Avenging Angel (The Fallen 4)

He stilled. She’d never said his name before. He’d wanted her to, but this way, with pain and fear darkening the word? Hell, no.

In an instant, he was by her side. The bullet wound wouldn’t kill her. It wouldn’t kill her.

He had to keep repeating that mantra to himself because his hands were shaking as he lowered her to the floor.

Angels were tough. They could heal from just about anything.

But her blood was on his hands.

Marna pushed against him. “I-I can—”

Tanner shook his head and forced her to the floor. Other cops were coming toward them. He could hear the rush of their pounding footsteps. This wasn’t his plan, but he could make it work. They had to make it work. “He shot you in the heart.”

Her eyes widened.

“That’s the story we’re telling.” Because if they played this scene right, he’d be able to save her angel ass. “And, baby, a shot to the heart will kill a human. It will put an end to the killer who took out those two men in the alley.”

Understanding filled her blue eyes.

He put his hands over her chest, the better to cover the wound and make it look like he was fighting to save her. “Get an ambulance!” Tanner yelled. “Our suspect is down!”

Then he brought his lips close to her ear. “You have to die, baby.” This was their perfect opportunity to get her free. Because if she wasn’t the killer, then someone very powerful was setting her up. Someone who wanted her face splashed all across the media.

Someone who’d taken her face to commit the murders. Another supernatural.

Marna gave the slightest of nods. His breath expelled in a rush.

Trust. It had to start somewhere. For both of them. Good thing that, unlike angels, shifters could lie. He’d spent most of his life lying.

He stared down at her. Behind him, Jonathan was groaning and trying to rise. He’d deal with that trigger-happy SOB later. For now . . . “She’s bleeding out!”

Other cops raced into the room, but they wouldn’t be able to help her. He’d make sure of that.

Slowly, her eyes began to fall and her breathing slowed. Damn, that woman was a pretty fine actress.

You have to die, baby.

It looked like she was going to do just that.

CHAPTER TWO

Just how long did she have to stay in the morgue? The place reeked of antiseptic and bleach, and Marna was tired of the icy feel of her own skin.

She’d been wheeled down at least thirty minutes ago. Right after she’d been pronounced dead.

A door creaked open. Footsteps thudded toward her. “Marna?”

No mistaking that deep voice. She shoved the sheet aside and leapt off the table. Her clothes—what was left of them—were covered in dried blood.

Tanner’s green gaze swept over her. “You’re looking good, for a dead woman.”

The doctor who’d been so eager to declare her dead stood behind him. The not-so-good doctor glanced nervously over his shoulder and said, “You need to get her out of here, fast.”

She recognized that guy. Like she’d ever be able to forget him or Tanner.

Tall, dark, with a face too much like Tanner’s . . . because he was Tanner’s brother. Cody. That was his name. Only Cody wasn’t a shifter. This guy was a demon doctor. One who’d been ready to lie with no hesitation. Unlike angels, demons always excelled at lying. Maybe because they spent their whole lives hiding what they really were from the rest of the world.

“I wasn’t planning on staying around.” She’d spent more than her share of time with the dead. As an angel of death, the dead had been all she’d known for far too long.

This place, with the empty shells of bodies and the carefully covered scent of decay, it made her remember too many things. Things she wished she could forget.

Cody’s gaze darted back to her. She could see right through the glamour that the guy was trying to use. Demons used glamour all the time—it was how they kept their true selves secret from the humans.

A demon’s real eyes were pitch black. But this guy . . . when humans saw him, they looked into eyes as green as Tanner’s.

A lie.

Once upon a time, this doctor had saved her life. When Tanner had found her broken and bloody in the swamp, Cody had been there with him. The demon had been the one to patch her up.

He’d been scared of her then, too.

Cody glanced away from her. “What are you going to do with her?” he asked Tanner.

“She’s going to get herself out of here,” Marna said. Enough. She’d been in a morgue, for goodness sake. A morgue. Time to ditch this place, and the shifter who kept staring at her way too intently. Like he was starving and she was the best meal option in sight.

Marna headed for the door, but found her path blocked by said shifter.

Tanner shook his head and said, “You’re a dead woman. Cops are staked out at the entrance to the hospital. Don’t you think they’ll notice when you just go waltzing out?”

Did she look stupid? Maybe she was still new to being earthbound, but she’d been around for centuries. Marna knew more than this guy could ever guess. “There’s more than one way out of this place.” She could blend. “I can grab a pair of scrubs and put on a face mask. No one will recognize me. I’ll blend in with the staff and walk away. You won’t see me again.”

“I just risked my job for you. There’s no way I’m just going to let you waltz away from me now.” Tanner crossed his arms over his chest. “With all the evidence in this case, the department had you dead to rights.”

Why did he keep up with the dead bit?

“Those witnesses described every single detail about you.” Tanner’s gaze glittered. “They said you walked right by them. That you were less than five feet away. Being so close, there’d be no mistaking you.”

“I didn’t do it.”

“I know.”

His words had her floundering. Well, if he thought she was innocent, then why—

“Why the hell do you think I did all this?” He waved his hand to indicate the icy morgue. “I had to get you out of that station because, baby, you are being set up.”

She was sure happy to hear he realized that fact. “Stop calling me baby,” she muttered.

A faint line appeared between his brows. “An angel can’t go to jail, so I had to take you out of the equation.”

“Consider me out,” she said.

Cody edged toward the door.

“Out doesn’t mean you’re clear.” Tanner was like a brick wall in her path, big, strong, and totally blocking her exit. “It means you don’t have to worry about cops and reporters trying to dog you, but we sure as hell need to find out who is setting you up.”