A heavy weight settled in his chest, part remorse, part resignation.

He was halfway through his spaghetti when Claire gave a small gasp and looked up. “Woody’s,” she blurted, clutching her spoon tightly. “Lenny hung out at a place called Woody’s. A student mentioned seeing him there shortly before he attacked me. She said he was with some creepy older-looking guys.”

“Woody’s? In the Village?” he asked. Instead of relief that they now had a lead, he felt a flash of anger. “Why are you only now telling me this?”

“I just remembered,” she said in defense, shrugging. “It’s not as if I kept it from you on purpose.”

“ ’Course not,” he replied in a clipped tone, annoyed all over again and feeling suddenly validated. Maybe she would have remembered sooner if he hadn’t been busy getting her flat on her back. “Anything else you forgot to mention? Any silver-eyed students? A colleague exhibiting uncharacteristic aggression?”

Her eyes shot icy daggers at him. “Very funny.”

“Because it’s only your life on the line here.”

Claire’s voice trembled. “I’ve got more at stake here than you. Next time you’re worried about growing too attached to someone you might have to kill, remember that I’m the one needing the killing.”

She surged to her feet, her silver eyes shadowed with raw emotion. “I’ll be in my room getting a few things.”

Alone, he stared at her door, contemplating whether he should knock and check on her. Then he shook his head, hardening his heart. Distance, he reminded himself. It was the best thing. For both of them.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A dog’s instinct never fails.

—Man’s Best Friend: An Essential Guide to Dogs

The gun felt heavy in her hands. Heavier than the one she had purchased—the one she had intended to use on Gideon when she thought him a dangerous lunatic. Strange how things had changed in such a short time. She no longer thought him a lunatic. Just dangerous. And mostly to her heart.

“Standard NODEAL issue. Forty-four revolver. Custom-made silencer,” Gideon explained, stroking a finger along the barrel. “Cock the hammer with your thumb.”

Claire pulled the hammer back, the grinding click an oddly satisfying sound, empowering. A good feeling. Just what she needed for the night ahead.

They were venturing out to Woody’s. It was strange, but she felt tonight was it. The night they would find the alpha. The night she would be returned to herself. But perhaps that was just desperate hope.

“Then you just pull the trigger. Your aim doesn’t have to be great, just make sure you hit your target. The silver will do all the work.” Gideon nodded in approval as she repositioned the cold, hard steel in her hands and aimed at the wall of his living room. “Looks like you have some experience handling guns.”