Page 33 (1/2)

Duncan closed his eyes briefly, as if the thought of that bothered hiently into his arht, Emmaline? Really?"

She put her ar body surrounding her, feeling safe and secure again She nodded against his shoulder "I wasn’t hurt Baldwin savedup and down her spine in a coht, but Duncan touched his lips to her hair and said, "Pack enough for several days It’s not safe for you here until we find out as behind this"

She nodded and stepped back reluctantly "I won’t take long," she said without looking at hier under her chin and lifted her face "Take as long as you want," he said seriously, then gave her a sly look "Are you sure you don’t want help with that drawer?"

Emma chuckled weakly "No, I can handle it"

"Then I’ll be downstairs I have to talk to Miguel Let s"

Duncan was controlled fury as he strode down the front steps of Euel waited with the dead man Of course, the human wasn’t dead yet, but he would be As soon as he told theuel said formally as Duncan approached

"Did Ari check in?"

"Yes, my lord He just arrived at the house Baldoke up when they carried hilanced through the backat the unconscious huuel nodded "Maybe he was only supposed to scare her Or ot to deliver because Baldas there"

"If there’s a e, we’ll know it," Duncan said darkly

"If they know she’s working with us, e soared and he fought to keep it frouel are of it anyway He could tell from the watchful look on his lieutenant’s face, the careful for hands on Emma made him want to rip out the throats of every human in Victor’s files, whether or not they’d had a hand in Lacey’s death None of them were innocent, as far as he was concerned

He forced hily difficult when it came to E humans, whatever the reason That was the very opposite of why he was in this corrupt city in the first place Not that the men responsible for Lacey’s death would be per to die Maybe not tonight, maybe not even soon But eventually And he would make sure they knew it, too Every one of the over his shoulder, waiting for death to find hihtly "Have someone set up a secure rooet there," he said gesturing at the truck "So The baseuards, as well I don’t want a bungled rescue drawing in the human police, and I don’t want him killed under our noses, either"

"Yes, my lord"

They both turned when E a gar over one shoulder

"Emma," Duncan said impatiently "Let us help with that"

She pushed the suitcase in his direction "You take that and I’ll--"

He lifted the suitcase and whipped the garuel

"Okaaay," she drawled "What do I do about this door?"

Duncan frowned, then studied the doorframe "The lock is broken, but the frame is sound I don’t suppose you have a hammer and nails" His voice trailed off as Emma disappeared back inside her house "Of course, you do," he arin

"Nobody likes a know-it-all," he teased as she strolled past him

"Oh, I don’t know it all," she replied breezily "I’hed and picked up a hammer for the first time in more years than he could count

Emma sat inside the warm SUV and watched as Duncan nailed her front door shut It wasn’t every day she saw aa hammer Of course, it wasn’t every day some wacko tried to assault her in her houy hadn’t been a wacko In a weird way, it would be reassuring if Lacey’s killers had sent soht track