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

by Caridad Piñeiro

  Someone must have brought her a change of clothes, since she had on a simple pair of dress slacks and a long-sleeved pale blue sweater, though she still wore the bloodied hiking boots from last night instead of her usual designer heels.

  “David got me some things. I was too wired to think about going home, so I asked him to bring me here. I need to find out what’s going on.” Maggie approached the murder boards and the table where Diana had laid out all the information they had so far.

  “Are you sure you’re up to this? You still look a little out of it.”

  Maggie nodded, the curtain of her thick auburn hair shifting with the movement. She walked over to review the photos, getting close to examine them.

  “What are these?” she asked with a frown, pointing to another group of photos next to them.

  “Those are from an earlier homicide that had happened nearly a month ago,” Diana said. “Detective Daly sent over a copy of the file first thing this morning.”

  Maggie’s frown deepened, and she said, “Any chance we can get both victims moved to my lab?”

  Diana walked over and stood beside her, eyeballing the visual evidence. “The first victim was already released and buried. Your assistant is supposed to call us as soon as the ME has done their autopsy so we can go down and see for ourselves.”

  With an abrupt nod, Maggie shifted to the table and moved aside the papers, reaching for the ME’s report. She scanned the initial comments and shook her head.

  “None of this is making any sense, Di. Multiple blood specimens at last night’s homicide, but according to the report on the first victim, only her blood was at the first scene. What makes Daly think they’re related?”

  “Not sure. But Daly has good instincts. Maybe they missed something on the first case. They didn’t even label it a murder. I’ve asked NYPD to send over all their physical evidence. Daly promised to send a copy of his personal notes today, as well.”

  Maggie blew out a tired sigh and plopped down into a nearby chair. “Damn. I had hoped the wounds were post-mortem. Call it wishful thinking to hope she hadn’t suffered while being eaten alive.”

  “I’m with you, Maggie. I’d hoped she was dead before suffering all those animal bites.”

  “Big animal bites,” Maggie added uncomfortably.

  “It was a huge animal that went after you last night,” Diana said, and laid her hand over Maggie’s as it rested on the table.

  “What was it, Di? It was too big to be a dog. Maybe a coyote or wolf?”

  Diana shook her head. “The only wolf packs I know of in New York City were those wilding attacks in the late ‘80s. But those were humans acting like animals.”

  Another knock came at the door and they turned toward the sound.

  David waited there, a white envelope on his lap. “There was a coyote sighted in 2006,” he said, “but if you don’t mind my saying, those bite marks are way too large for your average coyote.” He rolled into the room and took a spot at Maggie’s side. “Too big for a wolf, too.”

  “I guess you’d know more about that than us city girls,” Maggie replied, the first hint of a smile on her face.

  David shrugged and handed the envelope to her. “We had our share of attacks on the family’s Texas ranch.” He pointed at the photos on the board. “But nothing this savage. Only a human could do this.”

  Diana had to agree with her former partner. The violence in the photos was brutal, almost calculated. The ME’s report said the victim had been alive for most of the injuries. Which meant the “animal,” if that’s what it was, had focused on the sexual parts before delivering any kind of killing blow.

  She peered at the envelope he had handed to Maggie, and saw the return address was from the hospital where her friend had been taken. She knew immediately what the envelope contained.

  She took it from Maggie, pulled out the photos she had asked be taken in the emergency room, and tacked them on the board beside those of the other victims. Her stomach did a little turn at the thought that her best friend was now a victim and part of an active murder investigation.

  After she finished, she studied the bite marks on both dead women and on Maggie’s arm. They were of a like size and had some other similar elements, but not entirely. She circled the comparable elements on the photos with a permanent marker. “We’ve definitely got similarities here.”

  David rolled over to the murder boards and braced his hands on the arms of the wheelchair. He pushed off and hoisted himself up to examine the photos more carefully. He had more strength in his arms and shoulders than she’d thought.

  “I’m not a bite expert, but I’d say the same kind of animal did all of these,” David said.

  “I agree,” Maggie chimed in.

  “Glad you can all agree on something,” their ADIC said as he strode into the room. He set his hands on his hips as his gaze skipped over each of them, then to the murder boards.

  “I’d like to get our bite mark expert to confirm our conclusions,” Diana suggested.

  “Harris can run the evidence down to him,” Jesus said.

  Diana narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t thought he was the kind of boss to just have David playing gofer. “I’m sure Special Agent Harris could do that, but—”

  “Everyone on this team will be expected to pull their weight,” Jesus said, surprising them all with the implications of his comment.

  A heavy silence followed.

  Maggie finally spoke, her tone laced with a mix of emotions. “You’re adding David to our team?”

  The combination of worry and hopefulness in her voice twisted Diana’s gut.

  The glower on their boss’s face showed his displeasure at her apparent challenge. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Dr. Gonzalez?”

  …

  Maggie glanced at David, trying to decide if it was Jesus who had thought up this arrangement or David. Nothing on either of their faces provided a clue, however.

  She also debated whether it was wise to put the two former partners together. There were still so many unresolved issues between them. Then again, maybe, just maybe, working on this case together would help them get over those issues.

  “No problem at all, ADIC Hernandez,” Maggie said. “I have a feeling we’re going to need all the help we can get on this case.”

  With the first hint of a smile easing his features, he looked at Diana. “And you, Special Agent Reyes? Any problem with my decision?”

  “Not at all, ADIC Hernandez.” The only thing more intense than the iciness in Diana’s voice was the glittering heat in her gaze. “Special Agent Harris is a fine and welcome addition to the team,” she said, although Maggie could understand that Diana didn’t like Jesus creating such a volatile mix for the team.

  Jesus jerked as if punched, clearly taken aback by her demeanor. He narrowed his gaze and said, “Don’t bullshit me, Reyes.”

  She lifted her chin in a gesture Maggie recognized as defiance. “Not at all, sir. Special Agent Harris and I have always worked well together. As for Dr. Gonzalez and Special Agent Harris—”

  “We can deal,” Maggie jumped in, not about to admit that having David around constantly might be difficult for her. She hoped David and Diana could work out their problems, but she also wished that she and David would be able to find a way back together.

  For just as Diana had been born to love Ryder, Maggie knew without a doubt that she had been born to love David.

  Diana already had her happily ever after.

  Only time would tell whether Maggie would have hers.

  Chapter Six

  Diana groaned inwardly. What had she been thinking, coming with Maggie to the autopsy of last night’s victim?

  She sucked in a breath through her teeth, battling not to hurl at the sight of what was left of the woman. Besides the brutal wounds from the animal attack, there was the masterfully controlled violence of the medical examiner’s art. The Y-incision had already been stitched from the upper body down
to what remained of the victim’s lower body, much of which was still in the same condition as last night, only a bit cleaner.

  Somehow that was even more difficult to look at, since now there was no doubt about what was missing from her lower body.

  “I didn’t want to close her until you had a chance to review the wounds and get anything else you might need,” the ME said from the other side of the room. He stood leaning against a worktable, arms tucked across his chest. The pale blue of his scrubs was stained with blood and God knew what else.

  A little hitch came in Diana’s stomach again, but she wrestled it down and walked around the examining table, trying to piece together what might have happened.

  “Your report said there were wounds on her back?”

  At that the medical examiner motioned to an assistant, and together they turned the victim on her side for Maggie and Diana to see.

  Deep, vicious claw wounds marred the young woman’s shoulders and calves, as if something had jumped on her to take her down. Around the puncture wounds there appeared to be some bruising, although lividity had set in, making it difficult to tell. Hopefully the photos they had taken earlier would show the actual extent of the bruises.

  “How big an animal was it, to be able to reach from here to there?” Diana asked, motioning down the length of the woman’s body.

  Maggie and the ME answered almost simultaneously. “Five- to seven-foot span.”

  At Diana’s questioning look, Maggie said, “The victim is tall. Five foot ten. If the animal leapt at her from behind, it might have bunched up when landing, which is why it’s hard to say exactly.”

  “Regardless, we don’t have wild animals of that size running around loose in New York City ,” Diana muttered. “Unless something got free from one of the local zoos.”

  “My assistant checked around this morning. All the cats, wolves, and bears in the area zoos and exhibits are accounted for,” the medical examiner said.

  “Any remnants of the claws, fur, or anything non-human on the body?” Maggie asked as she gestured for them to settle the victim onto her back once more.

  The ME nodded. “Some fur, but no claws. I’ve sent it to our fibers team to analyze. I can send you samples along with the body.”

  “I’d like that. What about the earlier victim? Any similar wounds or fibers on her?” Diana asked.

  The medical examiner flushed with embarrassment. “The earlier victim wasn’t this—” he fumbled for the words, finally settling on the only one he could—“eaten. It did appear to be an animal attack, but that vic had a large Newfoundland dog, big enough to have caused the fatal wounds. And we had no other indications of foul play.”

  Wanting to keep open the lines of communication because they would need the ME’s assistance on this and other cases, Diana nodded. “Seems to be a reasonable judgment call. But now we know better. Any chance you still have samples from that attack?”

  He nodded, and with a jerk of his head, sent his assistant to fetch them. “I have specimens ready for you to take. I understand Dr. Gonzalez wants to review them.”

  “Maggie, please, Dr. Upton. We appreciate your cooperation and the wonderful job you’ve done so far,” she said, following Diana’s lead.

  The man visibly relaxed, but then he glanced at the victim and tension crept back into his body. “In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like this. Even the earlier body wasn’t this badly mangled.”

  Diana exchanged a look with Maggie. “We haven’t either, doc. Let’s just hope we don’t catch another one like this anytime soon.”

  …

  Diana, Maggie, and David were in the war room later that afternoon, going over all the evidence they had gathered so far. They were beginning to tie together certain aspects of the two crimes.

  Maggie’s associates in the FBI crime lab had confirmed the existence of multiple blood specimens at the second crime scene. They had also begun analyzing the blood samples from the first victim, hoping to find something to link the two crimes.

  Diana pored over the bite expert’s report, then shared her impressions with her partners.

  Her partners.

  She felt a whirl of emotions, glad that David and she were once again working together, despite her earlier upset. Having had time to think about it, she knew her anger had stemmed more from her ADIC’s blindside than the thought of working with David once again. She had reacted with her gut at the surprise, but now, she was hoping working on the case together would finally let all of them settle their differences. With any luck for the better.

  “According to this, the bites were likely from some kind of canine,” she said, “but it was impossible to say whether it came from a dog, coyote, or wolf. Mainly because the bite patterns seem to have the wrong number of teeth.”

  “They don’t think there are forty-two teeth like most canine jaws?” Maggie asked.

  Diana circled the close-up photos of the bites. “Apparently, if we extrapolate the jaw size and apply the spacing we see, it’s more likely we’re looking at thirty-something teeth.”

  “Which is close to human bites. But again, that makes no sense, especially in light of the size of the mouth we’re talking about,” Maggie said.

  David tossed his copy of the report onto the conference table. “If we go with the claw wounds, puncture depth, and position sizes… God, I’d say we’re going to need a really big leash.”

  She and Maggie chuckled at his gallows humor.

  “You double-checked all the area zoos, wildlife habitats—” she began.

  “Every one of them, Reyes. There is not a single missing animal big enough to do this,” he replied, shoving around the additional photos on the table that showed the victim’s wounds.

  “Maybe the report on the fibers will give us more to go on,” Maggie said, and rubbed at her arm. A pink line marked where the cast chafed against her skin. After another bout of rubbing, she yanked up the sleeve of her sweater, undid the straps, and ripped off the cast.

  “Is that wise, Mags?” David asked, beating Diana to the punch.

  Maggie glanced down at her wrist and pulled her sleeve higher, displaying the shiny new skin that had formed over the wounds where the animal had bitten her. “It’s fine,” she said, although disbelief rang in her voice.

  Diana shared her incredulity. She’d seen the wounds and bone breaks firsthand. What she was viewing now seemed as if Maggie had almost completely healed already. The only time Diana had seen healing that fast was on vampires. But the creature last night had definitely not been a vampire. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that this case would take them into the vast, non-human underworld that existed in New York, much of which she was sure she had no clue about. But at some point, that might need to be addressed.

  Worry slammed into her, but she hid her fears. Maggie was already dealing with a lot, and bringing up such things would not do anyone any good right now.

  Veering away to another subject, she said, “Are you satisfied with the lab results, Mags?”

  Her friend nodded. “I double-checked them myself. We’re probably looking at two unsubs at last night’s crime scene. The unsub we wounded, and the other who left blood and saliva in the bite wounds…” A confused shrug chased her words.

  With night coming more quickly with winter nearly upon them, Diana wanted to do another walk around the crime scene before dark. It would be difficult with David in his wheelchair. But she valued what he might spot. He had always been the more observant of the two of them.

  “I’d like another look at the crime scene. David, we could use your eyes on this.”

  David guffawed at her suggestion and motioned with his hands to his chair. “You found her body on a rock-strewn incline. How do you suppose I’ll manage that?”

  Diana walked over to him, braced her hands on the arms of the wheelchair, and leaned forward until he actually had to move his head back to avoid her. “She didn’t start on the rocky incline, Special
Agent Harris. She was on the paved trail before she died on the ridge. Besides, I don’t see a problem with your eyes.”

  “Bitch,” he said, his voice low and raw with anger. The muscles in his neck were tight and visibly quivering.

  “Maybe, but this bitch needs her partner back. If not for me or you, then for Maggie. Because something major league wonky is going on here.”

  She straightened and sauntered away from him, wanting to goad him to action. She met Maggie’s concerned gaze, but knew her friend understood. It had been nearly three years. High time to push David to do more. To get him to recognize that while he was different, that hadn’t changed the best parts of him. Parts that both of them had counted on over the years in a multitude of ways.

  “Let’s go, Harris. Mags, I expect you’re going to go do whatever magic you do in the lab with the first victim’s samples.”

  “I’m at your command, Di,” Maggie said, barely containing the hint of amusement in her voice.

  “I’ll drive, Reyes. You always were a sucky driver,” David said, and rolled out of the room ahead of her, his displeasure still evident.

  Pleased by what she had managed to accomplish, she shook her head and smiled.

  Things might be different, but no one said they had to be worse.

  …

  Of course, different didn’t mean all was well, or on the way to being better, either.

  Total silence reigned for the drive from Federal Plaza to a spot on Central Park West not far from where the victim’s body had been found.

  Quiet chased them from David’s van down the paths that led the trio deeper into the park.

  Diana suppressed a shiver as she recalled the last time she came this way, nearly two months earlier, pursuing a rogue vampire slayer. That off-duty assignment had almost ended in disaster, and even now she wondered what repercussions might arise between the Slayer and Vampire councils over the events of that night.

  She was so lost in thought, she almost fell over David when he stopped and turned his wheelchair to face the long incline leading to the grass and rock-strewn incline where they had found the dead jogger.