“She’s a stranger in town and has no real reason to lie,” Samarra said.
“Exactly what he said. On top of that, Powell appears to have attempted to kill Agent Sang which will further prove she wasn’t lying,” Jenner said.
“So, charges are being dropped?” Samara demanded.
“Yep. Connie’s family will be informed of who killed their daughter, but pack won’t believe Jericho raped or killed anyone. And they won’t give much of a damn that he killed a coyote.”
“So, you aren’t going to do anything?”
“I can’t,” he snapped. “He has the Coalition behind him. We can take care of the others though. Just give us two days.”
“I can’t speak for Mallory,” Samarra said. “But I’ll give you two days to take care of him.”
****
Kamari slipped from the house with her pack on her back and strode from the house calling for cab as she did so. She hadn’t seen anyone at the house other Delany who might attempt to stop her or pry.
Kamari leaned against a tree as she waited for the cab. She’d already made up her mind that she might give McGill whatever she had if it would get her sister’s killer brought to justice.
But what about Mica?
She’d hurt her this morning, even though she hadn’t meant to. In truth, she knew rejecting her mate couldn’t be allowed to happen. She was the last of her family, so she had to carry on the shadow/mist walker bloodline. And Mica, well, she wasn’t going to just be able to stop thinking about her no matter how far she went.
A black cab with a gold stripe came cruising down the street and Kamari hailed it. The car pulled onto the side of the road, and she climbed in.
The man looked back at her with his baby face. “Where to?” he asked.
“Coffee Crossing.” She could hang out there until McGill arrived.
The man glanced at her in the rear-view mirror at her with a speculative look. “You smell familiar.”
“What?” She frowned.
“Like that butch, Mica.”
She lifted a brow. “Is that a fact?”
“I almost couldn’t put a finger on what was different, but I’ve known that bully most of my life,” he said.
“Oh?”
“She’s my cousin, and I’ve got to tell you, if you think you’re going to just sneak out of town because you don’t want to be mated, think again. She’ll let you go now, but she’ll hunt you down in a few months.”
Kamari smiled shaking her head. “Mica’s older?”
“Than me, yeah,” he said. “And she’s a high-ranking member of her pack, Mystic Snow, which means the sooner she settles down the better for pack stability.”
She’d never thought of that.
“You know. The dominants are the defenders, but the omegas are the nurturers, which makes them the backbone because they keep feral-ass animals like Mica and my brother stable.”
“Where do betas fit in?” It had been so long since she’d been part of a pack structure Kamari didn’t remember and hadn’t thought much of it.
“Well, we’re the superheroes of the pack.” He grinned. “We’re equally at home kicking ass and rocking a baby. We can say the sweet words, yet with a hint of steel to light a fire under the right people.”
Maybe that was her. She was strong, and she could make hard decisions. At the same time, she was most at home letting someone else run the show.
“Why do you think Mica’s feral?”
“She’s been that way since she came to live with us,” he said. “But she’s got a big heart and she’d never hurt you unless you left her.”
Kamari rolled her eyes. She could kill Mica if it came to that, but she didn’t want to, she mused, looking out of the window.
No, she wanted to see her smile, to feel her coming against her. Kamari wanted Mica’s touch and the sensual heat and flutter it stirred her to.
Kamari massaged her temple. She had to get justice for her sister no matter what she did about Mica.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“What?”
“What’s your favorite flowers?”
“Why? Mica doesn’t need any help,” she murmured with a faint smile. “She knows how to reach me.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
After they left the police station, Mica headed out to the den to grab a few things from her cabin. The small house boasted two bedrooms and two baths with a laundry room and kitchen and living area.
The house she’d taken in the Mystic Snow den was on the border between the ocean and Mystic with a dock. She had a nice view and only a few neighbors that it would take her ten minutes by car to reach. The land stretched into Mystic as it turned out and Samarra was still attempting to get some of the dominants to spread out to occupy the outer edges to make it easier to patrol.
Mica grabbed a duffel and tossed in a few things before opening the space in the small office which was right next to the sunroom. Two rooms she’d never thought she’d use, but she was second-guessing that as she thought of her mate.
There was room to add on two more bedrooms and a nursery if they chose, as well as put in a pool. The hilly terrain was the reason no one wanted to live out here, but it would make snow sledding fun and a snowmobile wouldn’t be a bad thing to own either.
“I bet Mari would like that,” Mica thought as she put a small box into the bag and headed out. She’d need to get a second vehicle.
Mica tossed the duffel into her SUV and hopped in to her phone’s ringing. She grabbed it from the seat. “What?”
“Hey,” Samarra’s voice was tight in her ear. “D.A. won’t touch it. He says he doesn’t think he can get a conviction.”
“Are you serious?”
“He is wolf, so what do you think he’s going to say? He knows the chances of getting more coyotes than wolves on that jury is good. Jericho and Tiny as well as the others in the photos and in the video will get the needle.”
“Damn it!” Mica hit the steering wheel.
“He wants to handle this in our system,” Samarra said.
“He’ll walk. Convincing the Snow Dogs their alpha is as evil-hearted as they come will be impossible. He can spin this to make himself look ruthless and the rest planted evidence.”
“I know,” Samarra said. “Mica—”
“He’s going to go after her, Sam,” Mica said coldly. “She’s my mate.”
“Let’s see how this plays out,” Samarra told her. “Then we’ll go hunting if we have to. No questions, no doubts.”
Mica nodded, though Samarra couldn’t see her. “What’s Mallory’s take?”
“I don’t know,” Samarra said quietly. “I’m not asking.”
****
Kamari looked up when the chair across from her slid back. The hard angles of McGill’s face filled her vision, the brown eyes cool.
“Well?”
“I thought I told you not to get in trouble,” he said coolly.
“I’m not,” she remarked. “What did you want?”
“I told you on the phone. Don’t make me arrest you. I know about the information that the dead girl, Isa Mann, had and the information Amy had in the Dropbox. We lost our chance to get it. Now, I want what you have.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Amy contacted me the day before she died and told me she had information on four serial killers. I didn’t know your sister was one of the murders she had video on until recently.”
“And how do you know this?” she asked evenly.
“She sent me a sample of two videos, and your sister was in the other, but we didn’t see the man who raped her.” McGill explained. “With further investigation, we came across a Dropbox address, but we just missed getting our hands on the content by a few hours. A pro handled the erasure, making it impossible for us to recover it.”
“So, without it you can’t get them,” Kamari said evenly.
He shook his head. “I can’t get the guy who raped you
r sister, but we can get the two guys from the second video file she sent us.”
“You’ll never get the other three without this.” She pushed the thumb drive across the table to him. “It’s everything that Amy had. Names, dates and places.” She reached into her bag and handed the copy of the thumb drive she’d made last night over.
McGill took it and thumbed through. “This doesn’t place any of the men there.”
“No, but it tells you how many women, when, and maybe where to look,” she said.
He nodded. “This might not be enough to get them,” McGill told her tapping the drive. “You have to accept that.”
“I do,” Kamari said. She’d done things the right way and if that didn’t pan out, she’d do them the animal way.
“We’re staying in Stonington, I’ll contact you after I’ve gone over this,” McGill said and got to his feet.
She nodded and stood as well.
“You should come back to the bureau. The team misses you,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s possible now,” Kamari told him, thinking of Mica. If she went back, they wouldn’t mate. She’d throw herself into her work and continue climbing the ladder and pursuing the goals she’d set a year ago.
“It’s not too late,” McGill said not even assuming there might be someone or some reason she wouldn’t come back other than the way she’d left things.
“I just want to know,” she said. “Are we good?”
He gave her a nod. “I was just doing my job, and I understand you were grieving. Come say hello to Petersen and Gail. They came with me.”
She smiled and followed him out to the SUV he’d driven over in.
Petersen was a gorgeous blond male with penetrating eyes and hard body. He was the first to grab her up in a tight hug before planting a sound kiss on her lips.
“Girl, what the hell are you doing in a backwater town like this?” he teased, and she chuckled.
“Working at a strip club,” she bantered back.
“And picking up more chicks than me with that fine-ass body,” he said letting his gaze skate down her body.
A growl turned her head and drew his gaze. Mica’s cousin was leaning against his cab.
“Whoa, shit,” Petersen whispered. “That dude has a growl like a damn Doberman.”
She hit his chest. “Shut up.” She gave Gail, a petite black woman with nearly waist length black hair a hug. “Hey, you.”
“Miss you, baby,” Gail said. “When are you coming back?”
“I’m not.”
“Why? Are you crazy? You were born to do this job!” she exclaimed.
“I used to believe that to, but things won’t ever be the same again if you guys can’t get my sister’s killer.”
“Honey, we’ll get him.” Gail gave her another hug. “I’ll call you later.”
They piled into their SUV, and she backed up to stand next to Mica’s brother. He put an arm around her.
“Mica’s on her way,” he said. “You better be glad that guy’s scent isn’t strong on you.”
Kamari gave him an amused look. Just then shots rang out and he threw her to the ground. The sound of tires squealing was followed by an explosion and more shots pelting the ground next to her head.
Kamari pushed him off her and rolled. A bullet hit her in the back of her thigh and Mica’s cousin growled next to her before shifting. She didn’t have time to shift as a masked man with a semi came to tower over her.
“This is for Cadillac,” he said.
Power cycled through and the electromagnetic energy increased around her in a psychic wind that slowed the bullet down as it raced toward her. It slammed into the wall of her power and shattered, the fragments blowing back on him.
His eyes widened, and he hesitated a blink too long. Power slammed into him, throwing him to the ground where he immediately caught fire. Screams erupted, and he rolled, attempting to put himself out.
Kamari turned at the prickling at the back of her neck to find two wolves running at her. She cocked her head and sent out an arc of energy that slammed into the lead wolf. He howled as his fur turned into a fiery jacket.
The second one lunged at her. She moved out of his way and turned, facing him down as he spun to snarl at her. He started toward her, but a yip-growl snagged his attention. He stood rooted to the spot for a moment as if torn before coming for Kamari.
He ran full-tilt and jumped when he reached her. She drew back, swinging her hand forward to back-hand him as he reached her. He smacked the side of his head on the ground and whimpered.
Mica was there stepping on his tail, and he let out a distressed sound before shifting back when he couldn’t get to her. The blond man reached for her, and she punched him in the jaw before he kicked her leg from beneath her.
Mica landed on him, and he rolled and drove a clawed hand into her stomach. She let out a yip and reached up, but he blocked and punched her. Then, he jerked his hand up and Mica let out a gasp of pain, her eyes going wide.
Kamari moved up behind him and drove her claws into his back and Mica came up, slashing him across the throat. Kamari shoved him, and he fell to the ground next to Mica.
Mica’s eyes glowed gold as she lay there bleeding.
“Mica,” Kamari gasped as she went down on her knees next to her. “Hold on.” She glanced around. “We have to get you out of here.” Her stomach churned, bile coated her tongue as she tried to hold it together.
“I’ve got her.” Mica’s cousin snapped tersely as he came up behind her. “Help is on the way for your friends, but I don’t think any of them survived the explosion.” He pulled Mica up. “Come on cousin.”
She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Kamari followed in his wake as he helped Mica to his car.
“I’ve got it,” Mica said, her breathing labored.
Kamari got in back next to her and opened her bag to remove a shirt. She pressed it to her stomach.
“It’s going to be okay, Mica,” Kamari whispered as the car lurched and she was jerked hard back against the seat.
“I’m fine,” Mica said putting her hand on Kamari’s. “Take me to Miranda’s, Kip.”
He took a turn and Mica held her gaze.
“Don’t cry,” she said. “I’m—this is nothing. I’ve had far worse.”
“I can’t heal you,” Kamari said as a tear dripped down her chin. Her hands were shaking with fear and rage she couldn’t control. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re stuck with me, for a long time,” she said weakly.
“Okay, good.” She wiped at the useless tears rolling down her cheeks. “You better not die, Mica, or I’ll kill you.”
****
There was nothing so sweet as the satisfaction of a job well done, Jerry thought as he watched the fires. The ground was stained red where some of his people had been, but sacrifices often had to be made in the course of a battle.
He faded into the background leaving the fire department and healthcare teams converging on the site to mop up the remains. The information was all gone now, as were the agents. No one could do anything to him or even Bradley and Collier. The others would be taken care of when they got out on bail. He wouldn’t leave any loose ends.
He and Collier could take care of the waitress themselves while Bradley convinced the Coalition to move on Snow Fur. Then, he’d close the book on this chapter for good, and he knew where to find her.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Kamari stood out on the patio of Miranda’s home as she worked on Mica. She still had a copy of the files she’d turned over to McGill, but what good would it do to attempt to contact the bureau to put the process of apprehending him back in play?
She exhaled roughly as she came to a decision. Motion in the trees caught her attention, but Kamari ignored it. She scented him as he prowled down the hill. His footsteps weren’t as quiet as he should have been, but they weren’t loud either.
She focused her power, not certain whet
her he had a gun or not, but she expected it. He would want this to be quick and clean. A fight with her would alert Micas cousin, who was inside recovering from the wounds he’d sustained.
The crunch of a leaf sounded close behind and Kamari turned. Her eyes locked with his, and he pulled the triggered. She brought her hands up and the energy emanating from them engulfed the bullet. It disintegrated, and the power rushed out, racing toward him.
Collier’s eyes widened as the power slammed into him, throwing him back to the concrete of the patio. He rolled to put it out and Kamari moved to stand over him.
“You should have stayed away, Collier,” she said. “I’m not as easy to take down as my sister.”
He rolled onto his back, and she let loose with a wave of power that consumed him in a ball of flames.
Jericho dropped out of the tree he’d used to get close and shifted as he landed.
“You should have run, Jericho,” a hard voice said and Kamari turned to find Jericho standing at the edge of the porch on the other side and Samarra standing behind him.
“How the hell did you get behind me?” he snarled. “She was here alone.”
Samarra slowly moved toward them. “Mica told me where she was headed and I followed. I wanted to talk to her about trapping you. Little did I know you’d do it all yourself.”
“You can’t kill me,” he said coldly. “My pack will rise against you.”
“No doubt.”
“Get back, Samarra,” Kamari ordered. “He’s going to die for what he did to my sister.”
Jericho chuckled. “She was good and so needy, but you can’t prove her death was anything more than an unfortunate accident.”
Kamari moved toward him. “I don’t have to,” she said with a sneer, heat rising on her hands as she drew closer to Jericho. “You ordered a hit on me and then that asshole Tiny tried to kill my mate on your orders.”
“You can’t prove that,” he said coolly. “But you’ll have a chance to present your findings to the Coalition”
“No, I won’t.” Kamari came to a stop in front of him. “I won’t need to.” She grabbed his hand and sent fire arcing through it.
Getting Nawty With the Coyote Page 17