Midnight Sins Read online

  The captain’s eyes weighed him. Her. “You willing to risk your life on that assumption?”

  “Yes.” No hesitation.

  “Then bring your demon into my office. It’s time to clear the air and catch this damn killer before I have another stiff on my hands.”

  McNeal’s office was too quiet. The old phrase as silent as a tomb whispered through Cara’s mind as she waited in the cramped quarters.

  Cara stood near the captain’s obviously fake plant, arms crossed over her chest. Todd was beside her. Gyth leaned against the edge of McNeal’s desk. And McNeal, well, he was sitting behind his desk, glowering at the ME.

  After what had to be at least five minutes, Smith finally cleared her throat and shifted a bit in the rather uncomfortable-looking leather chair she occupied. “Are you, um, sure I can talk about the case in front of her?”

  Her. The ME hadn’t made eye contact with Cara the entire time they’d been trapped in the silence of the office.

  “This is off the record, Smith.”

  The ME opened her mouth to protest.

  “Off the record.” McNeal ran a hand over his face. Exhaled hard enough to shake the room, then said, “We need her help, okay? She’s got to know the facts of the case because she’s the only damn one who can really tell us what the killer is like.”

  Because I’m just like the killer.

  Smith’s back was ramrod straight. Her shoulders far too stiff.

  McNeal stabbed his finger toward Gyth. “All right—let’s start with the knife. Forensics said—”

  “No prints were on the knife,” Gyth finished. “But the hair we found belonged to Susan Dobbs.”

  Todd glanced at her. “You sure you didn’t know the woman?”

  He’d shown her Susan’s picture, and yeah, the woman looked freakily like her, but—“I don’t know her.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t know Walters, either,” Gyth pointed out, “and that guy had been going to Paradise for the last month to watch you.”

  She saw Todd stiffen. “I think we need to take a step back here.” He motioned toward the captain. “Susan Dobbs was human. How’d she hook up with a demon?”

  “Demons are everywhere,” McNeal said. “Shouldn’t have been too hard—”

  “It would have been a hell of a lot easier for her if she’d been inside Demon Central.”

  Gyth began to nod, obviously understanding where Todd was going.

  “Niol’s place is a meeting point for the Other, and Cara told me once that some humans like to play in Paradise.”

  McNeal’s head cocked to the right. “And you think Susan was the playing kind?”

  The woman had been the killing kind, so, yeah, Cara thought she was definitely the type of human who would have enjoyed playing with the Other.

  “Niol will know.” Todd gave a quick nod. “No one gets in that place without his knowledge.”

  “And you think the guy will be in the mood to cooperate with the cops?” Gyth asked, looking damn doubtful.

  “He’ll cooperate,” Cara said, voice clear. He would do it, for her.

  “Who is this ... Nee-ole?” Smith asked slowly, pronouncing the demon’s name with care.

  McNeal’s fingers splayed over the desk. “You really don’t want to know about him.”

  “Yes, I do.” The ME’s voice hardened. “I’m in this game now, and I want to know everything.”

  “Niol is the most powerful demon I know,” Cara said, and Smith’s head jerked toward her. Her eyes were wide, stark.

  “And he’s a serious ass,” Gyth added.

  Smith didn’t glance back at him. Her gaze stayed on Cara. “Is he evil?”

  Hard question. “I’ve never known him to hurt an innocent.” The not-so-innocent, well, that was a different story.

  “Niol knows every damn thing that happens in this town,” McNeal rumbled. “With the humans and with the supernaturals.”

  “He can tell us if there are any incubi hunting on the streets.” Gyth’s features were tense with predatory anticipation. “He was the one who originally tipped me off about the Night Butcher.”

  Cara bit her lip. She knew of a few incubi in the area. One of the guys—well, she’d known him for years, and the thought of him killing—of any of them killing—no, she just couldn’t see it.

  But she couldn’t lie to Todd about the men. Not with so much at stake. “You really think the killer is an incubus, don’t you?”

  Todd turned to face her. His eyes were cop sharp. “I do. A succubus wouldn’t have needed a lure—not with the scent you can put out—and sure as hell not if all succubi are as sexy as you.”

  No two succubi looked alike—not even twins. Her kind came in all shapes and sizes, but they were all created with one purpose—to seduce.

  A succubus would never need another woman to act as bait to capture the attention of human men.

  If there was a chance that the killer was an incubus—and from where she was sitting, it looked like there was one big-ass chance Todd was right about that—then she had to tell him what she knew. Protecting the private lives of demons would have to come second to saving the humans and finding out who was setting her up.

  She held Todd’s stare and quietly told him, “I can give you the names of three incubi right now.” The men might all be proved innocent—they were good men, two in high positions in the city—but she had to tell Todd their names.

  Yet even after she told them, Cara knew that the cops would follow up with Niol and find out if any other incubi were hunting sexual prey.

  Niol always knew exactly who was hunting in the city. That was the reason she’d gone to him after leaving Todd’s bed. She’d asked him if there was another succubus on the streets.

  He’d told her, simply, “No.”

  She believed him. Because while he might make a habit of lying to others, he’d never lied to her.

  Cara realized that all eyes were on her now. She licked her lips. “I only know three, but there could be more.”

  Gyth stood up, fast.

  Todd swore. “You could have mentioned their names sooner.”

  “I just learned that you were looking for an incubus and not a succubus less than half an hour ago!” Jeez, she had been the suspect, and she hadn’t thought that a man was involved.

  Until now.

  “Trey Barker.” She said his name clearly.

  Smith’s mouth dropped. “The newsman from Channel Twelve?”

  “No wonder my mom likes to watch him so much,” McNeal mumbled.

  “Jody Rain.”

  Todd’s eyes widened. “The assistant district attorney?”

  A nod. There was a reason why the guy was so well liked by the women on his juries.

  “And you’ve met the third demon.”

  Todd shook his head.

  “Cameron Komak, the bartender at Paradise Found.”

  “I knew that asshole was too pretty.”

  Too pretty. A fairly normal description for an incubus.

  “Gyth, start checking these bastards,” McNeal ordered. “Track ’em down, get ’em in here, and find out everything you can about their lives for the last two months.”

  Todd stepped forward. “Captain, I told you I wasn’t going to be shut out—”

  “Brooks, get your ass over to Paradise Found and make Niol tell you everything he knows about the sex demons in this town.”

  A wide grin split Todd’s mouth. “My pleasure, sir.”

  But she knew Todd would be in for one hell of a fight, because no one made Niol do anything he didn’t want to do. “I’ll go with you,” she offered, because she knew the demon didn’t exactly have a soft spot for her lover.

  But he did for her.

  “Good idea.” McNeal looked so satisfied that she realized that had been his plan from the beginning.

  “Captain . . .” Todd’s face flushed with anger. “She’s supposed to be in protective custody. I can handle Niol on my own—”


  “But she can handle him one hell of a lot better.” One finger jabbed at Todd. “You saw her, Brooks, the woman doesn’t need protecting, but any fool who gets in her path just might.”

  Hmm . . . maybe the captain wasn’t so bad.

  His fist pounded against the desk. “Now, let’s get this shit wrapped up before any more dead bodies pile up in our Crypt.”

  Smith was the last to exit his office. She waited for the cops and the succubus to leave, then she hesitated at the door.

  McNeal sat in his chair, and she could feel the heat of his stare on her back. Her fingers tightened around the door knob—and she closed the door.

  “Smith?” A thread of worry was in that rough voice.

  She turned slowly and rested her back against the blinds on the door, not caring that they bent and snapped behind her. “You should have told me . . .”

  He rose from his chair.

  “From the beginning. Right after the first kiss.” The kiss they’d shared here, in his office.

  God, they’d had sex on his desk.

  The memories were all around her in this room.

  She hated coming to meetings in his office.

  And once she left, well, she couldn’t wait to get back inside the room again.

  She still wanted him.

  Damn it, a part of her still loved the asshole. A part she’d tried so hard to kill.

  “I didn’t want you to leave me.” Stark.

  “Why not?” He’d just left her in the end.

  A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. Her fingers balled into fists. She’d touched that jaw so many times. Felt the rasp of stubble on her palm.

  On her entire body.

  “Because . . . you mattered too much to me.”

  She held his glittering stare and saw raw honesty reflected in his eyes. “But you walked away.”

  Now he walked toward her. “You don’t know how hard it is to keep secrets from the rest of the world. To live every day, hiding who you really are, and praying that no one else finds out your secrets—because if someone does find out, the wrong someone, well, then your life will go straight to hell.”

  She understood that. If the truth got out, God, she couldn’t even imagine what life would be like in the world if all the humans realized what was really happening around them.

  Yeah, she understood, but understanding didn’t mean she forgave. “You didn’t have to walk. You could have told me the truth.”

  “And have you look at me the way you do at Gyth? Or Cara? Or, hell, I guess the way you’re staring at me now?”

  That stopped her cold. Gyth was a shifter, she knew that, but the man had saved her ass. He wasn’t evil.

  And as for the succubus, well, Smith didn’t know that woman, but she didn’t seem like she was a monster. She just seemed . . . normal.

  Like any woman. Like . . . Jesus, she seems just like me.

  Smith had even found herself admiring the woman’s shoes.

  “I’m not evil, Nathalia.” He was close to her now. So close she could smell the crisp scent of his aftershave.

  She’d given him that aftershave.

  Her knees began to tremble.

  “The bastard who took you—yeah, he was fucked up. As dark inside as they come, but you know, you know, we’ve dealt with human killers who were just as twisted.”

  She nodded. She’d worked on too many cases to deny the truth of his words. They hadn’t all been Other. She knew that.

  “We’re not all bad, baby, understand that—”

  “I do.” Her nails dug into her palms. She understood, but it was just so hard. She woke up most nights, a scream choking her. She’d nearly died in that damn place and when she’d met the killer’s stare, she’d known what hell looked like.

  She saw Dan’s throat work as he swallowed. His hand lifted then, as if he were going to touch her, but then he hesitated.

  Pain danced over his face.

  And she hurt.

  He stepped back. Dropped his hand. “If there isn’t anything else, Dr. Smith, I need to get back to work and—”

  “There’s something else.” Her voice shook. Just like her knees.

  He lifted a brow.

  “I wouldn’t have walked away from you.” Her chin came up. “I mean, shit, Dan, I didn’t care about the fact that you’re white—did you really think I’d give a damn that you could go all Dr. Doolittle on me?”

  His mouth dropped open.

  Satisfied with that response and not really trusting herself to say more, Smith managed to turn around and open the door. Then she walked out, head held high, and didn’t look back.

  Her mama had taught her long ago how a lady made an exit.

  Her mama just hadn’t warned her that she had real wolves to worry about in the world, wolves who often wore the flesh of men.

  The guards weren’t at the door of Paradise Found, and the sight of the empty entranceway had Todd tensing.

  Cara stilled beside him. “Todd? What’s wrong?”

  Everything. Cara shouldn’t have even been with him then. She should have been in a safe house, protected by several guards—and he should have been casing the place alone. “When we go inside, stay behind me, okay? Just—”

  Her bow lips turned down. “Why . . .” she drew the word out with obvious impatience, “do you have such trouble with the concept of me being a demon?” She pointed to her chest. “Look, nearly immortal me.” She tapped him, a bit harder than he thought was really necessary, right in the middle of his chest. “And weak, human you.”

  He reached for his holster. He might be mortal, but he was armed. Todd wasn’t forgetting for a moment that a potentially murderous incubus might be inside.

  And then there was Niol . . .

  His fingers curled around the gun. “Me—human, but ready to shoot. And don’t forget,” he offered her a brief smile, “I’m the one with the badge.” Okay, yeah, he knew the woman was strong.

  But she was his and he wanted to protect her.

  Todd pressed a hard kiss to her lips.

  Then playtime was over and he stalked toward the door. Cara followed on his heels, her seductive scent wrapping around him.

  He pushed on the door. Open. No way was this Niol’s usual operation.

  The cop in him hesitated, but then Todd realized his internal alarm—that system that had never failed him before—it wasn’t making a single noise.

  What a fucking bad time for his instincts to fail him.

  Shoving open the door, he went in with his gun up and his pulse steady.

  Chapter 15

  “The gun’s not really necessary, you know,” Niol murmured, not bothering to rise from his table. He sat in the middle of the club, a pair of dark glasses covering his black eyes, and offered them a cold smile. “Back so soon, are we?”

  Ignoring him, for the moment, Todd swept his gaze across the bar.

  “Where’s Cameron?” Cara asked.

  The smile tightened a bit. “Not here.”

  It didn’t look like anyone else was there. “Where the hell is he?” Gyth had probably already sent a squad to the incubus’ house and taken him into custody, but Todd asked the question anyway.

  “I don’t know.” A shrug. “Don’t really care.”

  “Niol.” A warning edge had entered Cara’s voice. Then the woman stepped around him. Damn it, he’d told her to stay behind him for protection.

  She strode toward Niol.

  He grabbed her hand. “Don’t get too close to him.” She might be all warm and friendly with the demon, but it would be one cold-ass day in hell before he felt the same. His gaze snapped to Niol. “I’m here on business, Niol, and I’m gonna be nice and ask you again. Where’s Cameron?”

  “Why?” Niol’s head tilted to the left. Mild curiosity flavored his voice.

  “Because we’ve got an incubus loose in this city who’s killed at least three men.”

  Niol raised his hand. Removed his sunglasses and cast
his dark stare toward Todd. “An incubus, is it? I thought you boys in blue were looking for a succubus.”

  “Things have changed.” That was all the info he’d give Niol. “Where is he?”

  The black stare slipped toward Cara. “You think Cameron’s a killer?”

  He read the hesitation on her face. Before she could reply, Todd said, “Every option has to be explored.”

  “Um.” A rumble. “Of course, it does.” A shrug of the demon’s shoulders. “Don’t really know where Cameron is. His shift doesn’t start until eight tonight.”

  “He was here earlier.”

  Another careless shrug. “He—and the two other bartenders who work for me.”

  “Niol.”

  “Cameron came in for his check, okay, Detective? He told me he wasn’t feeling too good, then left.”

  Todd shoved his gun back into the holster. “You don’t seem particularly concerned about the fact that your bartender might have killed those men.”

  Niol’s lips quirked at that. “Cameron’s not really the killing kind. He doesn’t have that instinct.”

  “You sure about that? Maybe when you look at him, you’ve just been seeing what good old Cameron wants you to see.” He slanted his stare at Cara. “Maybe that’s what both of you have been seeing.”

  Niol’s eyes narrowed just a bit. “Cameron lives at 55 Corington Place. Go get him and drag him down to your station, if that’s what you want.”

  No emotion on the guy’s face or in his voice. And Cara was quiet now. What was with them? Todd took an aggressive step toward Niol. Maybe he should reveal a little more information and see just what kind of response he could shake out of the demon. “The incubus doing these killings—he’s been setting up Cara.”

  The dark eyes didn’t blink.

  “Did you hear me? Cara was right—she’s being set up—and this bastard is doing it to her! So you know—and what? You don’t give a damn? I thought you cared about her! Are you just going to sit there while—”

  “Todd.” Cara moved forward in a flash, putting herself between him and the demon. A good thing, because he really wanted to rip that guy’s head off.

  That had to be a surefire way to kill him.