Eternal Hunter (Night Watch #1)(85)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Jude just stared back at him.

The human shook his head. “Hell. I still don’t have a bit of solid evidence, though, do I? It’s not like I can go to my captain and tell him the judge was a werewolf who liked to get off on-on—”

“On handing out his own justice.” Because Jude realized that was exactly what the judge had been doing, probably for years. If he’d been Lone all that time, battling a nature he couldn’t control, he would have needed prey.

The criminals would have been perfect for him.

So, during the day, Harper had presided on his bench, looking all perfect for the humans. Then at night, he’d let the beast out, and he’d hunted his prey.

Until one fine day, Erin had walked into his courtroom.

Not prey, something more.

Good thing the bastard’s dead. His jaw clenched.

“He…he left the bench after Erin disappeared,” Ben spoke slowly now, as if putting all the puzzle pieces together. “He kept a house in Lillian, but he told everyone he wanted to do some traveling.”

And he’d traveled to Lillian. The better to kill and to make Erin’s life hell. “Sonofabitch.” Jude drove a hand through his hair. “That’s why the woman acted so surprised to see him at the government building.”

“Man, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Tony said. “Slow it down. I’m the bastard you have to bring up to speed, remember?”

Jude crossed his arms over his chest. “When we were in Lillian, Erin and I stumbled across the bastard in the government basement. A woman was there, too, Lacy something. She was acting funny around the judge. I thought it was because they were screwing, but I guess she was just shocked to see the bastard there.”

Ben pursed his lips and a glimmer of humor appeared in his eyes. “Actually, they were screwing, until the judge left the bench.”

“The DA was focused on the Trent case, so he didn’t say anything about the judge.” But the puzzle pieces had all been there. Staring him right between the eyes.

“We’re gonna need to search the judge’s place in Lillian,” Tony said, nodding his head. “No telling what we’ll find there.”

Those skeletons. Because somebody like Harper wasn’t the kind to kill and forget. Wolf shifters never were.

There would be trophies. Keepsakes.

And Ben would get his evidence to hand in to his captain.

Case f**king closed.

Erin hesitated in front of the hospital room door. Her hand lifted and touched the wood. The door was already ajar. She could hear voices. A man’s voice, raspy, weak.

A kid’s voice, high with excitement.

Now probably wasn’t the best time. She could see Lee later, talk to him and explain.

Footsteps padded quickly toward the door. Her breath caught and she eased back a step.

But it was too late.

A small hand pulled open the door, and a little boy with a mop of curls stared up at her. “My daddy’s awake,” he said, and a broad grin split his face, revealing one front tooth.

Erin swallowed. “Th-that’s great.” The door was fully open now. She could see Lee. Pale, bruised, and bandaged. He was propped up in bed, pillows all around him.

A woman stood beside him. She wasn’t touching him. Just standing close. She had the same curly hair that the kid did, only darker.

“E-Erin…Jerome,” Lee spoke with the rasp again. Probably from the tubes they’d shoved down his throat. Or maybe—maybe just from the whole near-dying thing.

A smile swept over the woman’s face. “You’re the one who found Lee! You saved him! I-I heard the cops talking…”

Oh, this wasn’t going to be easy.

The brunette’s stare dropped to rake down Erin’s body. “Uh…are you—are you hurt?”

She’d managed to wash the blood off her hands and she’d traded in her bloody shirt for a scrub top. But Erin knew she still had to look like warm hell. “May I talk to Lee, alone?”

“But what—”

“It’s ok…ay, M-Melis…sa…” His blood pressure and heart rate flashed on the monitor behind him. “Give us…a m-minute…”

The cute kid was still smiling up at her, and Erin shifted from one foot to the other. Then his mother was there, catching his hand and guiding him outside. “Thank you,” she whispered and Erin had to look away.

She closed the door behind them and knotted her fingers behind her back.

Lee watched her. Both of his eyes had thick, dark shadows around them. “You…saved me…” He shook his head.

“Don’t…re-remember much. How—how did…you know…where I w-was?”

This was the hard part. Erin eased into the chair next to the bed. Okay. The guy had almost died. She figured he was owed the truth—the whole truth. He might not believe her. He might think she was certifiable, but she was going to tell him. What he did with the knowledge, well, that would be up to him. “Lee, I’ve got a story to tell you.” She glanced at her small, oval nails. “One you might not believe at first, but I swear, every word of it’s true.”

The machines beeped quietly. If he gets too crazy and starts screaming for help because there’s a monster next to him, I can always blame his reaction on the drugs. Yeah, the orderlies would buy that.

But maybe excuses wouldn’t be needed. Erin took a deep breath. “You see, Lee, there’s a whole lot more to this world than most people realize…”

Jude was waiting for her when she came out of the hospital room. He’d heard the soft whisper of her voice and been stunned by her words.

But probably not quite as stunned as Lee Givens had been to hear that Erin was a…sort of werewolf.

Her shoulders were slumped when she came out but her eyes seemed to lighten a bit when she saw him. Good sign. He caught her hand and led her to the elevator. It was nearing one a.m. now. A curly haired kid slept on his mom’s lap in the waiting area. The mother brushed back his curls, humming softly and crying a bit with each slow movement of her hand.

Erin glanced at them, swallowed, and let him push her inside the elevator.

He waited until the doors closed before he spoke. “The guy seemed to take it well.”

“H-his grandmother was a charmer. He already knew about the Other.”

He’d caught that part of the conversation, but he let her talk anyway. He figured she needed to.

“I thought he’d…blame me.”