Chapter 7
Iwatch as Zane leads a young shifter, probably Zach, into the living room. The young wolf shifter”s sweaty trembling hands make my gut twists as I extend my hand to shake his. He”s so nervous. It reminds me of the time when Zane and I got called into this house when Devin was Alpha. We”d snuck out to see each other and got caught outside the Protected Zone. I sat on my hands to ensure Devin didn”t see them shake. He had no tolerance for perceived weakness in any Pack member.
I look over to Zane and catch his eye for just a fraction of a second before he starts to speak. ”Zach. We need to know what Rowan told you. You mustn”t leave anything out.”
Zach swallows hard, his eyes darting between Zane, Nora, and me. ”I... I didn”t know. Rowan, he said... he said I could challenge you, Zane. That you”d underestimate me.”
Zane”s expression remains stoic, but I can see the tension in his jaw. ”And did you believe him?”
”At first,” Zach admits, his voice barely above a whisper. ”I”m the best fighter in the school. But then... then I realized you”re stronger. Much stronger.”
Zach”s admiration for Zane shines in his eyes, a mixture of fear and respect. He idolizes Zane, despite the challenge. Or maybe because of it. ”Zane, did you... did you almost...” Zach trails off, unable to finish the question.
Zane”s gaze softens. ”I”d never kill a member of my Pack, Zach. Not unless I had no other choice.”
There”s a heavy silence in the room as the words sink in for Zach. I decide to steer the conversation back on track. ”Zach, did anything unusual that happened before or after the fight? Anything that stood out?”
Zach thinks for a moment, his brow furrowing in concentration. ”Well, Rowan offered to clean up. That”s not something he usually does.”
I share a look with Zane. It”s as though we share a silent conversation like we did before. Zach”s right, Rowan never offers to clean up after other people. Hell, we”re lucky if Rowan cleans up a mess of his own making.
Before either of us say anything aloud, Nora jumps in. ”Zach, has Rowan ever introduced you to anyone? Anyone you wouldn”t have known if it wasn”t for him?”
Zach nods, his eyes widening as he remembers. ”There was this one time. He took me to Cascade Falls, to meet a guy. The guy had an office near a building with a strip club. There was this fancy light. Looked like a girl dancing, made up of tubes of neon. It was the coolest thing I”d ever seen.”
”Zach,” Zane says in a gentle voice. ”Can you tell us more about this guy? What did he look like? Did he say anything to you?”
Zach”s eyes dart between us, but he relaxes slightly in response to Zane”s calmer tone. ”He was... average, I guess. Not too tall, not too short. Brown hair, nothing really stood out about him. He had this... calculating look in his eyes, though. Like he was always thinking, always planning.”
Nora jots down notes. ”And did he say anything? Anything at all?”
Zach shakes his head. ”No, he didn”t. Rowan did most of the talking. The guy just... listened.”
Zane leans forward, his piercing blue eyes locking onto Zach. ”Zach, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You are not to tell anyone we talked about this. Not Rowan, not anyone in the Pack. Do you understand?”
Zach nods, his eyes wide. ”Yes, Zane. I understand.”
Zane dismisses him with a nod, and we watch as Zach leaves the room, his shoulders slumped. Once the door closes behind him, Zane turns to us. ”I think I know who Zach met. His name is Liam O”Connor.”
I”ve heard of Liam. His reputation precedes him. ”Liam? Are you sure?”
Zane nods. ”Pretty sure. He moved to town after you left, Ava. Joined the Pack, but he never really took to living in the backwoods. He lives in Cascade Falls now, but officially, he”s still part of the Blackwood Pack.”
Nora frowns, her brow furrowing. ”What”s his business in Cascade Falls?”
”Officially?” Zane says, his voice hardening, ”He brings goods to the Pack Territory. Says it”s to help those who want to stay separate from the humans. But I”ve always suspected he has other... less legitimate businesses.”
Worry etches Zane”s ruggedly handsome face. Liam is a problem that he”s dealt with for a while.
”You have a plan to remove Liam from the Pack?” I word it as a question, but it”s really a statement. I can see the answer clearly in the hard lines of his face.
Zane”s jaw clenches. ”Erik and I have discussed it a few times. His business dealings have become increasingly... questionable. And his influence on some of the younger Pack members concerns us.”
I tap my fingers against my thigh, mulling over the information. ”And you think he”d risk causing divisions between humans and shifters just to protect his business?”
”I think Liam is the kind of person who would do anything to maintain his power and status,” Zane says, his voice laced with bitterness. ”I don”t believe that Liam knows how much Erik has tracked his dealings. Liam thinks he”s pulling one over on the Pack. On me. But Rowan”s involvement—his family has always been on the side of remaining separate from the humans. Why is he going to town to meet with Liam? And taking Zach? That I don”t know. Yet.” His emphasis on the last word is clear and final.
”What happens if you remove Liam from the Pack?” I ask. I know the answer. The Pact doesn”t allow shifters to own businesses in Cascade Falls unless sanctioned by a recognized Pack. So if the Blackwood Pack revokes Liam”s membership, he”ll lose his businesses in Cascade Falls. But a part of me wonders if Zane will tell me the truth.
Zane”s eyes shoot to mine. I see the realization flicker across his handsome features. This familiarity between us opens a wound I thought had healed. But overhearing the meeting slices deeper than I want to admit. These moments of shared understanding leave me aching inside. I need to leave his house before I break down entirely.
”Dammit. Erik and I haven”t announced our conversations about Liam”s membership, but we wouldn”t have hidden them from Rowan. I never thought that Rowan had any significant connection to Liam.”
I nod. ”Nora and I will do some digging and see what we can find out about his business dealings.”
Zane nods, his eyes searching mine. ”Be careful, Ava.”
I roll my eyes, trying to lighten the mood. ”Don”t worry, I can handle myself. Besides, I”ve got Nora watching my back.”
Zane”s expression softens, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, but it doesn”t reach his eyes. He wants to say more, but he won”t with Nora here. Maybe he”s learning that being open in front of extra people allows them to use the information you share. But I”ve never been so thankful to have my partner with me. I”m not ready to hear what Zane wants to say.
As I walk back to my truck, the memories of Zane and I sitting on that porch together watching the sunset threaten to overwhelm me. The evening I found that letter in my father”s things, I brought it here. Zane had recently challenged and became Alpha. It was officially his house. I read the letter for the first time sitting next to him on that porch swing. My father”s revelation that my mother had been a human, not a shifter, changed the course of my life. Eight years later, I thought I was over it, but one afternoon working with Zane again brought it all rushing back.
Maybe solving this case will heal the wounds of my past. Then I can accept one of the men asking me out on dates.
I drive with Nora in the passenger seat. Nora”s fingers fly over her phone, her brow furrowed in concentration. ”I think I found it,” she says, her voice triumphant. She turns the screen toward me, displaying a map with a red dot. ”This is the possible location of the office and the strip club. It”s in a part of town not frequented by supernaturals so we haven”t had any cases there.”
I nod, turning the car in the direction of the red dot. As I drive, the open space between the buildings shrinks and the brick facade becomes more weathered and worn.
We turn a corner and there it is. The nondescript building blends in with the rest of the street. The only remarkable thing on the street is the light of the dancing lady. It”s made up of neon tubes, the light flickering and dancing in a mesmerizing display, just as Zach described. It starkly contrasts the rest of the street, shining like a beacon of light in the otherwise dull landscape.
I pull over to the side of the road and park the truck. Nora and I exchange a look. Nora and I leave the truck and walk toward the building, our footsteps echoing in the quiet street. The dancing lady light casts a colorful glow on the pavement, the neon reflecting in Nora”s pixie-cut hair.
As we get closer, I can see the building more clearly. It”s older than I thought, the bricks worn and the windows slightly fogged. This place doesn”t draw a lot of random foot traffic.
We see one potential entrance, a door kept slightly ajar by a large rock. As much as we want information quickly, Sebastian would put us both on desk duty for the next year if we walked in without any information or backup. Nora takes a few pictures on her phone and notes the address before we head back to the car.
* * *
Nora and I walk into the police headquarters. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead as we make our way to the forensics lab, our footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
Dr. Patel, the head of the forensics team, greets us with a tired smile. ”Ladies,” he says wearily. ”I have some information for you.”
He hands us a folder, the thick paper filled with lab reports and analysis. I flip through the pages, my eyes scanning the technical jargon.
”There was a match between blood found on the body from the first crime scene and the fabric from the second. The same person—or well shifter—could be involved in both,” Dr. Patel continues.
I look up at Nora, her eyes wide with affirmation. I expected that answer, but hearing the words still feels like a kick to the gut.
Dr. Patel”s voice pulls me from my thoughts. ”We”ve also identified the human victim. His name was Tony Bianchi. He was a loan shark. Had a long rap sheet related to gambling and violence.”
I nod, taking in the information. Tony Bianchi. The name sounds familiar, but I know it isn”t from a case I”ve worked on.
”Tony Bianchi is dead? Good riddance,” Nathan says as he walks up behind me.
”Show some respect,” Nora says.
”That was respect. Do you know how many cases I”ll get to move off my desk now that the main suspect is dead?” Nathan responds.
”Did he have any business dealings with the Packs?” I ask Nathan.
Nathan smiles at me as he answers, ”Not specifically, or I”d have happily turned all those open cases over to the Crimes Involving Supernaturals unit. I know the rules.” He winks at me as though we are sharing a secret. ”But Tony wouldn”t have turned down business with a shifter. He was all about the money.”
Nathan saunters away, his step lighter. How many cases could he have on his desk connected to one person?
When I turn back Nora has the folder. ”Most of his victims admitted that they”d owed him money that they couldn”t pay,” she says. ”So he was rarely convicted of the crimes against people. The victims refused to press charges.”
Dr. Patel nods and continues, ”Yes. And he had no next of kin, which is why he wasn”t reported missing. While I don”t approve,” he inclines his head toward the door Nathan just exited, ”the truth is no one will really miss this guy.”
I frown, a sense of unease settling in my stomach. What connection could Tony Bianchi have to the Blackwood Pack?