Hidden Crimes

Hidden Crimes

Emma Holly

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Emma Holly. All rights reserved. With
the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be
reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing
without written permission of the author.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
If you would like to share this book with another person, please
purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading
this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your
use only, then please return to the vendor and purchase your own
copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This story is a work of fiction and should be treated
as such. It includes sexually explicit content that is only
appropriate for adults—and not every adult at that. Those who are
offended by more adventurous depictions of sexuality or frank
language possibly shouldn’t read it. Literary license has been
taken in this book. It is not intended to be a sexual manual. Any
resemblance to actual places, events, or persons living or dead is
either fictitious or coincidental. That said, the author hopes you
enjoy this tale!

Hidden Crimes
is an approximately 83,000-word
novel.

Discover other exciting Emma Holly titles at:
http://www.emmaholly.com

cover photo: Ladida

eISBN: 978-0-9849162-4-5

The Prince With No Heart

The Assassins’ Lover

Steaming Up Your Love Scenes (how-to)

~

Hidden Series

Hidden Talents

Hidden Depths

Date Night

Move Me

The Faerie’s Honeymoon

Hidden Crimes

available in ebook and print

Cats and dogs shouldn’t fall in love. Like
any wolf, detective Nate Rivera knows this. He can’t help it if the
tigress he’s been trading quips with at the supermarket is the most
alluring woman he’s ever met—sassy too, which suits him down to his
designer boots.

Evina Mohajit is aware their flirtation can’t
lead to more. Still, she relishes trading banter with the hot
werewolf. This hardworking single mom hasn’t felt so female since
her twins’ baby daddy left to start his new family. Plus, as a
station chief in Resurrection’s Fire Department, she understands
the demands of a dangerous job.

Their will-they-or-won’t-they tango could go
on forever if it weren’t for the mortal peril the city’s shifter
children fall into. To save them, Nate and Evina must team up, a
choice that ignites the sparks smoldering between them . . .

“I am utterly insane for Emma Holly. The way she
sucks you into her world is pure genius!”—Jacquelyn Frank,
New
York Times
bestselling author

“Emma Holly’s name on the cover guarantees a
smoking-hot read”—
New York Times
bestseller Lara Adrian

IF a cop was a werewolf, the half-fae city of
Resurrection was a fine place to work. America’s only supe-friendly
metropolis offered plenty of excitement. Just as important,
shifters didn’t have to hide their dual nature. RPD detective Nate
Rivera was glad of that. He liked being who he was.

He especially liked that his spacious loft
apartment was a perfect expression of his personality.

The decor was sharp of course, every item
selected for style and quality. He’d bought the converted warehouse
space in his early twenties, with money his mother (a decorated cop
herself) had left him at her death. A couple payments remained on
the mortgage but—like the rest of his life—that was under
control.

Nate never spent more than he could afford.
None of his vintage modern furnishings indicated financial
recklessness. Because detective salaries weren’t princely, he saved
up for his treasures on a strict schedule. His exposed brick walls
displayed a gallery of miniature city scenes, which
weren’t
purchased on first sight. Though he often fell in love with pieces
in a moment, he took time to consider.

Did the paintings fit his collection? Would
the amount he’d saved cover what the artist was asking? If it
wouldn’t, Nate denied himself. Okay, now and then he succumbed, but
that was only because art gave him so much pleasure. Everybody
needed a weakness. This one had the advantage of suiting his image
of himself.

Just because he was a werewolf didn’t mean he
wasn’t civilized.

What didn’t suit his image of himself was the
brown-paper twine-handle bag that perched on his authentic Arne
Jacobsen egg chair.

With arms crossed over his gym-honed chest,
he stared at it balefully. One alligator-booted foot tapped his
polished cement floor.

Nate had bought a present for his pack
alpha’s wife. He’d gotten it on impulse, just spotted it in a shop
window, turned on his heel, and went in. He hadn’t asked what it
cost. He’d simply handed over his ResEx card. Finding out what it
did cost hadn’t stopped him either. Instead, he’d clenched his jaw
and told the owner he preferred tissue paper wrapping—plain white,
if she had it.

Nate had no excuse for spending so much money
on a woman he wasn’t sleeping with. Ari’s birthday wasn’t until
November, and her baby shower had been a while ago. For that
matter, the baby wasn’t new anymore. Kelsey was two months old,
though this was the first time since her birth that the pack would
eat all together at Adam’s house.

“It’s those damned women’s faults,” he
muttered. “They should have let us come.”

According to Rick’s sister Maria, baby
showers were for girls, and all girls deserved a break from
testosterone now and then. To hear her talk, you’d think werewolves
being real men was cause for regret. Ari was human and could be
forgiven, but Maria was a werewolf herself. She should have known
better.

Were-males had as much right to celebrate the
birth of babies as anyone.

More wolflike grumbles were rising in Nate’s
throat when the deadbolt on his industrial style door turned.
Instinct and training took over. He whipped his off-duty Smith
& Wesson from its ankle holster. Half a second later, his sense
of smell informed him who the intruder was.

“Don’t shoot,” said the half-laughing voice
of Tony Lupone, fellow RPD detective and younger brother to their
pack’s second in command.

Like all Adam’s wolves, he had a key to
Nate’s home.

“You could knock,” Nate pointed out as Tony
stuck his grinning head cautiously inside. His hair was a rich dark
brown like his brother Rick’s, slightly wavy and—per usual—in need
of a good styling.

“Forgot,” he said unashamedly. “Besides
which, knocking would ruin my chances of catching you naked.”
Seeing he wasn’t going to be shot, Tony stepped inside and gave
Nate a onceover. He wagged his heavy Lupone eyebrows. “Nice boots,
GQ.”

“I told you not to joke like that. Just
because you left the closet doesn’t mean you can flirt with
everyone. Hit on the wrong werewolf, and you’ll find yourself
taking a dirt nap.”

“It’s just you. I have to practice on
someone.”

Despite Tony’s unconcerned attitude, Nate
occasionally worried his teasing was more than
practice
.
Rick’s little brother had been out over a year now. While
Resurrection didn’t have a flourishing were-gay scene, he should
have had sufficient time to hook up with someone. Back when Tony
had played straight, he’d had no trouble snagging girls.

Tony was a good-looking kid, but Nate didn’t
swing that way. Nor was he a fan of awkward heart-to-hearts.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, pushing
that idea aside. “Dinner is at Adam’s place. You live in his same
building.”

Tony pulled an unexpectedly sheepish face. “I
wanted to make sure I didn’t walk in alone. I did something weird
today.”

The lowest ranking member of their pack was
no clothes horse. Tony wore ripped jeans, beat-up running shoes and
a clean but faded polo shirt. From behind his back he brought out a
crumpled package. The pink and yellow duck-printed paper looked
like it had been wrapped and unwrapped a couple times. The tape
that was supposed to secure it no longer did.

“It’s a stuffed bunny,” Tony confessed,
holding out the pitiful bundle. “I was picking up the beer, and
there was this toy store across the street. I couldn’t resist going
in. I mean, I should have gotten a bear or something. A wolf at
least. But I saw those stupid floppy ears, and I couldn’t control
myself. I kept thinking about the baby snuggling up with it for her
naps.”

“Kelsey is a girl,” Nate said, trying to be
fair.

“Maria’s a girl. When she was little, she
slept with a Transformer. She’d wake up with its shape dented in
her cheek.”

Maria was Rick and Tony’s older sister, a
married woman with a pup of her own. Nate cleared his throat
uncomfortably. “I got something for the baby too.”

Tony blinked at him, then flashed a delighted
grin, causing Nate to regret sharing this with him. “You did? What
did you get?” He spied the handle bag on his red-and-black cow
print chair. “Ooh,” he said, snatching it before Nate could stop
him. His
ooh
changed to a gasp as he peeked inside.

“Oh my God,” he breathed, lifting out the
quilted white velvet blanket. He didn’t usually sound gay, but that
oh my God
wasn’t hetero. He shook out the baby quilt for a
better look, making Nate want to grab it from him to refold. The
intricate hand stitching formed the shape of a Tree of Life. “This
must have cost a fortune.”

“It’s secondhand,” Nate said defensively.

“It’s
antique
. And it’s fricking
spelled.” Tony looked at him wide-eyed, his werewolf senses having
registered the enchantment.

“It’s white. If it weren’t spelled, stains
wouldn’t come out in the wash.”

Giving in to his compulsion, Nate extricated
the blanket from Tony’s grip. The younger man watched him fold and
restore it to its tissue paper nest. “You must have blown your
spending budget for a whole month.”

Three was more like it, not that Nate would
admit that. Impatient to shut down the topic, he grabbed the keys
he’d thrown in the vintage Cuban cigar box he kept for the purpose
of storing them. “I’m sure it’s just some primitive uncle instinct.
In the wild, whole packs help take care of pups. We bought those
presents because Ari married our alpha.”

“I’ll go along with that,” Tony said. Seeing
Nate was ready, he opened the door for him. Despite the classic
subordinate behavior, his sudden smile was mischievous. “You could
pretend you’d bought the rabbit too. Then only one of us would have
to explain.”

“Nobody would believe it,” Nate was happy to
say. “Not with that half-assed wrapping job you did.”