“So then maybe Ivy isn’t the connection.” I sank onto the couch and pulled him down next to me, linking my arm through his. Holding him close. “What else do Leland and Justus have in common?”
Titus shrugged. “They’re around the same age. They both go to Millsaps.”
“Yes, but if that’s the connection, every male Millsaps student is in immediate danger.”
“Okay.” Titus propped his feet on the metal frame of the shattered glass coffee table. “They’re both newly infected shifters. And it’s likely that neither of them even knew shifters existed until they became one.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. They were both recently infected. And they’re both connected to you. You’re Justus’s brother, and you found Leland at the cabin.”
“Technically, you found Blum,” Titus pointed out.
“Yes, but I have no connection to Justus. Oh shit!” I twisted to sit on my knees on the center cushion, facing him, as another connection came into sudden, horrific clarity. “Titus, they both know you’re not the one who infected Leland and Corey.”
“Which is why we were keeping Blum hidden. To protect Justus.” Titus pulled his feet from the table and frowned at me. “Wait, you think someone killed Blum to keep anyone from finding out I’m innocent? I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who wants me to look guilty. I think we’re veering onto the wrong track.”
“Maybe so.” I stared at the wallet I still held, suddenly acutely aware that I was holding evidence in a murder case. “I certainly hope so.” But… I took Titus’s hand as another disturbing idea emerged from the tangle of possibilities. “Titus, do you have any enemies in the Pride? Anyone who might want to see you…gone?”
“I’m sure I do.” Though he looked bothered by the thought. “No leader is universally loved. But I can’t think of anyone who’d be willing to kill innocent people to make sure I can’t clear my name.”
“But if there were someone like that…?” I let him fill in the blank for himself.
Titus’s face went ashen. His grip on my hand tightened. “Then Justus would be in danger too, because he’s living proof that I’m innocent. If someone wants me to go down for infecting Corey Morris, then my brother’s is the next name on the hit list.”
“Or maybe his was the first.” I let go of him and stood, my new boots crunching on broken glass as I paced. “Maybe whoever broke in here was looking for Justus—to make sure he can’t clear your name—and found out about Leland Bloom when he smelled the scent of another shifter all over the place.” I waved one hand at the guest room, where the sheets still carried Leland’s scent. “That would explain why that room isn’t trashed. The killer left the moment he realized he had another target.”
“But who?” Titus grabbed my hand as I paced by and pulled me onto the couch next to him, where I leaned back and laid my legs across his lap. “Drew didn’t even want the job. He tried to get me to give it to Jace. The rest of my enforcers are just as loyal. But our Pride is big. Twice the population of any of the others. It could be anyone.”
“No, it has to be someone who knows you’re here and knows that you’re innocent. And no one knows…”
Titus’s eyes widened. “Shit.”
I exhaled slowly when I caught on. “Spencer. Titus, it can’t be him. He helped us.”
“I don’t want to believe it, but he knows I’m in Jackson, and he knows about Justus. And he works ten minutes from here.”
“And he brought Corey Morris to your house, which is what implicated you in the first place.” I closed my eyes as I thought aloud. “But he couldn’t have known that would happen. Morris hadn’t shifted yet.”
“Unless Spencer already knew that Justus infected Morris.”
My eyes flew open. “How would he know that?”
“He couldn’t unless… Fuck!” Titus lifted my legs from his lap and shot to his feet, pacing so hard and fast I was afraid he would burn a hole in the carpet. “If Spencer infected Justus, he would already have known how much his scent smelled like mine.”
“But why would he do that?” I had to agree; the evidence made sense. But… “Why would Spencer infect your brother? Have the two of you ever had a falling out? Or even an argument?”
“No.” Titus stopped pacing. “But I did turn him down when he applied to be an enforcer.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought he’d be more valuable to the Pride in the hospital, where he might be able to intercept new strays. And where he has access to a whole network of medical records. If I could, I’d put one of my men in every hospital in the state.”
“And he resented being told to stay where he was?”
“Not that I could tell. He seemed to see the advantage of his position.”
“Well, then why would he do this?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Titus headed for the front door. “Come on, Thelma, it’s time to unmask the bad guy.”
NINETEEN
Titus
“Call him again,” I said as I stepped on the gas, and my car shot through the intersection beneath a yellow light.
“I’ve called him four times. He’s not going to answer, Titus. But that doesn’t mean anything. He’s at work.”
I swerved to avoid a car turning into our lane, and Robyn gasped.
“Slow down!” She grabbed her armrest and glared at me. “If we have a wreck—”
“Then the ambulance will get us to the hospital even faster.”
“Okay, let’s compromise. You slow down, and I’ll call the ER. He’ll have to take the call if it comes to him at work.”
“Fine.” I dropped the speedometer by ten miles per hour while she searched for the ER’s phone number, using the browser on her cell. A second later, she held the phone up to her ear.
“Hi, this is—” An irritated female voice cut her off. “No, it’s not a medical emergency,” Robyn said. “But don’t put me on—!” She turned to me and spoke through clenched teeth. “I’m on hold.”
“Naturally.” I pressed harder on the gas as I changed lanes again, and again Robyn grabbed her door handle.
“Would you—?” She blinked as a voice came over the line again. “Oh hi, yes I’m here. I need to speak to Spencer Cole. I believe he’s a nurse.”
“Honey, if Spencer were here, we wouldn’t be so slammed, and I wouldn’t have had to put you on hold in the first place. He walked out a couple of hours ago.”
“Do you know where he went?” Robyn asked, bouncing in her seat as I rolled over a bump in the road.
“No, and I don’t care,” the voice on the phone snapped. “But if you see him, tell him if he’s not here at eleven, he’s fired.”
Robyn hung up her cell and dropped it into her lap. “Well, it looks like the ER won’t be giving Spencer an alibi for Leland’s murder. A couple of hours ago…” she said, clearly lost in thought. “Was that before or after we met him at the fountain? Would he have had time to go ransack your brother’s place, then track Leland down, all after we spoke to him?”
“You can ask him that yourself, in a minute.” I flicked on my blinker and pulled into a parking lot on the right, so fast that Robyn slid into the passenger’s side door. “We’re going to his apartment.” I pulled into the first open space and slammed the gear shift into park, then tapped my cell screen to wake it up. Along with all the other official members of the Pride, Spencer’s address was in my contact information, along with his birthday, blood type, and every other bit of information I might ever need.
Robyn peeked at the screen. “Wow, you’re super-organized.”
I clicked on Spencer’s address, and the map app opened, showing me the fastest way to get there. “It’s in the job description.” Even if I no longer officially held the job.
“Yet I’m pretty sure most of the other Alphas are still working from hand-written address books.” Robyn cocked her head to the side. “Though come to think of it, I don’t think many of them would ever nee
d information like this on the go, because most of them lead from the rear. They’re not all as hands-on as Faythe and Marc.”
But I was hardly listening. I couldn’t think about anything but Justus, and what had been done to him, and how that was spilling over to ruin lives and threaten the well-being of the entire Pride. And Robyn. I inhaled slowly, bracing myself for an argument. “When we get there, I want you to stay in the car.”
Robyn snorted. “Would I be repeating myself if I told you to go to hell?”
“Do you want me to handcuff you to the steering wheel?” I took a left turn too sharply, and she had to grab her door handle again.
She snorted. “If you have handcuffs, last night would have been a good time to show them off.”
“This isn’t a joke.” I let a bit of a growl leak into my tone. This wasn’t a lover moment; this was an Alpha moment, and the fact that we were having trouble differentiating between the two was an unexpected complication. “We’re going to confront a potential murderer, and I swore to keep you safe.”
“Titus, I killed four murderers. By myself.”
“I know, but they were human, and you had the element of surprise.”
“You’re saying I can’t defend myself against a shifter?”
“I’m saying I can’t let it come to that. If I have to handcuff you to keep you in the car, I will.”
Robyn’s brows rose in challenge. “You’re welcome to try.”
I drove in silence for the next five minutes, trying to decide whether locking her in the car for her own protection would be worth whatever hell she would unleash upon me afterward. She would forgive me. I had to believe that. The most important thing was that she live through this.
When we pulled into the parking lot behind Spencer’s apartment building, she reached for her door handle.
“Hang on a sec.” I leaned over to pop open the glove box and pulled out a set of handcuffs, each end already open and ready.
“Why—? You bastard!” She shouted as I slapped one open cuff around her wrist. Before she could launch herself into the parking lot, I slapped the other cuff around my steering wheel. “You actually have handcuffs?”
“I’m sorry, Robyn.” Though clearly not as sorry as I would be very, very soon. “I know this isn’t the most gallant solution, but I swore I’d protect you, and you’re making that difficult.”
“You haven’t seen difficult yet!” she shouted as I got out of the car and closed the door. “And you haven’t even begun to be sorry!”
“Call me if…anything goes wrong.” I shoved back guilt as I jogged down the sidewalk toward building C. I could not lead her into a confrontation with a murderer.
Spencer’s apartment was one of two on the top floor of his building. I took the steps two at a time, then knocked on his door. When there was no reply, I knocked again. Then I broke the lock with one twist of the knob and pushed right through the deadbolt, splintering the frame.
“Spencer?” I glanced around a small, neat living room and a tiny, galley-style kitchen. Three doors opened into the main area, and at least one of those would be a closet. I was still debating which of the other two to try first when the one on the left opened.
“Titus? What the hell, man?” Spencer held a bat at the ready. As if he’d forgotten he could rip a man’s arm from its socket with his bare hands, now that he was a shifter.
“Put the bat down, before I break it over your head.” My voice was half-growl.
“What?” Spencer blinked, evidently struggling to hold me in focus, but he dropped the bat without hesitation. “What are you doing here?” His gaze flicked past me toward the front of the room. “Did you break my door?”
“Where’s my brother?”
“I don’t know. What…?” He blinked heavily, then rubbed both eyes with the heels of his palms. “I have to be at work soon, and I have to get some sleep.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I kicked the door closed behind me, but it swung open again with a soft squeal. “You’re going to tell me where my brother is and why you killed Leland Blum, and maybe I’ll let you live.”
“What the fuck, man?” Spencer leaned against his bedroom doorframe, and swept one hand over his short cropped black curls. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you on something? Do you want to lie down?”
“I’m not fucking high, Spencer!” Blood pumped through my veins too quickly, and pressure began to build in my head. My hands curled into fists, and I fought to keep them at my side. “I just want to know where my brother is!”
“I don’t know! I’ve never met your damn brother!”
The sound of fury that ripped its way up my throat was like no other sound I’d ever made in human form. Spencer stumbled backward and lowered his head in a feline stance of submission and respect.
Which was strange, coming from someone who’d had so little respect for my authority that he was willing to infect my brother and kill a newly infected stray.
“I think he’s telling the truth.”
I spun to the left, careful to keep Spencer in my sight, and found Robyn standing in the doorway. My steering wheel hung from the cuffs still fastened around her left wrist, dangling below her knee.
“Damn it, Robyn! You pulled off the steering wheel?”
“It was that, or chew off my own hand, so…” She shrugged, and the wheel bobbed with the movement. “I think Spencer’s telling the truth.” She pointed at him with her unencumbered right hand. “That’s the face of a man whose nap was rudely interrupted, not the face of a man who killed someone, then stupidly went back to his own apartment to hide.”
“She’s right.” Spencer cleared his throat, and I turned to him as Robyn stepped inside and pushed the front door closed. Then pulled a chair in front of it to hold it closed. “Some asshole at work scheduled me for the eleven-to-seven tonight, and I knew I’d never make it without some sleep, so I blew off the last half of my afternoon shift.”
“And you’ve been here the whole time?” I studied his expression, looking for even a hint of a lie.
“Yeah. And I’d still be asleep if it weren’t for…” Spencer frowned, glancing from Robyn to me. “What is this, anyway? You think I killed your brother?”
“No, he thinks you infected Justus and killed another stray.” Robyn propped the steering wheel on an end table. “Do you happen to have a hacksaw?”
“No, sorry. But you’re welcome to sit.” Spencer cautiously crossed the room in front of me and sat on the end of the couch opposite Robyn. Leaving me the arm chair. But I remained standing.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” I demanded, while Spencer dug through the drawer in his end table.
“Because I was sleeping. I put my phone on silent.” He dug something small from the drawer and looked up at me. “I’m allowed to do that, because I’m not an enforcer, ergo I’m never on call for the Pride.” He handed what turned out to be a paperclip to Robyn, whose eyes lit up.
“Thanks! It’s been a while since I had to do this the hard way.” She slid the paperclip into the lock mechanism and began gently twisting it.
I made a mental note to ask, once this was all over, how and why she knew how to break out of handcuffs.
“Okay, wait a minute.” I finally sank into the armchair and suddenly felt so tired I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get up again. “If you didn’t infect my brother or kill Leland Blum, who did?”
“Who’s Leland Blum?” Spencer asked.
Robyn twisted the clip again, and the cuff popped open with a metallic click. “Yes!” She raised both fists in triumph, and though steering wheel remained on her lap, the open cuff still swung against her arm. “Damn it. I should have opened the other one.” She bent over her arm again, this time working on the half of the cuff attached to her wrist.
“Robyn,” I said. “Spence is the only one who knew about Justus.”
“Yes. But he knows because we told him,” she said with exaggerated patience as
she twisted the clip. “We were wrong, Titus. Someone out there knows Justus is a shifter because he—or she—is the one who infected him. Although statistically, it’s highly unlikely to be a woman.”
“No kidding,” Spencer said. “Aren’t female shifters, like, only one in ten?”
“It’s something like that for natural-born werecats, but women are dramatically less common among strays.” The pin clicked again, yet her cuff didn’t pop open. “But I don’t have any numbers on gender imbalance among bruins, and from what I’ve heard, there is no imbalance among thunderbirds.”
“Hey. Focus.” Every second that passed reminded me that we were no closer to finding or helping Justus. “I’m still waiting for Nancy Drew to use her legendary powers of deduction to tell me who infected my brother.”
Robyn looked up at me again, and her scowl was like a bolt of thunder. “I’m smart, but I’m not psychic. On the bright side, we’ve eliminated one suspect.” She gave Spencer an apologetic smile. “But we may not know who the bad guy is until we actually pull off his mask.”
“Isn’t that more a Scooby Doo thing than a Nancy Drew thing?” Spence asked.
“Yes. But Titus is too upset right now to keep his dated pop culture references straight.” Robyn gave the paperclip another vicious twist, and the last cuff popped open. “Thank goodness.” She turned to me with fire flashing behind her eyes. “If you ever handcuff me to anything other than a headboard again, I will shave your entire body while you sleep. Including your eyebrows. And if you don’t think I can pull that off, I will put you in touch with a couple of Pi Kappa brothers who can show you photographic evidence to the contrary!”
Spencer turned to me with arched brows. “Headboard?”
“Spence, may I use your restroom?” she asked, before I could decide whether or not to admit that Robyn and I were together. Assuming I hadn’t ruined the best thing to ever happen to me.
“Of course.” He pointed into his bedroom. “Through there, on the right. There’re only two choices. The other one’s a closet.” When the door closed behind her, Spencer chuckled. “She’s really pissed, man.”