Cyn cleared her throat. She watched Brock over the rim of her cup. Her body was still quivering from the way they’d come together. When his gaze rose from the diary to meet hers, she almost groaned. His eyes were bright with his animal’s power, and the pull he’d always had on her intensified after he’d bitten her. He’d never done that before.
“Have you made out anything from these?”
She blinked her very dirty mind to focus. Last night was over. So was the time in the hot tub. This morning in the hot tub. And the shower. The bed too. All four times. Fuck she needed something to control her new nympho status. “I think so.”
With a soft clinking, she placed the coffee cup down on the table. Pointed to the page he had opened. “Those are clearly initials. Based on some of the names we already have, I’d say they belong to first and last names. I’m not sure what the middle underlined letters, or the numbers beside them stand for.”
The ringing of his cell phone made her glance at him. He had an intense frown when he answered. “Brock,” he said in that rough voice that shoved her thoughts to the gutter. “When?” He rubbed a hand behind his neck and met her gaze. There was concern there. A lot of it. “Where? Okay, we’ll be right there.”
“What’s going on?” she asked the moment he ended the call. Her own cell phone buzzed quietly on the table. One glance at the screen and her mood turned sour. Galvez. This was the second time he called since she’d gotten up. She refused to answer his calls. All his messages were the same. Wanting to make sure she was okay. She’d be a hell of a lot better if he left her alone.
Brock covered her hands with his own. “A teen girl’s body was found by the river. They need someone to go see it. They think it might be Roxy.”
She nodded, mind gone numb from the unexpected message and stood. “I’ve seen photos of her. I’ll do it.”
Before she got a chance to step away, he hauled her into his arms. She’d been dreading this. And now her fear was a reality. Her heart broke for her aunt Clara and for Roxy. Cyn buried her face in Brock’s shirt, inhaling his scent and allowing his warmth to calm the sadness threatening to overwhelm her.
She sighed. Then glanced up to meet his worried gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
A thick knot threatened her ability to speak, so she ignored her earlier words and lifted on her tippy toes to brush her lips over his. “I know. Let’s go see if this girl is Roxy.”
Her nightmares rushed forth then. A girl’s body floated in the river—lifeless. She hadn’t been able to make out features in her dreams, but she’d known the girl hadn’t made it. The gray tone of the skin told her this was someone who wouldn’t see another day. Another smile. Nothing.
She swallowed back the dryness in her throat. If Roxy was the girl she dreamed of, she’d have to break the news to her aunt—a woman who was already emotionally unstable.
The drive to the local hospital was tense and quiet. Her muscles ached from how stiff she held herself. If Roxy was dead, her next problem was finding out who killed her cousin. But what if it wasn’t Roxy?
Brock’s car took a corner at high speed, hitting a bump on the road. She bounced in her seat, ass slapping on the leather. She winced and bit her lip. Fear centered in her chest. Her fingers went numb from how tight she gripped the handle above her head. Acid burned its way up her throat. She shouldn’t have had coffee.
The screech of brakes told her they’d arrived. She blinked out of the mental images of death and glanced up at the Holy Oaks Hospital.
They went through the main hospital entrance in hopes someone would be able to direct them to the morgue.
Cyn inhaled slowly. She hated this part of her job. Hated it. Seeing lifeless corpses wasn’t something new to her, but it still sucked every time. They were directed to take an elevator to the sub level and sign in.
A guard sat there. His short buzz-cut appeared freshly done. A kid. The young buck’s unhappiness was clear. He didn’t want to be there. He played with the buttons on his radio with a frown. “Can I help you?”
She was about to open her mouth when Brock showed the guard his badge. “We’re here to see the body of the young girl found today,” he answered, threading their fingers together and holding her hand hostage.
“Is Dr. Nuñez expecting you?”
“Yes,” Cyn cleared her throat. “We’re here to see about identifying the body the police found late last night.”
At that moment, a door opened. The metal slapped concrete with a resounding boom. Seconds later, a tall Hispanic man with a shaved head and glasses headed toward them. The closer he got, the more she noticed the red spots on his white lab coat. Blood. He stopped in front of them, face crinkling with a warm smile.
“Ms. Vega?” he asked, glancing back and forth between Cyn and Brock.
“Yes,” she shook his hand and glanced up at Brock. “This is my partner, James Brock. He received the call about the body from our office in Virginia.”
“I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you both, but these are not the best circumstances to meet anyone. Still, welcome to Holy Oaks.” The ME smiled. “I’m Dr. Raul Nuñez. If you follow me, I’ll take you to see the body.”
Cyn caught Brock watching her. She blinked and made a face, wondering what he was thinking.
“Thank you, Dr. Nuñez,” she hurried to walk beside the ME, leaving Brock to follow. “Can you tell me how long you’ve lived in Holy Oaks?”
Their steps echoed down the hallway on their walk. She tried not to wince at the ugly green color on the walls. That vomit-green with poor lighting was the stuff of nightmares. Hers, mainly. How many people could admit to dreaming of the future death of others? Not many.
“I’ve been here for about two years. Transferred in from Florida when the old ME retired,” Nuñez answered, opening the same door he’d appeared out of earlier.
“Do you know many of the people in town?” Cyn tried to keep the inquisition to sound like mere pleasantries, but it seemed there were secrets everywhere. Every person she met she wanted to interrogate.
“Not really. I have met some of the more prominent townsfolk. The Landleys. The Kemps. And the Torrents.”
She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her heartbeat increased with each step. They were going down a new hallway. The air tasted stale. No other noise sounded around them. Only their footsteps. At the end of the hallway, she saw the large block letters she’d been dreading. Morgue.
“Tell me about the girl they brought in,” she mumbled, tripping over her own feet. Thankfully, Brock was there, holding her, before she got a chance to fall flat on her face.
Nuñez grabbed gloves from the box at the door and turned to give her an earnest smile. His friendly brown eyes dulled for a moment. “She was young. Nobody that young should die like that.”
How?
Cynthia glanced over her shoulder at Brock. His eyes were bright. Almost glowing, but not quite.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
His lip curled into a small grin. “I’ve done this before, love. I’ll be fine.”
Good to know. That wasn’t what she was asking though. She sighed. Brock was really good at trying her patience. Except, unlike Galvez, she allowed him to get away with it.
They marched toward the wall covered with dingy-gray doors no bigger than a window. Nuñez yanked one open, the metal creaking and adding a new sense of creepiness to the place.
He tugged out a metal board holding a body covered with a sheet. Cynthia gulped. Her stomach burned, and her muscles ached from locking them in place. Dread overpowered her. She hadn’t had to identify a family member before. She’d always hurt for the families she’d escorted to do it, but it was different when it was your turn. It was hell.
Nuñez carefully peeled away the sheet to reveal the face of a teenager. A beautiful blonde girl with pale skin. The teen had a nose, brow, and lip piercing.
“That’s not,” she struggled to get the words out, “Roxy.”
She couldn’t move. Her legs were rooted to the spot she stood at for a moment. It was as if her body hadn’t caught up with the fact that this wasn’t her young cousin.
Nuñez nodded and made the move to cover the girl up again. “I thought it might be a stretch, but she’s been the only teen recently reported missing here.”
“Hold on a second,” Brock ordered.
He brushed past Cyn, glancing at her with too much interest. There was that concern in his eyes again. She knew he’d smelled her fear and distress. After a few quick breaths, she’d followed behind him to get closer to the body.
“You mean to tell me no other missing person's reports have been filed in this place?” Even she heard the surprise in Brock’s voice.
Nuñez shrugged. He was tall, but when Brock stopped by his side he made the ME appear almost child-like. “This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone’s business. Teens go two towns over for excitement or to the nearest big city. Most of the time if they leave, they don’t return.”
Cynthia watched Brock. He stared at the body intently. “Do you know what this girl died of?”
“She had multiple gashes on her back from what might be a whip or a belt buckle. I’m still trying to figure it out. That didn’t kill her though. She suffered massive trauma to the head. Something big and heavy cracked her skull.”
“Let’s see the rest of her,” Brock said. His voice was low but commanding.
Nuñez pulled the sheet to show the girl’s naked body.
“She’d been floating in the river when one of the local fishermen caught sight of her and called it in.”
Cynthia reeled back. The girl had a tattoo on her leg. The same one she’d seen in her dreams. There was even a leaf next to it. Air pounded in and out of her lungs in harsh pants. She curled her nails into her hands and willed the bile, burning her throat, down.
“She was clearly bound,” Brock’s voice snagged her to the present.
She glanced at the girl’s wrists. There were small ligature marks. The type obtained from something thin cutting into the skin.
“Rope?” Cyn asked.
“Might be wire,” Nuñez answered.
Brock leaned down, way too close to the body. “I think it’s both wire and duct tape.” He met Cyn’s gaze. “There’s glue residue there too.”
Cyn glanced up at the blonde. Her eyes were closed. It tore at Cyn’s insides to see someone so young dead. But it wasn’t Roxy. That meant her cousin was still out there. Missing.
A phone’s ringing broke through the momentary quiet.
Nuñez tore off a glove and reached into his pocket. “I’m sorry, but I have a meeting to go to.”
They left the building together. Cyn’s thoughts centered on Josh Landley. She had to see him. Figure out if he might know where Roxy could be.
She gave her card to the ME at the entrance to the hospital. “Please call me if you think or hear of anything that could help us find Roxy.”
He nodded and waved them away.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Brock said after a few solemn minutes on the road.
“That’s the girl from my dream last night.” More like a nightmare. It wasn’t every night Cynthia woke up screaming from one of her hazy visions. “I don’t know if I’m over reaching, but I think she’s somehow tied to Roxy’s disappearance.”
She watched him drive. Pure muscle defined his arms. It didn’t matter that he wore his usual black T-shirt and jeans. The way the shirt hugged his body, she could make out his abs right under the cotton. All that muscle. So smooth and hot. She had real problems to let her mind constantly stray to his body. She licked her lips and focused on the matter at hand. Roxy.
“If she’s somehow tied to my cousin, I need to know how.”
Brock glanced at her. The muscle at the side of his cheek flexed. “I guess we should go question the boyfriend.”
“You know, we’re not here on official Bureau business. We can’t just go interrogate people. We have to try to get them to talk to us.”
He winked. Lord, he winked. A soft rumble of a chuckle sounded from him. “You haven’t seen me in action yet, love.”
Oh, she’d seen him in action all right. Last night. This morning. If she ignored all the warning signs her mind was sending her way, she’d see him in action again later. When they’d been in college, they’d been young. Not that it stopped how hot they’d been in bed. Or how explosive things turned when they came together. Hell, they’d destroyed several beds in the years they’d been a couple.
Another one of his chuckles brought her mind from the gutter to the present. “Remembering us in bed, love?”
“No!” Yes!
Fucking hell.
He laughed harder. “I can tell when you’re lying, Cyn.”
“I’m not lying.” Much. “You’re the one who keeps bringing things back to sex.” It was just easier to blame him than acknowledge the fact that her previously non-existent sex drive had reawakened the moment James came into the picture. She really did have bigger problems than she realized.
Her cousin was missing. She’d had two dreams in just a few days. Dreams of the future. To top it off, her body was an orgasm waiting to happen thanks to Brock.
He pulled to an unexpected stop on the side of the dirt road, put the SUV in park and turned to her. “We’re going to find your cousin. Then, you’re going to tell me why you’re so afraid to be with me.”
Not that again. “James…”
His eyes glowed and flashed black. “I would never hurt you. You know that, right?”
Her jaw fell open. “Is that what you think? That I’m afraid of you?” She glanced away before finally meeting his gaze and hoped he couldn’t see the pain in her heart through her eyes. “I left because it was what was best for you, Brock. I wanted your happiness,” she gulped. “That meant I needed to let you go.”
He shook his head and lifted her hand to his face. He caressed his bristly cheek on her palm. An explosion of warmth took over her body.
“If you wanted my happiness, you’d realize having you in my life was the only way to achieve that,” he rumbled and leaned forward. “Neither I, nor the beast inside me want any other woman. Everything that I am, man, beast, demon, belongs to you. Always will.”
“James, I—”
“You don’t only own my heart, love. You own me fully. There’s one thing you need to get through that beautiful head of yours,” he tapped her temple. “I’m not letting you go again. You’re mine, and you’re staying mine.”
She didn’t know what to say to him. She loved the dangerous hybrid more than her life, but she was a realist. At some point in the future, he’d want something she couldn’t give him. And that would break them up again.
The Landleys’ lived on one of the more expensive streets in town. That side boasted of newer larger homes. It reminded Cyn of a perfect town. A cherry-red Dodge Charger whipped past them blaring loud rock music. The car’s tires screeched as it neared a corner and did a quick left before coming to a stop in a driveway. As they neared the address they’d been given for the Landleys, they realized the hot rod that had rushed past them was parked at the Landley home.
A tall, teen boy wearing a black AC/DC T-shirt and jeans hopped out of the car. He stopped and stared at Cyn for a moment.
Brock pulled into the curved driveway, and she rushed out of the SUV to speak to the kid.
“You look just like Roxy,” the boy exclaimed. His gaze roamed over her face with wide-eyed surprise.
“Thanks, she’s my cousin.”
Brock met her at the front of the SUV.
“Are you Josh?” Brock asked, his voice serious.
The boy’s dark brows rose high when he noticed Brock. Brock tended to have that effect since Cyn met him. He was pretty big and intimidating. Even though the kid was tall compared to most teenagers, he paled.
“Why are you asking?” He threw a glance over his shoulder to the house. From what Cyn could tell, there didn’t seem to be anyone home.
“When was the last time you spoke to Roxy?” she asked. She pulled Josh’s attention to her in hopes he’d cooperate.
“A few days ago,” he shrugged slim shoulders, the T-shirt so big she wondered how he didn’t fall out of it.
“And you haven’t called or wondered why you haven’t spoken to her since?” Brock pushed.
“Nah. We had an argument,” Josh fidgeted. He took a step as if ready to run. In a heartbeat, Josh turned to go, hurrying to get away. Except, he wasn’t moving. His legs were doing the motions of someone running at a fast speed, but his feet weren’t touching the ground. His arms flailed at his sides. “What the hell?”
“Where do you think he's trying to go?” Brock cocked his head and folded his arms across his massive chest.
“I’d take a wild guess and say away from us.”
“Hmm. Now why would you want to leave so fast, kid?” He chuckled.
“Let me go, man! I don't know where she is,” Josh yelled a high-pitched squeal.
“You definitely don't. Why don't you turn around?” Brock suggested.
At that moment Josh whirled in the air. His eyes were huge in his small face, making him appear almost bug-eyed. He inhaled sharply, mumbling under his breath, something Cyn couldn’t understand, and started to breathe faster and faster. He’d realized Brock wasn't holding on to him.
“What the fuck? What did you do to me?” Another screech of words. Cyn wanted to make the kid shut up and talk at the same time. The tone of his voice grated on her last nerve.
“Relax, kid. I'll let you down in a moment. We just need some answers.” The way Brock said those few words, there was no arguing with whatever questions he had.
A wave of heat pulsed from him toward her. She became lightheaded with how draining it was to have so much energy so close to her, pushing out.
“Josh, calm down.”
Easier said than done. If she didn’t know Brock better than she knew herself, she’d probably be freaking out over the effect his energy had on their surroundings. Josh’s car shook hard. Shit. Everything shook. Wind howled around them, lifting her hair up and blowing it across her face.
“Wh-who are y-you people,” Josh managed to get out.
Cyn watched him carefully. It wasn’t that Brock was doing anything to the kid. However, it didn’t take more than a second for the kid to realize that Brock could probably destroy him without even touching him.
“We're the FBI,” she replied. She hoped he would calm some. Maybe talk to them. Hell, something other than the glassy stare he gave her.
That wasn’t the case. Josh paled even more. She started to think he'd pass out at any moment. Fuck. It was very possible they had nothing when it came to Josh Landley. If Brock could tell Josh didn't know where Roxy was, they weren't going to get much out of him.
Cyn glanced over to Brock. He shifted his attention from Josh to her. His eyes had turned pure black. The demon controlled the man.
“What do we do?” she asked him, ignoring the heat of his gaze as it trailed down her face and to her lips. One of the things she’d never gotten over about him was the power and its side effects. When his dark demon was out and he used his power, he’d want sex after. She wondered how he’d controlled the beast while she was gone. Or had he given into temptation with other women? Surely he had. Who the hell waited ten years for someone who disappeared to never return?
“There’s only ever been you.”
“Don’t go into my head!” she snapped.
He grinned, showing his slightly elongated canines. “You’re projecting. I’m just listening to you, love.”
“Hello?” Josh screeched. “I’m still here. Put me down!”
“Why did you argue with her?” Brock cut in.
Josh kicked his feet to no avail. He wouldn’t touch the ground until Brock let him. “We had an argument over Luis, and I refused to call her until she apologized.”
“Luis the ex-boyfriend?” Brock asked.
“Apologized for what?” Cyn asked at the same time.
Josh nodded and glanced back and forth between the two before answering. “She was going to go hangout with Luis and broke our date. I told her it was me or him. She said he was her friend.”
“When was she with Luis?” Cyn jotted down notes.
“Wednesday. They supposedly had something to figure out.”
Josh shoved his hands in the sides of his baggy dark jeans. He looked so strange trying to act in control while dangling in mid-air. “Look, I haven’t talked to her, and I’m still waiting for her to apologize. What’s with all the questions?”
Cyn snapped her notebook shut. “She’s missing.”
Josh’s dark eyes widened with alarm. “Are you serious?”
“Very, kid,” Brock answered. “Do you know who might know where she could be?”
“Only Luis, as far as I know. I mean she was going to see him, and I didn’t hear from her again after that.”
“And where does Luis live?” she asked.
“How the hell should I know?” Not the right answer. His body shook in mid-air.
Brock took a step closer, crowding the kid.
“Fine! In a trailer across town. Now let me go.”
Brock put him down so fast the boy's knees buckled, and he fell on his ass. Josh stood slowly. Fear filled his eyes. He didn’t try to leave again. Instead, he waited to see if they had any other questions.
Cyn squinted against the sun’s glare. Though he dressed very much a goth, Cyn could see how insecure the boy was. The way he kept twining his hands told her he was uncomfortable being questioned. “Any reason you could think of for her to just up and take off?”
Josh stared at Cyn for a moment, biting his lip ring. “She sometimes went a day or two without talking to me if she argued with her mom.”
Probably typical teenage arguments and disagreements. Cyn couldn’t picture Clara being much into the teenage girl stuff with the way her grandmother had always said she’d been too much into her own thoughts about religion and kept busy cleaning other people’s homes.
“Why would she stop talking to you if she had problems with her mother?” Brock asked. He took a step closer into Cyn’s side. His body heat curled around her like a protective blanket. She didn’t like that her mind was so weak she constantly strayed to how big he was. Or how wonderful it felt to be near him again.
Mind in the game, woman. She’d never survive a working relationship with Brock if all she kept thinking about was him, her, and sex. Lots of sex. Everywhere.
“She wouldn’t want to see me or anyone. I think her mother grounded her or something. She’d take days and lock herself in her room.” Josh frowned. “I tried calling her. I even tried to see her, but she’d refuse or ignore me altogether.”
Cynthia couldn’t try to begin to understand her family.
“So where exactly does Luis live?” She brought Josh’s wary attention to her. The boy hadn’t run. Yet. She could tell any moment he would and there wouldn’t be a reason to keep him there.
“I told you. The other side of town where the trailer park is.”
A horn blared at their backs. Josh rushed past them to the car in the street. He jumped in and took off without another word.
“Kids these days have such great manners,” she grumbled and headed for the SUV.
“Why didn’t you tell me to stop him? I wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted.”
“No. It would’ve been wrong. He didn’t have anything to hide from what you said.”
Brock shook his head. “No, I said he didn’t know where Roxy was. He wasn’t projecting, and since it wasn’t regarding your niece, I didn’t feel the need to go digging in his mind.”
“So what do you think about all this. Roxy and this Josh kid?” Cyn asked, hoping to distract her turbulent thoughts and get some feedback from Brock.
“Not sure what to think. He clearly doesn't know where Roxy is, but he's hiding something. Fear poured off him in waves.”