"The only person who I keep thinking of is poor Briar. I just want to make the hurt that she's feeling to ease a bit for her. I worry for her, so very much. I just hope that she will be able to emotionally heal from what has happened to her."
"Then she is your focus, making her world a better and safer place. We'll help you with that and we'll ensure she is safe. Whatever we do, including getting your stalker out of the world, will help make her a little safer," he said, brushing his lips over her cheek.
"I think that sounds like a damn fine idea then." Lacey closed her eyes and sighed. She could seriously become accustomed to this, to being held by one of these two men. She just hoped that she didn't bring them more harm than good into their lives. They deserved far, far more than that.
Chapter Nine
Zhubin walked in with Lacey straight for the body. Ansell started walking around the walls, working his way in. Zhubin moved off ten feet before they reached the body, leaving Lacey to move to Briar and find out the scoop on their latest corpse. He didn't stray far, just stayed out of range and where Briar could see him.
Lacey nodded to Briar. "Hey, Doc," she said with a smile. "So what were you able to figure out about our John Doe here?" Since they hadn't found a chip with the missing hands they were at a loss as to how to ID this guy.
"I've done a dental impression and sent it back to the lab already," she said. "I don't feel like having another of these blown up and making it all the harder to identify. Just what is he doing?" She pointed a gloved finger to Ansell.
"He's checking for explosives," Zhubin said. "His nose can pick up such things even with the layers of blood. He's one of the few Luhpyne that can separate scents and follow only the one he wants to."
"He's doing it to protect me," Lacey explained. "As you heard already, I'm sure Zhubin and I were kind of hit with explosives. If not for Zhubin's quick reflexes and my hard head we would not be here to discuss this guy with you." She watched Ansell and then looked back to Briar. "What do you think the possibility of figuring out who he is, well, is?"
"Since we have him still and hopefully will continue to, probability is high. He is human and old enough to have been in the system before the Veil fell. Given the tattoos he has, he was either in prison or a gang so I'm betting he's in the old system."
"Zhubin," Ansell called from in the rafters. "Get everyone out. Now!"
"Son of a bitch," he muttered, racing for Lacey and Briar. "Sorry, Doc," he told her, scooping her over one shoulder and Lacey over the other. Running for the door he couldn't see, Ansell jumped down, flipped a flak blanket over the body and then raced after them.
Lacey reached out for Briar, her hand closing over the woman's and giving a squeeze. When Zhubin came to a halt, his large body covering theirs, she instinctively covered Briar, putting her body between her mate's and the woman's, not just for the woman's sanity but for hers as well. The explosion rocked the room, the lights dimmed and Lacey felt her ears ringing in the aftermath. "Zhu? Ansell? Where are you?" she demanded of the man that had been in the rafters, of all damn things.
"All present and accounted for," Ansell muttered from her left. "My ears are fucking ringing but I'm in one piece."
Zhubin moved off the women. "Still alive and nothing poking out where it shouldn't, I think. But my ears are bloody ringing too," he muttered with a groan. "You still kicking Briar?" he asked.
Briar nodded and shook her head. "Damn ears are ringing, but yeah. Thank you." She then looked at Ansell. "How in the hell were you able to smell that? We were practically on top of the body and didn't smell it." She was thankful, damn thankful, but still it amazed her.
"Skills, doc, mad skills," Ansell said, rolling to his knees, and sat up. He leaned back, arms in the air and let out a groan as he cracked his back. "Like Zhubin said, I can separate out smells. Hopefully I managed to salvage your body too. I tossed a flack blanket over it but I didn't stick around to ensure it was fully covered."
"Good." Lacey moved to Ansell and checked every inch of him before doing the same with Zhubin. Satisfied that they both were okay, she frowned, "Now, who the hell is it that is determined to piss me off so badly? Messing with our crime scene, rigging bodies to blow. I'm seriously about to rip this fuck's head off myself."
"It was the same as the other, but this time it had projectiles built in," Ansell told her before he collapsed on the ground again. "I should have stayed home with the wolves. It was safe, warm, cozy and didn't have shit blowing up."
"If you had we'd all be dead," Zhubin pointed out, getting on his feet and bending to touch the ground with a groan. "I'm rather thankful you came along and kept me and Lace in one piece. Hell, I think even Briar's thankful I dragged your mangy ass along."
Briar nodded. "Damn straight I am." And for the ME to say that with the feelings she had for his race meant a lot.
"Ansell," Lacey began but stopped. Later, she would tell him later. "Thank you. For coming, for being willing to protect us as you did. Both of you. Briar and I are far easier to kill than the two of you so we have to figure that either this guy is gunning for me, or Briar since she's the ME that would come to the scenes."
"It's the same as the last one, but that was aimed at us," Zhubin said, straightening up. He reached out a hand to Briar and gently pulled her to her feet. Immediately, he stepped back. "This one was aimed for more damage. We should get in and take a look at the damage. He's going for a kill and not to destroy evidence, so we're going to have to figure another way to catch this bastard."
"Then we have to figure something out quickly because it was one thing when this fucker was toying with me, it something else altogether when he's trying to kill the men I love. I will not stand for it." Lacey brushed her hands over her pants and nodded. "All right, is it safe to go back in and have a look?"
"Bomb went boom, there's nothing else to go boom with," Ansell said. "What?" he asked when she just glared at him. "I was being serious. If that"-he pointed toward the smoking interior of the building-"didn't set off more, doubtful anything will. But I will do another sweep before you guys go back in." He headed for the door, "I don't get paid enough for this shit," he muttered under his breath.
"Yeah but you love me and want me safe," Lacey called out to the stubborn man. She smiled at Briar. "Sometimes you have to make sure that they know how they feel for you, stubborn men sometimes forget that we women like the words," she teased.
"That's because women are apparently forgetful," Zhubin said with a smirk. He gave her a wink and walked toward the doors, "Well?" he called in.
"Are you smelling that smoke, asshole? Cause it's not making it easy. For the love of the Gods, go find something to do for a few minutes. If I don't come running out screaming like a lunatic at high speed soon you'll know it's safe. So fuck off!"
"Someone's testy," Zhubin said and then ducked as something went whizzing past his head at high speed. "And got crappy fucking aim too. Geez, you throw worse than a girl, Ansell."
Lacey frowned. "Is he okay?" Her worry was clear in her tone, in the way she stood. "Zhubin, is he okay? I don't like seeing him like this." Cranky, moody, testy. "What in the hell is going on that has him and you even, so fucking testy?"
"You mean besides the fact someone tried to blow us up? Again, I might add?" he asked and then let out a breath. "Full moon is coming, remember? We're not exactly our normal selves at this time of the month. And human males bitch about female troubles." He gave a snort. "They obviously haven't had to deal with Luhpyne on this side of the Veil before or they'd never make such crass remarks again."
"Crap, true." She had that quickly forgotten all about the moon and its pull on her men. "Are you boys going to be all right?" She needed to know that they would be okay, that they weren't going to have issues because they were where they were right now instead of going back to their home behind the Veil.