152
"Honestly, that would be the best outcome of this situation," grunted Viktor, clearly not happy. I really couldn't blame him for that. Everyone but Mike was thinking the same thing in their heads, me included.
The way the victims were killed makes it look like a monster killing, but since it was likely that the victims and the killer met in the hospital, one of the only other conclusions was that the killer wasn't working alone.
"The killer could have an accomplice," I explained. "One that would pick out the victims for the killer based on some sort of criteria."
"Looks, age, gender, and race are off the table," grunted Mike. "The victims span the board, touching almost every segment of society."
"Then it must be because of their blood or internal organs," mused Mathew. "We all know that organs make a killing on the black market. Maybe someone is picking the victims based on their resale value."
"No monster would be interested in their resale value," disagreed Dom. "Vamps would be more interested in drinking the blood than selling it."
"I hate to interrupt, but I think there is something that you might have overlooked," spoke up Michael from where he stood in the corner of the room, hidden by the shadows. "Angels visit the hospital on a daily basis. In fact, I don't think I know a single one without at least ten to fifteen angels inside of them."
Now, it was my turn to lean back in my chair and stare.
It was one of those statements that seemed both really obvious and impossible at the same time. People claimed that they had seen angels all the time when they were close to death, and it usually was just dismissed. However, the six Houses should have taken those accounts a lot more seriously than we had.
Nicholas scoffed but didn't say anything.
"There are actual angels in hospitals?" asked Mike. "I thought people were…religious nuts."
"Some of them are. But our form of nourishment for our monster is pain and suffering," shrugged Michael like he didn't just blow all of our minds. "We go in and get what we need to consume before leaving. Some claim that they can see our wings, but our true form isn't anything like that."
"You guys don't have the giant white wings and robes?" smirked Nicholas, taking a sip from the glass in front of him. "Pity."
"No more than you have horns, hooves, and a tail," shot back Michael, glaring at my brother.
"I'd rather have horns than eyes all over my body," mused Viktor as he looked at his fingers. "I mean, that is what they say, right? That you have six wings and eyes all over?"
Michael narrowed his eyes and stepped back into the shadows. It was like he was embarrassed about what his monster looked like. But that wasn't possible, right?
"Oh, shut it, you two," I growled, looking at Nicholas and Viktor. "At least he was helpful."
Taking in a deep breath, I ignored the not-so-subtle knocking on the door. "Now that we have a starting point, I can show my face in the hospital a few times and see if anyone is of interest."
"Nope," grunted Greyson. "We need to come up with another method. I can have a team in the hospital within an hour if necessary."
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but you are a bit out of your jurisdiction, General," said Mike, not impressed that the military would be coming in. Then again, cops were more territorial than any monster I had ever come across.
Greyson just smiled without taking it personally. That was one of the things I liked most about that man. Besides his outstanding looks, he was utterly unflappable, always looking for solutions to problems rather than exasperating them.
And with all the testosterone in this room, that quality was a godsend.
"I didn't mean to step on any toes; I was just letting you know that I have a team that can help… off the books. I am sure that you are hurting for boots on the street, and I wanted to offer you other options," answered Greyson.
See! Fantastic. No small digs, no snide comments. Nothing.
Mike visibly relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. "I am good right now. I do have a whole team on this in the homicide unit."
Greyson nodded his head. "The wife of one of my soldiers is in the Sinai. It wouldn't look out of place for me to go there with my wife to visit her."
My face broke out into a smile, and I no longer cared that I was dressed like a cupcake when I launched myself out of my chair to hug him. "Thank you!" I smiled, reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm sure that I could maim someone in my pack enough that they could go to the hospital," grumbled Mathew as he looked up at me.
"Puppy dog eyes don't work nearly as well with me as you might think," I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him. "Especially when the person giving them is really a wolf in human clothes."
"Besides, you said it yourself: most of those from the Houses avoid hospitals for good reasons," added Greyson. "I wouldn't want you to put yourself in jeopardy like that. I mean, there has to be some benefits to being human."
"I can take the risk," assured Mathew, waving away Greyson's concern. "I think that in this situation, it would be best if you had backup."
"You are right," interjected Levi, the only other human amongst my men. "They should have backup, just in case something happens. Besides, Greyson is just as likely to be taken as Natalia, and if that happened, we wouldn't want her left by herself."
"So, it's decided. I'll let you get back to your party, and I'll give you a call tomorrow," interrupted Mike as he stood up. Picking up all of the files from around my desk, he then opened the door just as an enraged Stephanie stormed into my office.
Oh, right…
The ball…