Page 6 of Branded Souls (Ember Hollow Romance #3)

Skye

A few people passed by without giving me a second glance, but I stilled. Stretching out my stiff neck, I scanned my surroundings. For the past half hour, it felt as if I were being watched. But I didn’t see anyone paying particular attention to what I was doing.

I let out a breath. I was being paranoid after everything that had happened in this town since I left.

I would have to get used to it.

The man arrested six months ago for the infamous serial killings didn’t seem like he would plead guilty anytime soon.

Despite the mounting evidence against him, he was a very wealthy man and his legal team were doing the most for his defense.

The trial wasn’t set for another year, if the lawyers didn’t succeed in getting it pushed back.

This was the perfect time for this documentary. I would take pleasure in spreading the story of this man and his chilling crimes while he rotted in jail, waiting for his day in court.

I moved on from the courthouse. I’d been shooting B-roll for over an hour, capturing some small-town scenery to build atmosphere into the documentary. Brick storefronts with weathered signs, the faded mural near the park, and…the few places that had been dump sites for a killer.

Much of Ember Hollow still felt like it was holding its breath, like the whole town hadn’t exhaled since the day the Shadow Stalker was caught.

“Skye Adler?”

My fingers tightened around the camera. Slowly, I turned from the scenery I’d been filming and met the steady stare of an unfamiliar man.

He leaned against one of the black iron streetlights that lined the quaint street. His hands were tucked into the pockets of the dark slacks that matched his sportscoat. When his lips pulled up in a half smile, I was instantly on edge.

When I didn’t reply, his smile slipped.

“You’re her, right? The Skye Adler from Crime and Justice?”

My heart rate crept up a notch. I tried to keep my face blank as I looked up and down his form.

He was older than me, maybe in his early to mid-forties.

He was fit, with dark hair that was cut short.

Since working in the public eye, I’d gained some unwanted attention from zealous fans and wannabe stalkers, and meeting strangers like this was always unnerving.

I had felt safe in my secure apartment building in the city, but I didn’t have that here.

I was very much alone, in a cabin in the woods.

“Who wants to know?” I asked, my voice light with friendly caution.

He pushed off the lamppost and straightened. He took a step toward me, and though my face remained tightly controlled, I took half a step back.

The man paused. He slowly raised a hand, and used the other to pull something from his pocket. It glinted in the sunlight. A badge.

I tensed. Cops didn’t automatically mean harmless. I knew first-hand how dangerous the bad ones could be.

“I’m Detective Whize,” he said, his easy smile growing. “You and I have a mutual friend, I think.”

My brows narrowed. “Excuse me?”

He chuckled. Returning the badge to his pocket, he took out something else. A small, black thumb drive. “Emersyn asked me to drop this off with you.”

My unease lessened, but only slightly. “Emersyn?”

He took a few more steps toward me, holding out the thumb drive. “Relax. Emersyn and I go way back. She said you’d need visuals and info for the doc.”

I blinked at him. “Emersyn didn’t say anything about you.”

“Yeah, well.” He cleared his throat, as if embarrassed. “She just asked me about it a couple hours ago.”

I glanced at the thumb drive, slightly stunned, but becoming less guarded with each passing moment. Cautiously, I reached for the drive. “What’s all on this? ”

“Internal case files on the Shadow Stalker. It’s our reports on the cases, crime scene photos, stuff like that,” he explained. “Redacted where necessary.”

I tucked the drive into the pocket of my jeans. “Thanks.” Excitement bloomed in my chest. “I’ve never had information given to me so…easily.” I gave him a smile. A real one.

He ran a hand through his hair, and I thought he blushed a little. “No problem. I trust Emersyn. Which means I trust you.”

“I appreciate that.”

We stood for a beat of awkward silence before he continued. “If you need anything else,” he reached into his pocket again, this time pulling out his card, “you can call me.”

I forced my smile not to drop as I took the business card. Playing nice with local law enforcement was definitely in my best interest.

“I’ll be sure to do that, Detective.”

“Brandon,” he corrected, clearing his throat again. “You can call me Brandon.”

“Brandon.” I nodded. “It was nice meeting you.”

He stood for a moment longer before turning. “Good luck with the doc, Skye,” he said over his shoulder.

I waved as he walked back down the street toward a black SUV. I didn’t need luck, though. I needed to be good at my job. And I was.

Looking at the business card, I noticed he’d written his personal cell phone in blue ink on the back.

It was fine, I reminded myself. It could be an advantage having a detective in my corner. I shoved the card in my back pocket, refocusing on the thumb drive. Emersyn was turning out to be way more of a valuable connection than I anticipated. I’d need to reschedule a meeting with her quickly.

I crossed the street toward my car, already drafting an email to the podcaster in my mind.

The second I settled behind the wheel, though, my heart sank. The illusion of focus cracked in the silence of my vehicle as my thoughts settled on the abrupt ending to my first meeting with Emersyn. The whole reason I had to schedule another time to meet with her.

Fox .

He had been there, in the back of my head all day.

It wasn’t a question of if I was going to see him again, but when.

In a town this small, it was hard to avoid anyone.

Maybe that’s why I’d been paranoid all day, looking over my shoulder.

I was afraid to see him . Afraid of seeing the hatred in his eyes.

I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that I wasn’t here for him.

Attempting to refocus on the thumb drive tucked in my pocket as I turned the ignition. Today was a win. I was moving forward with the project. There was new evidence to go through. This story needed to be told, and it needed my full attention.

Throwing back my shoulders, I pulled onto the road and headed toward my secluded cabin rental, pretending like watching Fox walk away from me without a word didn’t crush a bit of my soul.