Hotter After Midnight (Midnight 1)

A pretty, gray-haired lady smiled cheerfully. His eyes narrowed.

“Keep any information you find on the Other strictly confidential. Brief me, no one else.”

“Right.” He heard the captain’s words, but his attention was caught by the woman in the photo. He inched closer to the frame. The woman was holding something—a basket!

He realized he was looking at a picture of the lady he’d seen in Emily’s office. Margie something. The woman with the hissing wicker basket.

“My mother.” McNeal tapped the picture. “Raised me by herself after my dad died in the war.”

“Umm…” He had to ask. “What’s in the basket?”

A half smile curved McNeal’s lips. “Don’t you know?”

“I—”

The phone beside McNeal rang. A loud, shrill cry. He picked it up, barking, “McNeal.”

His eyes widened as he listened to the voice on the other end. “What? When?”

Colin tensed.

“Shit. My men are on their way.” He slammed down the phone. Shot to his feet. “Get Brooks and get down to the News Flash Five station. I’ll call Emily, tell her to meet you there.”

The News Flash Five station. “What’s happened?”

“Some intern just found Darla Mitchell’s body. Her throat’s been ripped out.”

Chapter 11

He smelled the blood the minute he climbed out of his Jeep. Caught the coppery scent on the wind.

A line of reporters from other stations had already gathered. Lights were flashing. Cameras rolling. “Shit. Guess who’s gonna be on every station at six o’clock in the morning?”

He didn’t have to guess. Dammit. The attention was just what the ass**le wanted.

“Colin!” He turned at the feminine cry, found Emily hurrying toward him. Her hair was loose, her glasses slightly askew.

His insides seemed to tighten as he stared at her. He didn’t want her going inside. Didn’t want her seeing the carnage that waited.

But he needed her. And the needs of the cop had to outweigh the man’s.

“I’m going to talk to Smith. See what she’s saying about the victim.” Brooks stepped away, disappearing into the swarm of blue uniforms.

“What’s happening?” Emily’s gaze darted to the line of police cruisers. “McNeal just told me to get down here, fast.”

Shit. She didn’t even know what she was walking into. He grabbed her arm, pulled her with him. “Another murder. Same MO as Myers.” He bent, crouching under the yellow line of police tape at the entrance to the station.

Emily sucked in a sharp breath. “He struck again?”

“You said he probably would.”

“Yes, but I’d hoped I was wrong.” She licked her lips. “The victim…who is it?”

Colin flashed his badge to the cops blocking the crime scene. Emily pulled her ID out of her bag. “She’s working the case as a profiler,” he said.

The scent of blood was stronger now. Clogging his nostrils. Tickling the back of his throat.

If he’d been in his other form, he would have relished the smell. The beast loved the scent.

But the man hated it.

“Colin.” Emily pulled against his hand. “Who’s the victim?”

He dropped her fingers. Pulled out his latex gloves. Time to get to work. “Darla Mitchell.” He shoved open the door and walked into hell.

It was the same as before. The exact same.

Darla’s prone body lay on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding her body. Her throat had been ripped away, torn, clawed. Her eyes were wide open, frozen in horror, and her mouth was twisted in a silent scream.

She’d been pretty in life. But death hadn’t been so kind.

Emily stared down at her still figure. The scents of blood and death filled her nostrils. Around her, she could vaguely hear a buzz of conversation. Brooks was whispering with Smith. Colin was talking to a uniformed officer, ordering the guy to get every piece of surveillance data the station had. A man in a white coat was walking around the body, snapping pictures.

And Darla stared up at her. Screaming.

Emily closed her eyes. Felt the rage simmering in the room. So strong…

She drew in a deep breath, exhaled slowly. The kill was fresh. And the dark power of the killer still hung in the air like a looming shadow.

There was no doubt in her mind that the killer who’d savaged Preston Myers and the killer who’d ripped out Darla’s throat were one and the same. Even the blood spatters on the wall looked similar.

The taint of power surrounded her, and Emily realized there was something familiar about that remnant energy. About the hate and twisted fury.

Her eyes opened, scanned the room. Colin was a few steps away from her. Should she warn him about what she was going to do?

But what if she did and the others overheard? Too many people were in the small room. No, she’d just be careful. Not pry too deeply into his mind.

But she had to see…

Emily looked back at the body and slowly, very slowly, lowered the mental shield in her mind.

Shit. I can’t believe the bastard struck again so soon. We’d better find his face on the security camera. No way could he have gotten in and out of this place without someone knowing. The station’s a freaking zoo.

Colin’s mind. She pushed his thoughts away, tried to link with the flow of the killer.

I hope she didn’t suffer.

Her brow furrowed. Not the killer. This guy felt…too sad, but he was definitely Other. Her head lifted and she looked toward the door. A young, uniformed cop stood in the entranceway, his hands clenched into fists. He hadn’t been there when she’d arrived.

Must have just come on duty.

A charmer.

She dismissed him, tried to search again. Damn. It’d been so long since she’d lowered her shields with a group of people. It was hard to narrow her focus. So hard to—

The bitch was too easy to kill.

Emily stiffened. That wasn’t some kind of remnant energy.

Her blood tasted good. He could still feel it on his tongue.

Shit. Her body began to tremble. She moved her head carefully, inch by inch. Scanned the room.

Colin and the young cop were the only supernaturals she saw.

She was been better than that other bastard. Tasted sweeter. Maybe I’ll go for a woman again the next time too.

Emily took one halting step toward the door, then another. Her body felt weighted, but at the same time it was as if she were being pulled. Pulled toward him.