“You’re welcome.”
“Lisa. My name is Echo Cross. I’m a detective with the Seahill P.D. When you feel up to it, I need to get some information from you. I’ll make sure Esme has my card, so you can get in touch with me when you’re ready.” Echo sounded like the good cop right now. She was quick to contain any emotions she felt at the moment.
“I felt a stinging pain in my neck and then nothing. I could see around me but couldn’t move. I felt the cuts being made but couldn’t scream. It was like I was paralyzed. I didn’t see anything except black loafer shoes.” Lisa blurted out what happened to Echo with a scared look. All of this happened in the brief time I had been in the back. Whoever did this was quick and had no hesitation at all. They knew exactly where to cut for maximum blood loss.
“We can wait until you’re better, Lisa. I don’t want to cause your body more stress.” Echo tried to be the good guy and let the girl rest, but I could tell she wanted the information she was being given.
“No, it’s okay. I just want to forget the whole thing and move out of this city.” She took a deep breath and looked at the medical posters on the wall. Maybe she wanted to learn more about how you get clogged arteries.
“I had a fight with my fiancé today. He has strong opinions about what’s happening in our city, with the heroes and all—saying they’re freaks and they should be put down like the animals they are.” Tears that were flooding down her cheeks earlier at the bar were missing now. She almost looked angry saying the words.
“We never talked about people with powers because he’d been blissfully unaware of them.” She looked at us and then back at the posters.
“He’s also unaware that I have powers. So, I decided to open up to him for the first time, to show him that people with powers weren’t all bad and he...well, let’s just say didn’t take it well. I left and went to the bar for a drink. Maybe he did this to me. I didn’t think he could ever do something like that, but if one feels strongly enough about something, they might do something they wouldn’t normally do.”
Damn.
“How old is your ex-fiancé?” Echo asked.
“He’s forty-three.”
I saw where Echo was going with this; he was old enough to have been killing twelve years ago for sure. This lead was definitely worth looking into.
Echo asked her a few more questions before thanking her and telling her to get some rest. She had Echo’s number to call if she thought of anything else or needed her assistance for anything. I bid her farewell, then we left the hospital to head back to the bar.
“I wanna help you catch the killer,” I announced once we were in her sexy-ass car.
“Excuse me?” she sputtered, her hands gripping the wheel a bit tighter than they were before.
“This person almost killed a woman in my bar. They declared war.” I also wanted to spend more time with her, but I wasn’t going to say that out loud. She could understand a revenge plot more than a romantic one. As romantic as killer hunting could be.
“I’ll be in touch.” She pulled over in front of my bar and stopped, the car still running and in drive. Obviously, she wasn’t getting out. I smiled while giving her a look that said she was full of crap. Her eyes narrowed slightly in response to what I’m guessing was that kissing look on my face again.
“Sounds good.” I stepped back, but before I closed the door, I had to say one more thing.
“Might want to tell that kitty of yours to lay off the sandwiches if the purring can last this long.” I winked and shut the door.
My look had made her purr, and the look on her shocked face as she peeled out only made me want to find new ways to make her purr.
Chapter Ten
Echo
Stupid, charming jerk.
My powers were betraying me. Purring while he talked. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it!
“Ugh.” My groan echoed in the car as I drove to Hero Society’s headquarters. Phillip had told me our history, and more about Emanuel, but he wanted me to come back and meet the other members of their crew. I still wasn’t sold on joining them, and I think he thought this would persuade me.
But my mind felt like it was already at capacity. A killer from long ago, Asher and his kiss-me look, the heroes, and a potential evil that is brewing to take over mankind. Then we had Seahill dividing as the cherry on top of the shitstorm sundae.
Too much was happening all at once.
I reached over and turned the music up on the radio, needing a distraction to take my mind off the whole overflowing plate I had going on.
At least I had accomplished one thing off my to-do list: I found those two men that had taken Janie and brought them in. They confessed that they took her for an anonymous person who paid them good money. I may have threatened them with another encounter with a bear before we entered the station if they didn’t cooperate, some one-on-one time together. They sang like canaries, and never once mentioned I turned into a bear.
Two criminals down, hundreds more to go.
I parked in the back of the restaurant where Phillip suggested. He was waiting there for me, with a little to-go box in his hand.
My stomach rumbled at seeing it. It had been an a while since that breakfast sandwich, so whatever he was about to offer would be welcomed.
“Figured you’d be hungry.” He smiled as I approached with my arms extended to take the little box off his hands.
“Always hungry.”
He opened the door and then led us toward the janitor’s closet that housed the hidden elevator inside. I’d discovered their headquarters were quite large and included the apartments above the restaurant for those who needed a safe place to stay.
He’d given me a quick tour yesterday; it looked like they could run a smooth operation from here.
“Everyone is in our chill room; they had a busy night last night.” Phillip walked us down a hallway and stood in front of a door where laughter and voices could be heard from the other side.
“I can’t tell if you will become a part of our family. But that’s exactly what we are. This isn’t just an after-school club saving the day. We are a family. I must have your word that if you choose not to become a part of our tight-knit group, then you will keep the secrets you have seen and heard. Their safety is one of my top priorities.” Gone was the cute boy next door, now a protector stood in his place. He may not be a fighter on the outside, but I believed he would do anything for the people on the other side of that door. Anything.
“You have my word. I’m just as vulnerable as you are with my powers. I would most likely be hunted like an animal if people found out about me.” It was the truth.
He nodded and then opened the door.
All the playful, joyous sounds stopped.
“Everyone, this is Echo. She’s a detective for the Seahill P.D. and has a very special gift. Don’t scare her off.” Phillip walked over to sit in an empty spot on the sectional.
“We’re going to need more couches in here; the sectional you just got is getting crowded,” a petite girl that was covered in black eyeliner and wearing a unicorn onesie whined as Phillip sat next to where her feet were.
He grinned at her annoyance and then looked at me. I guess I was being awkward, still standing by the door.
“Oh, come sit with me. I love people! And I love boots. You have cute boots.” A black-haired woman who was dressed like a model stood up and grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me toward the spot next to where she was sitting.
“I’m Lilith. No superpowers, but I have some cool skills that come in handy in tight situations.” She smiled wide while introducing herself.
“I’ll go next—name’s Mina. Queen of Seahill. I’m the eyes and ears of all. My brother, AJ, and I make sure things run smoothly around here.” The onesie girl pointed at a boy who was sitting in a chair fiddling with a tablet. Phillip’s quiet chuckle made Mina shoot him a look that dared him to deny her claims.
AJ looked up and gave me a nod.
“?’Sup.”