His jaw clenched. Slowly, he shook his head. “First off, I don’t believe you. Second, I’m well aware you know what’s behind that door. I’ve seen you go through it. With or without your help, I will find out what’s going on.”
Though she knew he had no idea of the magnitude of the danger he’d be placing himself in, she couldn’t help but admire—just the teeniest bit—his dogged determination. Even though it completely mystified her.
“What is it with you and that door?” she finally asked. “Do you honestly think whatever is behind it is worth you being beaten within an inch of your life? Because I can promise you, if you keep pursuing this, that’s what will happen again. Or worse.”
“Wow.” He stared at her. “Whatever the secret is that you’re hiding, it must be something big. I can’t believe you’re threatening me.”
“Not threatening. Warning.” She let her gaze roam over him. Even with his battered and bruised face, he was still handsome. His angular features and the light brown tint to his skin made his brown eyes stand out. She liked his lean muscular build and narrow waist. In fact, if she’d met Jake Cassel under different circumstances, she’d have dated him.
Even now, despite him ditching her earlier and then stating he planned to continue on his dangerous and foolhardy course of action, she felt a twinge of attraction.
A jolt of awareness struck her. She realized she had to do whatever it took to keep the truth hidden from him—and by doing so, keep him safe.
“Jake, look.” She swallowed. “I’ll do it. I’ll take the job.”
Instead of making him happy, he narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
That made her laugh. “What do you mean, why? I thought you wanted my help.”
“I do.”
“Yet you’re still frowning.”
“Because I can’t shake the thought that you’re somehow playing me.”
Good instincts, though of course she couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, she shrugged. “Up to you. We don’t come cheap. I completely understand if you’ve changed your mind.”
He tilted his head, eyeing her as if honestly trying to read her mind. “Do you have a card?” he asked.
“Of course.” Luckily, she’d just printed up a batch. She kept several in the console, so she pulled one out and handed it to him. “You can call me if you change your mind.”
He accepted it, put it in his pocket and stared straight ahead.
“Where to?” she asked. He gave her an address in a neighborhood near hers, but a few streets away. She drove silently, efficiently, keeping her concentration on the road. When they finally pulled up in front of a small yellow frame house, she parked. “I hope you get to feeling better soon,” she said.
“Thanks.” Still avoiding her gaze, he slowly and painfully climbed from the car. “I’ll be in touch.”
She watched him walk up his driveway, waiting to pull away until he’d disappeared into the house. Then, because it was her habit, she made a note of the address on a small pad she kept in her console.
As soon as she got home, she called Carmen. Her friend didn’t answer, which made Maddie suspect the Vamp harbored some resentment over being stood up. Maddie apologized over voice mail, said she needed to talk to her about a potential new case and hung up. No doubt Carmen would disappear for a day or two, as was her wont. When Maddie and their other partner, Shayla, called her on it, Carmen always simply shrugged and told them to get used to it, because that’s what Vampires did.
Simple chores, like pouring herself a glass of wine and reheating a leftover bowl of pho she’d picked up for lunch yesterday, brought Maddie a measure of calm. A creature of habit, she liked things to happen as planned and in a particular order. This made her feel secure.
Tonight she’d agreed to meet Carmen for an early drink at Broken Chains. Everything had spiraled out of control before she’d even reached the iconic door. And while she hadn’t intended to spend so much time tracking down Jake Cassel, she knew in her core that she’d done the right thing. There were procedures put in place—some of them primitive and violent—by those who protected their kind from discovery. Jake was lucky he’d only been beaten.
In fact, Maddie knew she actually had an obligation to uphold. Sipping her soup, she deliberated. If she made the call to the Pack Protectors—or, most likely, her brother, since he worked as one—they’d send people to round up the reporter. It wouldn’t be pretty, it wouldn’t be kind, and she wasn’t a hundred percent sure Jake would survive.
Though calling her brother might be the right thing to do, she couldn’t. Not yet. Instead, she’d keep an eye on Jake and try her best to protect him from harm. And from getting too close to the truth. If he’d actually hire her, that would make her task a lot easier.
She poured herself a second glass of wine and rinsed her bowl before putting it in the dishwasher. Carrying her wine to the living room, she clicked on the TV just in time to catch the evening news.
An ominous red banner was displayed across the scene. Breaking News. Apparently, there had been an explosion in one of the warehouses down near the pier. No one had been killed, there were three people injured and the police were looking for the suspects. It had not yet been called a terrorist attack and motive had not yet been determined. The warehouse had been believed to be empty, but firefighters said it was not.
When the camera panned the crowd, Maddie let out a little yelp of surprise. That woman in the group over to one side—tall, blonde and elegant—looked like Carmen.
Maddie hit the pause button on her remote and went back. Yep. She paused again. For whatever reason, Carmen was down near the pier. And from the looks of things, she wasn’t alone. She stood arm-in-arm with a ruggedly handsome military-type man. He gave off a dangerous yet sexy vibe. He’d have to, she thought, to keep up with Carmen.
No wonder her friend hadn’t answered her phone. Maddie couldn’t say she blamed her. Jake made Maddie feel the same way—like going off the grid and getting to know him.
She found herself grinning when she thought of Jake. He didn’t realize it, but she’d only told him the truth. While she knew what she was planning on doing walked a fine line as far as Pack law, she’d be careful. If, at any moment, Jake got too close to the truth, she’d talk to her brother, but right now she thought she could redirect Jake to some other story. The only problem was that she’d need to find one first.
In the years since moving to Galveston, Maddie had been on a lot of dates, especially when she’d worked as a police dispatcher. Human men, Shifter men, and even a Merman or two. Not a single one of them affected her the way Jake did.
Because she had an analytical mind, she sat down and tried to figure out what specifically attracted her to him.
It could be his dark good looks, but she’d dated many handsome men. She didn’t know him well enough for it to be his personality or sense of humor, which brought her an odd sort of relief. Physical attraction was easily dealt with. She certainly wasn’t ready for anything stronger.
The next morning, Maddie set to work. Taking her time, she snapped a camera phone pic of the sheet she’d printed out with The Shadow Agency’s rates. She’d actually had to print out an amended list, as she couldn’t send Jake the one that listed items like “Undersea Investigation,” which was Shayla’s area, since she happened to be a Mermaid.
After she’d sent the text to Jake, she tried again to call Carmen. She went straight to voice mail, which meant her Vampire friend had disappeared. With a sigh, Maddie left another message, knowing Carmen wouldn’t call until she’d finished with whatever it was that she did when she disappeared.
Next, she phoned Shayla. Though her