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  “We’ve had an unexpected turn of events,” he began.

  “Worse than the other things that have happened?” Rebecca wanted to know.

  Ric shook his head. “No, actually, we may have opened a door. At least partially.”

  “Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Sophia urged. “What’s happening?”

  “You remember that I wanted to contact the Texas Rangers as soon as the body was found on Wolf Mountain Trail. Especially when we knew we had a missing person.”

  “But they shut us out,” Sam Brody reminded him. “At least other agencies have grudgingly allowed us a seat at the table if Craig exerts enough pressure.”

  “Then they want to kiss our collective asses,” Sophia added, “when they realize we know what the hell we’re talking about and they aren’t equipped to handle it.”

  “Well, it seems the Rangers have finally reached that point.” Ric reached behind him for his tablet and tapped the screen. “Brad DeWitt, the head of the Rangers, wouldn’t even take Craig’s calls in the beginning. Until our fearless leader reached out to the governor and exerted some muscle.”

  “So they’ll, what, give us lip service and send us on our way?” Jonah gave a snort of disgust. “Fuck that. We can’t waste our time.”

  Ric held up his hand. “Not finished here. When I was in Company F in San Antonio, I worked with a guy named Garth Myers. Knew him casually but he had an excellent reputation.”

  “And he’s important why?” Sophia persisted.

  “I find this a little odd myself. Coincidental, even. Seems Myers is part Native American and believes in legends a lot more than the general population does.”

  “The Chupacabra,” Mark guessed.

  “Got it in one,” Ric told him. “He saw Reed Fortune’s body and all those old stories came back to him. He decided to do a little surfing on the web and guess what he came up with?”

  “More killings?” Sophia guessed.

  “Not just more killings. The specific cases we’ve worked on. And it teased at his brain that there were so many incidents in a relatively short period of time. And,” he paused and looked at everyone, “he remembered that my mother was killed—and that I went to work for a private citizen soon after. He started putting the pieces together.”

  For a long moment, no one said anything.

  “No shit,” Mark breathed at last, breaking the silence.

  “Yeah. He took his ideas to his boss at the same time the governor was exerting pressure to work with us. Craig’s people, that is.”

  “And?” Jonah prompted.

  “And he’d like to meet with me. Us. Whatever. But it would have to be here.”

  “I don’t see that as a problem.” Dante finally broke his silence. “It’s not as if he’s a reporter who’s going to race to his computer to write a story for the tabloids. And I can understand his reasoning. If you go to Ranger headquarters and anyone gets a whiff of what you’re meeting about, they’d probably think both of you were crazy and that wouldn’t be good for him. Or his boss.”

  “That’s it exactly,” Ric agreed. “First he suggested just the two of us meeting here, but I explained that everyone on the team has something to contribute. Especially those of you who’ve already worked the killings. And Dante, I also told him you were the lead person on this. He understands.”

  “So when will he be here?” Dante asked. He sought Regan’s hand beneath the table, cold against his palm. He wondered if it was the best idea, letting her sit in on the discussion.

  “Later this afternoon. He’s going to load his tablet with all the files they’ve got on the latest killing.” He slid a glance at Regan. “Sorry, Regan, I don’t mean to sound so callous about the reference. I know it’s your brother.”

  She cleared her throat. “Not a problem. It actually helps me sort of remove myself a bit, view the deaths more clinically.”

  “All right. I’ll pull everything together here. Those of you who’ve worked cases already, get your notes together so you can answer questions. I’ve had Randi do some sketches based on Ben’s description and also using the photos we took each time we managed to dispose of one of the beasts. I asked her to try drawing different mutations, just in case they’ve managed to engineer body changes. We’ll eat and then go to work.” He looked at Dante and Regan. “You two good to go with everything?”

  “Yes,” Regan answered in a soft voice and Dante nodded.

  “Regan.” Ric focused on her. “Fair warning, because I want you to be prepared. We’ll be showing a lot of pictures of the other kills and they aren’t pretty to look at. Every one of them will remind you of the way Reed was found. I know because every single person in this room has been through that same thing. If you want to excuse yourself, we’ll all understand.”

  Dante tightened his fingers around her hand and she squeezed back.

  “Thanks, Ric, but I’m staying. I’m going to do whatever I can to help eliminate these fucking things and the insane people perpetuating them. I can handle it.”

  He studied her for a long moment then nodded. “All right then. We’ve been going over everything on the thumb drive but there’s a lot of shit there. Before Garth gets here, can you sit down with Dante and organize the salient points of Reed’s notes so we can include them?”

  “Of course.” She rubbed her forehead. “And I just remembered there could be other notes. Reed backed up everything to an online storage site, so there may be additional information. I can give you the password and you can check what’s there.”

  “Online storage?” He gave her a lopsided grin. “A man after my own heart. Okay, just write it on a sticky note for me. I’ll work on that while you and Dante do your thing.”

  While you and Dante do your thing.

  Dante decided he liked the sound of that very much. And not just for studying notes.

  Ric glanced at everyone else. “Those of you who’ve already worked a killing, get on a keyboard and retrieve anything that will be useful. Let’s put the steaks on hold for tonight, get some takeout and be ready to roll by five o’clock.”

  Dante wrapped his arm around Regan as they walked out of the room, loving the feel of her close to him. How was it that in such a short period of time, she’d become such an integral part of his life? He, who had sworn he was done with any kind of relationships after Felicia’s death?

  “How about we fix a couple of sandwiches,” he said, steering her into the kitchen. “Take them and whatever else we want back to the suite so we can get to work. It’s a long time until dinner.”

  “I’m not all that hungry, but you’re right. We probably should eat something. I’m just anxious to get to work on this stuff. Especially if anything I can do brings us closer to tracking the beast that killed Reed. And finding Lisa.”

  He gave her a brief hug. “My biggest problem will be keeping my hands off you when we’re alone again.”

  She leaned into him, her breath soft on his neck.

  “Me too. I seem to be unexpectedly addicted to you.”

  He kissed her forehead. “We’ll restrain ourselves.”

  Her face sobered. “All I have to do is remember Reed’s body and it kills anything else. Come on. I’ll rummage around in here and slap sandwiches together and you can get drinks. Then we’ll get started.”

  * * * * *

  The beast shifted in its hiding place, rested from its nap although its belly rumbled with hunger. The thick growth of wild shrubbery formed a dark cocoon, protecting it, yet it could still see the empty line shack. The odor of human prey clung to the structure. The beast was sure its quarry would arrive before too long.

  And not a moment too soon. The small critters it had feasted on for the past couple of days barely slaked either its hunger or thirst. Moisture gathered in its mouth at the thought of ripping into succulent human flesh, draining the blood and sucking it deep into its body. The hunger would ease and so would the pain in its head. The signal would abate and it could res
t again, at least for a little while.

  Leaves rustled nearby and the beast huddled farther into its hiding place. Whatever was out there did not smell like what it was after. If threatened, it would roar its anger and other creatures would scatter like the wind.

  Emitting a sound that was almost a sigh, it adjusted itself again and settled down to wait. The prey would be there soon, it was sure.

  * * * * *

  The phone in Dante’s suite rang just after five o’clock.

  “He’s here,” Ric said.

  “We’re on our way.” He looked at Regan. “The Ranger has arrived. Let’s get our stuff together.”

  He gathered up the books and other items they’d been using while Regan saved a document on her laptop.

  “I hope all of this is enough to convince him of the reality of the situation.” She sighed and brushed a stray hair back from her face. “I know what Reed went through selling this idea to a publisher, so it has to be a lot worse for all of you. I mean, trying to convince people of a reality they can’t even begin to imagine.”

  “That’s the damn truth.” He waited until she shut down her laptop before drawing her into his arms. “We need to get our message across and get the right people to understand what’s going on before another body shows up. Or another devil beast.”

  She leaned her head against his chest and he reveled in the feel of her body so close to his. “I feel as if I’m living in the middle of a nightmare. And when I think about Lisa—”

  “Ssh.” He tightened his arms around her. “I know how you feel. I can’t give you false promises but I’m here for you, Regan. No matter what.”

  She looked up at him. “After a single day?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you after ten minutes in The Black Wolf?”

  Her laugh was shaky. “I want to, that’s for sure.”

  “Then do it. Let yourself believe. Because I mean it.” He took a step back. “Now let’s get this stuff to the war room.”

  Large boxes of pizza lined the big conference table, along with drinks and stacks of paper plates and napkins. Most of the team was already there, either serving themselves or already eating. The large screens on the wall displayed all the photos from the previous cases, theirs and the ones they’d been able to get from local law enforcement.

  Dante set a stack of Reed’s books down on a small table off to the side while Regan hooked her laptop into the system and fed her notes into the central files. Ric was talking to a man Dante would have pegged as a Texas Ranger even without the traditional white shirt and distinctive badge with the star. He was even still wearing the trademark Stetson.

  Tall—Dante guessed close to six foot six, since he towered over Ric, who was no shrimp—with broad shoulders and a muscular body. The fierce look of concern on his swarthy, angular face was the one reflected on everyone else’s. This business just seemed to get worse and worse.

  Ric looked at Dante and motioned him over.

  “Dante Martello, former Chicago cop, meet Garth Myers, Texas Ranger.”

  Dante shook hands with the man. “Thanks for agreeing to work with us.”

  “I think it’s more out of necessity,” the other man said. “We have a terrifying situation here that I damn sure can’t sell to my fellow Rangers. They’re bright, dedicated, trained in a lot of areas. But I don’t think I can convince them that a myth is reality. I had a hard enough time with my boss. But we both know the usual procedures aren’t going to work here.” He gestured at the screens. “These pictures. They’re from the other cases you’ve worked?”

  “Yes, they are,” Ric answered.

  The Ranger rubbed his jaw. “Enough to scare the shit out of you, right?”

  “You got that right,” Ric agreed. “Seeing the scenes in reality and the carcasses of the beasts we’ve killed makes it even worse.”

  “I know I speak for everyone when I tell you we’re happy to have you working with us,” Dante told him.

  “Just as long as we can find and destroy this creature before it kills again.”

  “That’s our goal.” Ric turned to Dante. “I’ll introduce Garth to everyone and let him take it from there.”

  Dante nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s share all the information we have now. Regan’s uploading what we’ve been working on back in the suite too. Stuff from her brother’s research.”

  “Good deal.”

  Garth blew out a breath. “How about we get started then.”

  “Okay, everyone, listen up.” Ric rapped on the table. “Meet Garth Myers. Like I told all of you earlier, we sort of knew each other before I quit the Rangers. We’re going to pool our resources here and see if we can locate this creature before it kills again. And then try to track where it might have come from.”

  He moved to the side so Garth could take his place.

  “Ric has filled me in on your history with local law in other areas where similar killings have occurred. He tells me they either gave in to working with you reluctantly or gave in when it was almost too late.” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “I wish I could tell you the Texas Rangers were more open-minded but I know you’ll understand when I tell you people have a hard time wrapping their minds around something barely believable. But…” He ran his gaze over all of them. “I grew up on legends like this. And I’ve done some research.”

  “Garth emailed me everything he’s dug up so far,” Ric told them. “I’ve plugged it into our system and moved everything into a single file labeled Fortune.” He shifted his gaze to Regan. “Sorry, Regan, but Reed’s is the most recent case.”

  “No problem.” She swallowed. “Maybe it will bring us fortune in the hunt.”

  For the next three hours they dissected every piece of information, every report, every item from all sources, trying to establish some pattern beyond the kills. Experience had taught them the Chupacabra was programmed for three kills before it would either—what? Self-destruct? Be swooped up out of the area? Something else? Key questions for which they had no answers.

  “Okay, look.” Logan, a former Montana deputy and experienced tracker, moved up to one of the keyboards. With a few strokes, he called up a map of the United States. All the kills they had been involved with as members of Night Seekers appeared as dots on the map. “We’ve had bodies here, here, here and here.” Using his finger on the interactive screen, he drew lines from Texas to Maine to Montana and back to Texas. “So far nothing in any of the states in or outside of that framework. And this is the third episode in Texas. That ought to tell us something.”

  “But what about our personal ones?” Sam Brody asked. He swiped the pictures on one screen to the side, pulled up another map and drew lines that hit all of their home states.

  “Take a look,” Dante said. “Even adding in Georgia, we still have a wide perimeter with little activity in the flyover states. And counting our own situations, seven of them have taken place in Texas.”

  Ric did his thing with the interactive board and brought up red dots at the killing sites.

  “And those are only the ones we know about at the moment,” Jonah added.

  “I believe we can bump up that number,” Garth added. “While I was digging in cyberspace to gather enough info to convince my chief, I ran across a number of other reported killings that could possibly be added. The law agencies dealing with the cases classified them as wild animal events but the descriptions of the bodies match what we have here. So…?”

  He looked at Ric, who nodded.

  “We have those, also. And if I add them in…”

  Eleven more red dots appeared on the Texas map.

  “If there’s so much activity in Texas, why even bring the other states into play?” Dakota wanted to know. “Why not just stay here?”

  “My guess,” Ric said, “is whoever is masterminding this wants to create the impression that the creature is everywhere. But focusing on Texas might be a matter of convenience if their headquarters is
somewhere in the state.”

  “That’s a lot of miles to cover,” Mark grunted. “And if they’re in West Texas they could be any-fucking-where.”

  “Agreed. And we don’t even know yet if Melinda and Lisa are the only women they’ve taken,” Ric replied.

  A heavy silence fell over the room.

  ”I have an idea.” Everyone looked at Randi.

  “Go ahead,” Ric told her

  “Do we have pictures of the two women?”

  “I have one of Lisa,” Regan said.

  “And I have pictures of Melinda on my phone,” Chloe Guitron added.

  Ric quickly called up pictures of Melinda, Chloe Guitron’s friend, and Lisa, Reed Fortune’s fiancée, side by side onto the screens.

  There was a muted collective gasp as everyone took in the images.

  “They’re so similar! I suspected there might be a reason these two women were taken, but…” Randi shuddered. “Ric, if I can get copies of those pictures, I can do a generic sketch of their common features. Then we can list their physical description and maybe send it out to law enforcement agencies in the target states, asking if anyone of that description is missing in their areas.”

  Beside him, Dante felt Regan tense and her hand sought his. He squeezed it with as much reassurance as he could, but the idea that this might involve more than the two women—women of very obvious physical characteristics—was as shocking to him as it obviously was to everyone else in the room.

  “You’re absolutely right,” Ric told her. “Holy fucking shit. I thought it was bizarre enough that they took the two women, but the thought there may be others?”

  “Damn it!” Sam Brody smashed his hand on the table. “Randi might be right. They could be looking to create a very specific physical type. But why?”

  “For easier access to populated areas, maybe,” Randi guessed. “I mean, who would suspect a pretty blonde of anything?”

  Everyone sat in stunned silence for a long moment.

  “Okay,” Ric said finally. “Our situation hasn’t changed. It’s just more urgent. We all know we’re not just tracking down the devil beast. We also have to find out where this madman might be doing his thing. And hope that whoever he’s taken is still alive and relatively safe.”