Inked

smiling. “I do. Nettie’s one of my favorite people. Did she help you with your Gift?”
    Lupe jerked back, frowning.
    “Maybe Rule didn’t tell you. I’m Gifted, too. I’m a sensitive.”
    “Oh. No, he didn’t. He didn’t mention that.”
    “I kept it secret for years, but that’s not working for me anymore. I don’t use my Gift to out people, Lupe. You don’t have to worry about that. Rule tells me you live close to Robert Friar.”
    Her upper lip lifted. “That nacimiento póstumo .”
    “I haven’t heard that one before.”
    “It means afterbirth. It’s from an old saying that I made up.” When she smiled this time, a dimple winked mischievously in one cheek. “Do you have pets, Agent Yu?”
    “Uh…yes.” Though Dirty Harry probably saw things the other way around. “A tomcat. He’s neutered now, but don’t tell him.”
    “You may not be aware that after giving birth, many animal mothers will eat the afterbirth to keep the den clean. What I say about Robert Friar is that his poor mother was confused—she ate the baby and raised the afterbirth.”
    “You really don’t like the man.”
    Lupe leaned forward suddenly and grabbed Lily’s hand. “He is evil. Evil. He killed Steve, I am sure of it. You will find the evidence and arrest him, and Jason will go free. You must.”
    Softly Lily asked, “Why are you sure Friar killed Steve Hilliard?”
    “He hates lupi. Everyone knows he hates lupi and all the Gifted, anyone tainted by magic. That’s his word, tainted .”
    “There must be more than that, for you to be so certain.”
    She snorted. Some of her intensity faded, but she didn’t release Lily’s hand. “You ask him. Ask Robert Friar about his daughter, Mariah.”
    “All right. What can you tell me about her?”
    “She had a baby two months ago, a little boy. She claims he’s Steve’s son.”

    IT was late in the afternoon in late April, the sun was shining, and Lily was almost too warm in her lightweight jacket.
    That was as it should be. Why did cold weather, snow, and ice get such great press when it sucked? Of course, not everyone was lucky enough to live in San Diego.
    “Why so smug?” Rule asked.
    “Did you know that the U.S. Weather Service calls San Diego’s weather the most nearly perfect in the country?” To be fair she added, “Hawaii’s supposed to be nice, too.”
    He laughed. “You’re glad to be home.”
    “Yeah.” Even for a little while, and even if she wasn’t exactly home. Maybe Rule’s condo was supposed to be home now, but it wasn’t hers. She didn’t pay for anything there except some of the groceries. Which reminded her…“The lease comes due on my apartment next month.”
    “Hmm.”
    She glanced at him. “You’re not going to tell me how stupid it is for me to keep paying rent when we’re living together and your place is so much bigger?”
    “Why would I tell you what you already know? You’ll keep the apartment if you feel a need. If not, you’ll let it go.”
    She walked beside him for a few steps in silence. “If I weren’t investigating, I’d hold your hand right now.”
    Promptly he took hers.
    “Hey.” But she didn’t pull away. She told herself no one would notice—they were mostly blocked from view by the parked cars. “Mariah Friar’s baby. He isn’t Steve’s son, is he?”
    “No. It’s not uncommon for a woman to claim one of us as the father. Sometimes they believe it to be true. Sometimes they hope for support, emotional or financial or both. Sometimes they want the notoriety.”
    “Hmm.” She accepted Rule’s word as both honest and accurate. He would know. Lupi never had to play who’ s-the dad. When a lupus impregnated a woman, he was instantly aware of it.
    Lily might not have believed that if she hadn’t been almost present when it happened once. Cynna and Cullen had made love in the next room, not in front of her—and thank God for that—but there was no doubt in her mind that Cullen had known immediately that his seed had caught.
    Any lupus blessed with a child notified his Rho ASAP. One as desperate for a child as Hilliard had been would have announced it to the entire clan. Certainly to his oldest friend. “So, how exactly did you stalk Chief Daly?”
    “I don’t know why I thought you might forget to ask about that.”
    “I don’t, either.”
    He flashed her a grin. “Smart-ass. All right. For about a month, I made sure good old Pete saw a lot of me. Sometimes two or three