Jack, page 19
part #2 of Hunted Shifters Legacy Series
Thoughts of Jack’s response over the phone made her chest tighten instantly, and she had to rub a hand over it. “He accepted it pretty well. He said I was right when I explained my side.”
Jack didn’t put up a fight when she half-expected him to protest and stubbornly put his foot down. That was that.
“Bastard,” Hunter muttered.
“No, he’s not,” she protested automatically, taken aback at the vehemence in her tone. If he heard it, Hunter didn’t point it out.
“Where are you?” he finally asked. “I need to make sure your apartment is actually safe.”
Kit scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I assure you all your equipment is safe—”
“We’re talking about you, DJ Kit, not some damn equipment.”
“Edmund’s gonna have a conniption if he hears you say that,” she mused. Heck, Edmund would throw a hissy fit and probably end up biting her to death. “Anyway, I’m safe, too. Leila made the same offer, but I don’t need it. I handle security details for you guys, remember? I can do it for myself.”
There was a grumble on the other end, but no other protest. Hunter sighed reluctantly. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I am. Now tell me why you’re calling so I can take care of what’s needed.”
The same reluctance tinged his voice when he gave her a list, and she assured him she’d get it all done before finally hanging up the phone. Kit didn’t waste time, taking care of the list before texting Hunter and confirming. When that was done, she checked her laptop for messages, found nothing that needed her right away. She closed the laptop with a snap.
She returned her attention to the item on the floor, where she’d just finished tinkering on it about an hour ago.
The gadget was dark instead of nude-colored, a grayish tint that matched the color of the streets of New York at night. It was a car just small enough to fit her palm, with wheels that could run on any surface. The best thing was that the wheels could disappear inside, and the gadget itself could stick to any surface, too.
Actual best thing: the camera it hid inside its body, recording everything.
Kit held her phone in her hand, opening the remote control app she’d installed and turning it on. The car blinked before staying still…then, started following the movements of her fingers on the buttons. There was a roaring sound from the wheels now and then, then some put-put sounds from behind. She frowned, needing to take care of that.
It would be pointless to follow someone and make all that noise.
She went back to the drawing board and began to disassemble some parts, replacing it with other parts. She ignored her ringing phone, half an ear cocked and listening when the voicemail alert tinkled. Distracted, Kit pressed the play button.
“The items you’ve given me work perfectly, and they're now situated in the apartment building’s hallways and another hidden area. Thank you. I wanted to give you something in return, but I don’t have your address. I hope you’re doing well.”
The crisp, no-nonsense sound of Jack’s voice was so sudden that she felt pleasure zing in her body, vibrant and bright. That pleasure was followed by an ache so intense, it made her vision blur and had her dropping the gadget.
That ache was followed by pain so acute, she had to clutch her chest and rub it hard.
She’d been careful not to hear his voice or talk to him—or even think about him—knowing it would do this. The ache returned, and a certain hunger filled her that involved wanting to see the source of that voice with her own eyes. She wanted to touch him, too, more than she wanted to touch anyone or anything in her life.
But nothing in Jack’s tone indicated that he felt the same, only solidifying the decision she’d made to leave. They’d been…too distracted with each other, too consumed by a passion that would eventually fade away. So she cut it off before it got to the point of no return, wanting to preserve both their feelings and get them back to the focus they needed.
But God, she missed him. So much. She missed the sound of his voice, missed talking to him. She missed the barbs, the jokes, every waking moment that she’d spent with Jack. Maybe if she called him back now, thanked him. Maybe if she let him in on her plans…
No, no. He was focused on the case now, as he should be. She had to rely on herself and no one else for this.
A few hours later, she tested the gadget again and was pleased when it went smoothly in every direction. No sound, too. Considering this one a success, Kit sat back and stretched, finally getting to the next part: deciding who to follow. It took her some considerable thought to narrow down her list, as she turned the events over and over in her mind.
It took her the rest of the night to finally decide on one person.
* * *
As far as jerks went, Dennis Supra wouldn’t be considered the biggest one. But he was a bigger jerk than Dean, and one thing needed to be thought of here: that a lawyer would be good at alibis and lying through his teeth, and he wasn’t an exception.
As far as Kit knew, Dennis and Dean were on good terms, sometimes bickering over some clients but never too serious about it. When that bickering happened and she happened to overhear it, Kit never stuck around enough to listen to the whole conversation, finding it uninteresting and not wanting to be caught and railed on by their infamous tempers.
Now she regretted that decision, wondering if knowledge of those conversations would’ve helped.
Because there was no use revisiting the past and wishing Dean didn’t die, Kit went for the best course: placing the gadget beside the entrance of a fancy sandwich shop. This was Dennis’ favorite shop to get his sandwich—and as he was a creature of habit, it was no surprise when she didn’t have to wait long.
Dennis’ stride was that of a peacock, chest puffed out and chin high up as he entered the shop and stayed there for a few minutes. The late afternoon sun had just deepened when he finally exited, carrying a brown package in his hand and putting on some sunglasses. He ate the first on the street, topped it off with some fancy coffee that she knew cost more than the usual coffee chain. The gadget kept following him stealthily until he got to his car, where he took his time to text someone before turning on the engine.
With a press of her phone, she turned on the magnetic field causing the gadget to stick to the car’s underside, just as the car started moving.
He didn’t drive back to the office, but out—out of the neighborhood, taking his sweet time as if this were a leisurely drive. The car kept going until her tracker showed that he was heading to Manhattan. Normally, that wouldn't be a thing of concern, but something felt off—had felt off from the beginning, even though she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
It was that feeling that had her rushing to disguise herself, right before she was hurrying out of her apartment and taking a cab to the nearest train station. Then Kit was riding the train, hood up and glasses on, eyes surreptitiously glancing at her phone.
When Dennis parked the car in front of a hotel and got out, night had fallen, and he wasn’t quite as relaxed. In fact, the man looked downright tense, his shoulders so stiff and his stance filled with caution as he started walking. He bypassed the hotel, heading to the streets instead and making it difficult for her to navigate her gadget around to follow. Finally, she got out of the train station and was walking the streets, too, eyes glued to the video her gadget was transmitting to her phone. It showed a silhouette of Dennis as it followed from a respectable distance, noting how he kept bypassing the fancy places and started entering an area that was mostly known for being less than desirable. She spotted some love motels and service girls on the streets, which Dennis avoided. Her gadget avoided them, too, even while she was running in that direction.
Just as she was near that area, the man finally stopped moving. She did, too, watching as he turned a corner and entered what seemed to be an abandoned lot. The gadget moved to follow, but it was so dark inside that she could barely see, and she realized she needed to get there herself if she wanted to witness whatever it was that was happening there. She also realized she made one major mistake with the gadget—not installing night vision.
This was not Dennis’ usual stop, unless he had shady clients he couldn’t bring to his office. She hoped it was that.
A few minutes later, she was finally in the spot where the tracker had stopped, as she had the gadget stop moving before Dennis caught it following him. At the entrance, Kit swept her gaze, taking in the sight of the huge lot, the brown, unkempt grass, and the general lack of light. She expected an abandoned parking lot or park.
She didn’t expect an old graveyard.
Wariness filled her—the same wariness she felt when Jack had first come to visit as a stranger, and she didn’t know what to do about him. But it hadn’t quite shifted into dread yet, and that had her deciding to stop staring and move. One cautious step after another and she was entering the graveyard, her dagger already in her hand before she could even think about it. She avoided the dried leaves on the ground, kept her eyes peeled for any sign of movement. There was none. Kit kept going, realizing just how huge the place was.
When she heard voices, she stopped. She walked more slowly, barely making progress, until the voices were near enough and she could hear every bit. When it was painfully clear they were a mere few feet away, Kit ducked behind a tombstone, careful not to press her back against it, it was old and cracked.
“This is an awful place to meet…”
“This was the only safe place. It’s too risky, because I’m pretty sure you’re being watched.”
There was something familiar about the voice, though Kit couldn’t put a finger on it. Her ears cocked, straining to hear more of the whispered conversation they were having.
“Lucky for you, you’re not being questioned.”
“Oh, I was. But I was slick enough to give all the right answers, so they didn’t question me again.” The whisper turned into a normal voice, soothing and deep. Kit stilled—then, jerked, her head already moving to peek before she could stop herself.
Her eyes adjusted, just as the clouds parted to let a bit of moonlight shine through. In that little bit of light, she saw a glimpse of a person she knew, and her heart stuttered before it stilled.
“So you’re free from further perusal?” Dennis asked with a raise of brow.
Beside him, Aidan smirked. “Free as you please. The boss will be so happy.”
“You haven’t even met him,” Dennis grumbled. Envy thickened his voice. “Damn it. I don’t like being watched, but it’s not like I can do anything about it. I don’t think I’m a main suspect, though.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, I’m almost sure. They let me go after ransacking my office and taking me in for questioning. I think they’ve come to the conclusion that I’m being framed.”
“Then it worked,” Aidan pointed out. There was a loud sigh of impatience. “This place is creepy as hell. I want to meet the boss.”
“Patience. You’ll meet him soon. And he’ll introduce you to a new part of your life.”
“A new part?”
“Just wait and see,” Dennis said mysteriously. “But this isn’t the actual meeting place, you know.”
“This isn’t? I’m—”
“Confused, I know. Come on. Let me take you to the real meeting place.”
There were crunching leaves as the two began to walk. Kit froze, her mind still reeling from the new knowledge that her neighbor and her co-worker knew each other—not only that, but they were connected to this whole thing and had some boss. She froze further when she realized the footsteps were headed her way, and her heart stopped for a second as she wondered if she should move or just stay still.
Before she could decide, the two men stopped just behind her, on the other side of the tombstone. Taking the risk, she took another peek.
And she felt her world turn upside down when she saw them disappear inside the tombstone.
Chapter 26
The smirk Killian was giving him was too heavy for someone this young, and Jack began to realize one thing: his ego that had started out big as it was, masked by a sense of professionalism, began to grow in hulk size proportions and couldn’t be masked anymore.
That ego was speaking right now, and the words were sharp.
“You had no right to question people while I wasn’t around, especially Dennis Supra. The warrant doesn’t constitute you doing things on your own while I’m not here.”
“You also have no right to head to Manhattan and question Miss O’Hara’s boss by yourself, especially when I could’ve interrogated him better.”
The way Killian stilled told Jack everything he needed to know: that he was right about his deduction of Killian’s disappearance, and Killian didn’t like being found out. The younger man frowned, nose up in the air and eyeing Jack in distaste.
Jack eyed him back, a level look that didn’t reveal anything. When it was obvious he wouldn’t budge, Killian sighed.
“I was afraid this would happen.”
“So I guess this means you’re not sharing your findings with me,” Jack said.
“Miss O’Hara’s boss is innocent,” Killian said firmly. “I thought he was the one, but plenty of witnesses confirmed he was in California during the first three murders, and he was in Manhattan during the fourth. Now, Dennis Supra…”
“Is in the clear, too,” Jack cut in. “You can cross-examine him if you want.”
“Actually, no. I want to look further. Give me all the information you have.”
“Only if you give me yours.”
Killian frowned again, deeper this time. Finally, he shook his head. “I have none. Now give me all you have.”
“Check your emails,” Jack returned. “You have all the information you need. Now, excuse me before I change my mind and start interrogating you.”
There was a splendid splutter, but Jack didn’t stay to listen to the rest of the tirade. He strode out of the man’s office as fast as he could, already on the phone by the time he got to the streets. On the other line, Lemuel listened to his report before uttering a sigh.
“I had a feeling he would be a pain in the ass, but he seems to be the formal type of ass.”
“He is,” Jack agreed. “Please monitor him. It’s my day off, and I’ll work on what I can, but it’ll be a huge miss if the man doesn’t share everything that’s needed. I’m not after some damn badge of honor or praise from our head. He can keep all of that. But I do need to solve this case.”
“I understand. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
When the call ended, he was still restless, and he knew not all of it had to do with Killian and the case. That restlessness plagued him until morning became night, and he managed to finish all the business meetings he had with some old clients.
To try to ease it, he dialed a number and was directed to voicemail. Three voicemails now, and not a single return call from her. It was odd, and part of him couldn’t deny he was hurt that she was giving him such a cold shoulder.
Another part of him screamed that something was wrong, and it was absolutely wrong for him to just stand here and do nothing.
Just as he was entering his apartment, an idea formed in mind—one so simple that it stunned him how he hadn’t thought of it earlier. He went to his workspace, rummaging through until he found the earpod he’d left behind. He turned on its tracker, then remembered trackers didn’t work inside pockets and went back down to place the device just outside his pocket’s vicinity. He then fired up his computer, which he hadn’t recalled until now still contained some of the tracking applications Kit had often used.
The applications were sealed, but his computer already had access. It was fairly easy to log in and navigate his way around the system. Jack had a moment to admire the finesse of how she tweaked the program as the desired application came to life, showing green dots that blinked repeatedly. One of the green dots was right on the map of Queens, and the words running on the screen below flashed with his name. When he went back down to turn off his earpod tracker, the green dot disappeared.
There was another green dot on the map, but it wasn’t in the same area. After a few keyboard strokes, he managed to zoom in enough to see that this was in Manhattan—and just like his, it wasn’t moving. Words ran below the screen, indicating general coordinates, and he realized one thing: that this one had a more precise location than the tracker his earpod had, distinctly listing a neighborhood.
But there was no name attached to it.
He zoomed out on the map, studying it more thoroughly in case he missed something. No other green dots were found.
There was nothing amiss about this, of course, so he stepped back and forced himself to stop being so paranoid. Either Kit had no plans of contacting him or she was busy with something that involved the clan. He sat on the couch, letting his shoulders roll as he reminded himself it was his day off. Then he took out his special phone, accessing the application Kit had put on it.
Videos were already saved from the security cameras installed in Kit’s old apartment building, and he started to play the first one.
The morning was slow, with barely anyone leaving the building until around ten. No clients came in for Dennis, and the rest of the day passed by. In the afternoon, Dennis stepped out, a routine Jack had gotten well-acquainted with in the last week. Within an hour, the man would return with his coffee and sandwich bag and would brag to any passing neighbor that the expensive drink tasted like the best thing on earth.
Except Dennis didn’t return within an hour. Normally, this wouldn’t cause any problem, but the man was a creature of habit—even more so than Jack, to the point that it was ridiculous. Maybe some emergency came up?
He should leave it alone, considering no one came to visit the office, anyway…but Jack’s mind wouldn’t let him. He cursed his mind, told himself he needed to go out and unwind with some drinks. But he was back on the special phone, accessing the last security camera: the bottom of Dennis’ car, just in case.
