“He did kill you,” Jo Jo said starkly. His eyes were green again, but just as angry. “You didn’t have a pulse, and you weren’t breathing.”
I shook my head. “I think that was my doing.” Or at least Brother Wolf’s. He’d spoken to me once or twice since my move to Peculiar, but this was the first time he’d manifested an almost human form. “I’m okay now. But we have another problem on our hands.” I glanced at Pete. “What are we going to do with him? I don’t keep any flesh-dissolving acids on hand, and I have a feeling that my landlord is going to keep the safety deposit if he finds a dead body in my living room.”
Jo Jo patted the front pocket of his shredded jeans. “I’ve lost my phone.”
“Did you have it before you Hulked out?”
He looked disconcerted as he gave me a sheepish smile. “I did.”
I waved my phone at him. “You can use mine.”
“No, I need mine. I don’t remember any numbers.”
“Then it’s somewhere around here.” I dialed his number. The ringing came from the kitchen. The somewhere was under my refrigerator. It must’ve slid across the floor during the fight. The screen protector was cracked, but otherwise, his phone was operational.
“Who are you calling? You don’t have a cleaner on speed dial, do you?” Cleaners in our world cleaned up messes that might expose our kind to humans.
“I don’t, but I know someone who might.” He hit the speaker button and held out the phone as a woman picked up on the first ring.
“Your dad is worrying himself sick over you. He said you made a strangled noise, then hung up the phone.”
Ah, so Jo Jo’s call on the stairs had been his dad.
“Hi, Willy.” Jo Jo gave a slight shrug. “Tell Dad I’m fine.”
Willy Corman was Jo Jo’s stepmother. The fiery redhead was a badass who’d worked as a special investigator for the therianthropes’ Tri-State Council.
“You don’t sound fine,” she said. “But no matter. Like I tell Brady all the time. You’re a grown man. Almost twenty-eight years old. You don’t need to be parented anymore.”
He cleared his throat. “I might not need a parent, but I do need your help. I have a body that I need to get rid of.”
“Well, fuck me,” she hissed. “I’m going to have to apologize to my husband because I didn’t know howwrongwrong could get. Tell me who, what, when, where, and how?” She made a tisking sound. “The how is for my sake. Brady’s going to want all the details.”
“Thanks, Willy.” I could hear the relief in his voice. “William Smith is sending his crew after Etta. This one nearly murdered her.”
I didn’t think Pete was trying to execute me. He had to have believed my body could take the punishment he was doling out. William wanted me alive. Still, I didn’t try to correct Jo Jo. It didn’t matter. Cordell tracking me and Pete’s ambush felt like just the beginning. I worried about who and what William would throw at me next. Did he know Cordell was dead? And now Pete. The consequences would be huge when William found out. Pete was Tom Ward’s son, and Tom was William’s number one for a reason. The man was a killing machine.
“Can you make sure no one ever finds him?” I asked Willy after Jo Jo finished telling the tale.
“That’s the goal,” she said. “Though families are usually informed.”
“His only family is his dad.” I tugged my lower lip between my teeth and then let it go. “A guy whose nickname is War, and for a good reason. He is a mean son of a bitch who has never lost a fight. The only reason he wasn’t alpha was that he didn’t want the job.”
“Not good,” Willy agreed. “What’s the address for the body?”
“210 Broad Street, Apartment 21b.”
“Got it,” Willy said. “Now, get the hell out of there. Leave the door unlocked, and I’ll call in a favor or two and get the apartment cleaned right away.”
“The door isn’t on its hinges anymore, so getting in won’t be a problem. Keeping nosy people out…well, that’s another story.”
“Then we’ll get our people there quickly,” she said perfunctorily.
“Oh, and one more thing.” He paused and looked at me. “There’s a soul conjuror in Warrensburg that can somehow remove a shifter’s animal from their body. She runs a tarot shop somewhere downtown. It might be something the Tri-state Council will be interested in.”
“I appreciate the tip. I’ll make sure they get the information,” Willy replied. “You both stay safe.”
I glared at him, but he shook his head and put the phone on mute. “I promised we’d leave it alone. I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell anyone,” he explained quickly. “Besides, the Tri-state Council is set up for these kinds of investigations. They’ll know how to handle it.”
