The Alpha’s Hunger (Duty & Desire #2)

Prologue

Joanna

My sister’s blood trickled into a pool at my feet, its echo drowning out the hum of officers filing into my childhood home. Every crimson drop seeped in between the wooden floorboards, staining my mother’s favorite rug with death.

The bite of iron coated the back of my throat—a clogged drain, making it hard for air to reach my lungs. My mouth watered… I needed to breathe.

“Jesus, who let her in here?”

I swallowed, fighting the urge to puke.

“Ma’am, will you follow me, please?” A heavy hand rested on my shoulder, forcing me to turn and face the blue-eyed detective. But red continued to creep into the edges of my vision.

The detective’s hold shifted to my forearms. “I’ve got you.”

He guided me away, walking with careful glances over his shoulder. When my eyes strayed behind us, his paternal voice demanded that I look only at him. His firm grasp never faltered, and each step I took grew lighter than the next; the detective’s voice my lifeline out of hell.

He eased me into a chair once we reached the kitchen, and soon he was pressing a glass into my trembling hands. “Drink,” he urged, nodding toward the water.

The detective watched me carefully until I lifted the glass to my lips. Only then did the corners of his mouth rise from their downwards curve, settling into a thin line.

“Cooper, has she said anything?” A lanky man entered the kitchen, tapping a pen on his notepad. He had enough dirt and oil under his nails to look like black French tips.

“I think she’s still in shock,” Cooper replied, casting me a wary look.

The grimy detective hid his mouth with his notepad and stood by Detective Cooper’s side. He leaned closer to whisper in his partner’s ear… But it was everything but a whisper. “I’m missing my grandbaby’s birthday party right now, Cooper. We don’t have time for your sensitive approach.”

For the first time since I shrugged the metallic blanket off my shoulders and snuck away from the back of the ambulance, a warmth rushed through my body.

The man pulled out the chair beside me, scraping the legs across the tile floor.

“Miss Sullivan, I’m Detective Letterman.

You’ve already met my partner, Detective Cooper.

I know this is hard, but we need answers, okay?

” He leaned forward in his seat, assaulting my nose with his pungent cologne.

“Was your sister involved in any drugs? Any gang activity?”

I blinked hard, urging myself not to forget that this Letterman was here to help me.

He was doing what he needed to do to find Latoya. And I needed him to find—

“It’s not like she’s the first pretty girl to get mixed up in that world,” he went on, oblivious to how much he was pissing me off. “Maybe she owed someone money? Maybe she slept with the wrong gangster?”

Detective Cooper stiffened in front of us as rage-fueled heat claimed my brown cheeks. I held the glass in my hand with such tightness I thought it would shatter…

And give me something to cut this bitch with.

My sister had been keeping her distance from me for weeks because she’d been sick on and off all month. She said she didn’t want me to catch what she had. That’s the type of person she was—the type of sister she was. Kind. Thoughtful. Selfless.

“Latoya is a good person.” My small voice sounded foreign to my ears.

My blood boiled with Letterman’s snicker.

“I’m afraid ‘good’ people don’t end up like that.

” He gestured faintly toward the living room, his voice dripping with cruel indifference.

“It’s likely they tortured her, Miss Sullivan.

This isn’t some random break-in. She must’ve done something to deserve it. ”

I sprung to my feet, the chair toppling over and Detective Cooper catching the glass before it hit the floor. An abrupt headache stole my breath.

But I wanted to scream.

Officers scurried from the living room to see the commotion. Detective Cooper had stepped between us, flinging water from his hand.

He growled. “Letterman, you’re out of line.”

Letterman shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the mess I’d made.

“Maybe I could’ve phrased that better, but the gangbangers are always three steps ahead of us, Cooper.

The sooner we get answers—truthful answers—the sooner we can solve this case.

” He turned to me, eyes narrowing. “I would think that’s what you wanted, Miss Sullivan. ”

I was finally able to swallow the pain clogging my throat, my words thick. “You don’t know anything about my sister.”

Letterman nodded. “So, enlighten me.” He looked down at his notes. “Your neighbors say you two live here alone. How do two girls afford such a nice place? That money must come from somewhere.”

My eyes widened at the implication in his voice when the room began to spin again.

He thought we were whores.

Ones who deserved to get killed over drugs?

“Get out.” The words left my mouth before they even registered in my brain.

Letterman remained seated, but his nonchalant demeanor turned frigid. “What did you—”

“Get the fuck out of my house!” I tried to shove past Cooper, but he held out an arm, refraining from grabbing me and making matters worse.

“You realize I can detain you, right?” Letterman’s threat was as weak as he was fucking ugly. He was lucky Detective Cooper chose that moment to seize my hand and pull me behind him.

“Letterman, that’s enough,” he snarled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Letterman rolled his eyes at his partner but stood, pushing the chair back. “Fine. But we need answers, Cooper. And this isn’t getting us anywhere. Handle this.”

He cursed as he stepped around the puddle from my spilled drink and stalked away.

Cooper turned to me, his eyes soft with apology. “He’s under a lot of pressure. There’s been an increase in gang wars, and we need to be certain…”

His moving lips went in and out of focus as a cold sweat broke out across my skin. My heart galloped in a frenzy, like it was trying to break free of my ribcage. I wanted nothing more than to be on the cold tile floor. Curled up in a pitiful ball.

I took a deep breath, desperate to calm the anger inside my chest. The fear. The overwhelming loneliness. But the claws of panic crept up my spine. It would consume me.

Dad, Mom, Toya. There’d be no one left.

Another deep breath. Snap out of it. I shook my head. Dad would’ve known what to do. I clenched my fists. What do I do? I dug my nails into my palms, using the sharp pain to try and keep myself grounded.

But it was the detective’s resonating voice that yanked me from the edge.

“Miss Sullivan.” He repeated my name, though given the way his shoulders relaxed, he knew he’d already pulled me from being stuck inside my head.

I blinked a few times, re-acclimatizing my eyes to the bright overhead lights.

Cooper and I were alone again. It seemed the gawking officers had returned to their jobs, looking for clues about who took my sister…

Because she was still alive. She had to be.

“Miss Sullivan,” he said again, “perhaps you should sit.”

“No,” I said, my voice hard. I walked over to the paper towel roll on the counter and pulled it from its holder.

“My sister is missing… and your asshole partner said that to find her, I need to answer your questions.” I got on my knees, tucking a box braid behind my ear before swiping at the embarrassing tears staining my cheeks. “So, ask.”

Cooper’s face went through a series of emotions. Pity was the first of them, but it was a look resembling pride that quelled my anger. And his squatting down in front of me had me confused—until he reached out a hand for the paper towels. “Okay, Miss Sullivan, we’ll begin after this.”

I passed him the roll with a nod. “Call me Joey,” I muttered, staring at the puddle on the floor. “I don’t like people calling me Miss Sullivan.”

Detective Cooper looked up from ripping off a few sheets and offered a small, reassuring smile. “Alright, Joey… And you can call me James.”