“Hey, what are friends for?”
“Just remember that payback is going to be a bitch, and now the battle lines are drawn.”
From the corner of his eye, he watched Jeremy’s cocky smirk slip into a scowl. “Meaning?”
“Meaning I’m no longer going out of my way to help you avoid a certain little fair-haired witch.”
His partner cursed softly under his breath. “You’re such a bastard, Mase. I always knew you played dirty.”
“Just don’t forget it,” he warned, taking another long drag.
Jeremy bent his knees, propping his back against the neighboring elm. After a few moments of silence, he cocked one tawny brow in Mason’s direction. “So what’s our next move?”
“We wait to see if he shows.”
“It’s quiet as hell out here,” Jeremy murmured, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned his head back against the trunk. “Not even the crickets are chirping. If he gets close, we’ll know it, even if we can’t pick up his scent.”
Mason nodded, moving his gaze over the back of the house. “If he gets close, he’s gonna die.”
“You hear from Pallaton again?”
“I talked to him while you were running recon on the street. He and Reyes are combing over the warehouse district here in Covington, checking it out, but nothing’s turned up yet. Brody and Cian are still over in Delaine, working on that second murder.”
Jeremy lifted his head, his straight brows pulled together in a scowl. “They still trying to finger the rogue?”
“Yeah, and they’ve got nothing,” Mason muttered, running his hand over his jaw, wincing at the sound of his whiskers against his callused skin. He could’ve used a shower and a shave, but knew he wasn’t getting either. At least not anytime soon.
“Nothing they can trace?”
“Hell, there’s no trace of Lycan musk for them to even identify, but they mentioned a sharp odor like vinegar all over the place. They tried to track it at both sites, but it messed with their noses, which reminds me too much of what happened with Simmons today. Anyway, they’re heading back up to the Alley tomorrow, said they’ll bring us up to speed then.”
“Good,” Jeremy grunted. “Because the killings are too ritualistic to be your average rogue kill. I’m telling you, man, I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Within the past few weeks, two female bodies had been found in wooded areas, not far from the Silvercrest pack’s territory. Both of the human victims had been blond and blue-eyed, both were clearly Lycan kills, and both had suffered the macabre fate of having their hearts eaten out of their chests. So far the Runners had been able to keep the grisly killings contained, but Mason knew they needed to settle the matter quickly, not only to ensure there wasn’t another victim, but to keep the pack’s existence safe from discovery. It was a challenge they constantly faced as Bloodrunners—one that became harder each year.
And then there was the shocking discovery they’d made that afternoon, its potential consequences along the lines of earth-shattering. Simmons’s ability to dayshift was the kind of thing that could prove disastrous not only to the Runners, but the entire Lycan race.
He was making a mental checklist of people he needed to question, when Jeremy suddenly said, “You know, I meant to say something earlier, but everything just started happening and I never got the chance.”
Mason sent his partner a wary look. “What is it?”
Jeremy rolled one shoulder in a restless gesture. “I just wanted to make sure that you’re handling this okay.”
Oh, he knew exactly what Jeremy meant by this. Torrance. His mate.
Mason tossed the cigarette on the ground, his voice tight as he asked, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Come on, Mase,” Jeremy snorted, shaking his head. “I’m your partner. Your best friend, man.”
“You make it sound like we’re going steady,” Mason grunted, knowing where this was headed, and not wanting to go there.
“I’m just trying to say that…hell, I know how you’ve felt about this kind of stuff ever since Dean, and I know you never planned on it happening to you. Now that it has, I just wanted to make sure you were handling it okay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he stated flatly.
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