Alpha Beast (The Alpha Shifter Collection)

Jenny had crouched at the gate. Her fingers slid between the metal.

“I know it wasn’t your fault. I am fine. I promise.” Silence. “Does the bad man come here often?” Another pause. “Okay, sweetheart. No, it’s fine. No. You don’t have to go.”

He listened and heard Jenny sigh as she stood.

“She’s gone.”

“The little girl.”

“She wouldn’t tell me her name.” Jenny put her palm to her head. “We better get out of here before someone calls the cops or has us uploaded on some social media sites.”

“Oh, the joys of modern communication.”

They crossed over to the waiting car. He opened the door for her and climbed behind the wheel. Without waiting, he started up the ignition and took off, leaving behind the mystery building and the little girl.

“You ever thought about the fact the young girl could be … you know, haunting that spot? It could be her own special spot. Where she lures all of her victims and kills them?”

“Don’t start. She was in the fire. The way her clothes are, and she has burned clothing. She is a little girl. A victim.” She rubbed at her temples. “And she’s afraid, but she can’t leave the grounds because of that asshole. He was there, I know he was, but whatever my grandmother did, he was too afraid to come out.”

“Okay, did your grandmother kick some ghost’s ass? Isn’t that like impossible?”

Jenny groaned. “Do you want to talk about this now?”

“Why not?” he asked. “We might as well. I want to understand you a lot more.”

“That’s not always a good thing.”

“Give me a shot.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. You know how you have all of these sightings? Ghost stories. Mysterious, floating things, and just odd stuff that never really has any great explanation or logical ones?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, ghosts or spirits, they … it’s all a little vague, but it depends on their level of power. Their rage, and I also believe their intent to do harm. There’s no guidebook or rules even that govern them. It’s not like they’re going to get arrested for wandering into a woman’s house in the middle of the night and watching her get changed or sleep. Like living beings, most spirits are friendly or grumpy. You have a random bunch who can cause trouble, and kind of like whoever died in your building, you have some that end up becoming a rumor, then a ghost story, and before long, you’re chanting some words in front of a mirror for something to appear. It’s not like there’s an exact science to this. Far from it.”

He heard the frustration in her voice. “I don’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset. Believe me, I’m not. It’s just … I don’t know how to help this girl. She deserves our help. Her mother is out there and from a brief glance of that damn tape, she didn’t leave her daughter willingly. It sucks.”

Liam reached across and took her hand, locking their fingers together. “Whatever happens, I’m not going to let you go. I’m going to take care of you, I promise.”

She offered him a smile. “You’re so sweet.”

“Hey, don’t ruin my image, okay?”

Liam tried to make her smile, but the truth was he was fucking terrified. He didn’t have the answers, and he had a horrible feeling he knew why.

****

Several hours later, Jenny was about done with watching the same piece of twenty-minute footage. They’d gone through seven pizzas and some ice cream as they watched the details from his apartment. Liam was in the process of rewinding it again.

“Seriously? What else could you be missing?”

“We have to find out what the hell was going on in there. You know I’m right.”

“I know you’re being crazy and completely obsessing about this right now, and it makes absolutely no sense to me because it is the same footage. The car gives you enough details to know a make and model, but not the exact car. The men we can’t even see because they conveniently keep away from the cameras. There is nothing here, Liam. We’re losing time.”

“The more I watch, the better I’ll understand.”

“Understand what?” she asked.

“Why this happened.” Liam turned toward her, his eyes shifting as his wolf came close to the surface. He ran his fingers through his hair, in control. “There was a little girl in a building that should have been fucking empty, Jenny. Six people died. Six. Not one or two, but fucking six. Tell me again how that could have happened?” he asked, glaring at her.

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly. I don’t have any answers. None of us do. All I have is this one twenty-minute scene that gives me everything and not enough.”

Jenny looked at the image that had been frozen on the screen.

She stared at the screen. The mother being held back as the building went up in flames. “Modern technology,” she said, frowning.