Shifter Wars by A. E. Jones Read Free Book Online Page A

beautiful.”
    His face showed no emotion. “I understand she has become a powerful vampire.”
    “She flashed into my room. She is young to already know how to do that, right?”
    “Yes, it is unusual for one so young to have mastered flashing.”
    Jean Luc glanced away, but if I wasn’t mistaken there had been hint of pride in his voice. I had to find out why they were no longer together. I opened my mouth to ask when Jean Luc interrupted me.
    “Has Misha told you about Joe?”
    I swallowed before responding. “He said Dalton was doing well and on a task force in Chicago. He’s already familiar with Chicago.” Right. My evil inner voice was screaming he can get together with his smart, beautiful ex who just happens to live there as well. Life was great!
    Jean Luc’s eyes tightened on my face for a second. “You know Misha and I are here for you?”
    I nodded. “That’s the one thing I am sure of.”
    He sat down in one of my guest chairs. “What did Griffin send us?”
    One of the things I love about Jean Luc was his ability to let things drop. I scanned the screen.
    “Mark Brennan was the poacher who kidnapped Trina this summer.” I braced myself before opening the photo file. Compared to Trina’s memories of Brennan, which still haunted me, the driver’s license photo was mild. I studied the nondescript face in the file. Caucasian, with light blond hair cut short and blue eyes. His nose looked like it had been broken at some point. I turned the screen for Jean Luc to see. “He was forty-two, and the house where he stashed Trina was newly rented.”
    “So it was probably not his actual home.”
    “Looks like it. His tax records show him working as a mechanic at a body shop in Brook Park. Maybe some of his mechanic friends are in the poaching business, too…”
    “We need a reason to get close to them,” Jean Luc suggested.
    “Does Jason still have his beater truck?”
    “Yes.”
    I clicked the intercom. “Jason Watson, please report to the principal’s office.”
    * * *
    Jean Luc, Jason, and I stood in the parking garage staring at Jason’s truck. It was a quad-cab Chevy from the eighties. From the looks of the outside, it had seen better days. There were several large rust spots along the truck bed and the blue paint was fading.
    I grimaced. “It might be a lost cause.”
    “This is a classic!” Jason sputtered.
    “A classic piece of crap,” I retorted.
    Jean Luc actually chuckled.
    “I spent a lot of time on this truck.”
    I gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
    “I’m an engine man, not a body man. It has a 350 small-block.”
    I was impressed. “Did you rebuild it yourself? What is the engine compression?”
    Jason’s right eyebrow raised, and he opened his mouth, but I held up my hand to stop him.
    “Before you say something sexist like ‘How do you know about engines?’ let me enlighten you. My mom had a thing for mechanics when I was growing up. I spent a lot of time in the garage learning about cars. When I was sixteen, I helped rebuild a 1962 Corvette engine.”
    Jason looked suitably awestruck. “Sweet. I shouldn’t be surprised you’re a gearhead.”
    “I’ll take that as a compliment. So if your engine is in good shape, we should ask about body work. Maybe it’ll give us a foot in the door.”
    Jean Luc agreed. “I think you and Jason should approach them. The men who attacked us today probably got a good look at me this morning when I rammed their Jeep. If they are working at this shop, I might tip our hand.”
    “Did you get a good look at them?” Jason asked.
    “I got a quick look at the passenger firing the gun. I gave a description to Misha. He is going to enter it in the facial recognition program to see if we get a match.”
    “Do you think they saw Jason or me when the window shattered in the SUV?”
    Jean Luc paused a moment. “Not your faces, no. You both dove down to protect Trina. But your hair might be a different matter.”
    “Yeah, well, I’m