Summary: Ryan Wolfe is investigating the death of a young woman and finds that it connects to six other deaths. What he finds shocks him but leads him straight to the killer. Ryan needs to pull any sources he has to solve the case and keep his life. Will Ryan be able to get out of this with the help of his new friend and Eric?

A/N: Slight supernatural theme, AU, Slash but not so much in this one. Starting a new series, let me know how it is, I haven't written in a while.

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Hands around his drink, green-specked hazel eyes glanced around the room. He was searching for someone, but he wasn't exactly sure who yet. He glanced at the bar thinking that bartender could give him the information he was looking for, but also noted that there were too many people around that could easily eaves drop on their conversation. He wasn't exactly confident in coming here in the first place, knowing that the case sounded peculiar, crazy even.

He ran his hand through his hair while he thought, an increasingly bad habit that he was never able to drop. He found that he often did it when he was nervous or upset, or just plain flustered. He glanced back at the bar and let out a breath, knowing that he was probably going to have stay in the club until it died down. Another sleepless night lay ahead of him, and he had an appointment with someone he hoped could give him answers, or at least tell him if he was going crazy. Ryan was hoping for a simple explanation to everything.

He sighed and dropped his head on the table in front of his glass. The music was loud and the crowd was large so he didn't hear when someone sat down across from him. He wasn't aware of the other presence until the drink he had been nursing since he stepped into the bar almost three hours previous. Ryan's head shot up and he blinked when he saw a woman take a sip and smile at him.

"Hey there, tiger. I haven't seen you in here before." She set the drink back down, but this time kept it in front of her instead of returning it to Ryan.

"How would you know? Are you here a little too much?" Ryan tried to play it cool and reached back to reclaim his drink but she held it just out of reach.

"Oh, honey," she smiled. "I hope you know you just outed yourself. I'm a performer here, I'm here four nights a week, at least." She took another drink. "You have interesting taste you know? Most men just order a beer, scotch. You, no, you're different." She swirled the drink in the glass, obviously knowing what she was doing. "Also I can tell, judging by the state of your Red Lotus, that this is only your first drink. And you've been here a while. What are you looking for sweety?" She leaned across the table this time to get a better look at him.

Ryan blinked a little as she spoke. Was he really that easy to read? Or maybe it was just because she's been here a long time? Yeah, that had to be it. She's been here for a while and knows the difference between a drunk man and someone who had come to a bar for this first time. "Just looking for a little fun, some time to knock back stress, you know."

The woman laughed and leaned back, her long black hair falling against her chest and shoulders. Her pale blue eyes sparkled with secrets as she eyed Ryan. "First timers don't come to a club like this. Trust me, you know what you came here for the minute you walked through that door. Now maybe I can help you, I've been here longer than the barkeep up there." Ryan's eyes glanced back towards the still bustling bar. "Yeah, I know you've been eyeing him all night. He won't be able to give you much information at all. So, lay it on me big boy." She smirked as she twisted in the chair, finding a comfortable position, crossing her long legs easily, the slit of her dress falling to reveal soft and tanned thighs.

But Ryan's eyes weren't caught by the sight of her legs like most men would be, and some men were as they passed. He kept looking into her eyes, when he broke it was to run his hand through his hair once more and let out a soft sigh. She slid the drink back over to Ryan, thinking that he might need it now. "I'm here to ask some questions about a murder." She raised her eyebrows slightly.

"You a cop?" Her voice took a slight defensive tone to it and he merely shook his head. "Maybe we should take this conversation to somewhere more private." She stood up, motioning for him to follow. Ryan stood up but didn't follow her right away.

"Hang on, how do I know you can answer any of my questions? I mean what if you're just leading to kick me out, or leading me to kill me or something." Ryan was a little taken aback when she laughed again. She turned to face him, a look of amusement on her face.

"We're going to have to work on that imagination of yours, it's very limited." She took his hand this time and led him through the throngs of patrons towards the back. Through the 'Employees Only' door and down a dimly lit hallway, he was led through what he had to think was her dressing room, or office. He had expected to see a vanity set loaded with makeup and jewelry boxes, a large closet full of clothes for her performances. There was a closet, but vanity set, although there was a separate bathroom, so perhaps that were she kept all her beauty supplies. There was a nice deep purple velvet love seat and she took a seat in it, patting the seat next to her gently. Ryan decided to take a seat in the lone chair that was placed to the side, facing the loveseat. She feigned a hurt look but shrugged and leaned back.

"Now, you asked a murder, hm?" She actually sounded interested in what Ryan had to say, and he was a little thrown to be honest.

"Yeah. It's come to my attention that this was the last place she was seen right before was killed." Ryan took a small notepad out from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Ever the detective, he had taken meticulous notes when he talked to the mother of the deceased woman. "Her name was Heather Tillsend, and she frequented this bar often." The woman made a soft noise and he looked up at her. "Actually, I don't think I ever got your name."

The woman smiled at him, as if she were waiting for the question, and was more than willing to answer the question for him. "Kendrel Wilson, but everyone calls me Kandy. And I mean everyone, even the manager of this bar." She then planted curious eyes back on him. "And what's your name, Detective?"

"Wolfe, Ryan. And I'm not a detective, I work alone." He stated, almost cursing himself for not coming up with an alias, just in case. He was always a friend of caution, but this woman was different, he wasn't sure how but he could tell. Call it instinct.

"Well, Mr. Wolfe," she smirked at the formality of his name. "I'm not good with a lot of names, although that one does familiar. What did she look like, I'm better with looks, I've seen a multitude of people in my lifetime."

Ryan what kind of lifetime she was talking about, she appeared to still be in her twenties, mid-twenties if he was judging by her looks. "Short blonde hair, green eyes, stood about 5' 6'', wasn't shy about anything." He used the exact words the grieving mother had spoken to him. "Liked to come in here all the time, was a friend with all the staff and most of the patrons, this true?"

"The fulltime staff, yes. I'm only part time," Kandy claimed. "But I know who your talking about. When did she die?"

"Last night, around two in the morning."

Kendrel made a thoughtful noise and tapped her chin with one delicate finger, nails of course perfectly manicured and painted a bright pink color. "She left the bar around 1:45, left with a guy. I should know because I finished my set at 1:30, and I always hang around afterwards to get my free drinks and to chat up the patrons. I get better tips that way," she smirked and Ryan merely rolled his eyes. Yeah, he was pretty sure she did get better tips. "The man was eyeing me before he found her. He was tall, a little pale, like he lived for the night life. Cropped black hair with light hazel nut eyes, almost yellow if you caught them in the right light. He put the moves on her quick, let me tell you." She flipped her hands around a little to emphasize the point of her words. "She walked up strung as high as kite, head over heels for someone she had just met that night."

Ryan was writing everything she said down, word for word in his tiny notepad. Kandy watched him with interest as he scribbled across the pad and shook her slightly. Something about him amused her and she hoped to she would be able to see him again. She thought that she would if she had any inkling of what he was really getting himself into.

"Do you know his name? Did he come to this club often too?" Now she could tell this was the part where took his job seriously. He would have gotten nothing from the bartender if he had waited.

"Nope, hadn't seen him before that. Didn't mean that he didn't come on my nights off, though. I doubt it, though, I see most of the patrons that frequent this joint." She was proud in the fact that she knew people.

"Alright, thank you Miss Wilson," Ryan closed the pad and slid it back into his pocket along with the pen he had been writing with and moved to leave. Kendrel blinked and got up too and quickly caught up with him, putting her hand on the door knob over his, preventing him from turning it.

"What's the big rush? Just going to leave that quickly?" She batted her eyelashes at him and he just looked at her, seemingly unfazed. This time she was thrown back. No one, male or female, had been able to dismiss the action and the look that was in her eyes. Suddenly she smirked at him and a small frown crossed his face.

"I can't read you. Why the sudden change in attitude?" Ryan tried to move her hand but they stayed in the position they were in. She squeezed his hand gently and took it from the door knob holding it in her own. Her other hand went out and took his free hand and held them in front of her.

"We rarely get ones like you in here, but I can spot them almost immediately. You, though, have once again surprised me, Ryan." She said his name affectionately, but like a protective older sister this time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ryan tried to pull his hands back but she wouldn't let go. He hold was gentle but forceful at the same time, something he was sure she had practiced in her time here.

She let out a gentle laugh her eyes sparkled when she looked back at him. "You don't swing for my team, sweety. I mean, not that I have been propositioned for something that before, but you're different." She smiled when she the blush creep up into his cheeks at being discovered. "Oh no, you only swing for one team. I wonder, have you ever been with a woman?" She peered at him closely, trying to read his reaction.

Ryan lowered his head looking down, feeling his cheeks warm quickly. "Uh, just once really. One drunken night in college." He said softly waiting for the laughter to come from the woman in front of him. He was surprised when he heard nothing and lifted his head. She was instead smiling warmly at him, and this was reflected in her touch still on his hands.

"Listen, if you have anymore questions," she reach inside his jacket pocket and pulled the little notepad again and pen. She flipped to an empty page and started to write something down. "And I don't mean just about the murder. Questions about anything," she winked at him and put the tablet back in its place. "I know about more things than you think, and it'll probably come in handy soon, very soon."

Ryan blinked looking at her and just nodded. "Thank you, Kandy." She smiled at the use of her nickname and leaned forward kissing his cheek.

"I like you slick, don't be a stranger around here. Okay?" Ryan found himself smiling slightly and nodded and left the room a great deal more comfortable than he had been when he initially walked into the room.

When he left the club he looked around. He noticed that although the club was rather popular there were easily a dozen places that someone could hide, or take someone to. He walked around the side of the building and looked down the alley that Heather Wilson had been killed in. He looked around for anyone watching and ducked into the alley. There was no lighting in the small area so she could have easily been taken by surprise. He saw the outline of the body that the police had left before releasing the scene. Leaning down he could see in his mind's eye her body lying there on the ground after the attack. He got back up and carefully stepped around the outline and pulled out his flashlight to survey the area.

Ryan thought it was weird that was no blood on the ground. He'd ponder that theory after talking to his new informant tomorrow. He flashed a light on the dumpster that was no doubt where the attack had happened. Ryan had talked to the coroner before heading to Pretérito that evening. The victim had bruising on her arms from hands holding her down, but also had a bite mark on her neck, and the blood had been drained.

Ryan turned swiftly flashing his flashlight in front of him. The hairs on his arms had risen up while he was inspecting the alley, and he could feel eyes watching him. He didn't see anything, didn't hear anything, and that bothered him. He slowly turned back around towards the closed dumpster and ran his flashlight around it for anything that the police had missed.

Suddenly Ryan was pushed into the dumpster, the force pushing the air from his lungs out and leaving him breathless. He dropped his flashlight as he struggled to get a grip on the dumpster, finding it difficult with the hands pushing down on his shoulders. The grip of his attacker was surprising and strong, giving Ryan very little room to move. He froze when he felt hot breath by his ear.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed, chapters should come fairly quick, maybe every other day, sometimes maybe sooner. Let me know how I'm doing!