Chapter One
“Only one minute left to place a bet.”
The amplified warning sent a shudder through her. As Skye Cross watched the officers of the Animal Crimes Unit make their move solely by moonlight, she left the unmarked police cars at the edge of the lot that was an intended construction site. Animal Care and Control stood ready to take care of the animals once arrests were made. The heavens rumbled as if in disapproval, and dry lightning struck the area before her. For a moment, the horror of the dogfight arena stood out against the night like an old-time film negative.
A hand on her elbow made her jump. She whipped around and faced her brother.
“You shouldn’t be here, Skye,” Shade said, his voice low.
“Neither should you. You’re homicide, not organized crime.” This wasn’t her brother’s case, not unless there was a dead body involved. “What’s going on?”
Shade didn’t answer. Around them, ACU officers silently got in position close to the crowd surrounded by wooden street horses and snow fencing. Shade scanned the crowd through the darkness as if looking for someone.
Where the hell is he?
Reading his thoughts, she asked, “Who?”
“No one.”
Great. Well, she would get it out of him later.
Shade stepped in front of her and snagged something over her head. “Don’t take this off, and stay here until I tell you it’s safe.” With that, he moved in with some of the other men.
She looked to see what he’d thrown around her neck. From a length of cord hung what looked like a piece of sea glass. Some kind of good luck charm? It twinkled at her as if it were lit from the inside. She’d never seen it before, but the cops she knew were a superstitious lot. Undoubtedly, her brother’s way of ensuring her safety.
Still frustrated by his command to stay—Shade could be more than a little bossy with her—Skye looked around. She was here as a volunteer observer only to make certain the animals were treated well and to determine how many were fit to be taken on at the shelter when cleared.
A lot of people were gathered in the arena. What made her stomach roil was seeing kids with their parents, children being taught there was no value to life. One little boy was jumping up and down with excitement and his father was grinning with satisfaction.
Everyone was focused on the fight about to start, so they didn’t notice the ACU silently descending on them.
Despite another coil of lightning zeroing in on the crime scene, the night air was hot and still as if it were holding its breath. Tension coiled her for action, but not being able to do anything made her anxiety escalate. Then a bell clanged and the night exploded with growls and barks and screams.
Immediately, ACU officers tightened the net.
“Everyone here is under arrest!” their leader shouted as others cut their way into the middle of the arena to stop the fight. “Stay put!”
Weapons drawn, uniformed men blocked the exits, while others moved in to arrest and handcuff the felons—the organizers, owners, and transporters. And, thanks to a change in the law, the spectators could be arrested for felony crimes as well.
Beneath the cacophony, she swore she could hear whispers—voices that set her skin tingling—and an unearthly laughter skittered down her spine. Before she could tune in, she was rushing forward, determined to see that the animals were properly taken care of.
Skye spotted Shade in a struggle with a big guy who was fighting mad. With a knee in the guy’s spine, Shade cuffed the man’s hands behind his back. She wondered why his partner, Ethan, was nowhere around.
The vet was blocking her line of sight. Skye looked down beyond her. A wounded animal lay on the ground. Not a dog, but what looked like a scrawny coyote, its side open and soaked with blood. What was a wild animal doing here? Where had it come from? Going around the camera equipment, she was able to sense its heartbeat. Wanting to know if it was aware, she tuned in to it and got the weirdest sensation... help me... please... almost as if she could hear what it was thinking rather than seeing images as she normally did. Animals never communicated with her like that.
hurt... can’t move... hide...
A little spooked, she rubbed her arms. We’re going to help you... won’t let you die. Then she looked to the vet.
“Um, in case you didn’t realize it, the coyote’s alive and needs your help.”
“It’s still alive?” The vet zeroed in on the animal. “Don’t get too close.” And glanced up at her. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Skye Cross,” she reminded her.
The vet knew her face like Skye knew hers. She had a habit of showing up when animals were in trouble, so many of the ACC vets and officers recognized her on sight.
“Hurry, before it bleeds out. I can hang on to the dog while you patch up the coyote,” she offered.
“You know I can’t let you do that.”
Seeing the blood ooze out of the coyote’s side, she tried to reassure it. She’s going to help you. Hold on. As if the coyote could hear her.
The vet tied the muzzled dog’s leash to a wooden horse, then quickly brought her bag over to the coyote and stanched the blood. She gave it a last worried look before focusing on the dog. It was gangly with patchwork fur and had a dark face that reminded her of pictures she’d seen of wild dogs in Africa. A wild predator. What the hell? With the vet’s attention focused elsewhere, she moved closer.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” Growling, it backed up. Skye got down on her knees and crawled closer, slowly slipped her arms around the bloodied animal, whispering, “It’s okay now. You won’t have to do this anymore.”
Get away!
Skye took a quick look around to see who’d said that, but couldn’t pin the owner of the voice. She rocked the strange-looking dog gently until it stopped resisting her.
Get away she heard the warning again, less stringent this time.
Where was that strange voice coming from?
She touched foreheads with the dog.
Caged... what looked like an animal habitat spread out before her... wild animals pacing... ahead, darkness... lit skyscrapers and the planetarium glowing against the night sky...
Confused by the images, she broadcast calm.
“Please, get away from the dog.”
The vision ended abruptly, and Skye turned to see the vet glaring at her.
Sighing, she did as ordered. “Sorry, boy.”
“Either keep your distance, or I’ll have someone escort you out.”
Knowing the vet must be overwhelmed, Skye looked past her. “Hey, what happened to the coyote?”
The vet looked around. “I don’t know how, but it must have gotten up and wandered away. That coyote could be a danger to the people here.”
“I’ll find him.”
Skye scanned the area until her gaze lit on the arena wall. A blood smear told her which way the coyote had gone. Another flicker of dry electric heat zapped the area. Swallowing a healthy dose of fear, she jumped the makeshift wall and walked outside the cordoned-off area into the dark. Whistling as she passed a couple of construction trailers, she broadcast soft thoughts to reach out and curl around the frightened animal.
There was a low growl to her left. She followed the sound, putting distance between her and the fight site. No lights here. In the distance, yes, but with the moon under the cover of clouds, the night blanketed her. Glancing back, she realized no one knew she was out here.