Violet stared out the window as she sat in the passenger seat of the Mustang. Watching the scenery outside, her vision blurred as memories she could no longer hold back flooded into her mind.

When the opportunity to study mineral deposits in the far-flung country of Eritana came, Violet didn’t think twice. The authoritarian government rarely let anyone inside their borders due to the civil war still raging in the country. But her university struck a deal with them: in exchange for letting their scientists come and do their research, they would also bring much needed supplies and medication to the people living in the remote villages. They came to an agreement, and soon Violet found herself in a rusty old truck, bouncing along the dirt roads that led up to the mountains of the Vaisjaani Nature Reserve.

The village she and her team were staying at was so small, it didn’t even have a name. But it was the perfect spot to set up their base camp. Many of the villagers also offered shelter where they could sleep in exchange for extra supplies and money.

Unfortunately the village was also very backward, and because she was an unmarried woman, no one would let her stay on their property. Some old wives’ tale. It was bad luck, they said. She offered them double what was in the agreement, but it didn't persuade them. She was frustrated and had nearly lost hope when an older woman approached her as she was walking by herself figuring out to do.

Her name was Antonia, she had said. She ran the local girl’s orphanage just outside of town. Antonia took on the girls no one wanted, the girls who had no parents because they lost their lives to the war or the ones who were in danger of being exploited.

So it seemed Antonia would be taking on another unwanted female. She followed Antonia a good thirty-minute walk from the main village to the dusty, run-down brick home where she ran her orphanage.

It was perfect. Actually, she didn’t care; all she needed was a place to put up her tent as she would spend most of her time exploring the mountains with her team anyway. When she arrived, twenty-three girls, the youngest around two years old and the oldest nearly fourteen, were waiting for them. They greeted Antonia warmly but Violet with wary and curious eyes. She shrugged. She had no use for children. To her they took up too much time and resources and detracted away from more important things, like research and learning.

Every morning at seven a.m. she would leave the orphanage to head out to the village and come back after dark. The girls watched her but never approached. When her first day off came around, she was relaxing under tree, eating a protein bar and reading a book, when she felt someone’s presence nearby.

Clear green eyes peered up at her. The little girl blinked and when Violet smiled at her, her face broke into a gap-toothed grin. That was the first time she met Nadia.

It was strange how her face was so vivid in her mind even though it was nearly six months ago when she first saw the girl. Her face was small but clean, and she had the whitest blonde hair Violet had ever seen.

Her heart began to pound as she recalled a different, even more vivid, memory. Red. Blood red everywhere. On her paws and on her fur. On soft white blonde hair and lifeless limbs.

“We’re here.”

Nathan’s voice jarred Violet out of her memories.

“Violet, are you okay?”

She didn’t even realize her heart was pounding in her chest or that she had been wringing her hands together until her knuckles turned pale. “I’m fine.” Yanking the door handle, she stepped out.

Melanie had parked her car right beside Nathan’s, and she was already waiting for them outside of the four-story brick building. She waved them over.

“I have a spare set of keys,” she explained as they entered the apartment building. They walked all the way up to the third floor and stopped at the first door on the left.

“Wait,” Violet said. “You should go inside and grab us something of Joanne’s—something only she would touch, if possible.”

“Why?” Melanie asked.

“To establish a base scent,” Nathan answered. “We need to know what she smells like, so we can distinguish anything inside that’s not her or you.”

“Gotcha.” Melanie scratched at her chin. “I think I know what would work.” She disappeared into the apartment and came back after a few moments. She held out a faded pink piece of fabric. “She always sleeps with this. It was her baby blanket.” Her face drew into a worried expression. “Now, I’m even more sure she didn’t just run away on her own. She would never leave without this.”

Nathan took the blanket and gave it a sniff before handing it to Violet. “Okay, let’s go inside.”

Melanie led them into the apartment. It was small but clean and looked lived in. They were standing in the living room which had a couch, a coffee table, and TV. On the left, Violet could see a doorway that led into a kitchen. A door on the right side was most likely the bedroom.

“I’ll take this room since it’s the biggest,” Nathan said.

“I’ll go into the bedroom,” Violet volunteered.

As she guessed, the door on the right did lead her into the small bedroom. A double bed was squeezed up against the corner, and next to it was a bedside table with a lamp. She walked there first and sat on the mattress. It was made and smelled clean. Leaning down on the pillow, she could pick up Joanne’s scent—feathers and something citrusy. As far as she could tell, no one else had been in here recently.

As she turned her head, the framed photo on the bedside table caught her eye. It was a picture of two little girls, one older and one younger, obviously related. Joanne and Melanie.

It was Joanne’s picture that had unlocked those memories of Nadia. Her hair wasn’t as light, but the innocent smile reminded her of the little girl. And that’s when she knew she had to help find Joanne. To atone for her failure.

“Violet!” came Melanie’s voice from the living room. “Come quick!”

Violet got to her feet. “What is it?” she asked as she joined the others.

The couch that had been in the middle of the room was pushed aside and Nathan was on his knees, his nose pressed to the hardwood floor. His brows were knitted together in concentration. “Shit,” he cursed.

“What is it?” Melanie asked in a tentative voice.

Nathan pushed himself up. “Blood. Lots of it. Probably a couple of days old.”

“Oh no.” Melanie’s voice broke and tears pooled at her eyes. “Joanne.”

Violet put an arm around her. “There, there. You and Joanne are shifters, right?”

Melanie nodded. “We’re owls.”

“She might have been struck on the head. Such wounds can cause a lot of blood loss,” Violet began. “The injury she took most likely broke the skin on her skull and there are so many blood vessels in there. In fact, twenty percent of the blood your heart pumps goes up to the brain and—”

“Violet,” Nathan said in a warning voice.

Melanie looked even paler and not comforted by her words at all. “Oh, sorry. Anyway, my point is, since Joanne is a shifter, it’s likely she’s already healed.”

“Oh.” Melanie seemed a little more relieved.

Violet walked over to the where Nathan was kneeling. “So, you think someone cleaned it?”

“Definitely.”

Melanie’s eyes lit up. “There was a carpet there. I’m pretty sure.”

“When she bled out, they could have gotten rid of the carpet and mopped up what was left,” Violet said. “As long as they made it look like she ran away, it could be days before the police sent over any forensic experts.”

“If they send one at all,” Nathan added, his jaw set.

“Anything else you can pick up?” Melanie asked.

“Let me try,” Violet said. “My nose is a little more fresh.” She knelt down beside Nathan and lowered her head to the floor. “Hmm … I don’t smell—” Her body went still.

“Violet?”

“Did you scent something?” Nathan asked.

“No, but …” She crawled over to the couch. There was something stuck under one of the feet. Lifting the couch, she picked it up. It was hair. Specifically a bunch of long dark hair with a piece of a bloody scalp stuck to one end.

“What’s that—eww, gross!” Melanie recoiled.

Violet held it up to her nose. There were trace amounts of Joanne’s scent and someone else—the owner of the hair, of course.

“Motherfucker,” Nathan cursed. He grabbed the hair from Violet and sniffed it. “Melanie, can you get a bag for this?” Melanie nodded and ran to the kitchen. “Did you find anything else down there?”

Violet peered under the couch. “Nothing, I’m afraid.”

“Nathan! Violet!”

They looked at each other. Nathan helped her up, and they headed to the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.

“This!” Melanie held up a small piece of cardboard.

“Huh?” Nathan took it from her fingers. “It’s a matchbook.”

“Yes, but look! It’s for that seedy biker bar just outside of town. The Bitter End. I found it on the floor under the kitchen table.”

Nathan shrugged. “So?”

“I told you!” Melanie exclaimed. “Joanne never goes to bars. And even if she did, it wouldn’t be there. It’s where the Kings of Death hang out.”

“Kings of Death?” Violet echoed.

“Yeah, they’re a notorious biker gang,” Nathan said. “They keep out of Blackstone, but their exploits are known in the area. Gunrunning, drugs, armed robbery, to name a few.”

“See? Joanne would never go to such a place. Whoever took her must have dropped this accidentally.”

“It seems sloppy,” Nathan said.

“But plausible,” Violet added. She took the matchbook from Melanie and sniffed it. “Scent's not the same as the hair, but it’s not Joanne’s either. Could be a second accomplice. We should go to The Bitter End and check it out.”

“Check it out?” Nathan asked in an incredulous voice. “Are you insane?”

“We can’t waste any more time,” Violet said. She would not make the same mistake twice.

“No,” Nathan said. “We are not going to that biker bar. We’re going to go to the police and—”

“The police won’t help us,” cried Melanie. “They don’t care about her.”

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not taking you there.”

Violet stood toe-to-toe with him. “We don’t need your help or your permission. Melanie and I can go by ourselves.”

“No fucking way,” he said. But the two women stood their ground. He let out a frustrated groan and took his keys from his pocket. “Fine. We’re going, but you two are going to stay in the car while I go in there and gather info.” He grabbed the matchbook from Violet. “Let’s go.”