"And leave the Porsche sitting around here for the vandals? Bite your tongue, woman."

I grinned. "It's not like you can't afford another one. Or a hundred."

"I didn't get rich by being wasteful."

"No, you got rich through becoming a thief."

"Which I did for only for a very brief period in my life. Most of my money has been honestly gained."

"Hey, I've seen the prices your airline charges for tickets. There's nothing honest about that."

He smiled, then leaned forward and kissed me. His lips were light on mine, his kiss gentle and yet potent.

"Be careful when dealing with the spirit wraith," he said, his lips still so close that his breath warmed mine. "Have you still got that knife I gave you?"

"It's in the car's weapons stash."

"Then carry it. It works on more than just demons—and on more than those who inhabit flesh."

Then I'd be carrying it. Anything that gave me a slight advantage was a damn good thing right now. I ran my fingertips down his chin. "I do love you. You know that, don't you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And what has bought about this sudden declaration?"

"I sometimes think I don't say it enough."

He smiled. "Well, it is nice to hear it said out loud every now and again, even if I do know it for a fact."

It didn't stop him fearing Kye, though, or what he might do to us. He might not have said it, but that darkness was there in his eyes. And there was nothing I could say to ease those fears, because they were mine as well.

I gave him another quick kiss. "I'll see you sometime tonight."

"Make sure that you do." He hesitated, his gaze sweeping my face, as if memorizing it. "Shoot to kill, Riley. Don't hesitate."

"Why do people keep telling me that?" I muttered, even as goose bumps ran across my flesh. It was almost as if everyone around me was having premonitions of impending doom. "I'm a guardian. I'll do what I'm paid to do. I think I've more than proven that."

"I know. It doesn't stop me from worrying, though."

At least he didn't try and stop me, or ask me to give up being a guardian. That made him a far better man than Kellen ever was.

"Go get yourself some sustenance." I hesitated, then grinned and added, "Just don't go enjoying the experience too much."

He laughed, touched my chin lightly—almost reverently—then walked over to his car. I waved him goodbye, then dug out my phone again.

"Well, this is an unexpected pleasure," Kye said, his golden eyes glowing on the vid-screen.

"For you, maybe," I said tartly. "For me, it's all business."

He laughed. The sound was so different to the one I'd heard only moments before and yet, in its own way, just as powerful. "That's what I like about you, Riley. You cut straight through the crap."

And yet there was still tons of it in my life. And I was currently talking to the primary source.

"Have you still got your bugs and cameras in Dante's?"

He hesitated. "No, I pulled them this morning. Why?"

I ignored the questions and said, "I hope that doesn't mean you've completed your mission, because if it does, I'm going to have to arrest your ass."

"What it means is the client's wife has moved onto greener pastures." He paused, and his voice lowered several octaves as he added, "Although I'd really like to see you try and arrest me. That could get interesting."

The way he emphasized 'interesting' sent a shudder racing down my spine, and it wasn't entirely the ice of fear.

"And I'd hate to make things interesting for you," I said tartly. "So maybe I'll send someone else." Someone he couldn't seduce.

"I refuse to be caught by anyone else but you." He paused. "I don't suppose you feel like handcuffing and interrogating me now, do you?"

"No," I said briskly. Though the usual stupid part of me wished I did. "I have far more important things to do with my time. And I thought you had a meeting with another client?"

"It's just finished." His smile flashed. "Don't suppose you want to know who it was?"

"No." Yes.

"Shame, because it's someone you've had a long association with."

I knew who he meant in an instant, and my stomach curled. Why the hell would he be meeting my pack leader? "Not Blake?"

"The very man."

"You could have done me a favor and shot him."

"And why would I do that? Unless, of course, you pay me to do so." Again his grin flashed. He was obviously feeling mighty fine this morning. Whether it had anything to do with our marathon last night or the meeting with Blake was anyone's guess. "And from you," he added, "I'll accept a currency other than cash."

I just bet. "He's tried to hurt me once before. We both know he want to do so again."

"True. And believe me, if he does anything that threatens your life, then I will kill him, and free of charge." He paused. "You are mine to kill, Riley, no one else's."

"Kill me and you kill yourself," I snapped back. "And you don't seem the suicidal type to me."

Crazy, yes. Suicidal, no.

He laughed. There was nothing warm or comforting about it. "You really have no idea what I'm capable of, Riley."

That was certainly true. "Was Blake behind the bug you placed on me last night?"

"Maybe. And it wasn't a bug but a deadener." He paused again. "Why do you need to use the cameras and bugs at the club? Is Dante a suspect?"

I countered his question with one of my own. "Why didn't you put the bug somewhere more subtle?"

He smiled. "Maybe I wanted you to know what Blake was up to. Or maybe it was designed as an earring so I had no choice. Your turn to give an answer."

"At this point of time, everyone is a suspect."

"Even me?" Amusement laced his tone. "Riley, I'm hurt."

I snorted softly. "We know there are two people involved in these killings, so there's no reason why you can't be one of them."

"That's true," he said cheerfully. "So, are you coming to arrest me? Perhaps we can get hot and heavy with the questioning."

"Sorry, you'll have control your deviant fantasies a little longer. I've got a club to bug."

"You never did explain why Dante and his club are suspect."

"No, I didn't. Shame," I added cheerfully, then hung up, climbed into my car and drove to the Directorate.

Jack glanced up as I walked into the otherwise empty sguad room. "Any luck on the bugs?"

"Which bugs are we talking about? The one found on me or the ones Kye placed? Have the labs said anything about that bug?"

"Only that it's black market and not something we've even heard whispers about." His expression was grim. "Which makes me wonder why he left it on you."

"He said it was a warning. And that he couldn't conceal it better because it was designed as an earring." I wasn't entirely sure I believed either reason.

Jack grunted. "And the surveillance equipment he placed at the club?"

"He says his target has moved on and that he's removed them."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Is that a sarcastic note I hear in your voice?"

"Me? Sarcastic? Never." I walked over to the coffee machine and poured myself a cup of the horrid stuff. Beans had been packed and this was better than nothing. But only just, I thought, wincing as I took a sip. "I just think it's a little convenient. Either he's made the kill and is covering his ass so we won't arrest him when and if we find the body, or something else is going on."

"You don't think he's involved in these murders, do you?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. The fact that he's been so helpful suggests not—and we have absolutely no evidence pointing to the fact that he is—but he's a twisted sort of soul and he may be getting an inordinate amount of pleasure seeing just how close we get."

"The other man your ghost talked about wasn't a vampire, so it's possible that he could be a werewolf."