Page 43 of Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)

Chapter Forty-three

Della sat frozen as her uncle lowered the paper. His eyes, his face, all his features were a dead ringer for her dad. Every reason she disliked this man ran through Della’s mind, but her heart recalled how in the beginning she’d longed to know him. Longed to have a family member who would understand, who wouldn’t look at her like a monster.

She couldn’t speak.

He studied her. “You thought I was your father, didn’t you?”

Unable to lie—literally unable—she simply nodded.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” He smiled. “Would you like some tea?”

She shook her head, still trying to figure out what to say. Hell, what to feel.

“Does your father come here?” he asked.

She nodded.

“It brings back memories.” He looked around. “It hasn’t changed that much. That booth over there is where we did our homework. You father and I would climb on that lion. Mother used to scold us and say the lion would get one of us one day.” His gaze landed on the photo. “You know that’s your grandparents.”

His voice even sounded like her dad’s. Her chest tightened more.

“Why?” she forced that one word out. “Why didn’t you come to me earlier? Why did you send Chase and not come yourself? Why didn’t you save Chan?” Tears filled her eyes. “Why didn’t you go to the FRU when my father got arrested for murder? And why… why did you let Chase go see his parents in the morgue?”

He stared at his cup. “That’s a lot of questions.”

She brushed away a tear. “I deserve answers.”

He inhaled. “Where do I start?” He paused. “I did not come to you because you were connected to the FRU. I have reasons not to trust them.” He looked down again. “I wanted to save Chan.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Della sensed a decrease in the room temperature. She ignored it to listen.

“The last time I attempted to bond with someone, they died. My blood is no longer useful. Understand, it would have been unfair of me to ask Chase to bond with either of you. And I didn’t. One should only bond with someone you care about. You give up powers. You give up a part of your soul.”

Della recalled Chase telling her about Eddie’s wife, but she held back her words of sympathy and waited for him to continue.

He added a pack of sugar to his cup. Bits and pieces of tea leaves swirled on top. The spoon clinked against the cup. “I asked Chase to prepare you and Chan to face it on your own. Chase said Chan was too weak to survive even if someone bonded with him. It hurt Chase. He found you were strong. He felt you might survive it. But you intrigued that boy.” Her uncle smiled. “He would tell me some of your antics. I heard it in his voice. I knew he would do it, even before he knew.” He held up his cup. “He said going in that you were going to fight him. He had you pegged.”

Her uncle paused again. “Let’s see, what was your other question? Oh, yes. The morgue? Now there is a question I did not expect. But I like it, because it tells me you have stopped fighting the bond.”

“That is yet to be seen,” she said, remembering how Chase had pulled away again.

“Okay, how can I explain the morgue?” He looked up. “Not my brightest idea. But as someone who had to walk away from my family, I had no closure. So I offered him this choice.”

Feng picked up his tea and took a sip. “There, are you happy? Now I’d like to hear about—”

“You forgot one.”

He arched a brow.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Bao Yu sitting in the booth. The one they had done homework in, staring. Just staring. She was young, and had some books with her. Did she recognize Feng?

Pushing her aunt from her mind to focus on her uncle, she leaned forward. “Even if you don’t like the FRU, when my father got arrested for murder, why didn’t you step forward? All of this would have gone smoother. Instead of wasting our time looking for you, we could have been looking for Stone.”

“I told Chase that if it appeared my brother would be convicted, I’d come forward and confess to the crime myself. To the police, not the FRU. I’ve already figured out how to make it believable.”

Della sat there, her heart aching. “It would have been nice if Chase would have shared that with me.”

“He probably didn’t because he swore that wouldn’t happen.”

Della shook her head. It didn’t matter why. It was just another secret he’d kept from her. Another lie.

She met her uncle’s gaze. “What is Chase hiding from me now about his meeting with Kirk?”

Her uncle sat back. “What meeting with Kirk?”

Della looked at her uncle. “He really hasn’t spoken with you? You don’t know, do you?” At least he hadn’t lied about that.

“Know what?”

“Douglas Stone is Councilman Powell’s son. The whole council has known this for years.”

“No,” Feng said. “They wouldn’t… Kirk wouldn’t.”

Della saw the sense of betrayal in his eyes. They grew brighter.

“Why would I lie about it? And it gets worse. I think Kirk is trying to get Chase to do something. And I don’t like it.”

Her uncle threw a five-dollar bill on the table and shot up. He took one step and looked back at her. “You coming?”

“Where?”

“You want answers or not?”

***

Almost an hour into the drive, Della broke the apparent code of silence and asked, “Where are we going?”

Her uncle drove a gold Malibu. Nothing flashy, but it still smelled new. He’d been quiet, and for some reason it disturbed her. As had Bao Yu in the backseat.

Della cut her eyes back to her aunt. Still a young girl, still silent.

The insides of Della’s palms started to itch. Hadn’t her mama always told her not to get into cars with strangers?

This man driving might be her uncle, but he was still a stranger. Considering Chase had told her that he’d lost most of his Reborn powers, she could probably take him.

But laying a hand on a man who looked so much like her dad wouldn’t be easy. Not that it was really him she was afraid of. It was what he planned on doing that scared her.

“I told you. To get answers.” He put both hands on the wheel and stared straight ahead.

Della noticed the window starting to fog up. “Can you elaborate?”

He finally glanced at her, and the hurt in his eyes told her that he was thinking of his friend’s betrayal. “First we’re going to go have a chat with Powell. Then I figured we’d go see my pal Kirk.”

And that’s what she was worried about—seeing Kirk. “Why don’t you just call Chase? He’ll tell you everything.”

“He asked me not to call him, or contact him. He didn’t want to have to lie to you.”

And how did that make her feel? Chase had purposely cut off contact with someone who might have helped her father’s case. She pushed that aside.

“How about if I give you permission to call him? You can tell him we’re together, so he wouldn’t have to lie.”

“I’d rather get the whole story. I expect they’ll tell me more than they told Chase.” He leaned in and turned on the defroster.

“You think they’ll just tell you?” She saw steam leave her lips and she tried not to visibly tremble.

“With some convincing,” he said.

“Okay,” Della said. “I’m just gonna be honest here.” She stuck her hands between her legs to keep them warm. “I want to know the truth, but in the last twenty-four hours I’ve committed breaking and entering and grand theft auto. And assault and battery might be included, but that wasn’t me. Not that anyone will believe it. Anyway, I’m at my limit for committing crimes. I mean, if I do any more, I’m gonna go down. It’s a Murphy’s Law kind of thing.”

He looked at her. His eyes were bright and serious. Then he laughed.

And God help her, but it was the first time she’d heard her father’s laugh in so long that she laughed with him.

“You really haven’t done all that, right?” he asked when the humor faded.

“Yeah, I kind of have.” She gave her aunt a quick glance and then looked back at Feng.

He frowned. “Okay, not to worry. I think I can get you through this without being arrested. And if I can’t, I’ll say I forced you.”

She wasn’t sure if he was joking, but she said, “Okay.”

“Now, can I ask you a question?” He swiped his hand over the windshield. “Who the hell is in the backseat with us?”

***

“Come on, let’s go finish what we started,” Burnett said to Chase.

Chase looked away from the house and back at Burnett. It was after five. Della’s father had returned to his house. Briefcase in hand, as if he’d been working all day and not hanging out at Starbucks.

“What if Della comes back?”

“My agent will stop her. And I’ve got someone combing the streets. Our time is better spent finding Stone. And we need to go by another address that we have on our expensive-tennis-shoe wearer. If we catch him, the police can’t suspect Della for the murder.”

“Since this guy was in the gang, he might be with Stone,” Chase offered.

“The others who we are pretty damn sure participated in the murder got left behind. I’m following my gut that he got left behind too. I’m thinking Stone had people around Della’s house, and a couple of his guys lost it and committed the murders. This might even be why they got left behind. Stone doesn’t want to draw attention to himself right now.”

“Okay,” Chase said, seeing logic. “But why don’t we separate? We’ll get more done.”

“Too dangerous.” Burnett started walking back to Chase’s car.

“I’m not one of your students anymore. I’m an agent.” He pulled on the label of his jacket. “In case you haven’t noticed the suit.”

“You think I’d send a junior agent out alone on a case?”

“I’m not a junior. I worked two years for the council.”

“Yeah, but oddly they have failed to send over your files.” Burnett stopped by his car.

Chase frowned. “Can I at least drive my own car?”

“No,” Burnett said. “You aren’t thinking about selling this, are you?”

“No.” Chase got in the passenger seat and called Della. It went to voice mail. Again. Where the hell was she?

***

Della felt her phone in her pocket vibrate again. Who was it this time? Not that she’d check. As long as she didn’t know, she wouldn’t feel guilty. Or too guilty.

Holiday was going to hate her. Burnett was going to whip her butt. Kylie and Miranda wouldn’t speak to her. Chase was…

Not now.

Della’s gaze shifted to the sky painted with reds, purples, and grays. Only a sliver of big orange sun hung over the western horizon. It reminded her of the few fishing trips she’d taken with her dad. She hated fishing, but being with him all day, just sitting by the water and discussing everything from fish to future boyfriends, had been some of her best childhood memories.

“You gonna tell me? Who’s back there?” her uncle asked again.

Della inhaled. “Do you have a firm grip on the wheel?”

“Yeah. Why?” She saw his hands tighten.

“Because… I’ve seen her do crazy things to cars.” Della swallowed and gave the girl in the backseat another quick glance. She looked so young and completely innocent, popping gum and enjoying the ride. This wasn’t the same spirit who’d destroyed St. Mary’s file room. Was it Feng, or was it seeing her childhood home that had changed her?

She glanced back at her uncle. “So you can feel ghosts too?”

“Feel them, not so much. But I can feel temperature, and it’s colder than a witch’s tit in here. Plus, you’ve been eyeing someone back there this whole time.”

“It’s Bao Yu,” Della said.

Della saw her uncle’s shoulders drop an inch as if the weight of the world had just sat on them. “I thought she would leave after you and Chase found her daughter.”

“She needs answers too.” Della suddenly realized that her uncle might be able to give them to her.

“Tell her I’m so sorry. I’m responsible. They did it because of me. I wouldn’t do what they asked. I went to help, but I got there too late.”

Della shot her aunt another glance. She was older now, but not wearing the white bloody gown. It seemed that when she had the gown on was when she got out of control.

He was dead. How can he be alive? Bao Yu asked.

“He wasn’t dead. I told you. He’s a vampire like me. Like Natasha.”

Her uncle looked at Della, then glanced in the rearview mirror. “Do you see her?”

“Yeah.” Della answered and hesitated to bring it up, but decided it had to be done. “She thinks my father killed her.”

He did! He even admitted it! When I found him at the hospital. He told the doctor.

Della inhaled. “In the doctor’s notes. When my father was hospitalized, he admitted it too.”

Her uncle shook his head. “No. Douglas Stone did that.”

“You saw it?” Della glanced over her shoulder and as expected, the bloody gown was back.

“No… not exactly. But when I got there Chao was unconscious, on the floor by the phone. I heard someone in my old room. I found… Stone was standing over her. She had the knife in her chest. It was my knife.” The sound of grief echoed in his voice. “I chased him out of the room.”

“Did my father see you?” Della asked.

Her uncle nodded. “We were fighting in the hall. I saw him run into the room where Bao Yu was.”

He did it. I showed you!

Della saw it again in her head. Her aunt flat on the floor. A knife jutting out of her chest. When she reached up she found another hand on the knife. The knife pulled out. The pain hit. The numbness started. The last thing she saw was her brother, holding the knife. Blood dripping from the blade.

Just like that, Della realized something. In every vision she’d showed Della, her father had never… stabbed her.

“I know what happened.” Tears filled Della’s eyes and she looked first at her uncle and then back to her aunt. “You were trying to pull the knife out. He saw you and he thought he was helping. But you died then. You thought he killed you. He thought he killed you.”

The car spun out of control—Della saw Feng fighting the wheel—then the last thing Della saw was the tree rushing toward them before everything went white. All white.