I drove by the docks at least three times a day. I probably should stop doing that or change my schedule, or start using some kind of stealth potion because the new group we were after wouldn’t do a deal there while I kept showing my face. But I couldn’t help it. Whenever I tried to find another angle for this damned case, I couldn’t. There was nothing there. The new leader was thorough and cleaned up after himself and his group well. So, instead of sitting on my butt all day, I either worked smaller cases, helped the others with their cases, or drove by the docks—just in case.

This time was no different. I parked my Camaro, went out for a stroll, greeted the fishermen around, checked some darker corners, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I ended up back in my car and drove toward the manor. Though the manor was at the edge of town, I stayed by Ocean Drive along the sea as much as I could. There was something about the clear blue waters of the Willow Harbor beach that calmed me. Like the tree that remained green all year long, the ocean was always clear blue, even with gray skies and rare winter storms.

I was approaching Central Avenue when I saw an old silver Corolla parked on the wrong side of the road. I slowed down and stared as a young woman slipped out of the car and, leaving the door wide open, walked straight to the sand.

Frowning, I slowed more. That long, dark hair … I had a feeling I knew her, and I also had a feeling there was more going on here.

Letting my hunter instincts take over, I parked my car behind hers and went after her.

She was halfway down the beach, and for a brief moment, I faltered. The chill wind of January blew her long hair around and she looked graceful in tight jeans, boots, and a leather jacket.

I blinked and she was right at the edge of the water. The freezing cold water. What the hell?

I raced after her.

“Hey! Lady!” I called, but she either didn’t hear me, or she pretended she didn’t.

I hooked my hand around her elbow and jerked her back as she was about to step into the water, boots and all. I grabbed both of her arms and turned her toward me. The first thing I saw were her stunning green eyes. Then her tiny, straight nose, her full pink lips, her high cheekbones, her smooth, fair skin … and her luscious long, dark hair. And just like that I was a goner. She was perfect. She was stunning. She was—

A siren.

I let go of one of her elbows and pressed the wound on my upper arm. Pain shot through my veins, and I gritted my teeth. It hurt like hell, but it also brought clarity to my head and helped me not to fall into her spell.

Once I was in control of my mind, I recognized her. It was Brooke, the siren who almost drowned a guy five years ago. She had no idea what she had been doing, of course, and I was glad I had saved the boy.

I swallowed hard, suddenly uncomfortable. I had dreamed about her last night again. And she had been about to do exactly what she did in my dreams. Would she have gone for a swim in the cold water if I hadn’t stopped her? Would she have turned to me and batted her lashes?

I shook my head once, clearing my mind of those thoughts and focusing on a more important question: What was she doing back in Willow Harbor?

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She blinked once, twice. Then, her brows slammed down and she took a big step back. “I’m …” She glanced at the ocean and back at me. “What happened?”

“Hm, I think you wanted to go for a swim.”

She looked down at herself. “But … in full clothing? And in January?”

I shrugged. “You tell me.”

She shook her head, as if her thoughts were still hazy. “I don’t know. I just … I feel like … I guess I’m just attracted to the ocean and lost my mind a little.”

Attracted to the ocean. That was putting it mildly. It seemed she still didn’t know she was a siren.

“So, you’re okay now?”

“I guess so.” She offered me a soft smile.

I pressed on my wound a little harder. Having a siren wandering around town wouldn’t do. “You’re new in town,” I said and immediately felt stupid. I needed to get her to tell me why she was back and send her away somehow, but I didn’t know how well she remembered Willow Harbor.

The town was magical like that. If Brooke wasn’t supposed to stay here, as soon as she stepped out of the gates, she would have forgotten everything, even if that meant forgetting most of her life.

“I was born and raised here,” she said with another little smile. I wanted to rip off the bandage around my arm and dig my fingers into my wound. “My mother and I moved away five years ago.”

So she did remember Willow Harbor. That was interesting.

“What brings you back here?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Actually …” She fished a folded beige envelope from her jacket pocket. “This is going to sound crazy, but I don’t know who my father is. Never did, and my mother never told me anything about him, not even his name, but last week, I received this letter.”

She handed me the envelope. I took the letter from inside and unfolded it. My eyes bulged as I read it.

This couldn’t be.

I flipped the paper, but nothing else was written on the other side. There was nothing on the envelope either besides her name and address and the Willow Harbor Post Office stamp.

“I was wondering …” She paused. “I know this is crazy, since I don’t know his name or what he looks like, but I was wondering if you knew who my father is. Or if you could point me in the direction I could find him, or more about him.” She looked down, shaking her head. “This is more difficult than I thought it would be.” She looked back at me, an embarrassed smile on her lips. God, she was gorgeous. I pressed on my wound. “I think I had this idea I would come back here and he would be waiting for me in the square, or here at the beach. The moment I walked by, he would say, hey, it’s me. I sent you the letter.” She buried her hands in the pockets of her jacket. “Gosh, it sounds so stupid.”

“So, you want to find your father?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, that’s the idea.”

I nodded. “I get it.”

“Do you know where I would even look to find him? I mean, I plan on going to the post office, but, you know, they might just look at me and think I’m crazy.”

No, they wouldn’t think she was crazy. She was close to the ocean now. If she didn’t learn to control her power soon, she would have the entire town under her spell in no time. She couldn’t go around town asking about her father.

I had to do two things: I had to take Brooke somewhere safe, where she wouldn’t spell anyone, and I had to go to the manor and talk to the other hunters about this. It could be nothing, but right now it looked like we had another case on our hands.

Maybe two new cases if I let myself consider the possibility that my dreams about Brooke weren’t random occurrences. But I would worry about that later.

“I think I know some place where you can go,” I said. “Come with me.”