she nodded, then opened the dresser drawer, grabbing a little tin and tucking the cash inside. i shifted shape and in seagull form flew out the window, circling the building and checking out the different top-floor windows before heading for the side street. i changed shape, adjusted my clothes, then walked back to my car. but i didn't get in, grabbing my cell phone out of my pocket instead. i pressed quinn's number and waited impatiently for him to answer.

"well, hello," he drawled, the gentle irish lilt in his voice sounding oh-so sexy. "i wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon."

"i've been visiting a brothel," i said, imagining his expression and smiling at the image.

"and i'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it," he said, "even though i can't really think of one."

"it had a phone."

"most of them do."

i laughed. "this phone is the contact number for a bunch of hit men for hire."

"interesting." his voice was dry. "so why are you calling me?"

"because i need food and sex, and not necessarily in that order. i figured you might be interested in sating one or both of those desires."

"you figured right. where would you like said sating to occur?"

"somewhere not too fancy. i need to be back at the brothel by one-thirty, so i haven't got time to go home and change. and several shape-shifts has shredded the last spare t-shirt i have in the car."

"which is a look i quite enjoy," he said. "i take it you're close to the city?"

"st. kilda."

"excellent. there's a small spa in acland street that does a great lunch and spa treatment regimen. i'll send you the address and meet you there in twenty minutes."

"but i don't want - "

"riley, trust me."

"okay," i grumbled. "but you know how bitchy i can get when my hungers aren't satisfied."

he laughed. the warm sound flowed through me like a caress. "trust me, love, i aim to satisfy us both."

"well, good." i glanced at my watch. "i'll see you in twenty."

"you will."

he hung up, and i rang jack. "boss," i said, the minute he answered, "that land line is located on the top floor of a brothel, and the whole floor is bristling with electronic security."

"meaning they're hiding something," he said. "can you break in, or do you want some professional help?"

"well, i'm thinking that electronic security usually needs electricity to work, so would it be possible to arrange a little blackout in the area around two?"

"it'll take out the entire block, but yeah, it can be done." he paused. "we ran a trace on the number. the phone is listed as belonging to the brothel. the owner of said brothel is one t. j. hart. we're trying to track down an address for him."

that raised my eyebrows. "it isn't on the business registration?"

"it's a post office box."

i frowned. "i didn't think it was legal to do that. i thought it had to be a street address."

"normally, it does."

meaning t.j. either knew someone or had paid someone. which meant he had money or connections that weren't obvious from the condition of his business.

"he has no license or police record," jack continued. "the tax office has his address listed as fitzroy, but the house was razed for apartments earlier this year."

meaning he could be missing or simply didn't want to be found. i made a mental note to check with cass this afternoon, then said, "is it possible to put a tap on the phone?"

"it's in the pipeline, so make sure you leave no trace of your presence."

which meant scent, if we were dealing with another were. i frowned and glanced at my watch, wondering if i could get to liander's workshop and back to st. kilda in twenty minutes. i knew he kept scent-erasing soap there, simply because he often redid my look for undercover operations, and scent erasure was a vital part of that. i might be pushing it time-wise, but it had to be done.

"there are two men who regularly collect the messages," i said. "i'll try to get pics of them today, and send them through."

"good. and we don't think this is a one-off. there's a report coming out of sydney about a brutal murder that bears striking similarities to our case."

"meaning the victim was a recently released, long-term prisoner?"

"yeah. we're trying to get full details at the moment."

"it might also be worth working up a list of recently released or about-to-be-released long-term inmates." if this was the beginning of a murder spree, such a list might help us save some lives.

"we're onto that, too," jack commented. "we've already located two possibilities - two men were released from perth penitentiary three weeks ago. one has since relocated to his hometown in dunedan - which is in the middle of western australia - and the other went to brisbane."

"i gather you've contacted the directorate divisions in brisbane and perth, and warned them there might be trouble?"

"yes. and i've also sent requests to all directorate divisions to provide us with information on any crimes of a similar nature. we expect to get some hits. an organization this well protected probably won't be targeting just criminals."

not if they were advertising in local newspapers. "this must be a new operation, though. otherwise, we'd surely have heard of them before now."

"not necessarily. if they've kept their operations interstate until now, there would have been no reason for us to be notified. each division is basically autonomous."

yet they'd all come from the one source - melbourne - and i was betting director hunter kept a close eye on the other divisions. the directorate was her baby, after all.

"i'm going to lunch now, boss, but i'll be back at the brothel by one-thirty."

"okay, but i want you to return to the directorate after that. you need to write up the report for the murder and the shooting incident."

i wrinkled my nose. i hated paperwork at the best of times. and, i thought, with a wash of sadness, there was now no kade to sweet-talk into helping me.

"will do," i said, and hung up. my phone beeped notification of an incoming message. it was the address quinn had promised. i opened the car door and fired up the onboard computer, switching it to navigation and typing in the address. it turned out i could probably walk there in less than five minutes.

i turned off the computer and locked the car, then once again shifted shape. with all this flying, my arms were starting to get a little tired, but there wasn't anything i could do about it. there was no way on this earth i was going to drive to liander's workshop and then back to st. kilda in the twenty minutes i had. not with traffic the way it was.

of course, the skies had traffic of a different kind, and between avoiding the flocks of seagulls and pigeons -

which always went somewhat crazy when i neared them - and the strengthening wind, i was a few minutes late getting back to the acland street spa.

i pulled my outfit together the best i could, then strolled through the old bluestone gateway that was the main entrance to the spa. the good thing about being in st. kilda was that no one really took any notice of what you were wearing - or almost wearing. the strange and outlandish were common around here, and not even the receptionist batted an eyelid as i strolled into the foyer.

"how may i help you?" her voice was deep and rich, and oddly in tune with the opulent foyer.

"riley jenson. i'm here to meet mr. o'conor." though i kept my voice soft, it seemed to echo in the lush stillness of the place.

"ah, yes," she said, and pressed a button.

i heard no bell, but two seconds later, a thin brown woman appeared out of a side door and gave me a welcoming smile. "ms. jenson," she said, "if you'll just follow me, mr. o'conor is waiting."

her words swirled through me, oddly reminding me of the people who weren't waiting. kade. kye. the bitter darkness rose, but i shoved it back ruthlessly. i had a man who loved me - and whom i loved - waiting for me. it was enough.

no, that dark part whispered. it isn't.

i ignored it and continued to follow the woman.

we went through a different door, and the smell of chlorinated water began to dominate. but underneath that ran tantalizing wisps of vanilla, orange, and spices.

"this is the spa treatment area," the woman said, obviously doing the guided tour. "the message therapy rooms are in the other wing. if you'd like a treatment after your spa, we can arrange that easily." her gaze skated down to my hands. "the two-hour hand and foot ritual is very relaxing."

i followed her gaze. my nails weren't that bad. well, okay, the polish was chipped and my nails a little rough, but they didn't deserve the sort of look she was giving them.

"i'll keep that in mind," i said mildly, although i was betting this place was way out of my price range.

she nodded, then knocked on the last door before opening it. "mr. o'conor, ms. jenson has arrived."

"thanks, sasha."

sasha nodded, then closed the door behind me. i raised an eyebrow at quinn. "you're on a first-name basis?"

he smiled, his dark eyes twinkling. "is that jealousy i hear?"

"depends on why you're on first-name terms."

he laughed and walked around the bubbling pool that dominated the room. his feet were bare, and each step slapped softly against the dark marble floors, the sound oddly in tune with the water. the walls behind him were a warm brown and the fittings on the spa gold. basically, the whole room screamed opulence. but even so, there was nothing in the room as sumptuous as the vampire who walked toward me. not even the delicious scent of ham and fresh breads rising from the buffet tucked into the corner behind me could tempt my gaze away from him.

my nostrils flared, drawing in the rich aroma of him as he drew closer, then he took me in his arms and kissed me. not sweetly, not softly, but with all the hunger of a man in need. i wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss in kind, and for many minutes there was nothing but this kiss and this man and the need that rose like a bonfire between us.

he finally pulled back, his eyes aglow with desire. "to answer your question," he said, "a friend of mine couldn't raise enough financing to open this place, so i invested. i know the staff because i'm a silent partner."

"so that's why you could get this room on such short notice."

"i'm certainly not above abusing my position if the need arises."

my gaze swept across his clothed body, coming to rest on his groin. "and it certainly looks to me like the need has arisen."

"it has. shall we retire to the water?"

"i thought you'd never ask."

i shucked off my clothes, then watched quinn do the same. once naked, he took my hand then helped me step into the tub. the water smelled faintly of chlorine, but it wasn't overpowering, and the bubbly warmth quickly worked its magic on my body, making me feel more relaxed than i had in ages.

i sank down into it with a sigh of pleasure. "this was a good idea."

"it was, wasn't it?" he floated over to me, a teasing smile on his lips and heat in his eyes. "but i thought you'd come here to have more basic needs sated ..."

"maybe the water is enough," i teased, entwining my legs around his body and drawing him closer. the spicy, luscious odor of him, rich with the scent of desire, swam around me, enhancing my need.

i smiled and pressed myself against him, enjoying his warmth and his closeness.

"meaning i shouldn't kiss you senseless?" he murmured.

his lips were so close i could almost taste them. almost. it was like being offered chocolate but not being able to eat it. and it made me want him even more fiercely.

"meaning," i replied, the quaver in my voice all desire, "you should only kiss me if you really, really want to."

"oh, wanting has never been a problem when it comes to you," he murmured.

his hand slid around my waist, his fingers pressing heat into my spine as he pulled me even closer to his warm, hard body.

the kiss was heat and desire and love all entwined into one luscious package, and it said everything there was to say without words.

then his lips moved on, exploring, teasing. my throat, my shoulders, my breasts. i returned the attention in kind, nipping and exploring the hard planes of his body, until the rich smell of lust razed the air and my whole body burned for him.

when his cock slipped slowly but deeply inside, i moaned in pleasure. then he began to move, and all i could do was move with him, savoring and enjoying the sensations flowing through me. enjoying the completeness -

a completeness that was heart and mind as well as body. and yet an awareness lurked in the deep, dark recesses of me, a hunger that could never be satisfied now that kye was gone.

but as long as i had this, as long as i had quinn, i could find a way to survive.

he took his time, stroking deeply as he licked and nipped and kissed. but the little waves of water began to flow away from our bodies with ever-increasing speed as our movements became more and more urgent. the sweet pressure began to build low in my stomach, fanning through the rest of me in waves as rapid as those that surrounded us, becoming a molten force that made me tremble, twitch, groan.

his breathing became harsh, his tempo more urgent. his fierceness pushed me into a place where only sensation existed, and then he pushed me beyond it.

he came with me, his teeth entering my neck at the same time, sharpening and prolonging the orgasm, until my body was trembling with exhaustion and utter satisfaction.