He mentally flipped back through the possibilities.
You’d need a high-level demon to pull off a glamour trick like that.
A demon who knows his way around crime scenes.
One who had access to all the case files.
Another piece of the puzzle slid into place. “The patrol unit . . . that kid called in our location. He read out my badge number.” By doing so, he’d painted a giant bull’s-eye on his back. Someone with access to that radio line had known exactly where Tanner was.
And exactly how to set him up.
“A cop?” Jonathan whispered, eyes wide, and Tanner knew his partner had reached the same conclusion he had.
He and Marna were being set up, all right, and the demon had probably been working right beside him, and he hadn’t even noticed the guy.
Or the woman.
Jonathan yanked at the cuffs. “Unlock me!”
Tanner dug the key out of his pocket. But he didn’t free Jonathan, not yet. “Who were you selling her to?”
Jonathan’s jaw clenched. “I wasn’t selling her, man. Get that part straight. I’m a good cop, okay? The captain . . . shit, she told me to find her. Pope saw her in the video, and she knew that you’d been hiding her. Hell, she’s the one who told me what your lady was.”
An angel.
“Captain Pope isn’t human.” Did the guy realize that?
Marna just watched them as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet. He could feel the tension rolling off her.
Jonathan swallowed. “I was beginning to suspect that was—”
“She’s a demon.” Tanner just didn’t know how strong she was.
“Sonofabitch.” Jonathan’s gaze darted to the boarded-up warehouse windows. “She probably followed you. Probably set the whole department after you.”
She’d said that she was gonna clear his name. She’d told him to go.
Don’t trust a demon.
There was only one demon he’d ever trusted in this world. His brother. The captain had been desperate to find out where Cody was.
And I told her.
Fuck.
What in the hell was going on?
“Let me out of these cuffs!” Jonathan demanded, lurching forward. “Let me help!”
Tanner stepped toward his partner. Marna stopped him. “When Jonathan came to your apartment, he shot his way inside.” Her hand felt silken soft against his skin. “When I ran, he followed me, shooting.”
The panther snarled and tried to push past the man’s control.
Eyes wide, Jonathan scurried back. “Warning shots! I wasn’t aiming at her, I swear. If I had been, I would’ve hit her!”
Was that supposed to lessen his rage? The bastard had shot at her.
“Yes, he would have hit me,” Marna said, sending a hard glance his way, “just like he did before.” She shook her head. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t want that human free.”
Yeah, well, after a bullet, who could blame her?
“Tanner, man, listen to me.” Jonathan’s voice was desperate now. “Don’t do anything crazy, okay? Don’t do anything like—”
“Like let my animal side out?” Perhaps it was time the guy saw just what he could do. Tanner let his claws break free.
Razor sharp. Ready to kill.
Jonathan scrambled back some more. His back almost brushed the wall. “Please, man, I—”
“Come near her again,” Tanner told him, “and you’ll see just how dangerous my beast can be.” Jonathan’s bullets wouldn’t have killed her, but Tanner couldn’t stand the thought of Marna in pain.
She took his hand, not even seeming to see the claws. She’d been so afraid of them before. But now . . .
“Let’s get out of here,” she told him.
They needed to haul ass. Needed to find Cody and make sure the captain wasn’t going after him next.
How many more dead bodies? Blood was starting to fill the streets in the Big Easy.
“I can help you!” Jonathan’s stare was fierce as he gazed at Marna. “Just give me a chance to make things right.”
But she wasn’t looking at him. She’d already turned away and headed for the door, giving them both a view of her slim back.
“Why doesn’t she have wings?” Jonathan’s voice. Quieter now. Curious.
Afraid?
Tanner stared down at his claws. Long. Lethal.
Monster.
“Because they were sliced away.” He tossed the key to the cuffs, threw it toward the far wall. By the time Jonathan freed himself, they’d be long gone. He marched toward his partner. Kept his claws out. “A shifter’s claws can slice through just about anything.”