Page 15 of Marked

“...Kitten?”

I drop my fork at the sound of Jack’s voice. I have to clear my throat and force a swallow before talking. “Um, Detective Khoury, sorry, I wasn’t expecting you.” Taylor starts laughing, and I promptly kick her in the shin.

“Ow!” The wolf yelps, glaring at me.

“Was that the crime scene technician?”Jack’s smooth voice asks.

“Taylor,” I inform him, knowing damn well that he knows her name. “And yes, it is. We’re having dinner. Can I help you with something?” I feel a hard kick to my shin and shoot an accusing glare at Taylor.

Be nice. She mouths, pointing her fork at me in threatening manner.

I flip her off and turn away, keeping my shins a safe distance away from the ruthless wolf. “And why are you calling from the lieutenant’s phone?”

“I left my phone at home, and we have another victim. He’s helping secure the scene until you arrive.”

I straighten and shoot Taylor a serious expression. Catching on, the blonde instantly waves her hand at their server for the check. “Where at?”

“The Crazy Horse.”Before I can ask, he answers my next question. “It’s another dancer, and she was attacked in the same way.”

My eyebrows knit together. “That’s less than a week between victims.”

“Yes,”his voice rumbles unhappily.

I rub the bridge of my nose. “Alright, we’ll talk more when we get there.” I hang up, not waiting for his reply. When I look at Taylor, she’s already standing, the check paid.

“Ready!” Taylor announces, swinging her car keys on her finger. “I’m driving!”

I do a double take when I look at Taylor’s empty plate. I know the full moon is tomorrow night and it causes wereanimals to have an increase in appetites, but damn. My friend is short and tiny, where did she put the giant burrito? I glance longingly down at my barely eaten cheese enchiladas then at Taylor’s still full margarita.

As tempting as it is, I know Taylor won’t hesitate to smack the drink out of my hands. With a sigh, I turn to my friend. “Let’s go.”

Taylor and I flash our badges to the police at the front door. To both our surprise, the two men stationed there are human.

“Monsters catching monsters? What a joke,” one mutters under their breath when they think we are out of earshot.

Funny thing about monsters is that we have heightened senses. Such as hearing.

“They’re probably all in on it together,” the other replies.

I turn and glower at the two police officers. “At least we monsters know how to be professional at a crime scene. Maybe you should take some fucking notes.”

They both bristle at being caught bad mouthing, but human, male pride is a fragile thing. “You dare call me unprofessional?”

Taylor tightens her hold on her crime scene kit as her lip curls up in a wordless snarl. “Better than calling you a dick.” She growls, her tense back still angled towards them.

The second officer takes a step forward. “What did she say? Turn around and say it to my face!”

I move and angle my body so I’m in front of Taylor. With the full moon coming, I know it won’t take a lot to set Taylor off. The last thing the LVPCU needs is for her to shift at the crime scene. The human officers would have a field day with that.

“She told me to stop and let it go because you’re not worth it. She’s right, of course. No point dealing with disrespectful pricks.” I step backwards, deliberately pressing my back against Taylor’s to nudge the wolf forward and away from the confrontation.

Taylor remains rooted in place for a few more seconds until I press harder against her. She finally takes a stiff step forward then another until she’s walking robotically towards the yellow crime scene tape.

“Your little friend left you,” the first cop mocks with a smirk. “I guess monsters don’t understand loyalty. Always out for themselves.”

“That’s because we have an actual job to do.” I wave my hand at them. “You should get back to doing yours.”

“Don’t give me orders, Monster!”

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