the brownstone. “Do you think whatever did this also killed the jogger?”

“The bodies have decayed somewhat, affecting the bite marks, but I’m confident there will be enough forensic evidence to confirm it was the same killer.”

“So…you think the werewolf came back home after the fire?” Rafe asked, continuing to clasp and unclasp his hands as he thought out the sequence of events.

Diana nodded. “Seems that way. There was evidence in the basement that an animal was being secured in there before the fire. It may have thought it was safe to return afterward, but who knows if it will come back again.”

“Or if it’s still in animal form,” Ryder suggested. “The full moon cycle is over, so we can assume it’s back to being human, right?”

“I’m pretty sure,” she agreed. “Nothing I’ve seen so far says a shifter stays that way beyond the full moon. In the meantime, David is working with one of the neighbors and our forensic artist to get a sketch of the suspect. Although we got lucky, since I found this in the brownstone.” She pulled out an evidence bag containing a broken picture frame holding a water-stained photo of two men.

Rafe pointed to one of the men in the picture. “That’s the man we pulled from the fire.” He leaned closer to examine the other man’s features. But unfortunately, that part of the photo was the most damaged. “This guy doesn’t look familiar at all.”

“Hopefully we can restore it to get a better image, or combine it with what the sketch artist comes up with from the neighbor’s description.”

“Hopefully,” Ryder said, and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Diana accepted the comfort, resting her head on his shoulder, welcoming his presence despite her earlier reticence. It was nice to have a shoulder to lean on after relying on herself for so long. But she hated when that need bled over to work-related issues.

Closing her eyes, she took the time to rest for the long ride to the High Bridge area, shoring up her flagging reserves. By the time the car rolled to a halt she felt revived, fresh energy replacing her earlier fatigue.

…

Ryder had sensed his wife’s frailty when she tucked herself against his side. Now she seemed stronger, but he wondered for how long. He worried if she would be ready for whatever awaited them inside the shifter pub.

A pub filled with dangerous, furry shifters. He buzzed down the window to reveal the building just a few yards away, standing thirty feet wide and four stories tall. The floors were connected on the outside by a rusty, dilapidated fire escape that barely looked capable of holding a cat, let alone a person. Rusty bars caged the glass windows that ran the length of the building on the upper stories. Dim light peeked out from behind the grimy dirt, but there was no sign of any activity on those levels. On the ground floor, an assortment of neon beer signs cast colorful puddles of light and shadow on the cracked, uneven cement of the sidewalk in front of the pub.

“Nice place,” he muttered. He closed the window and regarded her. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

When she hesitated, Rafe jumped into action. “Well, I am.” He rushed out the limo door, forcing Ryder and Diana to chase after him onto the curb. Without waiting for them, he hurried to the entrance of the pub, but with a blast of vampire speed, Ryder caught up to him.

When Rafe grabbed hold of the handle to the heavy wooden club door, Ryder slammed his hand flat on the surface and used his vamp power to keep it shut. “You follow our lead, Rafe, not the other way around,” he said, a deep rumble and hint of fang reinforcing his command.

“Bullshit.” Rafe jabbed the center of his chest with his thumb and rose on tiptoes to meet Ryder’s greater height. “It’s
my
life that’s at stake.”

“
And
mine, and more important, Diana’s and our child’s,” he reminded the other man.

Diana joined him, and in a not so subtle move, drew back her jacket to show Rafe the gun, badge, and handcuffs on her belt. “You follow our lead or you’ll find yourself cuffed and locked in that sedan,” she warned.

Rafe responded with a low growl, and before their eyes, fur sprouted along his hand as it rested on the handle.

Rafe started, and reeled at the sight. He pulled back, jamming his hands into his jacket pockets and standing down. “I understand,” he agreed, reluctant, but more amenable after his unexpected display.

Ryder yanked open the door and made no bones about the fact he would go through first. With a not so subtle elbow to Rafe’s midsection, he strode into the pub.

Possibly a big mistake. Diana followed him in a second later, and at least a half a dozen powerfully built men and women were instantly on their feet, beginning to morph. Long, deadly claws and fur were already apparent on their hands. In response, Ryder transformed to his vampire self. From behind came another low growl from Rafe as he joined them.

Diana pushed Ryder aside and raised her hands in a calming gesture. “Take it easy! We’re not here for a fight. We’re here for your help.”

The largest man in the group, easily six foot five with shoulders that seemed almost as wide and legs as thick as tree trunks, took a step forward. He wore faded denim jeans and a matching jacket that was open, revealing a dark blue NYPD T-shirt that stretched tightly across a chest and abdomen. “Then you shouldn’t have brought along fang boy and that half-blood,” he said, the growl of the wolf in his voice. He jerked his head at Rafe and sneered at Ryder.

Ryder carefully controlled his reaction, but a deeper, more guttural rumble burst from Rafe as he lunged forward in response to the slur.

Ryder shot out an arm, blocking him. “We don’t want trouble,” he repeated to Rafe.

The firefighter backed down, although by now both his hands were covered in fur and sported wickedly pointed claws. A hint of dangerous canines was apparent as he forced a smile and growled out, “I can take care of myself.”

Diana laid a hand on his chest, silently urging him to remain nonthreatening. “Easy, Rafe. I get the whole alpha thing, but all we want here is information, not a damn fight.”

Ryder could see they were seriously outnumbered, and in a confrontation with the shifters they would be losers for sure, but Rafe seemed too far gone to recognize that, caught up in the crazy chemistry that was taking over his body. Ryder sympathized, having gone through much the same thing himself when he was turned.

Rafe glared at Diana, but finally nodded and stepped back. Relief washed over Ryder, although they still faced a whole pack of trouble in the angry shifters standing before them. But it was short-lived. He could feel the weakness within her that he had sensed earlier blossom again. Her heart fluttered in that awful way that sent him into a near panic every time he felt it creep over her.

Sucking in a deep, calming breath, the sharp, acrid smell of animal filled his senses, and he had to fight not to sweep her into his arms and drag her away to safety.

She faced the large wolf-man, clearly the pack leader, and peered up at him as he towered over her, arms akimbo, making his already broad chest appear even bigger. Ryder’s heart pounded with both fear and immense pride. His woman had real courage.

“We need your help. Please,” she said in a tone that didn’t challenge the big man’s authority, but also wasn’t subservient.

Smart. He suspected they would not react well to any sign of weakness, especially from a woman.

The man peered from him to Rafe, then threw his head back and laughed from deep in his gut. The action displayed canine fangs twice as thick and long as Rafe’s, possibly even more lethal than Ryder’s.

The display didn’t dissuade her. Stepping toward the man, she pulled back her shoulders and drew aside her jacket to reveal her gun and badge. She tapped the badge. “See this, Alpha Guy? I can have an entire precinct here in minutes.”

Ryder suppressed a grin at her cheekiness, and the other man’s humor continued unabated. With a toothy grin, the alpha chortled, “If you live that long.”

In a move so fast that Ryder didn’t even see it with his vamp senses, Diana had her gun out and pointed at the man’s head.
Whoa
. He hadn’t seen that coming.

“Silver, in case you’re wondering,” she said smugly. “And I’ve got my magazine loaded with fourteen bullets…which, by my count, leaves me a few spares in case I miss.”

“Only she never misses,” Ryder said, crossing his arms over his chest, appreciating her chutzpah. He lowered his guard and released all of his vamp power, ready to protect his wife if needed.

The big wolf’s demeanor changed immediately at the sight of the silver-loaded weapon. He raised his hands and urged calm. “I thought you didn’t want trouble.”

“I don’t. Just information,” Diana said, but didn’t waver from her ready position. “Are you willing to talk?”

The man glanced back at his group. Low murmurs of warning and uneasy glances passed between the pack members before he returned his attention to her. “What kind of information?”

Ryder’s shoulders notched down a fraction. This might go well, after all.

“We’ve had some murders down close to Central Park,” she said. “We think a werewolf did them. We also think the shifter bit my friend, here.” She tipped her head at Rafe.

The alpha’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t kill and we don’t bite. Hard enough to survive in the city without creating problems like him,” the man said disgustedly.

A chorus of agreeing growls came from those gathered behind him.

“Why do you consider him a problem?” Ryder asked, wondering if like the Slayer Council, the shifters looked down on half-breeds.

“He’s not a true wolf like those of us born to this life,” the pack leader replied and lowered his hands. “Many of the half-bloods can’t control the cyclic shift, and that only causes problems for the rest of us.” He folded his arms in a more relaxed and much less threatening pose.

“By that you mean these hybrids kill and bite humans, risking your exposure?” Diana asked.

The big man nodded and the long locks of his chocolate brown hair shifted with the jerky movement, increasing his animal appearance.

“Then we want the same thing, friend,” Ryder said. “To stop whoever is doing this, before it happens again.”

“We are not friends, fang boy,” the leader shot back. “But if a shifter is killing, he needs to be stopped.” He pushed out a breath, seeming to make a decision. “In fact, my pack leaders and I were just discussing the murders.”

The big man stepped back and spread his hands wide in invitation, motioning to a large, round table a few feet away.

Ryder and Rafe held their ground. He wasn’t about to trust these guys yet. Diana lowered her weapon to the side, but didn’t holster it.

“We have an idea who is involved in the killings,” she said. She reached out to him for the framed photo he had tucked into his jacket pocket. She passed it to the wolf leader.

The man barely glanced at it before giving it to a female wolf to his right, who shot it a brief look before sending it around to the other pack members.

“It’s as we suspected,” the female wolf said.

At that, the alpha morphed back to fully human. “I’m Brendon, the alpha of this pack,” he said. With a sweep of his arm in the direction of the she-wolf, he said, “This is my wife, Anna.”

She morphed back, too, and the thirty-something woman nodded her head in greeting, offering a smile. She was tall and lean, as evidenced by the button-down shirt and khakis she wore. Her light brown hair was worn loose around a very feminine heart-shaped face.

Brendon went on to name the other pack members, then waited for them to do the same.