“What’s taking him so long?” Gray asked, annoyed.
Then I felt it. It was an instinct, like a bug creeping up my spine. We weren’t alone, not even close. I surveyed the buildings around us, trying to find the eyes that watched us.
“What is it Kelsey?” Gray asked, his voice quiet and dead serious.
“There are eyes on us.” I knew they were there. Two, maybe three people were watching from a distance, their attentions focused on us. The street itself was empty, far too empty for the time of night. This wasn’t some residential part of Dallas. There were always cars here, always people walking about, and yet there was a hush over the place.
Wards, most likely. A good witch—and I’m talking about skill, not intent—can ward a building or even a piece of land. The wards would make humans attempt to avoid the space. They wouldn’t even realize why they changed direction. They simply took a turn they hadn’t been planning because that ward whispered to them.
I peered down the street and sure enough, every car coming our way turned.
“You carrying?” Gray’s Colt automatic was in his hand and he flicked off the safety.
I eased my hand into my bag and felt for my little .38. I pulled it out and nodded at Gray.
He frowned down with a shake of his head. “What the hell is that? That won’t hurt a puppy much less a supe. Are you planning on giving them a splinter with that thing? Does that even have silver ordnance in it?”
I narrowed my eyes in irritation. “No, I wasn’t planning on getting into a firefight with a bunch of supes. I was planning to spend the night quietly staking out that club. And why would I carry silver bullets? I only own a gun in case one of my divorce cases goes bad. Trust me, my .38 gives Johnny Cheatsalot something to think about.”
He growled at me and I smiled because it was kind of sexy. “Come on. Stay behind me. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going to the truck. I have a 12 gauge in there you can use and I can call for backup if this gets too hot. Usually a bunch of police sirens scares these things away.”
Gray stayed close to the wall and started to move toward the side of the building. There was a small parking lot between the restaurant and the building next to it. His free hand reached out for mine, and he tugged me close to his big body. I had the distinct feeling he intended to place himself between me and anything that might be coming our way. I’d never had real backup before. I’d been in a few tight spots, but I was always alone, and this felt different. It made me squeeze his hand tightly and vow not to let him get hurt for me.
“Do you think this is about the case?” I asked.
“I have to assume he’s after you. He’s been playing games with me for almost a month. I don’t think he likes you poking around. I promise I’ll tell you all about it if you’ll get in the truck and let me handle this.” He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it sweetly. “It would be even better if you would get in the truck and drive as fast and far as you could. Drive until you get to Jamie’s house and tell him what’s going on, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” I might never have had a partner before but I was fairly certain one of the rules of backup was not driving off and leaving them behind.
He sighed. “Well, I can try. Stay close.”
Gray turned the corner and I heard his shocked gasp. I ran into the back of him, but I managed to take a peek around his shoulder. Pure terror gripped me as I got a look at what was waiting for us. I took in the sight of the dismembered corpse that used to be our valet. Twenty wolves growled and twitched around it, their heads coming up in unison as they realized they weren’t alone. They moved forward almost as if they were one entity. They were out for blood.
Ours.
Chapter Six
“Run, Kelsey,” Gray commanded as he started firing into the nearest wolf. The wolf’s body bucked with the impact of the large caliber bullet. He slammed into the brick wall across from us and his body slumped down with a whine.
Ignoring Gray’s orders, I selected a smaller brown wolf, or rather he selected me because he roared toward me at a breakneck speed. I aimed and fired and managed to hit the wolf right between the eyes. I was proud of myself for staying cool and accurate under pressure, and as the wolf’s head whipped back, I opened my mouth to make a crack to Gray about splinters working pretty well when you lodge them in someone’s brain. Yes, I was about to point out Gray’s mistake in underestimating my little no-silver-bullets .38 Special when the brown wolf got back up and growled my way. He seemed more annoyed than dead, so maybe the time had come to follow orders. Gray wanted me to get help. He was a Texas Ranger after all. He probably knew what he was doing.