Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(21)

“Well it hasn’t,” Della said. “That shit’s climbing up your arm now.”

“I’m getting Holiday.” Kylie yanked out her phone. She hadn’t touched one button when her phone rang.

Kylie looked at the screen and up. “It’s her.”

Miranda got that feeling again. Like something was wrong, or something was about to go wrong. Her gaze shifted to Tabitha. “Do you feel that?

”

Her sister nodded.

Kylie took the call. “Hello?” Her gaze shifted to Della. “Yeah. What’s wrong?” Pause. “Okay, we’ll be right there. But … you need to

come see Miranda.” Pause. “She’s got a … thing growing up her arm.” Pause. “No, not a rash.”

“What was that about?” Della asked the second Kylie hung up.

“Burnett needs to see us.”

“What’s wrong?” Miranda asked.

Kylie hesitated, but then just said it. “It’s Perry.”

“What about him?” Doom and gloom crowded Miranda’s lungs.

Concern filled Kylie’s eyes. She wasn’t good at hiding things. “All she said was … Burnett wants us to check on him.”

Miranda felt another pang of doom. “Is he in some kind of trouble?”

Before Kylie answered, a big scream, followed by some loud crashes and bangs, echoed outside the hospital room’s door.

“Shit!” Della bolted toward the door, but it swung open.

The nurse stuck her head in.

“Are you doing okay?” Her gaze shifted to Kylie and then Della.

“What happened out there?” Della asked.

The nurse almost flinched. “Uh, one of the nurses thought she saw uh … an armadillo. I’m sure she just imagined—”

“Call Burnett.” Della shot toward the door. The nurse ran as if Della were after her.

Miranda dialed Burnett’s number for the second time that day.





Chapter Six

Shawn arrived at the jewelry store as an ambulance pulled out. Sirens filled the cloudy sky. He watched the vehicle with red lights flaring

pull away. The moon, missing only a sliver, already hung in the sky. Walking through the door, he smelled the coppery scent of blood. His chest

tightened remembering the pretty clerk. Was she the victim?

“You can’t come in here.” An officer shot in front of him.

Shawn flashed his badge.

“What the hell is FRU?” the officer said.

Another officer, larger in stature, who was standing behind the counter speaking to an elderly woman, turned around. “Let him in. He’s from a

special crime unit, an offshoot of the FBI. They’re looking into cases similar to this one.”

Shawn nodded at the officer, checking his forehead for his pattern. Half vampire. The FRU assigned many supernaturals to work with emergency

public service jobs so they could keep the FRU informed of any suspicious cases.

They exchanged a knowing nod. The petite elderly woman next to the officer was human. Shawn’s focus shifted back to the blood on the floor. He

recalled the girl again.

The half-vampire officer walked over and extended his hand. “Officer Johnson.”

“Agent Hanson.” Shawn didn’t waste any time. “Whose blood is this?”

“Mr. Crow’s. He and his wife own the store,” the officer answered. “He walked in during the robbery and tried to stop it. They took him to

the hospital.”

“How bad is he?” Shawn asked.

“The paramedics thought he was going to make it.” Johnson paused. “Where’s Agent James?”

“On another case. I work under him.” Shawn glanced back at the woman. “Any other employees present?”

“She hasn’t mentioned anyone.” He lifted his nose in the air. “I get were, witch, shape-shifter, and traces of vampire.”

Shawn glanced back at the blood. With the exception of the were trace, those scents could be explained by the employee he’d met, along with

his and Anthony’s earlier presence. That said, the FRU wasn’t called out just because of scent.

Still sniffing the air, Johnson looked suddenly puzzled. “Is that your scent?”

“Yeah. I was here earlier. Along with a vampire. There was an employee, a mix-breed. Vampire, part witch and fae. But no were.”

“But I’m picking up more than one shape-shifter.”

Shawn started trying to connect the dots. “Besides the scent is there another reason you called?”

The man moved in to make sure they weren’t overheard. “According to Mrs. Crow, a couple walking past saw the fight and rushed inside to help.

The three assailants took off to the back. She assumed they’d run out the back door, but Mrs. Crow realized the door was locked. She even has

the key around her neck. With the scents of shape-shifter, I assumed—”

“Sounds like a good call.” Shawn paused. “Is that Mrs. Crow over there?”

Johnson nodded and Shawn walked over to the woman. “Can you tell me what happened?”

She frowned. “I already told the story three times, and I’d really like to get to the hospital.”