Page 111 of Hunt Me Down

Harper’s gaze drifted to the house. “No—no, I don’t guess it is.” His shoulders slumped as he turned away.

For an instant, Ben could almost feel a stir of sympathy for the fellow. Almost.

Then the instant passed. He wheeled around. Back to business. “All right, people, I want this scene combed for every bit of evidence you can find. We’ve got a body, and we’re damn well gonna find his killer.” Because Ben didn’t believe in letting monsters walk. Not in his town.

Even if the vic had been a cold-blooded bastard, he’d find Trent’s killer. That was his job.

He was good at his job.

* * *

“What are you doing here?” Erin stared at her mother—oh, damn,her mother—and kept every muscle in her body locked tight.

Not going to her.

Not going to hold her.

Not going to hit her. Not!

“I came to see you.” Flat. No emotion there. Never had been. That one eyebrow rose again. “Can I come in or do I have to stand out here all night?”

Leave.

“Come in,” Jude growled. “But at the first sign of a shift, your ass is gone.”

She sniffed and crossed the threshold. “I can’t talk to my daughter in wolf form. She doesn’t change?—”

“Yeah, I fucking know. Big damn deal.” Jude shut the door behind her. Too quietly. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

Her mother—Theresa—blinked and glanced over at Erin. “You told him? And he’s still with you?”

Oh, yes, her mother was full of love and maternal instincts.

Erin felt her blood heat. “He’s still here.”

“Standing here, big as day,” Jude murmured. “Not planning to go anyplace.”

In a flash, her mother attacked, jumping back, and thrusting her claws right up to Jude’s throat. “Don’t eventhinkabout hurting her. Just ’cause she’s weak, you can’t?—”

“Get away from him.” Not screamed. Not shouted. Erin gave the demand coldly, despite the fire in her gut, and she felt the rip of her claws tearing through her flesh.

Her mother’s head swung toward her. “Erin? What are you?—”

Erin hurriedly stepped in front of Jude. “Don’t come at him again.”

Her mother’s face went slack with surprise.

Looking at herhurt.Erin sucked in a breath. “I don’t know why you’re here, and I really don’t care.” Lie, lie. “But you arenotgoing to attack Jude. He’s done nothing but help me, and he doesn’t deserve that shit.”

Yellow eyes hardened. “You care for him?”

The silence behind her was thick. Good thing Jude couldn’t see her face right then. “What I feel for him isnotyour business.”

But her mother saw too much. Always had.

After a moment, Theresa tossed back her hair and said, “You’ve grown up hard.”

Sure, because being abandoned by her mother should have made her grow upeasy.A growl built in Erin’s throat.

---