"Yeah, that's right," Russell said, sounding impressed with Axel's abilities.
"How many cameras are located around the city?"
"Three thousand one hundred and twenty-four," Russell answered without hesitation.
"Does all the footage get stored?"
He nodded. "Everything's been catalogued and digitalized."
"Perfect." Axel grinned. "I need a copy of all the files for the Silver Bullet so that we can run my facial recognition software on each person that went to the club the night of the bombing."
"I enhanced the video feed and isolated images of each person at the club, but we didn't get a hit on anybody in our system or the federal database."
"That's good," Axel told him. "But I'm also checking the crowd that gathered after the bombing. It's possible that the bomber went back to the scene to watch the police and emergency medical personnel."
"Why would he do that?" Russell asked.
Axel knew that Russell Booker didn't have much experience in the field. A well-trained officer wouldn't have asked that particular question.
"In my experience, people like to return to the scene. They like to look at the damage they've caused up close and personal."
"Jesus," he whispered in disgust. "That's horrible."
Axel nodded in agreement as he continued typing. "And … done." The upload was complete.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Can you pull up all the video from the Silver Bullet prior to the bombing?" Axel asked. "I'd like to take a look."
"Of course." He nodded. Russell started typing, pulling up multiple screens and cuing them for Axel on a larger screen so that video feed could run simultaneously.
Axel wasn't sure what he was looking for but hoped that something would grab his attention. He stared at the screen, carefully studying the crowd of people.
"There … " Axel practically shouted as he pointed at the screen. "He's wearing a hood. And look at the way he keeps his head down. It's almost as if he knows where each camera is located."
"And he's wearing a backpack," Russell said.
When the suspect turned the corner, Axel asked, "Can you follow him onto the next camera?"
"Uh … yeah." He moved his fingers briskly across the keyboard. "Just give me a minute."
"There he is," Axel pointed out. The man in question pushed back his hood, revealing his profile. "Pause the video feed." He looked young, maybe in his early twenties. Barely old enough to get into the bar. "Get closer. Isolate the image. We need to run him through my system. Okay, play."
Axel watched as the young man ruffled his short dark locks with his fingers. He reached toward his back pocket with his right hand and pulled out his wallet. He showed the bouncer his ID before walking into the club.
"Let's keep watching. We might get a better look at his face when he leaves the club."
Axel stared at the screen. He watched for several minutes as bar patrons walked in and out of the club. When the bomb exploded without warning, Axel jerked back in surprise.
"Take the video back to when our suspect walked into the club and slow it down," Axel ordered. He watched the recording once more, this time studying each face carefully. When the bomb went off, Axel cursed. "I need to make a phone call."
* * * *
Dylan followed Agent Flowers through the club. He stepped over debris, careful of each move he made so that he wouldn't disturb the crime scene. It was difficult for him to see the place in shambles knowing how wonderful it had once been.
"Do you see the radial pattern?" Dylan asked. "This is where the bomb went off."
"Someone brought the bomb into the club with them."
Dylan nodded. "It appears that way."
"It could be a pipe bomb," Agent Flowers said, turning in a slow circle. "Most likely detonated by a remote or timer."
"Silver projectiles," Dylan murmured, inspecting the walls that were still standing. "Nails, tacks, jacks," he said, listing the objects that were imbedded in the brick. "There was a lot of shrapnel packed into a small device."
"He tried to kill as many people as he could," Emmett muttered quietly.
"But why would the bomber set it off on the edge of the dance floor?" The placement of the bomb was confusing. The person responsible could've caused a hell of a lot more damage and killed more people if they'd placed the bomb in the middle of the club. "Why here?"
"Maybe the bomb was meant for someone specific? This could've been a personal attack."
"This is only the beginning," Max stated, breaking into Dylan's conversation with Emmett. "There's going to be more."
Dylan didn't want to agree with Max, but the shifter had good instincts. "You've got to put the device back together. It's the only way."
"I'm gonna head outside and grab a pair of gloves and some bags. I need to start collecting the shrapnel." Max turned on his heel and started walking, careful of each step he took.
"Can he really put the bomb back together?" Emmett asked once Max was out of sight.
Dylan nodded. "He's the best."
"I hope you're right."
Before Dylan could respond, his phone started ringing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the device and pressed the talk button, putting the phone a speaker so that Emmett could hear his call. "Hey, Axel, what do you got?"
"I think I found our guy."
"Really?" he asked. "Were you able to get an ID?"
"We were only able to catch a glimpse of his profile, but I'm running him through my facial recognition system right now."
Dylan brows furrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"
"The bomb went off before he left the building."
"Are you sure?" Dylan questioned.
"He never came out of the club," Axel confirmed.
"A suicide bomber?" Emmett asked.
Dylan didn't have any answers, only more questions. There were a lot of things that weren't adding up.
"What do we know about bombers?"
There was a moment of silence before Emmett said, "They're mostly male, loners, and have a history of criminal activity."
"And, more often than not, bombers accidentally blow themselves up," Axel added.
"We need to learn more about this guy," Dylan told them.
Chapter Three
Emmett Flowers couldn't stop staring at Dylan. His eyes sought out the FPA agent over and over again. Even in the middle of the wreckage, he found himself looking at Dylan. Emmett knew that the other man was a vampire. He was beautiful, inhumanly perfect, as were others of his kind. His skin was smooth, like porcelain, and his eyes were blue, a mixture of different tones that swirled together in a hypnotizing combination that affected Emmett more than he cared to admit aloud.
Emmett was drawn to the man. It was almost as if his body couldn't stand any sort of separation between them. With each step Dylan took, Emmett mirrored his actions, staying close. The attraction, the need and desperation was unlike anything that Emmett had ever experienced before. He'd been attracted to other men, but nothing had been this intense. What is wrong with me?
"He's clean," Axel announced, bringing Emmett back to the moment. "No record. No history of violence. His name is Glenn Yassin. He's a twenty-two-year-old college student."
Emmett shook his head, clearing his mind. He needed to stay focused on the case. He couldn't allow himself to get lost in his thoughts. "Does he go to school here in New Orleans?" he asked.
"According to his credit card records, it looks like he flew here from D.C. a couple days ago."
"Where was he staying?"
Before Axel could answer Emmett's question, Emmett's phone started beeping, a sharp sound that he hadn't heard before. Emmett pulled the device from his pocket. "Fuck," he muttered.
"What?" Dylan asked, his voice laced with concern.
"There's been another bombing."
"Where?"
"The Riverwalk. It's an outlet mall not too far from here."
"Axel … " Dylan started.
"I'm on it," he said. "I'm hacking into the mall's surveillance system right now, and I'm checking all the video footage from the surrounding area. I'll let you know when I have something."
"Can you call Abram? We need to send an agent to D.C. to interview Glenn Yassin's family and friends. Someone has to check the college he attended as well. We need answers, and we need them now."
"Not a problem."
Axel disconnected the call, and Dylan shoved the device back into his pocket. "Emmett, can you get a team down here to collect bomb fragments and send another team to the mall to do the same? We've got to find this guy."
He nodded. "Yeah."