The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

At least that explained how he'd disappeared on me the night I'd chased him from Vinny's. When a nonhuman became a vampire, they took whatever shifting skill they had into unlife. But if he could shift shape, why didn't he simply fly from the building from the very start? Hell, if he could disappear, why hadn't he simply done that rather than run? "Did the police investigate the disappearance?"

"Yeah. No charges were ever brought, and a body was never found. If something did happen, it was well covered up by everyone involved."

"What about his parents?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What about them?"

"How did they react to their son going missing?"

"From what I remember, furiously. But about a month after the disappearance, they picked up stakes and left town. We never saw them again."

"And there were no whispers around town about why they might have left?"

"Not that I can remember. But I was a kid, so I'd probably lost interest in the whole situation by then."

Which was one major difference between him, and me and my brother. We would have investigated. I had a nose for trouble, and I hadn't been afraid to use it - as the many scars that scattered my body would attest.

"Has the school photo got names attached?"

"Yep." He looked at me. "You think your Aron Young's recent spate of murders has something to do with this Aron Young's disappearance all those years ago?"

"I have no idea what to think. I don't even know if I have the right Aron Young. Right now, I'm just grabbing at straws."

"If it is him, it's a long time to hold a grudge."

"Maybe he needed time to build up courage." Or strength, perhaps. It couldn't be easy for a ghost to pick up solid objects. "Is there anyone up in Beechworth who might remember more about the case? Who was the cop on the case?"

"Old Jerry Mayberry was the local cop. He's retired, but still living up there, as far as I know." He gave me a half-smile. "Haven't been back up there for a while now."

I shifted in my seat and looked at him. "How did your pack react when they realized you were gay?"

"I got more grief from the local kids than I did from the pack." He shrugged. "I think it was a disappointment to my mom, more than anything, because she wanted grandkids. But my sister has had five in the last seven years, so that's one problem solved."

A little bit of envy swirled through me. Having a whole pack of kids had once been my dream, too. But that was gone forever - well, mostly. I still had viable eggs frozen, but I would never be the one to carry them. "Your sister has five kids? How come we've never met them?"

He laughed. "She comes down here to escape the kids, not show them off."

"But I'd love to meet them sometime."

He gave me an amused look. "Spend an hour with that lot, and the whole idea of being a mom will suddenly not seem so alluring. Trust me, they're a handful."

"Kids are. Hell, I was."

"Imagine you and Rhoan multiplied by about ten. That's how bad they are."

I grinned. "No one can be that bad."

"Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little." The amusement in his expression and the twinkle in his eyes did little to deny the statement. It also showed just how much he loved those kids. "Seeing you're coming back to my place after you pick up your car, you want to stop for some lunch?"

"If you're going to cook it, I'll definitely eat it." My cell phone decided to ring at that precise point, so I added as I reached for it, "At least, I hope I can, if this isn't Jack with another problem."

Unfortunately, it was.

"Riley?" Jack said, as soon as I pressed the receive button. "We've got another one."

"Man or woman?"

"Woman. Another one of the names in James's Rolodex."