A grim smile lifted Dru’s lips. “My stepfather really was a freak—and I’m counting down the days until the needle goes into his arm.” Her lips tightened. “But you might want to move faster, Eve, ’cause I set off my alarm as soon as you kicked my door, and the cops are gonna be here any minute.”
Eve’s face tensed. “Don’t tell them I was here.”
Dru nodded.
Eve took Cain’s hand, and the move surprised him so much that he let her drag him from the shop. A few moments later, they were in the vehicle, driving away. Not too fast—why look guilty? He was heading straight for the Ranger who damn well would take them to Wyatt.
“Told you I could find him,” Eve said, staring out the window. “Guess I’m not so useless after all.”
He stiffened. Had he called her that? He hadn’t meant . . .
“We find Damon, we find Wyatt. The bastard won’t see us coming until it’s too late. He’ll be the hunted one now.”
Cain drove in silence, then he had to know. “What did her stepfather do?”
“He liked to cut up girls. The younger, the better.” She pulled in a rough breath. “Dru . . . had a little sister. She went missing, just like two other girls had in her neighborhood.”
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. A needle in the arm was too good for the prick. “You knew it was him?”
“Dru did. She came to me because I was the only reporter in town who’d listen to her.” A sad laugh. “Maybe because I was the newest one then?”
No, he thought it was more than her just being the new kid on the block who’d been hungry for a story.
“She’d tried going to the cops, but Leon was too good at playing the grieving father. He was also very good at not leaving evidence behind.”
“How’d you catch him?” Cain drove easily, but his attention was on Eve.
“Humans couldn’t find his tracks. Supernaturals could.” A brief pause. “I used a shifter to sniff him out . . . and to help me find the bodies.” Silence, then . . . “I never want to see graves that small ever again.”
Cain’s gaze cut to her.
Her lips trembled. But then she shook her head as if trying to shake off the memory. “I took the cops to the bodies. Said I’d had a source call me. There was enough DNA left behind that we could tie the bastard to the killings. He’s been on death row for five years, and it’s time for him to go to hell.”
“Dru knew you used a shifter to help you.”
“That’s why she can’t ever make wolves look like the monsters most people think they are. To Dru, the shifters were the heroes.”
And she always showed that in their eyes.
Cain slowed the car as he neared the small, ranch-style house located at the end of Branchline Road.
Eve cleared her throat. “So . . . who gets to play good cop when we go inside?”
He killed the engine. Turned his head to slowly glance her way. “I’ve never been good.”
She nodded. A ghost of a smile lifted her lips as she reached for her door handle. “Right, then I’ll—”
Cain caught her hand. “You’ll stay behind me.” The guy was a Ranger, trained to kill in more ways than most humans could count. Tyler wasn’t getting close to Eve. “If he’s here, then I’ll be the one to face him.”
“And I’ll—”
“Stand back and not get hurt.”
She stared at him.
“The price of being human,” he murmured.
Her eyes narrowed. “We both know I’m not.”
“We don’t know what you are.” It was eating him up inside, wondering if she was like him.
Eve glanced back at the house. Cain had parked a little ways down the street, but they had a perfect view of 2808 Branchline. “If he’s not home, we’ll search his house,” she said. “We might be able to find intel that we can use.”
The searching part she could handle. He’d do the attacking.
They climbed from the vehicle. Instead of keeping to the shadows of the trees, Cain headed for the guy’s front door.
Eve grabbed his arm. “Uh, have you heard of the subtle approach?”
“I’m more familiar with the ass-kicking approach.” No neighbors were around. Probably all at work. Good. Cain slammed his fist into the door. Heard no sound from inside.
“Here,” he told her, backing up a bit, “I’ll try your routine.”
“Cain, wait—”