She closed the trunk, and there by the driver-side door was a very tall, distinguished-looking man staring at her. She wondered if he had seen her strip her shirt off and she was grateful for the sports bra that remained in place and the very bad lighting.
“Who are you?” she asked as she stood in her position a few feet away.
* * * *
Zespian Fagan took in the sight of the gorgeous young woman before him. When he’d identified himself as Special Investigations Commander to the sergeant in charge of the current crime scene, he was directed to go talk with the witness. Making his way through the crowd of human law enforcement, he noticed a few other weres amongst those investigating, and he was pleased. They would know what to do. They would ensure that the investigation didn’t leave any questions or concerns to the human police. This was a job for werewolves. The firefighters had entered and soaked down the majority of the blood with their water hoses. That would help, too.
“Yes, miss, my name is Commander Zespian Fagan.” He reached out his hand and she looked at him suspiciously. She wasn’t fearful. He could sense her emotions, and if anything, she seemed on the defensive and ready for a fight.
“It’s Detective Lynch, Commander Fagan,” she replied with attitude but reached to shake his offered hand.
“Pleasure to meet you, Detective. I understand that you’re a witness to tonight’s events?”
“I’m not a witness. I was trying to catch the killer,” she stated as she opened her car door and leaned over the top frame of it. “You said Commander Fagan. Commander of what?” she asked, looking him over.
She was tough, for a human.
“Commander of Special Investigations.”
She raised her eyebrows. It seemed Detective Lynch knew of the unit.
“And what brings you around here, Commander? I mean usually your associates in the Special Investigations Unit don’t visit crime scenes. Is this connected to something you’re working on?”
He looked her over, unsure why he had even come over here to meet her face-to-face in the first place, but there was something interesting about her scent. It wasn’t an attraction or sexual pull but a familiarity. He needed to find out more about her and her bloodline, her family history. Something inside him pulled to full attention. It was a part of him he never talked about or revealed. Why did this woman remind him of this well-hidden part of himself? He would need help to investigate her. The department computer he’d accessed through his phone didn’t turn up shit.
“This is an interesting enough case, don’t you think, Detective?” he asked her, and she looked pissed off. She was obsessed with this case. He knew it, could tell right away how possessive she was and how determined she was to find the killer. Considering she was human, that might cause a bit of a problem.
“The case is mine, Commander. I mean no disrespect, but I’ve been busting my rear trying to find this thing.”
“This thing?” he asked.
She shook her head and lowered her eyes.
What exactly had she seen? The rogue wolf had shown its face to a human? He must have thought he would kill her but she escaped.
“Forget it. I’m tired and I’ve been up all night. I’m really not in the mood.” She glanced at her watch. He could smell the metallic scent of blood on her body and saw the stains on her wrists. That would irritate a wolf with such keen senses but not a human. She would wash it off in the shower and be done.
He needed to know what she saw and why the beast released her.
“Before you go, Detective, tell me what you saw,” he stated firmly. She looked up from the forearm she rested her chin on and stared at him a moment.
“I didn’t see shit.”
With that she got into her sports car, closed the door, and took off.
Zespian pulled out his cell as he watched her black Mustang. This was a job for the family. He needed his nephews’ help.
“Fagan, I have a potential situation. You and your brothers need to meet me, now.”
He closed up his cell and glanced around the area. His lupine senses were in overdrive. It was near. It was still in the vicinity, watching. He looked around, using his wolf night vision to see through the trees. Detective Lynch’s Mustang had just pulled past the police perimeter set up to secure the crime scene. The left blinker indicated she was turning onto Price Street. There, there in the shadow of darkness it stood in the form of a man.
Zespian wanted to take off after it. He couldn’t see clearly, just the image of a male, its face turned sideways, giving him the profile of something caught between wolf and man, almost a half shift. That was possible but took a well-trained wolf to do. He was more than wolf and man. But its merciless killing spree could potentially cause major problems. This thing wasn’t thinking clearly. It was crazy or some kind of hybrid. Zespian wasn’t certain. It was speculation at this point. It was a freak of the supernatural world that needed to be caught and killed. He hurried toward his car as the thing headed in the same direction as the detective.
Chapter 2
“We’ve got another one,” Zespian informed his five nephews as they gathered around the living room in the main headquarters. It was a secret room, set up by a government affiliate for their particular organization. The Special Investigations Unit was an elite force of were packs assigned to cases that threatened to exploit or expose the were community to the humans. It had been in existence for many generations and used the protection of the Secret Order of the Brothers of Were when necessary. Zespian had the feeling that his nephews, Van, Miele, Randolph, Baher, and Bently, were perfect for this particular operation. Zespian needed his closest family members involved with this, especially if this woman turned out to be connected to Zespian in some way. Van and his brothers came to mind immediately after sensing some sort of familiarity to Detective Lynch. Plus, Zespian’s secret needed to remain that—a secret, or his family could suffer from the results of a decision he’d made over a century ago. Through his gut instincts and family heritage, he had always been able to sense when someone was of evil or of good. He could also sense when there was a bond or connection of sorts. He knew that many paths crossed during his thousand years of life and that this ability had helped to achieve success in his position and helped to ensure the sanctity of the were race. Tonight was no different. In fact, tonight seemed to have the undertone of power, importance, and trouble. Detective Lynch needed protection. He had followed her to her apartment, and the wolf had disappeared. It was as if the monster only wanted to know where she resided. It was cunning, intelligent, and had evaded capture for months now. The department needed help.
He saw his nephews enter the room one at a time. They were extra large men, muscle-bound and exuding bad-ass attitudes that scared people and wolves shitless. This monster, out-of-control killer would be somewhat of a challenge for them. It was sneaky and intelligent, but they were the best he had. Their success in Ireland and in Mexico more recently proved their abilities. They were a hell of a team.
* * * *
“Hello, uncle.” Van bowed his head then thrust his large hand forward to shake Zespian’s. Zespian smiled, and then pulled Van into a bear hug. It backfired on him as Van picked him up and squeezed back with half his strength, causing Zespian to lose his breath.
“Son of a bitch, Van. You’re going to squeeze the life outta me.” Van chuckled then lowered his uncle.
“Well, you challenged first,” Van replied then winked, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.
Zespian shook his head as he fixed his shirt.
“So what’s the deal?” Miele, Van’s brother, asked. He was the antsy one, always ready to do the next thing on the agenda. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes like his brother Baher.
“Well, come gather around. This may take some time to go over.”
“That bad, Zespian?” Bently, the most easygoing of the brothers asked.
“Afraid so. I believe we’ve got another rogue wolf on our han
ds and loose in the city,” Zespian informed them. A series of annoyed growls and curses whispered through the room.
“Who the hell is it?” Van asked.
“Not certain. That’s why I called you guys in. It seems to be a bit different than the others.”
“Different how so?” Baher asked this time. He was the most stubborn of the men. Their brother Randolph spoke the least and still remained silent as he stood by the doorway leaning against the doorframe. His facial expression alone was beyond intimidation. Zespian glanced at each of them. Sporting tattoos, all dressed in black and each over six feet tall, they indeed were the epitome of Alpha wolf.
He began to tell them about the occurrences over the last month and about what he witnessed tonight and his theory about a hybrid.
“Damn,” Bently replied to the information.
“I guess we’ll cut in now and take this case over? Did you inform the brass?” Van asked.
Zespian shook his head.
“I don’t want to do that just yet. There’s a detective working the case and—” Before Zespian could finish his sentence, his cell phone rang. By the tune of the ring, he knew it was important. He answered it, gave a few one-word responses, then covered the receiver.
“There’s a file there on the table. That’s the name of the detective on that sticky note, an address, and more info on the victims killed thus far. I need to take this call and it’s going to be a while. I call you later and explain.” Zespian told them.
“We’ll take care of it.” Van reached for the file.
Their uncle headed out of the room.
* * * *
“So what do you think?” Bently asked Van as he looked over his shoulder at the file.
“You and Miele can question the detective. It’s a guy by the name of Dani Lynch. Randolph, Baher, and I will try to get a scent or some indication of a lead off the crime scene. The cops should have wrapped up hours ago.” Van glanced at his watch. His brothers nodded, and Bently and Miele grabbed the address of the detective and headed out.
* * * *
Dani was achy from the attack last night. Her ribs were sore from where that monster banged into her, but there was no bruising or discoloration. The extra few pounds she couldn’t shed must have provided some cushioning. She pulled on her black pants then clasped the button over the slight swell of her belly. Yeah, she could stand to lose a good five pounds or so. Turning sideways, she looked at her ass. It may be big, but it looked really good in these black pants. Her boobs weren’t too bad either. The extra weight made them more than a handful and from the compliments of past lovers, she was not lacking there either. Past lovers? Shit, why the hell did I have to think about sex right now? Abstinence for a year…Was it my idea, or Jack’s idea or did both of us get tired of being booty partners?
She grabbed her camisole and then the dark green T-shirt to throw over it. She tucked in the shirt, it was short anyway as she reached for her gun holster. She clipped it to the side of her belt and added the handcuffs and then clipped on her detective shield.
She looked in the mirror and could see the slight bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept well in over a month’s time. This killer was making her crazy. She wanted to catch him, well, it. Her friend Margo might be of help to her. After knowing Margo for over three years, she picked up on the woman’s odd habits and obsession with wolves. Well, at least she thought it was an obsession. Truth of the matter was that Margo believed in the ability to shift from human to wolf and even other forms. At first she thought her best friend was straight out of a loony bin, but she had to admit that the intensity and knowledge of exactly how people could do this intrigued Dani. Before long, Margo was letting her in on a few secrets going on in society. That information had Dani doing some inquisitive investigating of her own. That was when she’d noticed the differences in some people she worked with and worked for. There were secret meetings taking place and whispered words or expressions being exchanged, and before long, she found out about certain special groups. She separated gossip from reality and realized that certain detectives, police officers, and even outsiders were chosen by the brass and reassigned to special teams. One of them being the Special Investigations Unit. She was a damn good detective, and being a woman never stopped her from doing her job. A few broken bones, some battle scars, and even a few near-death experiences hadn’t driven her away from her dangerous position. But the moment Commander Zespian Fagan introduced himself as the Commander of Special Investigations, she lost her breath and her gut clenched with trepidation. For all she knew, if Margo wasn’t a nut job and if what Dani concluded was true, then Zespian had the ability to shift into a wolf and the killer could be one of them.
She swallowed hard and stared at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed back her unruly hair and pulled it into a ponytail. Her muscles flexed. She was built tough and solid. A size ten with hips, ass, and attitude to boot. At five feet seven inches, she was average height, and she felt tough enough to handle most men in most situations. Last night, she wasn’t fighting against a man but something different. It was something that made her insides quiver with fear yet there was also some recognition for whatever it was. She needed to speak with Margo.
She grabbed her cell phone off the dresser, unplugging it from the charger in the process. She texted her friend even though it was only 6:30 a.m.
May have a furry situation on my hands. Need info.
A moment later she got a text back.
Shit! Come over now—coffee’s hot.
She should have known that Margo was awake. It seemed that woman didn’t need much sleep.
Dani grabbed what she needed for work then headed out of her apartment and down four doors to Margo’s apartment. She hadn’t even knocked on the door when Margo opened it, grabbed Dani’s arm, and yanked her inside.
“Hey, what’s the rush?” Dani asked as she pulled on her own shirt to readjust it back into position.
Margo looked concerned as her big blue eyes looked Dani over as she sniffed the air around her.
“Okay, Margo, you are freaking me out now. Quit sniffing me. You’re acting like a crazy woman.”
“You’re right. Tell me about the wolf you saw last night.” Margo stated as she pulled a chair out by the table and began to take out various canisters filled with different color brown leaves and herbs then set them on the counter in no particular order. At least she hoped they were herbs as Margo began adding different ones to some sort of cooking device with a small flame underneath it.
“That shit better be legal and not drugs, Margo,” Dani reprimanded, and Margo didn’t even glance up at her with a chuckle or smirk. Something was up.
“Okay, explain what you are doing. I’m the one that saw a wolf last night and you’re acting crazy.”
Margo looked up as the whistle on the kettle sounded.
“I thought you said the coffee was hot. I hate tea.” Dani told her.
“You’ll drink the tea, Dani. You’ll need all the help you can get.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you’re special, Dani. So special in whatever way that this rogue wolf seeks you out. He wants you for himself, Dani. He’s going to come for you. I should have seen this coming. “
“What?” Dani exclaimed as she rose from the chair. “You have lost your ever-loving mind, Margo. Enough of the wolf stuff. I shouldn’t have texted you. I’m going to be late for work.”
“Don’t you dare walk out that door. I’ll explain it to you, Dani. I’ll explain what I know and what I can for now. You’re in danger. I smelled him on you immediately.”
Dani sniffed her pits. “Smelled who on me?” she asked with her eyebrows crinkled up.
“The wolf from last night. The killer.”
“What? But how, he didn’t touch me. Wait, I didn’t say anything about a killer.” Dani stopped short. He hadn’t touched her but brushed by her. He hadn’t killed her but seemed to toy
with her, grazing by her body three times.
“He did touch you, didn’t he?” Margo questioned as she poured the hot water over the tea leaves and then slowly wiggled the cup to make the leaves seep into the water.
“Not really. More so grazed my body.”
“He was that close to you and didn’t take a bite?”
“Hell no. I shot at him, it, whatever it was.”
“Wolf. A rogue wolf out of control and possibly out for vengeance. I’m not certain because wolves don’t just attack, but soon the others will come. They’ll hear of this incident. They probably already know.”
“The others? You don’t mean other wolves?” Dani panicked as Margo pointed then curled her finger at Dani to come back to the table and drink whatever the hell she mixed in the cup.
“Maybe bad wolves or if you’re lucky good ones that can help.”
“I don’t need help. I’m going to catch this piece of shit and kill it.”
Margo wrapped her hand over Dani’s arm and squeezed as she held her gaze.
“What I’ve told you in the past? What I trusted you with and what your investigation on your own has shown you tells you that this is real, Dani. Werewolves exist. There are thousands among us in the city alone. There are some that have more power and influence in that world under those rules that go way beyond any human forms or bureaucracy or law here.”
“What in God’s name are you talking about?”
“I’ll explain. But first, drink the tea. It is a combination of special herbs found elsewhere, out of this country, in fact, that will help to keep your mind sharp and allow your natural abilities to unfold. It’s time, Dani. It’s time to embrace your heritage and your bloodline.”
Dani wasn’t certain what Margo was telling her, but as she took a sip of the strange-smelling tea, compelled to believe this insanely wild woman sitting next to her, some odd sensations sparked inside of her. She sipped more, the heat, the stench not bothering her one bit but instead a thirst for more of the hot liquid had her nearly licking the inside of the cup clean. She thought about those feelings she had at the warehouse. She thought about her contact with the dying woman.
Dwyer, Dixie Lynn- Task Force One: Dani's Got a Gun [The Men of Five-0 #4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 2