September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)(69)

Jez and Willow both volunteered. Neither of them were right for this kill. Jez was still bouncing back from the other night, and Willow had no place helping me kill a werewolf who was unknown to him.

“Could you excuse me for just a moment?” I gave Owen a smile that I hoped was both secretive and friendly. Holding up my bloody hands, I turned toward the lively nightclub. “I just need to get washed up. I’d invite you in but werewolves tend to draw the wrong attention here.”

“No worries. I’ll wait out here.” Owen headed back to his car and watched us go.

Discussing who was the safest choice to accompany me was not something I wanted to do in front of a stranger. The Doghead pack expected me to earn their trust. I expected the same from them.

Jez followed me to the ladies room where she hassled me while I washed up. The washroom was loud, filled with women doing everything from gossiping to makeup touch ups. A few of them were wary of my presence, but I wasn’t the one feasting on them in a back hall bedroom. Yet. So for the most part, they ignored us.

“Come on, Lex. We make a great team. I need a good hunt to feel like myself again.” She took the opportunity to reapply her bright red lipstick. Her watchful cat gaze kept darting to me in the mirror.

“If the situation were different I would take you in a heartbeat, Jez. But I think I need a vampire to back me on this one.” I washed my face and hands, watching Agent Hunter’s blood run down the drain. In a matter of seconds, the evidence of what I’d done was gone.

“A vampire?” She scoffed. “Not Kale I hope. You make each other crazy.”

“Thanks for the update. I wasn’t aware.” With a wet paper towel, I cleaned up a smear of eyeliner. Then I balled up the paper towel and tossed it at Jez, who saw it coming in the mirror and deflected it expertly without ruining her lipstick.

“So what do you want me to do?” She asked, popping the lid back onto her lipstick. “Don’t send me home. I can’t sit there feeling useless. I could slip.”

“No slipping.” I gave her arm a warm squeeze. “You’re going to beat this now before it has a chance to become something bigger than it already is. Stay here with Kale and Willow. I won’t be long.”

Jez pouted, turning those fabulous full lips on me as if she’d practiced the expression a thousand times. “If any vampires take a run at me, I’m plucking out eyeballs.”

“You have my permission to pluck all the eyeballs your little heart desires.” It was impossible to keep from laughing.

“I’d rather hunt a narc werewolf. You get to have all the fun.”

When we returned from the washroom, Arys had made up his mind. “I don’t like the idea of you killing for the wolves. However, I know that’s your territory, and I have no right to argue that choice. But I want you to take Jenner with you.”

Jenner didn’t appear surprised. He had already heard this. I waited for his protest, but it never came.

“Really?” Disbelief colored the word. “All right. I suppose that makes sense.” It did. Both Kale and Arys were too dangerous to be alone with in a situation that involved blood and death. Would it ever be like that with Jenner? God I hoped not. Once I turned, this kind of thing would stop. Wouldn’t it?

“I’ll stay here in case the FPA sends anyone back. Switch phones with me in case they try to track yours. My phone isn’t under a real name. They shouldn’t have it on their radar.” Arys pressed his phone into my hand. Then he pulled me close for a kiss that was both longing and frustrated.

I shot a glance to where Kale fended off admirers across the room. “No getting into it with him. Promise me.”

Arys rolled his eyes and kissed me again. “You ask a lot sometimes, you know.”

“Don’t worry, Lex. I’ll keep an eye on them.” Jez snickered when Arys playfully nudged her with an elbow.

Willow held out a hand. In the other was a tequila shot. “Address? If we don’t hear from you in an hour I’m dropping in to check on you.”

“Thanks, Willow. You’re the best.” I tucked the Doghead card with the address into his waiting palm after taking one more look at it. Then I turned to Jenner and shrugged. “Let’s go kill a government informant.”

* * * *

I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting when we pulled up to the address Dayne had given me. It was a warehouse, some kind of storage facility or shipping yard from the looks of it.

“I don’t know why, but for some reason I was expecting his home address,” I said, studying the surroundings.

Jenner and I sat in the Charger, watching and waiting for something amiss. The place was deserted, leading me to question whether or not it was abandoned. It seemed like a good private place to pull off something like this. It also seemed like a great way to mislead someone.

“That would be too easy,” Jenner observed. “And too high risk. The last thing you need is a neighbor witnessing something they shouldn’t. Unless you’re willing to kill them too.”

I most certainly was not interested in living out that scenario. The creepy warehouse would have to do.

“I’m going to go take a look around. Can I trust you to have my back?” I met his frozen gaze, seeking a spark of truth. Jenner might be Arys’s brother, but he didn’t like me, with good reason. I wasn’t entirely convinced I could trust him.