Since I was a hunter too, I knew it wasn’t true, and it just made the whole situation even worse. She wasn’t being careful. She wasn’t following protocol. I was not so easy going that I could ignore all that. If I let it go, then she would never learn and then I’d lose her. Again.
I arched a brow. “And you just happened to be in the area?”
“Yep,” Tate popped the letter, throwing his arm around Jack’s shoulders and pressing her against his side. “We were on a date and happened to smell the blood.”
“Uh-huh,” I drew out, not believing them for a second.
Knowing Jack, Tate likely brought her out here for a date, and she then ran off to investigate on her own, sticking her nose into business that wasn’t hers to deal with anymore.
Then there was the faint scent of the attacker. Which they were lucky no one but me had been near Kyren enough to recognize. Where was the vampire in question? Why wasn’t Jack screaming from the room tops it was him that had did this?
The hunter part of me wanted to report the familiar scent. But the part of me that didn’t want to hurt Jack any more than she had already been, held back. If she wasn’t going to tell them then she must have a reason, didn’t she?
“What’s with the third degree?” Jack snapped, staring daggers at me. “You can’t possibly think I had anything to do with this.” She waved a hand at the pile of what no longer resembled a person, only blood, flesh, and bones.
Something in my gut told me she knew more than she was letting on, and maybe it was because I was still mad at her for not trusting me to help her before. Or maybe I was just a jealous bastard that Tate could touch her now and I couldn’t, but I kept pushing.
“Well? Did you?”
“Hey, now.” President Fleming stepped in. “We aren’t saying that at all, Durand. We’re just trying to get all the facts straight.” He shot me a warning look before turning to the graffiti on the wall. “Leave her alone. Who do you think that could be about?”
“I don’t know,” Jack quickly responded, crossing her arms. “Probably a message from whoever killed her to her people.”
“The question is who is she and who are her people?” President Fleming asked, then gestured to the wall. “Make sure you get pictures of this and get a body bag in here. The sooner we identify the victim, the sooner we can figure out who this message is for.”
He paused and then stepped over to Jack, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You did a good thing calling this in. Now, go home and let us take it from here.”
The purse of her lips said she wanted to argue, but then Tate squeezed her shoulder and she relented. “Fine. Tate, let’s go.”
“Whatever you say, princess.” Tate smirked and winked at me as they walked past.
Once they were out of earshot, I glanced at the message on the wall and then to President Fleming. “She let that go easy.”
“Too easily,” the president murmured, his eyes on where Jack had left. “Look, I’ve got this if you want to go after her. Fix whatever bug you two have up your asses.”
“No, I’m good. She made it clear she doesn’t trust me to have her back, so I’m giving her what she wants.”
“Fawley…” He sighed and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Julian. I say this not as your president, but as your friend. Don’t let your pride get in the way, or you’ll live to regret it.”
Bobbing my head, I jerked my chin toward the crime scene. “I appreciate it, but we have work to do.”
He dropped his hand from my shoulder, giving me one more pitying look that I hated with all my being before he addressedthe other hunters. As he gave out orders, it was clear he was putting this whole thing with Jack aside for now.
I wished I could do that. Flip a switch and focus on the job. However, my time collaborating with Jack at the academy, watching her fall for the vampire and werewolf while I stood idly by as her hands-off professor, was much harder than expected.
It took about an hour to get the area cleaned up and the body bagged before we were out of there and back at headquarters. I started to follow the body to the examination room, but President Saito stopped me.
Usually out in the field on more dangerous missions, President Saito was the complete opposite of President Fleming. While he was all smiles and back slaps, she barely had to say anything to get her point across.
Long black hair slicked up into a tight pony tail, she looked as if she’d stepped right out of a monster hunting movie. Her body encased in leather, twin katanas strapped to her back, and an inability to smile as long as I’ve known her.
“Fawley,” she said then turned on her heel without saying anything else.
I frowned, glanced at her and then at the other hunters before chasing after the stoic president. Knowing I wasn’t going to get anything out of her by asking questions, I followed silently until we entered the barracks.
She finally stopped at a bunk bed where a single man sat on the bottom bunk. He glanced up at our approach, his hair as pale as his skin and eyes hidden behind a thick pair of glasses.
“Fawley, Weaver.” President Saito gestured between us. “Don’t fuck this up.”
