Page 28 of Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Just go in and be honest,” Burnett told Perry.

Chase stood by Burnett as he spoke to the shape-shifter.

“What are we doing? Good cop, bad cops? I’m nice to him, and then you two beat him up?” Perry asked.

Chase heard concern in Perry’s voice, and obviously so did Burnett.

“We’re not treating him as a hostile… yet, ” Burnett said. “If he talks, we’ll go extra easy on him.”

Chase wasn’t sure he agreed with that, but he didn’t think he had the right to argue.

“Okay,” Perry nodded at Chase. The quick duck of the head didn’t come with any friendly pretense. The way Chase saw it, Perry was probably friends with Steve.

“Go with Trisha.” Burnett motioned to the agent who walked up. “She’ll show you the way.”

“Congratulations,” Trisha said, meeting Chase’s gaze.

“Thank you.” Chase shook the agent’s hand, a real sense of pride filling his chest. He’d signed the papers. It was official. Chase Tallman was an FRU agent. He’d even be given a badge and a couple of black suits. Not that Chase wanted to wear them. But the badge, yeah, he kind of liked having it. It felt nice to… belong to something.

Sure, he’d belonged to the council, but it hadn’t been so much his decision as it had been Eddie’s. This was his own doing. This was, Chase realized, his first real job.

Not that he needed money. His parents had left him with more money than he knew what to do with. But then again, this wasn’t just a job. It was a career. It was something that would probably define his life from now until he was ready to retire.

It hadn’t been anything like a ceremony, but in a small way it had felt like it to him. Part of him wished Della had been there. Because she should have been. Their lives were connected.

He recalled the conversation with Steve, and the one with Della earlier. You still have a choice. He hadn’t lied to her, she did, but damn it, it was his mission in life to make sure she chose him.

“Welcome to the team,” another agent called out.

Chase nodded, but realized the one person who hadn’t congratulated him was the one walking at his side right now: Burnett.

Was he still thinking about their earlier conversation about Chase’s trip to Hell’s Pit? The conversation had stuck with Chase, too. As much as he hated admitting it, Burnett had been right. Chase did feel invincible. No one had been more shocked than him when he’d felt that makeshift knife slice into his back. If it hadn’t been for the ghost, Chase wasn’t sure he’d have gotten out alive.

“I plan on making you proud,” Chase said to Burnett.

“Do that by staying alive,” Burnett said, confirming that Chase had been right about the man’s thoughts.

“I will,” Chase said as they walked back into the room where they’d left Della.

Della, phone to her ear, looked back at them and then down, as she held up one finger. “Yes. I shouldn’t be too late. I’ll stop by.”

Chase tuned his ear to listen, hoping to hear who Della had made plans with and fearing it would be the good doctor, Steve.

“Great,” a feminine voice answered. “Bring Chase with you.”

He recognized Della’s cousin’s voice. Chase really liked Natasha and her boyfriend Liam. And remembering Perry’s cold shoulder, he was glad to know he had friends.

Della looked up at him. He nodded at her to let her know it was a go for him, but she still said, “We’ll see.”

What the hell?

“Look, I’d better go now,” Della continued. “I’ll see you in bit. Oh, and again, I’m thrilled things worked out.”

“Me too,” Natasha said. “Don’t forget to come by; I can’t wait to see you.”

“I’ll be there.” Della hung up.

“You ready to do this?” Della motioned to Sam behind the window.

“Perry’s going in first,” Burnett said. “Then Chase and I.”

“Not me?”

“I think we have this,” Burnett said.

Chase saw Della flinch, but she tried to rein her frustrations in. She was constantly doing that. Except with him. She didn’t hold back with him. At least not with anger.

“Perry stepped out for air,” Della said.

“Just met him in the hall.” Burnett paused and glanced back at Chase. “Meanwhile, Mr. Tallman has just made it official. He’s an agent. Got his badge, suits, and everything.”

Della smiled at Chase, and it looked genuine—the kind of smile that reached her eyes, and made them twinkle a little brighter. He wanted to see that a hell of a lot more. See her happy, worry-free.

And he would, his gut told him. Just as soon as the problems with her father were resolved.

“Congratulations, Mr. Tallman,” Della said, her voice sounding sincere.

“Thank you.” If Burnett weren’t in the room, Chase would have moved in for a kiss, because he’d learned that whenever she allowed herself to smile, it meant her guard was down. And only then did she let him close.

What he wouldn’t give to knock that guard down for good. While he knew he needed to be patient, he couldn’t deny growing frustrated.

“It feels nice,” he said, and held out his hand, hoping a handshake would curb his desire for a kiss.

It looked as if she wasn’t going to accept it when he literally saw her guard go back up. But she slipped her hand into his. He took advantage of the moment and gently ran his thumb over her knuckles, hoping she felt that same spark of something wonderful that he did. Touching her was like sticking his finger into a happy socket. Nothing made him feel more alive.

From the quick way she retrieved her hand and the way her eyes widened, he knew she felt the electricity too. So why the hell was she fighting it?

Then through the two-way mirror, Chase saw Perry walk in and sit down across from his cousin, Sam. The two of them looked enough alike to be brothers.

“They send you in here to soften me up?” Sam asked.

“Maybe,” Perry said. “Look, you gotta tell them what you know, or you’re going to go down for a lot of shit.”

“I didn’t do anything but break into that school. What? Is that gonna get me sentenced to life?” Sarcasm rang from the guy’s voice.

“Don’t you get it?” Perry asked, his eyes turning gold. “You were helping that Stone guy, and that means you’ll be responsible for everything he did too. And from what I hear he’s a murderer.”

“Whoa. I didn’t hurt anyone. And hell, yeah, he’s a badass. And if I talk, he’ll come after me.”

“Then tell them what they want to know and let them catch him. If you go to jail, you know this guy is gonna think you’ll crater and talk. If he’s half as bad as you think he is, he has friends in low places. He’ll have you killed. Do you want to die?”

***

Thanks to Perry, it only took Chase and Burnett a few minutes to get the shape-shifter to spill his guts.

“I met the guy at the Get-Along Bar. It’s known to be friendly to half-breeds such as myself. He was vampire, but had a slightly weird pattern like… he had a bit of something else in him. He said his name was Michael Higby, but someone else told me he also went by Stone. I heard he hired a lot of down-on-their-luck bar patrons to do grunt work for him. That’s how I got here. But rumor had it he has a gang called the Bastards.”

“What kind of gang is it?” Burnett asked.

“I don’t know. Like I said, he was… vampire… Mostly, anyway. He approached me and said he needed a shape-shifter to break into a school. I was to spy on a—” He looked at Chase. “You. He wanted to know what you were doing at that school. It didn’t sound illegal. I thought you were like his long-lost kid or something. I was just trying to reunite a family, you know?”

“Just warms my heart,” Chase said, not so warmly.

“What does this guy look like?”

“He’s forty-something. Over six feet. Hasn’t let himself go to pot. Has brown hair and, like I said, has that pattern that’s just a little different.” He exhaled. “That’s all I know, so can I go now?”

“Uh, no,” Chase said.

Sam frowned. “But I didn’t do anything. I mean, yeah, I snuck into the school, but Higby or Stone or whatever you want to call him set it up. All I had to do was fly over the fence when he told me to.”

“And how did you mess with our electricity?” Burnett asked.

“He had one of his other grunt workers do something with the power lines outside your school. I… didn’t hurt anyone.”

“What info did you report back to him?” Chase asked.

“None,” the kid said.

Chase and Burnett looked at him in disbelief.

“I didn’t. I swear. You can check my phone. I was going to, but I got sidetracked by that chick. Then I saw my long-lost cousin.”

“What chick?” Burnett asked. “Did someone else come in with you?”

“No, the one that was there. Dark hair, vampire. Nice ass.”

Chase let out a growl.

The kid gave them a telephone number and the address of the bar.

“So what now?” Sam asked. “Can I leave?”

“Not yet,” Burnett said. “I’m sending in a sketch artist. Then I think we’ll keep you here for a few days.”

“But I told you all I know,” Sam said.

“Yes,” Burnett said, “but we may need you to help us snag him.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

“You didn’t seem to like the idea of prison, either,” Burnett said.

Sam frowned. “I might as well be in prison. Why don’t you let me go back to that school? Has nicer scenery.” He smiled. “Especially that girl with the hot ass. Was her name Delia, or something like that?”

“You’re staying here,” Chase ordered.

Burnett walked up to Sam and held out his hand.

“What?” the kid said.

“Your phone,” Burnett said.

“Will I get it back?” Sam asked.

Burnett didn’t answer, and he and Chase walked out. The older vamp stopped and typed on his phone as if sending a text.

He looked at Chase. “You ever heard of that gang, the Bastards?”

“Never,” Chase said. “You?”

“No, which is strange, because we know the ones out there. But I’ll put out some feelers and see if we’ve got a new one in town.”

Another agent met them in the hall. Burnett handed him the phone. “Text me as soon as you have something.”

“Maybe it was just Stone’s way of impressing the kid,” Chase said, seeing the agent with the phone hurry away.

“I hope so.”

“Like I said before, I could leave the school and lessen the chance of—”

“Not yet.” Burnett’s cell phone dinged with a text. After checking it, he looked up at Chase. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” Chase followed Burnett down the hall. “You want me to go check out that bar?”

“No,” Burnett said. “He knows what you look like. I’ve already got two agents on the way there. We’re going to the morgue.”

Chase’s steps faltered and just like that a fine sheen of sweat popped out around his neck. Well, shit! Not fifteen minutes after signing his contract, he wondered if it was too soon to resign.

***

“Are we going to the bar?” Della asked when Burnett walked back into the room. As far as Della was concerned, it was the best lead they had on Stone.

“No, I’ve got Trish and Shawn going there,” Burnett said.

“But—”

“No,” Burnett said. “And before you ask, I’ve got two agents checking out the telephone number. Meanwhile, they’ve finished the autopsy of the three weres. Perry’s staying here; I thought we could all head over there.”

“Why don’t I go see if I can find any info on the Bastards gang?” Chase offered.

“I’ve got that covered too,” Burnett said. “And you’re on light duty. When we’re done at the morgue, you can go with Della to see Natasha.”

Della noted Chase’s frown. “He doesn’t have to come with me,” Della said.

“It’s a full moon,” Burnett said. “No one goes out alone.”

***

A short ride later, Della walked into the morgue with Chase and Burnett. They walked past the front desk and down a white hall that looked and smelled almost too sterile. He pushed open a heavy door and entered another room. A colder room.

A woman in a white coat stood in the room tapping on a computer. She looked back, and Della saw her witch pattern. Burnett did quick introductions that brought nods.

“Tell me you’ve got something for me,” Burnett said.

“I’ve got something.” She smiled. “A few hairs. I’ve already sent them off. Definitely were-related, and I got a few bite marks that we might be able to use. I just uploaded them.” She motioned Burnett closer.

Della didn’t follow. Instead, she stayed where she was and visually took in the room. Behind the woman were three tables, presumably holding the three young weres. The bodies were draped and covered with white sheets.

The shapes of the bodies reminded her of seeing her cousin’s body in that tarp before they lowered it into the grave. Or was it the smell, she wondered, that took her back? Had Chan’s body and tarp still carried this astringent smell of the morgue?

She inhaled, trying to push the cold, the smell, and the pain away. Then as always, her chest stirred with guilt for moving past the biggest portion of the grief.

She heard Chase shift, standing to her right. When she took in his face, she almost gasped. His complexion matched the sheets.

While it felt good knowing she wasn’t the only one feeling vulnerable, she was surprised. Chase had worked with the council for almost two years; surely he’d seen death before.

“Chase and I are going to wait outside,” Della spoke up and caught Chase’s arm before she gave Burnett a chance to answer. Chase resisted only for a second, then walked out with her.

“New on the job, huh?” she heard the woman say before the door swished closed.

Della stopped in the hall. Chase pulled away and didn’t even look at her. He leaned against the white wall and closed his eyes.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Fine,” he said, his tone as cold as the air that had been in the room.

“You sure?” she asked when he didn’t open his eyes.

“I said I was fine,” he snapped.

“But you look—”

“Friggin’ hell, would you drop it!” He pushed off the wall and started out.

She stood there for a few seconds, trying to decide if she was more angry at his reaction or more worried. Worry won and she took off after him.

She found him leaning against Burnett’s car.

The night had chased away every sliver of color from the sky, but the full moon shone down brightly, giving the parking lot an almost silver glow.

He saw her, and his mutterings of some four-letter words reached her ears, making it clear she wasn’t welcome. She didn’t give a rat’s ass, and she kept on walking toward him.