Page 20 of His to Possess

“I’m just fine, but the killer is still on the loose. We need to establish a perimeter around the park. He could still be in close proximity. I got off several rounds, two that I know hit the target.” I could tell by the way the police officers looked at each other they were buying into the animal story. Then there was the curiosity Max had regarding the fact I’d managed to shoot the bastard.

“We have a team collecting evidence and we’ll talk about the case later, Detective Kelly.” My captain’s answer was canned, his meaning clear. I wasn’t supposed to say jack shit at this point for fear of shoving my foot into my mouth even further.

When Captain Walters flanked my side, he stared up at Max, absolute recognition crossing his face. The shake of his head was telling. They knew each other fairly well. “I’m surprised to see you working this case, Cordero. Aren’t you a little out of your league?”

Was there discord in my captain’s voice or respect? That I wasn’t able to tell, but it was clear I’d been wrong.

Dead wrong.

“Just in the area working a case and heard a scream. I have my own fugitive on the run. Any of your boys run into Brody Miller in the last few hours?” Max kept his tone light and his eyes locked onto me.

I’d never felt so stupid in my life. I was a trained detective, a woman with two commendations. Right now? I was acting like nothing but a rookie.

“Brody Miller? Sounds like you’re the one with your hands full. A truly sick bastard. We’ll keep an eye out for him. Hang around for just a second and before I forget, make certain and say hello to your father for me, will you?” The captain grinned before turning his attention back in my direction, his expression hardening. “And what the hell, Kelly? I told you to wait for backup,” the captain snapped. “You’ve gone off the rails a few times before, but this shit isn’t going to fly any longer. Do you know how many manpower hours have been used on hunting down whatever kind of animal did this sick shit?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I was only three blocks from here. Thought I might be able to track the bastard down.” My answer wasn’t going to fly and I knew it. However, it did seem to amuse Max. Hearing him chuckle fueled my increasing anger. “Who are you again?” I demanded, glaring at Max.

“As I tried to tell you earlier,Detective Kelly,Iama cop. You couldn’t find me in any normal database because I work for the Justice Department. I’m an agent with the ATF.” Damn, he was amused at my misgivings.

I accepted his credentials, staring down at them as I chastised myself for the fifth time. Since I’d run into him at the coffee shop, I’d lost all common sense. “Special Agent Maximillian Cordero.”

“That would be me,” he said, grinning.

“I can see you two know each other but that shit doesn’t matter right now. We have a murder investigation to work and in case you haven’t noticed, Chevis is under the damn weather. Get to know each other better on your own time. And take a damn shower, Kelly. You stink,” the captain huffed between clenched teeth. “Since you’re here, Cordero, I need to know everything you might have seen in these woods. We have one fresh dead body and from the looks of it, the poor bastard was eviscerated at minimum. Same shit as the others—torn apart.”

“Torn apart?” Max asked, narrowing his eyes.

I could swear the man was hiding something and fairly significant given his intense stare. For even the hardest cops, hearing that a victim had been ripped apart usually brought surprise. Max’s reaction was fake as shit. “You might have seen on the news recently? Two dead bodies before tonight, both ripped to shreds?” I snapped.

He took a step back, rubbing his jaw and darting more than one glance into the forest. The man knew something all right. “I admit I’ve had my head stuck in hunting the fugitive the majority of the time. I wasn’t paying attention to some glorified news program.”

Or your head in something else.“Maybe I should ask you a few questions about anything you could have possibly seen.” I spit out the words.

Max sighed and I noticed that he’d fisted both hands. I took the time to glance at the wound on his neck. I could have sworn it was much worse before. Barely a damn scratch now. I definitely needed a strong cup of coffee.

“Anything I can do to help, I’m happy to, Detective Kelly.”

“Fine. Then we’ll talk later. Why don’t you give me your card?” I held out my hand, refusing to take no for an answer. The asshole would talk to me one way or the other. If my instincts were correct, he’d not only seen the killer but knew him.

The thought produced a wave of chills settling into my system. As he walked away, I could swear I heard him mutter a word under his breath that made me shiver to my core.

“Wolfen.”

CHAPTER5

Max

Ravenous hunger.

Only this time, the feeling wasn’t mine.

A wolf.

I’d been inside the beast’s mind for a brief moment but enough time that my blood still ran cold. The desire to kill was strong, yet the actions had been controlled. The need to hunt was innate. I closed my eyes briefly, images of the forest floating in the periphery of my vision. Even my heart continued to race the same way as the creature’s had as he’d run, free of the constraints of being a human. Jesus.

I’d chased the bastard through the woods, tangling with him seconds before he’d reached the abandoned building. I reached toward my neck for the fourth time, thankful my healing powers were phenomenal, although Kathleen had noticed the slight injury.

I could tell the bastard wolf had been hurt as well by the stench he’d emitted, only his injuries would take additional time to heal. If only I could find him quickly. The fact Kathleen had wounded him was extraordinary, which also troubled me. The bastard would likely hunt her down.

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