“Unless you like riding pillion, I suggest you keep up,” she said with a jerk of her head toward his car. “And you might want to call for backup. Three at the same time is bad.”
Kicking the bike into gear, she twisted her wrist and roared away. He turned and raced for his car, yanking the door open and sliding into the driver’s seat in the same movement. The door was still open as he hit the gas, only slamming shut when he skittered sideways onto the road.
Spotting Laney up ahead, he gunned the engine to keep up. He still didn’t know how this all worked, but his mind was already a few steps ahead. If she knew when people were about to die... that was one hell of an early warning system. Used correctly, they could get there and stop the death. He didn’t buy into the whole “our lives are predestined.” If they could stop whatever was killing these people, they could save lives. Surely?
One hand on the wheel, he speed-dialed the station as he drove, taking note of the direction they were heading. “Yeah, hello? This is Regan. I got possible homicides on the west side of town. Turning onto Fourth, now onto Weston Avenue. Get me some units down here. Not sure what we’re going to find, so call an ambulance as well.”
He clicked the cell off and concentrated on following the speeding bike. Whatever else she was, she was a hell of a rider. He’d never seen anyone throw a bike around like that before, her turns so low her knee almost kissed the ground. But each time he thought she was about to come off, she pulled it back up and sped off, proof that neither bike nor rider were anything close to ordinary.
Lights ahead brought a smile to his face. Several cars with all their lights blazing pulled around a house. He slowed to a stop behind Laney.
“They’re quick,” he commented as he got out the car. “We might have a chance here.”
More cars pulled up. John and the captain were already out of their vehicles, guns in hand. Troy frowned. That was unusual. Reilly normally didn’t head out on scene, but he didn’t live too far from here. Perhaps he’d been on his way home.
John looked up at the sound of Troy’s steps, surprise on his face. “You psychic or something now? We just got the call. Neighbors reported screams.”
Troy’s weapon was in his hand before he could think about it. “No shit? I just called it in myself.” He jerked his head back toward Laney, who had paused in front of the building with her cell phone in her hands, thumbs tapping away.
“Got a tipoff. Paranormal. A good one, though,” he added as two pairs of eyes cut to her with suspicion. Last thing he wanted was any of them taking a shot at her. Mostly because he wasn’t sure what the hell would happen.
Reilly nodded, his eyes way too speculative for Troy’s liking, but then his attention turned back to the building. “Screams to the rear. Family house. Registered to a Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman. I’ll take the front. You two take the back.”
They headed for the front gate, but before they could get through Laney shouted, “Stop!”
All three wheeled around, the captain with a less-than-impressed expression on his face. Laney walked toward them, tucking her cell into her back pocket. “No one goes in there but me.”
Reilly looked at Troy, his sidelong glance full of wtf?
“Captain, this is Laney. My...” What was she? He didn’t want to say “hookup last night.” The guys didn’t need to know they’d been up close and personal. “My paranormal insider. Got me here before it went out on general dispatch. Laney, this is my boss, Captain Reilly, and my partner Detective Johnson.”
She nodded at them in greeting, but the firm look didn’t disappear off her face—a fact obviously not lost on the captain. Thankfully John didn’t mention the last time he’d seen her, she’d been sliced and diced good by a Lycan.
“You want to give me a good reason why?” Reilly asked, his voice level and calm. Since Troy had seen him take on four street-punks, unarmed, and still remain level and calm, that didn’t say jack-shit about his mood.
Laney didn’t flinch at his hard look nor the vague aura of threat and danger that surrounded him. “Yeah. There’s a demon in there.”
Reilly just looked at her. The dude was ice-cold, but having seen Laney in action, Troy knew he didn’t have a chance if it came to a fight. “That’s not a reason why I need to let a civilian go in before my guys.”
“Unless you’ve got something up your sleeve I’m not seeing, you’re going to be looking at a lot more than three deaths.” Her gaze moved over the three of them and then onto the uniformed officers with the cars before returning to spear Reilly. “I might walk and talk human, but I’m not. I can go one on one with a dragon and walk away. You got anyone who can say that?”
“She’s not kidding, boss. That Lycan pack out in the old Sunset Place last night?” John chimed in. “That was her work.”
Troy would give Reilly something. The captain was honest to a fault and didn’t let ego get in the way of the job. Already Troy could see the cogs working behind those weird gray eyes as Reilly answered her. “No. I don’t.”
“Okay, good. Keep your people out until I give the word. Got me?” Laney’s expression was tight and something dangerous swam in her eyes. John flinched.
“Got it. We’ll stay out until you give the all clear.” Reilly nodded, as cool as a cucumber. For some reason Troy got the feeling he’d seen something like Laney before. Just how far down this particular rabbit-hole had Reilly been?
Without another word, Laney strode toward the house.
“Hey, no. Wait up.” Caught on the back foot, Troy rushed after her and grabbed her arm. “I thought you said the lines were human?”
“They are.”
He frowned. “So how can you tell there’s a demon in there?”
She looked up, and how tiny she was struck him again. Her face was pale. Too pale.
“Because there’s a new line. A demon line. And I have to go in there and reap it.”
Chapter 4
There was a demon in the house.
A freaking demon. As in from hell and everything. Not only that, but the email I’d just gotten from head office in reply to my “WTF? Where are special operations?” had been short and succinct.
No resources. Promotion to Special Operations, effective immediately.
Shit. No resources meant not only was there not another Reaper in town, which made no sense with the amount of overactive, nonhuman lifelines that hadn’t been reaped yet, but also one wasn’t en route. Which also meant that big, bad and demon-y in the house was all mine.
Yay. Go me.
Troy’s grip on my arm tightened as his face set. “You are not going in there. No way, no how.”
I blinked at the authoritative tone in his voice. One night and he thought he could order me around? Oh no, that was so not happening. With a roll of my shoulder and a half-step, I broke his grip and glared up at him. Sure, he was fucking hot when he was mad, except when I was mad too. Then hot became irritating as hell, especially when I was freaking out a little internally.
“Yeah? So you want your guys to go in there? Take it on?” I glared back, not backing down an inch. “Because all that’ll do is add more souls for me to reap. Sorry, handsome. No can do. I got enough to deal with as it is.”