Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers) (6 page)

“We’ll go now,” Logan said. “I want it to be fresh in our
minds when we meet with everyone.”

“I can’t imagine volunteering to look at something like
that,” Doug commented.

“It has to be done,” Rebecca put in. “And unfortunately it’s
far from the first one we’ve seen.”

“All right.” The sheriff shuffled everything together and
swept it into a large folder. “I’ll get maps of the area and anything else you
need.”

“And I’ll contact my team and let them know what we’re
doing. They can provide even more information.” He looked at everyone. “Four
o’clock good for all of you?”

Everyone nodded agreement. Doug and Ford filed out of the
office but as Logan and Rebecca started to leave the sheriff put a hand on his
arm.

“I’m sorry, Logan. I don’t know what else to say. I guess
I’m just out of step with what’s going on in the world.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. At least you’re willing to
look at this now.”

They shook hands and Logan and Rebecca left the building,
very aware of the curious stares following them out the door.

They were about to climb into Logan’s truck when someone
hollered at them. A musical female voice.

Rebecca turned to see a gorgeous redhead hurrying toward
them, waving. The wind ruffled her long hair and the white parka set off her
hair and skin to perfection. Long legs that ate up the distance between them
were encased in fur-trimmed suede boots. As she drew closer Rebecca could see
flawless skin that served as a perfect palette for emerald-green eyes.

She hated her on sight.

If she had felt secure enough to grab Logan’s hand in an
obvious gesture of possession she would have. Instead she gritted her teeth and
reminded herself that as far as anyone here was concerned they were just partners
working a case and nothing more. She took a step backward as the woman flung
herself in Logan’s arms, knocking him against the truck with the force of her
energy.

“Logan, Logan, Logan.” She cradled his cheeks in her gloved
hands. “Oh my god. I can’t believe it’s really, really you.” She gave him a
smack on the lips that made Rebecca want to kick her in the shins. “I heard
you’d left the state. When did you get back? How long are you here for? When
can we get together? Tonight? I’ll cook dinner for you, just the way I used
to.”

She spoke so fast all her words ran together.

Logan gripped her arms and gently moved her away from him.

“Hello. Nice to see you too.” He glanced at Rebecca. “Meet
Jade Robinson. We went to high school together.”

Jade chuckled, a soft musical sound. “Oh we did a lot more
than that. Don’t be bashful.” She raked her eyes over Rebecca. “Logan and I
made a lot of warm memories together.”

Rebecca had had enough. She rested her hand in the crook of
Logan’s arm and leaned just the least little bit into him. “How nice,” she
said, in what she hoped was her most disdainful voice. “Then you’ll have them
to wrap around yourself on lonely nights.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed, the mocking smile disappearing form her
face. She looked at Logan. “Who’s your nasty little friend here?”

Rebecca wanted to wipe the smirk off Jade Robinson’s face.
She pasted a smile on her face ad held out her hand. “Rebecca Black. And thank
you. That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said about me.”

Jade scowled, ignoring the outstretched hand. Her gaze
lifted to Logan’s again. “I thought you intended to stay a lone wolf, Logan. At
least that’s what you always told me.”

Rebecca heard the edge in the woman’s voice. However she and
Logan had parted, it obviously hadn’t been on friendly terms.

“Bek works for the same organization I do.” He put his hand
over Rebecca’s where it rested on his arm. “We’re together.”

“For work,” Jade guessed.

“And…other things.”

Jade reached her hand out and caressed Logan’s cheek again.
“I’m more your style, big boy. You know that.” She brushed her lips against his
again, ignoring Rebecca.

“Not anymore.” He took a deliberate step backward, pulling Rebecca
with him. “Besides, you left Overlook—and me—a few years ago. What happened?”

A look of cynicism washed over her face. “Life happened.”
Then she flashed that smile. “But now I’m back, right?”

“So I see.”

She crowded herself into Logan’s space. “And maybe sorry I
took off the way I did. No reason two old friends can’t get together for dinner
and rekindle the past, is there?”

Logan took a step back, taking Rebecca with him. “Except I
just told you I’m with Rebecca. Anyway, we’re here on assignment so I expect to
be pretty busy.”

Now it was Jade’s turn to step back. “Let me guess. The park
ranger killing. Don’t tell me you’re still floating that stupid theory you came
up with two years ago.”

“Okay.” He kept his tone of voice mild. “I won’t tell you
anything except to stay alert and stay safe.”

Jade laughed again. “Surely you can’t think I’m in any
danger. A wild animal killed the ranger just like he did Julie and Wade and
that other man. They were all in isolated areas. My folks moved to Arizona and
the house was just standing empty so I decided to make use of it. But it’s not
as if I was way out in one of the ranches. No one’s going to bother me.”

Logan frowned. “That house is still pretty far outside of
town, Jade. And not too close to any neighbors.”

“Maybe you should stay with me at night to protect me.” She
tried to sidle up to him again. “Or move me out to your ranch. As long as you
were there I could stand it.”

When he shifted position again to put distance between them bitterness
lined her face. “You didn’t used to be so reluctant to touch me.”

“That’s the past, Jade. This is now. How long have you been
back?”

“What?”

“Back. In Overlook. What do you do here, anyway? I never
expected to see you back here in Montana. You were hell-bent for big-city life
and you didn’t mean Helena or Bozeman.”

Jade looked away for a long moment. “The city isn’t all it’s
cracked up to be, Logan. Anyway, you’re still around here, aren’t you?”

“I have my ranch and no plan to get rid of it. But I also
work for an organization based near San Antonio.” Logan shook his head. “I
can’t believe you came back here.”

She dropped her voice to a sultry level. “Maybe I wanted to
give us another chance.”

“Then you need to move on. What is there around here for you
to do, anyway?”

Rebecca was following the conversation with a mixture of
fascination and jealousy.

“I design graphics and websites. That means I can live
anywhere and set my own hours.” She tossed her mane of red hair back with a
studied gesture. “But as soon as I get enough of a stash, yes, I’m out of
here.”

“Be sure you’re protected at all times. Can you still shoot
like you used to?”

“Of course. You taught me, didn’t you?”

Rebecca had had enough. “Logan, we need to get ready for the
meeting,” she reminded him.

Jade’s features settled into a hard look. “Yes, take your little
friend and go do…whatever it is you do.” Then her lips curved in a smile. “But
tonight I’ll bet it’s me you dream about.”

She turned and headed back down the street, swishing her
hips with a deliberate motion.

“Keep your gun handy and be careful of strange animals and
people,” he called after her.

She waved a hand back at him and kept going.

“Charming woman.” Rebecca slipped her hand from Logan’s arm
and opened the door to his truck.

“I’ll agree Jade is a little over the top,” he grinned.
“Probably the reason we burned out so fast.” He closed her door then walked to
the other side and climbed in beside her. “And by the way, it was so little so
long ago that I’ve barely thought of it since then.”

“Will I sound like a jealous woman if I say I’m glad?”

He reached his hand over and stroked her cheek. “I hope so.
I want my woman to be jealous.”

“Is that what I am, Logan?” She hated that her voice had
such a hesitant sound to it. “Your woman? As quickly as that?”

He smiled at her. “I hope so. I’d like to think so.” He
smoothed her hair back from her face. “Maybe this is fast, Bek, but…maybe not.
And when we get rid of everyone tonight, if we don’t have any disasters crop
up, I plan to prove it to you. Again.” His face sobered. “But if you don’t
mind, I’d like to run by and just take a look at how Jade’s house is situated.
In Maverick County in Texas, the devil beast was able to attack its prey
because a house was so isolated from others in town.”

“That’s okay. I’d just as soon you were able to put her out
of your mind. The sooner the better.”

“Oh trust me, darlin’,” he laughed, “that won’t be a
problem. Jade’s what we call all flash and no cash.”

She gave a hesitant laugh. “I didn’t mean to sound like a
jealous harpy. I don’t really have any claim on you, Logan.”

“Oh honey, you have more of a claim than you know.” Logan
closed his big hand over her small one. “You haven’t got a thing to be jealous
about, trust me. But I like it that you are.”

He lifted her hand and kissed her wrist, the only thing not
covered by her glove.

The mortuary was only a ten-minute ride from the sheriff’s
office. Logan parked in the back and rang the bell beside the wide rear door.
He shook hands with the man who opened it, introduced him to Rebecca as Howard
Drake, the owner.

“Come on into the back,” Drake said, stepping aside so they
could enter. “I’m guessing by what the sheriff said you know what a gruesome sight
this is.” He shook his head. “Never seen anything like it, not even after a
wild bear attack.” He glanced at Rebecca. “You okay with this?”

She tried for a smile. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“Okay then. Come on back.”

He led them to a small room that was actually a smaller
version of a morgue’s cold storage area. Sliding out one of the drawers, he
carefully pulled back the sheet covering the ranger’s body. When Rebecca tensed
Logan cupped her elbow and squeezed gently, giving her his strength. But not
all the strength in the world could prepare her each time she looked at the
Chupacabra’s handiwork.

Like all the other victims there were two puncture marks in
the throat, the body was sliced down the middle, and although it had now been
sewn back together she knew the entrails would have been lying outside.

“Damndest thing,” Drake said. “Every bit of blood had been
drained from the body.”

“We know,” Rebecca said in a soft voice.

Drake looked at Logan. “Reminds me of Julie’s and Wade’s
bodies.”

“Too bad nobody listened to me then,” Logan said bitterly.
“Maybe everyone would have been on the alert this time.” He pulled out his cell
and shot several pictures to send back to Desolation Ranch.

“You have to admit,” the funeral director said, “it’s about
as farfetched as aliens landing from outer space.”

Neither Logan nor Rebecca said anything, just stood silently
while the drawer was closed, thanked the man and headed back out to the truck.

“I’m going to ask Ric to email me some of the DNA reports,”
Logan said when they were back on the highway. “I want everyone at this meeting
today to know exactly what we’re up against. Or at least as much as we know.”

“Did you…want to drive by Jade’s house when we get to
Overlook?” Rebecca asked. She was determined to be as objective about this as
possible. If the woman was located in a dangerous situation they needed to
know. Considering the vastness of the area they’d be searching, anything they
could pinpoint as a possible target would be a help.

Logan stole a quick glance at her. “You don’t mind?”

Rebecca shrugged. “If she’s in real danger we need to know.”
Her laugh was tremulous. “I might hate her for being beautiful and part of your
past but not enough to see her killed.”

Silence hung in the truck for a moment. “You’re one in a
million, you know that?”

“I just don’t want to be one
of
a million, big guy.”

“Never.” His voice softened. “You’re the end of the line for
me, Bek. Once we get this situation here settled. I want you to know that.”

She squeezed his thigh in silent answer.

When they reached Overlook, instead of driving straight
through town to the ranch, Logan detoured through part of the residential area.
Closer to town the houses were closer together, much as any small-town
neighborhood would be. But the farther away they got, the farther apart the
houses were. Some were even set on hilltops. And they were such a mixture, Rebecca
thought. Expensive, not so expensive. Wood. Stone. Even some brick.

By the time they reached what she gathered was Jade’s street
the houses were very far apart. Jade’s was at the end of the street, a closed
dead end. And set back from the road surrounded by a thick stand of ponderosa
pines. Rebecca sucked in a breath.

“Yeah,” Logan said. “I know what you mean.”

He parked at the foot of the driveway, letting the engine
idle while they both studied the setting.

“It’s perfect for the devil beast,” Rebecca told him. “An ideal
setting.”

“I agree. Remember, the Chupacabra targets its kills within
a twenty-five-mile area for some reason. And while Jade’s house is only one of
many optimum places for an attack it still makes me nervous. I guess because I
know her.”

“Do you think she took you seriously? About protecting
herself?”

Logan shook his head. “No. And neither will anyone else
unless we release something that puts everyone on notice. And if we do that we
panic an entire county.”

“So what’s the alternative?”

“That’s what we’re going to discuss this afternoon.”

* * * * *

Rance Danvers leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face.

I’m definitely getting too old for this job.

He had the file folder on Randy Parker open on his desk,
unable to keep from staring at the pictures. Comparing them in his mind to the
ones Logan Tanner and Rebecca Black had shown him.

The idea of what they put forth was so extreme he had a hard
time swallowing it. Just the same, he couldn’t ignore it. This time he had to
explore every possibility.

Making sure the door to his office was locked, he sat back
down behind his desk, pulled out the tray with his computer keyboard and typed
in “Chupacabra”. More links came up than he ever could have imagined. From the
killing of Wade Tanner, his wife and their neighbor he’d been determined to
write the whole thing off as someone’s nightmarish fairy tale, but apparently
he was wrong.

As he worked his way through each website the fear in him
grew stronger and stronger. There were even a few photos that people had taken
of creatures they thought was the Chupacabra. Whether it was the real thing or
not, they were enough to scare the shit out of anyone.

Wikipedia defined El Chupacabra (Spanish for “goat sucker”) as
a legendary creature rumored to inhabit parts of the
Americas
. Sightings were first reported in
Puerto Rico, then Mexico and the United States. The name came from the animal's
reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of
livestock
, especially
goats
.