for business. No surprise as it was close to eight on a Sunday night. Since I expected Kayden to take me to the burned-out shell where my weekend needed

in a black hole, an uneasy apprehension crept over me. I wanted to ignore it and trust the man next to me, but I had questions that needed answers. I waited until

we were both standing on the cracked sidewalk before asking, “Why are we here?”

“Wolf found something he thinks we need to see.”

Puzzled by his non-answer, I followed him as he strode through an archway

and into a small inner courtyard. When he turned to take the stairs, I said, “Slow

down, speedy.”

He pulled up short, with one foot on the stairs, and turned to watch me limp

toward him. “Sorry, forgot. Can you do this?”

I eyed the stairs and grimaced. “As long as I don’t have to run them, yeah.”

“You go first, I’ll follow.”

I grabbed the railing and began my trek up. By the time I hit the top, sweat

that had nothing to do with the outside temperature, slid down my spine. I stopped and took a few seconds to level my breathing and rest my muscles.

Kayden watched patiently. “You good?”

I nodded. He moved past me and kept his pace slow as he led the way. He

stopped in front of the door near the end and knocked. Not much light filtered back here, but we were standing close enough for me to make out the lettering

on the dark window. “ALTERED STATES?”

Before Kayden could answer, the door swung open, and a body filled the

space. “Shaw.”

“Wolf.”

The body shifted aside.

Heeding the little push against the base of my spine, I stepped inside with Kayden on my heels. Behind us, Wolf shut the door and a bittersweet smell surrounded us. Light from a back room spilled over the glass display counter stretched along the far side, illuminating the jars and trays lining the cases. I peered closer and realized the shelves held a varied selection of baked goods and

candies. If not for the lingering smell, one could be forgiven for thinking it was a bakery. “A very special bakery,” I muttered under my breath. I turned back to the

two men and folded my arms over my chest. “Why are we at a marijuana

dispensary?”

“What’s more interesting, is what’s in the back.” Rough and raspy, Wolf’s voice matched his tough exterior. He was tall and built like a linebacker. His height topped Kayden’s by a couple of inches, and he was bald. Surprisingly, he

did the look well, enough to catch quite a few feminine eyes.

“What’s in the back?”

“Better if I show you.” He turned and walked into the back room.

Kayden followed. I brought up the rear, my field of vision dominated by two

very broad sets of shoulders. Kayden’s abrupt stop caused me to backpedal so I

wouldn’t run into him. I caught myself against the doorjamb. “A little warning next time.”

He didn’t answer or turn around.

I tugged at his arm. “Hey, move so I can see.” Sometimes it sucked to work

with tall people. Kayden’s body was stiff under my hand, and his reaction tripped my internal warning system. “Kayden, move.” This time my command

made it through.

He shifted to the side and gave me room to slip past him. I didn’t get far. As

soon as I stepped in front of him, his hands locked on my waist and held me still.

It took a minute for the pieces to come together and make sense. A set of shelves

rested haphazardly against the far wall, shattered glass blanketing the floor below, and dried herbs were mixed among the jagged pieces. An overturned

chair sat among a Rorschach painting of rust. Those rusty marks splattered across the white walls and a set of framed Jimmy Hendrix posters in a very distinctive pattern.

And just beyond the upturned chair was a crumpled body. A very dead body.

The room lurched and only Kayden’s grip on my waist kept me upright. Ramirez

stared unseeing from the floor where a crimson halo spilled around him, a neat

hole marring his forehead. A familiar, black nine-millimeter lay like an inkblot

near his feet.

I stared at the gun in disbelief and rising horror. How had my Sig ended up

here? The last time… Pain seared behind my eyes and brought back the whispers with a vengeance. I grit my teeth, determined to get an answer, a

memory, anything that could explain how my gun ended up next to the dead body of our best lead to Ellery. My denial was harsh and angry. “It wasn’t me.”

“It’s your gun.” Wolf’s eerie sea glass-colored eyes were hard and it was clear he was asking a question, but making a statement.