watched her closely. “Let me hear what your gut instinct says.”
Because they were such good friends, Maddie gave serious thought to the question. “I’m attracted to him,” she finally answered. “Intrigued by him. I don’t know how much of that is because of the mystery, though. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind having an intense fling with him as well as getting to the truth of why he’s considered so dangerous to the Pack. Beyond that?” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Apparently, her answer satisfied Shayla. “Fair enough,” Shayla said, raising her wineglass in a toast.
They sat and chatted another hour, each having one more drink, until the band began to play, making conversation difficult. Finally, their glasses were empty and they settled up the tab. Arm in arm, they walked to the door and outside.
At the end of the alley, Shayla stopped. “Now what?” she asked.
“Now I walk you to your car or to get a cab, like always,” Maddie replied. As a Mermaid, Shayla couldn’t defend herself like a Shifter or Vampire could. Therefore, Maddie or Carmen or both always made sure she was never left unaccompanied.
“Oh, that...” Shayla blushed again, just as an SUV pulled up. “I texted Zach so he’d come and get me.”
“That was quick,” Maddie said, her tone dry. “Let me say hello to the lovestruck fool and then I’ll let you two go on your way.”
“Of course. But what are you going to do for the rest of the night? It’s still pretty early. Maybe Jake would like some company.”
Now it was Maddie’s turn to blush. Unfortunately, when she did, she knew her pale skin turned the color of an overripe tomato, not all soft, appealing pink like Shayla’s did.
Seeing the blush, Shayla chuckled. “I think you should find out if he would,” she said. “Now come say hello to Zach so we can get home.”
Maddie walked around to the driver’s side and Zach rolled down the window. He tore his gaze away from his new bride long enough to smile at Maddie. “Do you need a lift to your car?” he asked. “I’d be glad to take you.”
“Not tonight,” she told him, lifting her head and sniffing the air. “With weather like this, I don’t mind a walk.” And since she was Shifter, she could easily defend herself if someone tried to jump her the way they’d jumped Jake.
Just thinking about him made her blush again. Luckily, Zach and Shayla were too engrossed in each other to notice.
Maddie said her goodbyes and watched as her friends drove away. Then, before she chickened out, she got out her phone and called Jake.
* * *
After ending the call with Maddie, Jake looked outside again. The car was still there. He thought about walking outside with a bottle of water and offering it to the driver, but in the end decided against that idea. His bruised and bandaged body and aching ribs warned him to be more careful.
Though he hated to admit it, Maddie was right. He did need to rest and heal. Instead of giving the stalker something to do, he’d let him sit out there with nothing going on and be bored. At least that made Jake’s mood improve. More than anything, he hated to feel as if he were powerless. After the childhood he’d had, he’d sworn never to put himself in that position again.
He pulled out his laptop and continued his research about werewolves. As far as he could tell, they were the stuff of urban legend. Lots of people claimed to have seen one, but there existed absolutely no proof. They were beloved by literature and filmmaking, and these days people seemed to regard them with a kind of benevolent fondness rather than any real fear.
Not for the first time, Jake doubted what he’d seen with his own eyes. Of course, he shouldn’t. He was a trained reporter. Observant by both nature and calling. It wasn’t likely he’d imagine something like this. Especially since he’d never even thought about werewolves at all until the moment he’d actually seen one.
When his cell phone rang, he almost didn’t answer. But when from habit he checked the caller ID and saw it was Maddie, he did.
“Are you still awake?” she asked, a smile in her voice.
His heart skipped a beat. “Of course. What’s up?”
“My friend had to go. Since it’s still early, I was wondering if you still wanted company? I mean, I could come by if you’d like.”
“I’d enjoy that,” he responded, not bothering to pretend not to care. “We can talk about the case.”
She laughed. “You definitely have a one-track mind. I’m not sure whether to be flattered or insulted.”
Was she flirting with him? He swallowed, stunned.
“Come on over,” he said, his voice as casual as he could make it. “I’ve got beer. We can order a pizza if you want.”
“Now you’re talking. Text me the address again, please. I’ve got to walk to my car and then I can get on my way.”
“Walk to your car?” He hoped it wasn’t a long walk. A beautiful woman out walking alone made an easy target for some guy looking for trouble.
“Yep. It’s not too far now. Just a couple of blocks. I’m near The Strand, so there are lots of people around.”
He rattled off the address and ended the call. She’d said she was near The Strand. Had she been near the dead-end alley with the mysterious door? He resolved to ask her directly. After all, he saw no reason why they should play games.
Twenty minutes later, her headlights swept his front window. He hurried to the door, just in case the guy in the parked car decided to try and confront her. To his surprise, the stalker was gone.
“Hey there!” Smiling, Maddie greeted him. With her wavy red hair loose around her shoulders, she managed to look both innocent and sexy in her black skirt and green top, with a sleeveless back tank underneath. He noticed that even though she wore flat shoes, her legs seemed to go on for miles. As she got closer, a jolt of pure lust punched him low in the gut.
“Come on in,” he said, stepping aside. As she walked past him, he got a tantalizing whiff of her perfume, which was floral and light. She took a seat on his couch and eyed his laptop, which he’d left open on the coffee table.
“Just doing some research,” he told her. “Nothing too serious. Would you like a beer?”
“I’d better not,” she said. “I had two at the bar. Just water for me, please.”
When he returned from the kitchen, she was leaning close to his laptop, unabashedly reading what was displayed on the screen.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her the water.
“Thank you.” She flashed a brief smile before returning her attention back to the computer. “You’re reading about werewolves?”
Something about her tone didn’t ring right. “I am,” he answered. “Fascinating topic. Do you know anything at all about them?”
She shook her head.
