Along Came a Spider Read Free Page B

I’d never have to tell him what I saw when I’d looked into her eyes just before I let Nate take her soul to its final rest. With a sigh, I tucked the handkerchief back into my pocket. Seeing as how Nicky had gone off the grid after Juliet’s death, the odds of me ever having to face that dilemma were pretty slim.
I made my way to the mouth of the alley and jerked my chin at Nate. “All yours.”
“So, what did you see?” Red asked. “Anything to help you identify the killer?”
“Killers,” I corrected. “Plural. They were women, but I didn’t get much else.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Really? That’s all?”
I squirmed a little. “Vampires,” I admitted, knowing she’d see through me in a heartbeat if I strayed too far from the truth. “But not Vlad. I didn’t sense him at all.” I frowned. “There was something weird about these women. They had a Tale aura to them but . . . I don’t know. It felt wrong.”
Her brows shot up. “Do we need to have a chat with some of our contacts, let them know there could be a problem?”
I barely held back a groan. I knew exactly what she meant by “contacts.” We didn’t out ourselves to many, but there were a select few Ordinaries who’d been brought into our confidence—sometimes whether we liked it or not. So far they hadn’t divulged any of our secrets, but there was always the possibility that one of them could let something slip, which made me nervous as hell about sharing any intel.
“I’d rather hold off getting in touch for a while longer,” I told her, pulling on my winter gloves to keep my fingertips from going numb. “No sense dealing with them any more than we have to.”
Red gave me a tight nod. “Works for me. I’ll just—” She winced, sucking in air through her teeth, and bent forward a little, her hand going reflexively to her belly.
I closed the gap in an instant and put my arm around her. “Tess, you okay?”
She nodded quickly, but her eyes were a little confused. “Yeah, I’m good.”
I gave her a disapproving look as she straightened. “When did this start?”
“Earlier today,” she told me, her voice just above a whisper. “It’s nothing, though. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
I glanced around us to make sure none of the other agents on the scene were listening too closely. “We have no idea what your pregnancy will be like,” I reminded her. “Considering Nate’s not really a Tale, there could be complications we can only guess at. The minute he gets back, Nate’s taking you to the hospital to get checked out. Understood?”
When she met my gaze I saw fear there—something I’d never seen in her eyes before. Even so, Tess Little wasn’t the kind of person to admit she needed help. She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. “Just go! I got this.” I laughed a little. “I mean, seriously—the guy’s already dead. What could possibly go wrong?”

Chapter Two
I sipped at my coffee and cranked up the heater in the van as I watched the Investigators pack up their equipment. They’d finished photographing the entire crime scene and were loading the body into the van to send back to the lab for further examination. Nothing to do now but pack it in and call it a night.
“I’m surprised he hasn’t showed up,” Alex McCain mumbled, pulling his gloves back on as he prepared to leave the warmth of my van. Why he’d felt the need to keep me company was beyond me. He hadn’t really said a word the entire two hours we’d sat there together.
“Sorry?” I asked, not really needing further explanation. I knew who he was talking about.
“The Spider,” Alex said. “He’s been popping up all over the place lately, coming in, kicking some ass, and disappearing before the Ordinary cops arrive. The New Orleans office said he took out a couple of Tales down their way, though, so he appears to be an equal opportunity ass kicker. It’s like something out of a comic book.”
I grunted. “Comic book