Chapter 30

Lia relaxed, her hands, still held securely in Riley's. It would happen, she told herself. Maybe not as fast as she would like, so she needed to exercise some self-control. Maybe some of the material she'd studied in the library would help, too. She'd learned a lot about packs, how they formed, what the power structure was, and how they interacted with other packs. At least it would give her the background she needed and hadn't had up to this point. The ramblings of her grandparents had hardly been enough to give her a cohesive picture.
Riley trusted her, and now she would trust him to handle this and get her the information she needed. If there was one tiny bit of hesitation, it was the worry Mike's family history might identify him as a member of the pack that had destroyed hers. She'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it.
"All right. I leave it in your hands. They're your friends, and you know how to approach them." She lifted her face to his. "Can we seal it with another kiss?"
His lips had just touched hers when his cell phone rang.
"Damn it," he swore. "Talk about timing." When he looked at the screen, he swore again. "Yeah, Morgan. Uh-huh. Uh-huh." He looked at his watch. "Now? For fuck's sake, LT. Okay, okay. I'll leave right now." He disconnected the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket with obvious irritation.
"Problems?" Lia asked. Where did he have to go that made him so upset?
He nodded. "Work. Calderwood doesn't ever have much crime. We're a pretty peaceful place, one of the reasons people prefer to live here rather than the city."
"But you have a problem now," she guessed.
"Someone has been attacking lone women out jogging at night." He headed toward his bedroom.
"I thought you said this was a safe town," Lia reminded him. "It sure doesn't look like a place where women would get attacked. And when I was researching it, I saw that it had a very low crime rate."
"It does," he agreed, opening a drawer in his nightstand and taking out his gun and his shield. "That's why women have felt safe jogging along the streets in this residential district. They're well-lit, kids play outside and, on nice nights, people sit on their porches, enjoying the weather."
Lia wrinkled her forehead. "Then how is it possible for them to be attacked?"
"There are a couple of spots as you get closer to the forested area where there are no houses. That's been his hunting ground."
Immediately, Lia thought of the black wolf she'd seen the other night. Was a shifter doing this?
Was it his friend Mike? God, how awful would that be?
"I-is he killing them?" She hated to ask the question.
"No, thank the good lord. I assume he thinks he's safe because he wears all black including a hood with only eyeholes cut out." He blew out a breath. "He grabs them, subdues them quickly with a drug he injects, rapes them, and goes on his way. He's grabbing them so close to the woods, it makes a perfect place for him to attack them and leave them when he's finished."
"Riley, that's awful." Lia was appalled. She hated violence of any kind, but especially against women and children. "So, why do you have to go in? Has there been another attack?"
"Yes." He clipped his shield to his waist at his hip and his holster at the small of his back. Yanking a lightweight jacket from his closet, he shrugged into it, effectively covering both gun and shield. "The latest victim is in the hospital and conscious. Apparently, she didn't get as much of the drug as the others, or else she has a greater resistance to it. Anyway, the doctors say we can talk to her, and my lieutenant wants me to get there on the double."
Lia followed him toward the door. "I know I'm being selfish asking this, but are you the only detective who can do this?"
He turned and put his hands on her shoulders. The expression on his face was dead serious. "Yes, because I've handled the others. Five in all. I'm familiar with what little bits and pieces we've gotten from the other victims, and it will be easier for me to know what to ask and create a picture out of everything."
"Then you go," she said fiercely. "You find out who did this to that woman. To all of them." And I hope it's not your friend Mike.
"I'll be home as soon as I can. That probably means whenever."
"Don't worry." She tipped her face up to him. "I'll be just fine." She grinned. "Maybe I'll explore and find all your hidden secrets."
He wound his fingers in her hair and tugged her face up. "And maybe when I come back, I'll explore all of yours."
He pressed his mouth hard to hers, a bruising kiss, something to imprint itself on her and remind her of what was happening here while he was gone. She was nearly out of breath when he broke the kiss. Then he was out the door and gone.
Lia stood there, fingers touching her lips where she could still feel the power of his kiss. Explore her secrets? She wondered what he would say or do if she told him all of them. Everything. Somehow she had to find a way to work around to the topic because there was no doubt Riley Morgan had been chosen by destiny as her mate.