Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)

Benton threw a hand out as he continued to pace. “I don’t care who’s asleep. I want to know what’s going on.”

“You won’t believe what’s going on.” Nor did he want the captain to believe. But he had a suspicion Gwen planned otherwise.

“What was that thing we found in the restaurant’s restroom?” Unlike Benton, Mark kept his voice low. He was sitting on the sofa and looked as tired as Ethan felt. “It sure as hell didn’t look entirely human.”

Ethan shrugged. “I think he was some kind of mutant.”

“So how is a mutant connected to the case?” Benton stopped his pacing and glared at Ethan for a moment. “And why did it attack Miss Tanner?”

“He was apparently working with the woman behind all the kidnappings and murders.” He paused, then added, “I think if you check the bite marks on the last victim, you’ll find they match the mutant’s.”

They both stared at him for several seconds, then Benton swore and resumed his pacing. “So Tanner was tracking it?”

He nodded. “It must have spotted her, because it attacked her in the restroom.”

“And she killed it.” The captain shook his head. “I should have her head on the block. We needed that man for questioning.”

Ethan realized he was clenching his fists only when he saw Mark studying him. He flexed his fingers and tried t

o relax. “You almost did have her neck on a block,” he reminded Benton shortly. “And it’s hard to be precise with a knife when someone is strangling you from behind.”

The captain sniffed. “You know we found a second body at the restaurant.”

Ethan glanced at Mark. “Where?”

“In one of the booths,” his partner supplied. “We discovered it after everyone had been questioned and released. Looks like he died the same way as that old man in the barn.”

In the middle of a crowded restaurant? This woman was obviously bold when she took them—sexually and spiritually—or had some sort of magic happening that prevented other patrons from seeing what she was doing. “Did you run that other check for me?”

Mark nodded. “And your straw-clutching guess was right. In each case, there were reports of disappearances over a three-night span before the kids were taken.”

“All men?”

“Yep. And the body of one was recently discovered. The report says cause of death unknown.”

“But I’m guessing he was found in a somewhat compromising position?”

“Naked and obviously in the middle of sex when he died.” Mark shook his head. “By all accounts, it looks like we have some sort of black widow at work.”

It was something a whole lot worse than a black widow, Ethan thought grimly, though he doubted Benton would actually believe it. Hell, there was a part of him that still wasn’t believing, despite everything he’d seen. “The question is, how are those murders connected to the kidnappings?”

Because they were; Ethan was sure of it. He glanced at the door separating the two cabins. Though he’d heard no sound, the hint of summer touching the air told him Kat was awake.

“No one knows how any of these men died,” Benton exploded, “and to add to the confusion, there have also been reports of a number of men going missing around the same time frame. Whether they’re connected or not, we’re not sure, but I have a damn bad feeling about it all.”

So did Ethan. The door opened, but it was Gwen who stepped through. “They’re connected,” she said, voice sharp. “But the trouble is, you seek answers that lie in the ordinary, and this case has nothing to do with the ordinary.”

Kat followed her grandmother through the door. She no longer wore the wig and her eyes were once again green. But they were haunted with exhaustion and pain, and her face was pale. She should have been asleep, and probably would have been had it not been for Benton’s booming voice.

She no longer wore Ethan’s jacket, and her low-cut shirt revealed a tantalizing glimpse of her breasts. Her black skirt swirled around her thighs as she headed for the second sofa, showcasing long, wonderful legs. He wasn’t the only one who silently admired them as she sat.

Her gaze rose to his and, for an instant, there might well have been no one else in the room. Though she was tired and still in pain, the need in her eyes was every bit as strong as the one that pounded through his veins. The momentary smile that touched her lips did strange things to his breathing. Tomorrow, she’d whispered. He suddenly wasn’t sure he could wait that long.

“What do you mean?” Benton’s voice cracked the brief silence. “If you two are withholding information—”

Gwen’s snort was contemptuous. “The only thing we’re withholding is knowledge you’re not likely to believe.”

“Right now, I’m desperate enough to listen to even the most outlandish theory.”