by Vella Day
It is the same man, her tiger warned, angry at the quick dismissal.
It couldn’t be him, she argued.
She didn’t have to be a lawyer to know that memories of a six-year old were never reliable. Because scars weren’t unique, she dismissed the thought that was the same man.
You’re wrong, her tiger screamed. You never forget a scent.
Her tiger might be right. His smell was identical to what she remembered all those years ago. Or had spotting the scar brought up that memory and was fooling her now?
*
Frank Whitlaw slammed his palm against the steering wheel. Seconds ago he’d been gloating that he’d finally tied up that loose end. He wouldn’t have to worry ever again about a six-year old’s memory returning.
He’d jammed the key into the ignition and floored his souped-up car. A quick glance in the review mirror assured him that Jillian hadn’t shifted. Even if she had chanced coming after him, she never would have been able to catch him.
How had he been so careless? For years, Frank had watched Jillian Garner—carefully. He knew where she lived, where she worked, who her friends were, and even where her relatives lived. Nothing escaped him. Then this afternoon when Jillian was visiting her friend Camille, he’d walked near, hoping to learn about her—or rather to find out if she’d figured anything out. The moment she glanced his way, recognition crossed her face. Even though barely a muscle moved, hatred had filled her eyes.
That mistake on his part sped up her demise. When he’d picked the lock to Jillian’s house, he’d made enough noise to waken any shifter. He expected her to come out and investigate. His plan was to then shift into his wolf and attack. Even though he didn’t know her species, it didn’t matter. He’d trained his whole to be a fighter. Jillian was destined to die.
He should have questioned why the blonde woman in the bed hadn’t stirred. Even more careless of him was the fact he hadn’t detected a shifter signature, and yet he didn’t stop to think why that was so. He was slipping, and that really pissed him off.
I’ll kill the right woman. Soon.
His thoughts jumped back to the night he’d broken into the Garner house. He never would have killed her father if the straight ass hadn’t suspected him of pilfering weapons and drugs from the evidence locker where he worked. Her dad said he was going to turn Frank in to Internal Affairs. No way could Frank couldn’t let that happen. The money was too addicting.
As he cleared the neighborhood, his shaking hands stilled. He’d fucked up tonight. Hopefully, the mask prevented Jillian from figuring out who he was. While he might have botched his attempt this time, it wouldn’t happen a second. That was a promise he’d keep.
*
“Ma’am?” someone asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find two paramedics in navy blue uniforms standing next to her.
She hadn’t even heard them come in. Jillian must be losing it since noises never escaped her notice. And how come their faces were so blurry? “Yes?”
“We need to check on your friend,” the one with the long face said.
Even though she was still holding her phone, she’d forgotten for a moment that she’d called for help. When she didn’t move, the second paramedic helped her up.
Pull yourself together, her tiger demanded.
I’m trying, but it’s so damned hard, she retorted.
Both men checked out Dalia, and then the one with the long face stepped over to her. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
So she was dead. Why would anyone want to kill her? “Thank you.”
Her heart nearly cracked. Or were those her bones, readying her to shift into her tiger? I want to find the bastard, her animal growled.
Stand down, she demanded. The last thing she needed was for her caged animal to go off half-cocked. Jillian had spent years steeling her human, making her strong enough to fight her tiger’s urges. Right now, she was losing the battle.
Jillian wasn’t sure how long she’d stood there, but sirens sounded outside and then the paramedics moved out of the room, leaving Dalia in her resting position. No sooner had they left the bedroom than two police officers came in. One was a shifter, the other was not.
“Ma’am.”
Her eyes took a moment to focus through the tears. When the man’s face became clear, a giant claw ripped at her gut. No! No! No! It was him. The evil person who’d killed Dalia and her father—or so she believed.
I have to be wrong, her logical side screamed.
No you aren’t, her pushy tiger countered.
His foul scent once more seeped in through her nose and triggered that horrible memory as well as the more recent one. Her tiger demanded that she shift and kill him right there, but she couldn’t give in. As much as she wanted to rip him apart, she refused to let her anger take over. She’d have to find a way to prove he was the killer first. Then she’d bring him down legally.
Jillian drew on her lawyer calm and studied him. The man was tall, maybe six feet and had weathered skin, close-set eyes, and a weak chin, as well as that two-inch scar on his right jaw.
The instinct to flee was strong, but Jillian had to pretend she had no idea he’d done this heinous act. Because alcohol tainted her breath, she believed she could use that to her advantage, and pretend she’d seen nothing—or almost nothing.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” the man with the crescent-shaped scar said. He turned to his female partner. “Can you take her statement? I need to call the crime scene unit.”
“Sure.”
He sounds so professional. Could he be the real killer? her human questioned.
Yes, her tiger immediately responded as she scraped her nails along the lining of Jillian’s stomach, probably to show the strength of her conviction.
Focus. Jillian had been introduced to many of Camille’s coworkers, but she’d never seen this woman before. Her nametag read Officer Rodriguez. She was human, and stood about five foot five, the same height as Jillian. The officer’s skin was a warm honey color, and thankfully her dark brown eyes exuded sympathy. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, Jillian followed her out to the living room.
“Please have a seat,” the officer said. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Jillian decided to mix truth with fiction, all the while pretending to possess only human traits—that is, someone who didn’t have exceptional hearing or fantastic eyesight. She sure as hell wasn’t about to mention how fast she rushed into the house. The only stroke of luck was that the killer hadn’t been the one to interrogate her.
“I was at a bachelorette party all night. I probably shouldn’t have been driving home after drinking, but it wasn’t far.” Jillian waved a hand, wanting to keep talking before she received a lecture about drinking and driving. “Anyway, as I drove up, I saw a masked man charge out of my front door.” She slurred a few of her words for effect. “He ran down the street and drove off.”
“Did you see what kind of car he was driving?” the officer asked with no signs of disgust.
Jillian shook her head. “It was dark, and when I saw him come out of my house, my heart beat so fast I couldn’t catch my breath, let alone register what was happening.” She’d never be able to explain how she’d caught the first three digits of the license plate, as no human would have been able to see them from so far away. The fast beating heart, however, wasn’t a lie. Otherwise, she would have memorized the entire license plate number. “I do remember that it wasn’t a truck or a van.”
The officer jotted down the information. “What time was this?”
“I can’t be sure exactly, but I think I left the party around one, so maybe it was 1:15.” That was the truth.
All throughout the questioning, Jillian wondered what the man was doing in the spare bedroom. Was he making sure he hadn’t left any evidence? It wasn’t like she could mention to the female officer that her fellow officer had killed her friend because he smelled the same as h
er intruder. Humans didn’t have a keen sense of smell.
“Can you describe what he looked like?” she asked.
Jillian had said the man wore a mask. “He was maybe six feet tall. He might have been middle aged because his gait appeared stiff.” That was all she was going to say. If the man believed she could identify him, he might come after her.
The officer kept asking her what seemed like the same questions over and over again. Eventually, two more people arrived with cameras and cases. Given they wore overalls and then slipped on paper footies and caps, they must be the crime scene unit. Her house now a crime scene, so Jillian figured it was a matter of time before they asked her to leave.
“I don’t want to stay here tonight. I’d have nightmares. Would it be okay if I packed a few things and go to a friend’s house?” Her plan to escape town had evolved during the interrogation.
“Absolutely. You can’t remain here anyway. Where will you be staying so we can keep in touch?”
The first name that came to mind was Camille’s. “Camille Williams. She works at the LAPD.”
The officer wrote her name down. “That’s perfect.”
For effect, Jillian staggered as she left the living room. Unfortunately, she had to pass the guest room before reaching the master, so she forced herself not to look. As quickly as she could, she threw warm clothes into a suitcase. Tennessee, where her brother lived, would be cold in February. She picked that location in part because Jillian wanted to be as far away from Scarface as possible and because her brother could help her figure out what to do next. Her clients might revolt that she’d skipped town, but they would be more upset if she were murdered.
Something niggled at the back of her mind at that thought. Had the bullet that killed Dalia been meant for her?
PACK WARS (Paranormal)
Training Their Mate (book 1)
Claiming Their Mate (book 2)
Rescuing Their Virgin Mate (book 3)
Box Set (books 1-3)
Loving Their Vixen Mate (book 4)
Fighting For Their Mate (book 5)
Enticing Their Mate (book 6)
MONTANA PROMISES (Full length contemporary)
Promises of Mercy (book 1)
Foundations For Three (book 2)
Montana Fire (book 3)
Hart To Hart (book 4)
Burning Seduction (book 5)
Montana Promises Box Set (books 1-3)
ROCK HARD, MONTANA (contemporary novellas)
Montana Desire (book 1)
Awakening Passions (book 2)
HIDDEN HILLS SHIFTERS (Paranormal)
An Unexpected Diversion (book 1) – FREE
Bare Instincts (book 2)
Shifting Destinies (book 3)
Embracing Fate (book 4)
Promises Unbroken (book 5)
SOUTHERN SHIFTERS KINDLE WORLDS
Bear ’N Dirty
WERES & WITCHES OF SILVER LAKE
A Magical Shift (book 1)
Catching Her Bear (book 2)
A Surge of Magic (book 3)
The Bear’s Forbidden Wolf (book 4)
Her Reluctant Bear (book 5)
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