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I shook my head. “Thanks, Peter, but no. You don’t have to do that. I called the security company and they’re sending technicians out tomorrow morning with new equipment. I’ll be fine.”

“And your gun?”

“Upstairs in my nightstand.”

He smiled, seeming pleased with that response. “Good. That’s good. Have you heard from Rhodes or Hutch?”

“No. Still nothing.”

Peter made a face, but he opted to keep his thoughts to himself. He didn’t have to though because I already knew what he was thinking—that Karl was guilty.

“It’ll be okay, Char. I know it may not seem like it, but everything will work out the way it should.”

I snorted and crossed my arms against my chest. That was easy for him to say when it wasn’t his life and career being sucked down the drain. While he may have broken me down and convinced me to spill the beans about Karl, he was still in the dark about my suspension and that I was proceeding with these investigations in secret. Hell, there was a lot Peter still didn’t know. The truth would come out eventually, but regardless of how much I trusted Peter, I couldn’t trust him with this. If he discovered what I was up to, he’d turn me in. I just knew he would.

“All I’m saying is that silence isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I know they found Karl’s DNA, but if the search was a bust, then they’re all probably scrambling around trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Hutch or Rhodes would’ve called you if they’d found something, right?”

“I would like to think so.”

“Then there you go,” he said through a gentle smile. “I’d say that’s a good sign, wouldn’t you?”

He was right.

Well, maybe…

Possibly.

“Thanks, Peter. Are you okay to drive home or would you like me to order you an Uber?”

“I’ll be fine. I only had a few beers and I’m not even buzzed.” He stepped away from the door, and I met him halfway, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “Get yourself some rest, Char. I’ll text you when I’m home.”

I thanked him again and then opened the door, staying put until I knew he was safely inside his car. When he was gone, I shut the door and armed the security system, just to blow out a huge breath of relief as I marched across the living room and into the kitchen to grab my phone, swaying a little from the alcohol. With still no word, not even so much as a damn text from Spike or Phoenix, I called Phoenix first, then Spike.

A low growl shook through my chest when I was forwarded to voicemail both times.

Saying fuck it, I went upstairs to take a shower, and when I stepped out, wrapping my bath robe around me and tying it in a knot at my waist, my body went stiff at the sound of heavy rapping against my front door. My phone was on the bathroom counter, but I soon froze mid-reach after abruptly remembering my cameras were inoperable.

Shit.

Who the hell could be at my—

My eyes widened when a voice I immediately recognized as Phoenix resonated loud enough for me to hear from my upstairs bathroom.

“Charlotte,” he called again, and I was on the move, unarming the system and opening the door within less than a minute.

My breath was stolen as Phoenix’s mouth pressed against mine, his hands firmly snaking around my robe.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against my lips.

I opened my mouth, but my words fell short as Spike burst through the doorway and tugged me away from Phoenix, capturing my mouth with his.

“Harley has been a fucking nightmare,” he said when he parted from me.

“What happened?”

“It’s not good, Char,” Phoenix said while Spike hauled ass for the kitchen, examining the half gallon of booze Blaire brought over. “We found the bull mask, and Delilah’s mask at Karl’s apartment.”

I blinked at him, my eyes bugging fretfully wide. “What?”