One Eye Open. Karen Whiddon

the back. I nearly died. Now I want the ones who killed my family.”

      She swallowed. “Surely you don’t think Alex was part of that.”

      “Yeah, actually, I do.”

      She couldn’t believe it. There were a hundred reasons why Alex couldn’t be the killer he sought, but she couldn’t give him any of them.

      “Now.” With one hand on the steering wheel, he grasped her chin with the other. “I want the truth. Are those goons who shot at us and chased us Hades’ Claws?”

      Furious, Brenna tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “How would I know? If Alex is, as you say, involved with this gang, he wouldn’t let them endanger me.”

      His expression turned dark. “They want me dead. They should have killed me when they had the chance. Now they’ll have to wait until I’m done.”

      “Wait until—” She stared at him. “Are you saying you want to die?”

      “Not until I find the people who destroyed my life.”

      He hadn’t said no. What kind of man…? But she knew. He hurt. Like a wounded animal, Carson would seek death rather than continue to endure horrific pain.

      Shaken, she looked away. There was no way she could fathom such grief.

      “If you’re in on this, now’s your chance to come clean. I can get you government protection if you testify.”

      “I’m not in on anything. Alex would never…” She didn’t bother to finish.

      “I’ll shut up about it for now,” Carson finally said. “But if you’re not with them, you’re in danger. Hades’ Claws mean business.”

      This time she smiled. “I can take care of myself.”

      “Sure you can.” His mocking tone belied his words. “If you really are Alex’s sister, you’d be real good at looking out for number one.”

      Every time he spoke her brother’s name, she could taste the hostility.

      “I am his sister,” she said. “And if you knew him at all, you would understand why I can’t believe my brother killed your family.” The words stuck to her tongue. She tried again. “I don’t understand how you can think he did.”

      He spoke a vile word under his breath. In the dim light, his features appeared savage, so like one of her people at the moment of change that she stared.

      “Understand this, then. I was there. I was shot, but I saw Alex. He had a gun.”

      Chapter 2

      Stunned, Brenna swallowed. “Alex couldn’t,” she stammered, her words trailing off at the cynical certainty she read on his face.

      “The killing was a test to determine Alex’s loyalty. They said he passed with flying colors.”

      A sound escaped her, something between a plea and a moan. She had read about this case. “The newspapers said an unnamed biker.”

      “Innocent until proven guilty. How could you not know? You’re his sister.” He made the simple sentence sound like a curse. “Or so you claim.”

      He thought her brother was a murderer. Worse, he believed she knew and was lying through her teeth. Her throat felt tight, closed in. She couldn’t seem to get enough air. She forced herself to breathe deeply. To swallow then lift her head and look directly at Carson Turner, unflinching. Alex couldn’t have done what this man claimed.

      “There has to be some other explanation,” she said. “You were shot. In pain. Maybe you saw wrong. Alex isn’t a murderer.”

      Though in effect she’d just called him a liar, to his credit he didn’t threaten or sneer. He didn’t open the door and shove her out with a wave and a quick hasta la vista, baby. No, Carson did none of those things. He merely continued to regard her much like a wolf watches a rabbit caught in a snare, waiting for her to prove her statement.

      But she couldn’t, not in words he would believe. She hadn’t been there; she hadn’t seen her brother with a smoking gun. Carson had. Or thought he had.

      “What kind of trouble are you in?” Carson asked, breaking into her chaotic thoughts.

      Still silent, she shook her head, raising her hands, palms up, in a gesture meant to convey ignorance.

      His mouth twisted. “If you want me to help you, you’re gonna have to tell me.”

      Startled, she met his gaze. “Help me? Why would you do that?”

      “Because whoever you are, I’m stuck with you right now.” His sour tone left no doubt as to his feelings about the situation. “If you really are Alex’s sister, having you with me might help me get his attention. If you’re not,” he shrugged, “you still seem to care deeply for him. Either way, your being with me can’t hurt.”

      His eyes narrowed. “If you know something about the shooting or those guys in the Hummer, you’d better tell me now. Traveling with me is dangerous. You’re putting your own life in danger.”

      “No,” she told him. “I don’t know anything.” In more ways than one, she thought. Whatever Alex had gotten himself involved in, dangerous didn’t seem to begin to describe the situation.

      “Okay. I consider you warned.” He sounded oddly agreeable—pleasant, even—making her wonder if he used this tone on a daily basis to trick suspects under interrogation into admitting guilt.

      “You really think I’m a criminal.” She spoke her thoughts out loud.

      “The men in the Hummer weren’t with law enforcement.” He spoke as though he had no doubt. “Neither was the shooter.”

      She shook her head. “Hades’ Claws?”

      He snorted. “You tell me.”

      “Hey, I don’t even know them.” She could tell from Carson’s skeptical expression that he didn’t believe her. “Seriously, I never heard of Hades’ Claws until you mentioned them.”

      “How long have you been looking for your brother?”

      She narrowed her eyes. “A few months. I haven’t heard from him for six. Why?”

      “Surely you read the papers.”

      “Some.” She gave a halfhearted shrug. “But I don’t remember seeing anything about them.”

      He laughed then, lightening the grim atmosphere in the Tahoe. “Are you from around here?”

      “No. Upstate. I came down here looking for my brother. Why?”

      “Because they make the paper here all the time. Maybe your local paper isn’t interested.”

      “So they aren’t that bad?” Keeping her expression haughty, she resisted the urge to chew on her fingernail. This was a habit she’d broken in her teens, right after she’d passed the Pack tests that made her a full-fledged huntress. Odd that a habit she despised would try to resurface now.

      “Oh, they’re bad, all right. Unless you don’t count murder, smuggling—” he ticked the words off on his fingers “—illegal weapons, drugs and robbery as wrong.”

      “And they want to kill you,” she said softly.

      “Oh yeah. And even if you can’t get a grip on the idea that your brother is one of them, while you’re with me you’re a target, too.”

      “I’m not worried.” She ran her fingers through the back of her long hair, combing it out from force of habit. “As I’ve said, I can take care of myself.”

      “So you claim.” He lifted one shoulder in a quick shrug. “Either way, I have no intention of letting you out of my sight. So don’t