“You’re saying I can’t defend myself against a shifter?”

“I’m saying I can’t let it come to that. If I have to handcuff you to keep you in the car, I will.”

Robyn’s brows rose in challenge. “You’re welcome to try.”

I drove in silence for the next five minutes, trying to decide whether locking her in the car for her own protection would be worth whatever hell she would unleash upon me afterward. She would forgive me. I had to believe that. The most important thing was that she live through this.

When we pulled into the parking lot behind Spencer’s apartment building, she reached for her door handle.

“Hang on a sec.” I leaned over to pop open the glove box and pulled out a set of handcuffs, each end already open and ready.

“Why—? You bastard!” She shouted as I slapped one open cuff around her wrist. Before she could launch herself into the parking lot, I slapped the other cuff around my steering wheel. “You actually have handcuffs?”

“I’m sorry, Robyn.” Though clearly not as sorry as I would be very, very soon. “I know this isn’t the most gallant solution, but I swore I’d protect you, and you’re making that difficult.”

“You haven’t seen difficult yet!” she shouted as I got out of the car and closed the door. “And you haven’t even begun to be sorry!”

“Call me if…anything goes wrong.” I shoved back guilt as I jogged down the sidewalk toward building C. I could not lead her into a confrontation with a murderer.

Spencer’s apartment was one of two on the top floor of his building. I took the steps two at a time, then knocked on his door. When there was no reply, I knocked again. Then I broke the lock with one twist of the knob and pushed right through the deadbolt, splintering the frame.

“Spencer?” I glanced around a small, neat living room and a tiny, galley-style kitchen. Three doors opened into the main area, and at least one of those would be a closet. I was still debating which of the other two to try first when the one on the left opened.

“Titus? What the hell, man?” Spencer held a bat at the ready. As if he’d forgotten he could rip a man’s arm from its socket with his bare hands, now that he was a shifter.

“Put the bat down, before I break it over your head.” My voice was half-growl.

“What?” Spencer blinked, evidently struggling to hold me in focus, but he dropped the bat without hesitation. “What are you doing here?” His gaze flicked past me toward the front of the room. “Did you break my door?”

“Where’s my brother?”

“I don’t know. What…?” He blinked heavily, then rubbed both eyes with the heels of his palms. “I have to be at work soon, and I have to get some sleep.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I kicked the door closed behind me, but it swung open again with a soft squeal. “You’re going to tell me where my brother is and why you killed Leland Blum, and maybe I’ll let you live.”

“What the fuck, man?” Spencer leaned against his bedroom doorframe, and swept one hand over his short cropped black curls. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you on something? Do you want to lie down?”

“I’m not fucking high, Spencer!” Blood pumped through my veins too quickly, and pressure began to build in my head. My hands curled into fists, and I fought to keep them at my side. “I just want to know where my brother is!”

“I don’t know! I’ve never met your damn brother!”

The sound of fury that ripped its way up my throat was like no other sound I’d ever made in human form. Spencer stumbled backward and lowered his head in a feline stance of submission and respect.

Which was strange, coming from someone who’d had so little respect for my authority that he was willing to infect my brother and kill a newly infected stray.

“I think he’s telling the truth.”

I spun to the left, careful to keep Spencer in my sight, and found Robyn standing in the doorway. My steering wheel hung from the cuffs still fastened around her left wrist, dangling below her knee.

“Damn it, Robyn! You pulled off the steering wheel?”

“It was that, or chew off my own hand, so…” She shrugged, and the wheel bobbed with the movement. “I think Spencer’s telling the truth.” She pointed at him with her unencumbered right hand. “That’s the face of a man whose nap was rudely interrupted, not the face of a man who killed someone, then stupidly went back to his own apartment to hide.”

“She’s right.” Spencer cleared his throat, and I turned to him as Robyn stepped inside and pushed the front door closed. Then pulled a chair in front of it to hold it closed. “Some asshole at work scheduled me for the eleven-to-seven tonight, and I knew I’d never make it without some sleep, so I blew off the last half of my afternoon shift.”

“And you’ve been here the whole time?” I studied his expression, looking for even a hint of a lie.

“Yeah. And I’d still be asleep if it weren’t for…” Spencer frowned, glancing from Robyn to me. “What is this, anyway? You think I killed your brother?”

“No, he thinks you infected Justus and killed another stray.” Robyn propped the steering wheel on an end table. “Do you happen to have a hacksaw?”

“No, sorry. But you’re welcome to sit.” Spencer cautiously crossed the room in front of me and sat on the end of the couch opposite Robyn. Leaving me the arm chair. But I remained standing.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” I demanded, while Spencer dug through the drawer in his end table.

“Because I was sleeping. I put my phone on silent.” He dug something small from the drawer and looked up at me. “I’m allowed to do that, because I’m not an enforcer, ergo I’m never on call for the Pride.” He handed what turned out to be a paperclip to Robyn, whose eyes lit up.

“Thanks! It’s been a while since I had to do this the hard way.” She slid the paperclip into the lock mechanism and began gently twisting it.

I made a mental note to ask, once this was all over, how and why she knew how to break out of handcuffs.

“Okay, wait a minute.” I finally sank into the armchair and suddenly felt so tired I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get up again. “If you didn’t infect my brother or kill Leland Blum, who did?”