Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,32

issue of finding whoever ditched her car,” Alex interjected. “It’s unlikely a Midnighter would even remember attacking her much less have the sense to get rid of her car.”

“Plus her car wasn’t damaged,” Varik added. “This one, on the other hand, has been beaten to Hell and back.”

They stared at the battered car, lost in thought. The whir of an approaching motor signaled the return of Buddy Coone and the arrival of Damian and Morgan.

Alex’s loathing for the Special Investigator and her anxiety over being forced to perform for the Tribunal’s benefit spread over the bond to Varik.

He brushed against her, sliding his hand across her lower back, as he moved into position at the front of the car. The intimacy of his touch shivered up her spine and made her gasp as a memory snapshot of their most recent lovemaking session flashed through her mind.

“Are you all right?” Tasha asked.

Alex nodded, chewing her bottom lip. She glanced at Varik from behind her dark shades and saw the knowing smirk on his face. You did that on purpose, you bastard.

His smirk turned to a grin.

“Is there something going on here I need to know about?” Tasha asked, annoyance evident in her tone.

“Yes.” Morgan’s voice drifted to them from nearby. “Please do fill the rest of us in on your obviously private joke, Enforcer Baudelaire.”

Varik’s smile disappeared. “If I did then it would no longer be private, would it, SI Dreyer?”

“Then bring us up to speed on everything instead,” Damian said, intercepting Morgan’s response. He moved to look into the trunk. “Who is she?”

As Varik recited what they knew so far and Tasha interjected information she’d learned from her interview with Mindy’s parents, Alex studied the salvage yard, noting the repaired fencing and the car’s proximity to it.

Whoever had disposed of the body and the car had gone through considerable effort. The land beyond the fence was flat pasture with a few clumps of oak trees. No road or path was visible along that side of the fence. Whoever ditched the car here would’ve had to drive or tow it across the neighboring field.

She frowned. But why leave either the car or the body where they could be found? Why not burn the vehicle with the body inside, thus reducing the amount of evidence as well as the odds of making a positive identification?

Movement beside a nearby rusted hulk drew her attention. A black shadow hovered close to the derelict vehicle. The shadow’s form wavered, elongated, and shifted into something vaguely humanoid.

Fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end. The sense of menace radiating from the shadow caused her to back up.

As she retreated, it moved forward.

“Alex?” Varik asked, heading toward her.

“Don’t move. Stand perfectly still.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Trouble.”

“What kind—”

The shadow charged.

Alex clambered to get out of its way but it moved too quickly. It caught her squarely in the chest and seemed to meld with her flesh as though her body were absorbing it. An unearthly cold passed through her, stealing her breath.

Voices rose in alarm around her. Varik’s hand clamped onto her shoulder. She could see him shouting her name but heard nothing beyond the increasing beat of her heart.

A presence entered her mind along with a sense of malice, directed not at her but outward. The blood-bond reached a fevered pitch as the entity seized upon it.

NO! Alex screamed at the possessing force.

The intruder left her in a rush, following the path of the open blood-bond. Too late, Varik attempted to throw up protective mental barriers. The shadow slammed into his body, lifting him from his feet and throwing him to the ground several feet away.

“Varik!” Alex hastily erected protective shields around her psyche, severing the bond. She rushed forward and slid to her knees at his side.

His eyes were wide, staring at something only he could see, and his mouth was open but no breath filled his lungs. A tremor traveled the length of his body and became a series of convulsions.

“He’s having a seizure!” Tasha shouted for Tony to call paramedics.

“No, he’s fucking possessed!” Alex straddled him, trying to hold him still. She used her hands to steady his head. “Where are you, you son of a bitch?”

“Enforcer Sabian!” Morgan shouted. “I demand to know—”

A shadow darted within Varik’s eyes.

“Gotcha.” Alex threw open the bond and sent her consciousness chasing after the invader.

She was vaguely aware of strength leaving her body. The sensation of falling distracted her for only a moment, and then she was