Page 47 of Marked

I bristle at that. “If you must know, I was leaving his apartment the night Browne was murdered.” Something in me heats at the way his eyes narrow in a mix of jealousy and possessiveness. “There’s no way he could have beat me to the club, let alone kill her.”

Jack runs his hand through his hair. “Fine,” he grumbles. “But if he makes you uncomfortable or tries to man-handle you in any way, I’m going to stop him.”

Does he think I’m completely incapable? I understand he’s being protective, but I can’t help but feel insulted. “I can handle myself, Detective Khoury.”

He sighs at my icy tone. “That’s not what I mea—don’t walk away from me. Valkyrie!”

But I’m already doing just that. I approach Seth, who, based on his sour expression, watched the exchange between Jack and I.

Ugh, men.

“So, I hear you found the body,” I begin, flipping open the notepad. “Can you tell me why you were down here on this side of the freeway?”

A flash of something ugly flashes across his face. “I’m great, Val. Thanks for asking.”

I press my lips in a hard line and push down my irritation as I mentally count to three. “Seth, this is my job. In said job, I am a professional. A professional trying to figure out who is going around killing women in this manner. So, I’m going to keep this professional. Do you understand?”

He works a muscle in his jaw. “Yes,” he spits out.

“Wonderful,” I drawl. “Now, if you could answer the question?”

He lets out a heavy sigh. “I got a flat tire while driving to work. I must have hit something in the road, so I swerved off to the side before I could do any more damage or hit someone.” He rubs his jaw. “I don’t know how to put on a spare, so I called AAA to come help me out. I was leaning against the k-rail as I waited for the truck, and that’s when I saw her on the other side.”

I jot down some notes before continuing. “And the tow truck driver can confirm that?”

I know Seth well enough to expect a sassy remark, so I shoot him a look warning him against it. His lip twitches with a repressed sneer, but he nods all the same. “Yes.”

“Alright. Prior to pulling over, did you happen to see anyone else nearby? Any vehicle stopped or driving away on that side?” I ask.

Seth shakes his head. “No, but I also wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings after the tire popped. I was focusing more on safely pulling over.”

“What about after you stopped? See anyone or anything you would consider abnormal or suspicious?” I ask.

He gives me a deadpanned look. “Yes, a dead body.”

I almost crush the notebook in my hand in agitation, resisting the strong urge to grab my gun and shoot him in the dick. Does he not realize how serious the situation is? “I’ll take that as a no.”

Seth jerks his head towards the body. “So, this is the killer you mentioned a while ago?” He asks. “Looks like it’s a serial killer after all.”

I’m about to nod but stop when I think about his words. “Why do you say that?”

We haven’t released any information to the press yet. Honestly, we purposefully keep any preternatural crime quiet to prevent the backlash from the human side of society. Is it fair? Probably not, but mass panic fueled by hate only leads to more crime and murder.

However, when it comes to confirmed serial killers, we have to say something to the public. It’s to help keep people safe more than anything. That being said, Scott is scheduled to have a press conference later today.

Seth’s eyes meet mine, and an eyebrow lifts in question. “This is at least the second body, right?”

Again, relief eases my chest. Damn, Jack has me suspicious for no reason. “Three bodies make a serial killer,” I clarify as I tap the pen against the paper. “Anything you want to add before we let you go?”

He reaches out and lightly wraps his hand around my bicep. “I miss you.”

I feel Jack’s aura flare out before it hits us. It doesn’t hurt me, but Seth’s eyes widen with shock. Instead of letting go, his hand tightens its hold.

My lip lifts in a silent snarl. “Let go of me before I break your hand.”

Seth glances over my shoulder, no doubt at Jack since I can feel him coming towards us, before staring down at me with a look of pure disgust. “You made the wrong choice,” he whispers before jerking his hand back and stalking towards his car.

I watch him go, hackles raised from the exchange. I feel heat behind me before Jack’s hand glides down the back of my neck, almost as if he knows how riled I am. My body relaxes at his touch, and it pisses me off. I don’t like to be placated like a small child.

---