The police officer nodded. “We have everything we need. You’re free to go.”

As Bubba headed for his SUV, Officer Davis stopped him. “Burdette, let us do our job. There’s no need for you to get involved in this. We’ll find her.”

Fury darkened Bubba’s eyes. “You better. Otherwise this isn’t going to be a mugging and missing persons report. It’ll be a homicide investigation, and I can assure you, you won’t ever find a body.”

“Boy, you better remember you’re talking to law enforcement.”

A sinister smile curved Bubba’s lips. “Yeah. I know. Same law enforcement that never caught the ones who killed my wife and son. And that ain’t happening to Nick. He don’t deserve that. Not while I’m here to stop it. So you better find whoever did this before I do. ’Cause I promise you, there won’t be enough left of them to ID when I get my hands on them. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to check on my friends and let them know I’m here for them.”

Horrified and trembling over what he was seeing and hearing, Nick couldn’t breathe as he watched Bubba get into his SUV and drive off.

Someone had taken his mom? For real?

“I’m so sorry, Nick.”

Unable to cope with it all, he barely registered Kody’s heartfelt words. His mind was whirling too fast. Unlike the police and Bubba, he knew they weren’t looking for human perps. A human would never have gotten past Mark. His friend was too well trained and skilled for that.

No. This had the stink of supernatural all over it.

Was that why Caleb was sick? Why the weather was so bad? Why that crazy demon had come after him in the ambulance and the killer mosquitos had attacked?

Had it all been a distraction? Something to keep them away from Nick’s home so that his enemies could draw her out of their protected condo and kidnap his mom?

Would they dare, knowing that once Nick had her free of their grasp, he’d tear them to pieces?

Messing with the Malachai was a dark, dangerous thing for anyone to do. Especially when Nick didn’t have full control over that part of himself. More like the Malachai controlled him right now, which made him akin to Cujo on steroids, with a Godzilla complex.

Whenever it broke free, there was always a chance that he might not recover and that it would take him over completely. That he’d never be him or human again. While Noir might think he could control him, Nick wouldn’t play that bet. If the ancient god couldn’t control his father back in the days when the god had more strength, odds were he’d never be able to leash the Ambrose beast now that Noir had spent countless centuries growing weaker.

But none of that mattered right now. Only his mom did.

Nick winced as panicked fear for her consumed him. How could this have happened? They purposefully kept his home shielded. No one should have been able to find his mother. No one knew he was the Malachai. Or even where he lived.