Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(5)

Burnett, a thirty-something vampire, worked for the FRU-Fallen Research Unit-a branch of the FBI whose job it was to govern the supernaturals. He was also part owner of Shadow Falls. When Burnett gave an order, he expected people to obey. And they usually did.

"Why?" Kylie asked. "I needed to ask them questions." Unexpectedly, the memory of how Mrs. Brighten's hand felt on hers flashed in her mind-gentle, fragile. Emotions came at Kylie from every direction.

"Burnett never gives his reasons," Della said. "He gives orders."

Kylie glanced at Holiday, who was still on the phone. She looked worried, and Kylie felt Holiday's emotions join the others already dancing along her spine.

"I don't understand." She fought the tightness in her throat.

Lucas stepped closer. So close that she could smell his scent-a scent that reminded her of how the dew-kissed woods smelled first thing in the morning.

His hand came up and she thought he was going to reach for her, but he lowered his hand just as quickly. She fought against disappointment.

Holiday hung up the phone. "That was Burnett." She stepped forward and rested a hand on Kylie's shoulder.

She didn't want to be calmed; she wanted answers. So she removed the camp leader's hand. "Just tell me what happened. Please."

"Derek called," Holiday said. "He went to see the P.I. who helped you find your grandparents and found him unconscious in his office. Then Derek discovered the man's phone on the floor outside of his office with blood on it. Bottom line, Derek doesn't think the P.I. sent that text to you about your grandparents. He called Burnett, who's there now."

Kylie tried to understand what Holiday was saying. "But if the P.I. didn't send the text, who did?"

Holiday shrugged. "We don't know."

"Derek could be wrong," Lucas said, his lack of affection for the half-fae deepening the vibration in his voice.

Kylie ignored Lucas and his vibrations and tried to digest what Holiday was implying. "So ... Derek and Burnett think that Mr. and Mrs. Brighten were impostors?"

Holiday nodded. "If Derek's right and the text was sent by the person who hurt the P.I., then it makes sense that these two could have been sent here for other reasons."

"But they're human," Kylie said. "I checked."

"Definitely human," Della said.

"I know," Holiday explained. "That's the reason I didn't detain or question them. The last thing I need is to bring more suspicion on Shadow Falls. We already have the locals breathing down our necks. But being human doesn't mean they aren't working for someone else. Someone supernatural."

Kylie knew by "someone," Holiday meant Mario Esparza, grandfather to the murdering rogue who'd taken a liking to her.

For a split second, Kylie got a vision of the two teenage girls she'd met in town, the two who'd died at the hands of Red, Mario Esparza's grandson. More frustration and anger wound its way into her emotional bank.

"But they brought me pictures." She held up the envelope.

Holiday took the envelope and quickly glanced through the stack of pictures. For some odd reason, Kylie wanted to jerk them back, as if Holiday's action were somehow irreverent. "There aren't any family pictures in here. You would think there would be one or two of them with their son."

Kylie took the pictures back and slipped them into the envelope, trying to wrap her head around what they were insinuating. Then her thoughts went elsewhere. "But what if they really are my grandparents and whoever went to the P.I. is going to try to get to them?" She remembered the frailness of the elderly woman's palm on top of hers. What little life the woman had left could easily be yanked away from her.

Kylie's chest ached. Had she put Daniel's parents in danger by finding them? Had that been what Daniel had wanted to tell her? She felt Lucas's gaze on her, as if offering some small amount of comfort.

Holiday spoke up again. "I don't see any reason for someone to involve them. However, Perry is following them. If anyone tries to harm them, he'll take care of things."

"Yeah, Perry could seriously kick ass if he has to," Della said.

"And I'm sure the P.I. is working a hundred different cases," Lucas said. "The P.I. being attacked doesn't mean it's linked to Kylie. It could be one of his other cases. Private investigators piss people off all the time."

"True," Holiday said. "But Burnett was concerned enough to want the Brightens away from the camp. We need to be cautious."

Kylie's mind took a U-turn and parked on the fact that it was Perry, one of the resident shape-shifters, following the Brightens. "What was Perry when he took off after them?"

The last time she'd seen Perry in an alternate form, he'd been some kind of pterodactyl creature that looked as if it had stepped out of the Jurassic age. Of course, Kylie supposed that was better than the SUV-sized lion or the unicorn he'd turned into before that. Oh hell! If he wasn't careful, Perry could end up giving the elderly couple heart attacks.

"Don't worry," Holiday said. "Perry won't do anything ridiculous."

Miranda chose that moment to join the group. "Please, Perry and all things ridiculous go together like toads and warts," she said, and pushed her tricolored dyed hair over her shoulder as if to punctuate her attitude.