For some reason Chase knew Burnett was talking about Della. And the “this” had to be about him.
Through the darkness Chase spotted Lucas Parker stepping out onto the office porch. Lucas was taking Della blood. If Chase had known she needed blood he could have supplied it.
He felt like an idiot. Of course she would need blood. She’d been living with her parents, pretending to be human. Since he’d been turned he’d never had to live with humans, and therefore hadn’t considered this. He felt a ding to his ego knowing he’d let Della down.
Again.
Just one more thing he had to make up to her.
Lucas’s footsteps came closer and Chase looked up. The dark-haired, blue-eyed were approached with a smile. While Lucas was a were, Chase didn’t have a problem with the guy. Chase could even relate to Lucas. The were had gone against his own family and joined the Were Council while fully intending to work with the FRU.
Lucas stopped. “Good luck.” It was as if he knew exactly what Chase was up against. “Say ‘yes, sir’ a lot and don’t mouth off.”
Shoulders tight, Chase made his way into the office.
He stepped through the front door. The only light on was in the back office. Burnett’s office.
Trying to hide his unease, he walked in. Burnett sat behind his desk. His eyes were a light yellow, telling Chase the man was already angry.
The older vampire had a few inches and about twenty pounds on Chase. Not that Chase was afraid—at least not of physical harm. The man had other means to hurt him.
Della respected Burnett. In a way, Burnett was more of a father figure than her own dad. If Burnett was dead set on keeping him and Della apart, it would make this harder.
Not impossible, because Chase wouldn’t allow that, but harder.
Burnett looked at the chair across from him in an invitation, though not an overwhelmingly friendly one. Chase pulled the folded envelope from his pocket containing another copy of his resignation and his requirements and placed it on the desk.
They sat there. In silence. Time ticked by slowly. Was this some kind of a test? Deciding to take a chance, Chase cleared his throat. “I realize—”
“Back again, are you?” Burnett interrupted.
Chase nodded. When the man didn’t reach for the envelope he figured he’d spoken to someone from the office and knew what was inside. And if his expression was any indication, he didn’t like it.
But was he angry because of Chase’s demands that he work under Burnett and stay at the camp, or was he just angry at Chase?
“This time is different,” Chase offered.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I brought—”
“I know,” he seethed.
Chase again tried to decide how to play this. “I would be an asset to the FRU.”
Burnett’s eyes glowed brighter. “To the FRU, yes. To Shadow Falls, to Della … no!”
Chase stiffened. “We are bon—”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you are. You hurt her!” He slammed his fist down on his desk. The heavy piece of oak furniture bounced off the floor. “She has enough pain from her father. She doesn’t need the likes of you messing with her.”
Chapter Five
“I never intended to hurt her.” Chase felt his own eyes grow bright.
“Your intent doesn’t mean shit!” Burnett said. “You saved her life and then you left her. Not once, but twice!” His fist hit the desk again.
Chase wondered how many blows the desk would take before collapsing. Better the desk than him.
“Don’t you think that hurt her?” His bright eyes dared Chase to deny it.
“I suppose it did,” Chase admitted. “The first time, I left because I knew once you figured out I was working with the council you wouldn’t allow me to stay. The second … I left to fix a problem, not to create one.”
“You left to protect Feng Tsang and let Della’s father take the fall.”
Chase lifted his gaze. “I left to find the person responsible for committing the murder.”
“That would be Feng Tsang,” Burnett said. “Della saw in a vision—”
“I don’t know what Della saw, but Feng did not kill his sister. But he knows who did.”
Burnett did not look convinced. “Do you know where Feng is?”
Chase met his gaze sincerely. “No.”
“If you did know, would you tell me?”
He could lie and control his heartbeat, but he suspected Burnett would guess. “No.”
“So you’re still protecting him?”
“I’m trying to protect the innocent. That includes Della’s father.”
Burnett leaned in again. “Funny, that’s what I’m trying to do. And you know who’s more innocent than Chao Tsang?” He paused. “Della.”
He got Burnett’s meaning. “You don’t need to protect Della from me.”
“The hell I don’t!” His palms flatted on his desk. His canines extended as a not so subtle reminder of how dangerous he could be.
Chase had to grit his teeth not to tell Burnett to go to hell. Instead he sat in silence. Total silence. Somewhere in the office was a clock, and it marked the seconds as they passed. Chase stopped counting at sixty.
Burnett finally leaned back, not in a relaxed pose, but he no longer looked poised to pounce. “If you know who killed Della’s aunt, why don’t you just bring their ass in to the FRU?”
“I need some help,” Chase admitted.
“And the council won’t help you?”
He pulled his shoulders up, not in defense, but in honesty. “They have tried. His name is Douglas Stone.”
Burnett sat still. “Who is he?”
Before Chase could answer, Burnett’s phone dinged with a text. He read it and instantly his eyes glistened with anger. When he looked up all that fury was aimed as Chase.
Was it at him, or at whoever left the text? Didn’t matter, Chase surmised, because right now he was the only target.
“And now you come begging for our help,” Burnett seethed.
It was the word begging that did it—pushed Chase over the edge. “I am not begging.” He inhaled to calm his fury, especially in the face of Burnett’s rage. “I’m offering my services to the FRU.”
Burnett leaned in again. Chase had seen the man angry, but never like this.
“Then offer it to them, Mr. Tallman. Don’t involve me or Shadow Falls in your deal.”
Chase squared off. Was that what the text had been about? “Surely the FRU knows the value of having another Reborn in their employment. My conditions…”
The man’s canines came all the way out and his eyes glowed.
Just like that, Chase realized his mistake. He should never have tried to use leverage against Burnett.
“My intent was—”
“Take your intentions,” he shoved the envelope across the desk, “and get the hell off my property. No one—not you, not the FRU—tells me what I must do! Don’t you think for a minute I wouldn’t walk away from my position with the agency to protect those that I love? And no one—no one—forces my hand!”
Right then Chase realized that was exactly what he’d done wrong. Tried to force Burnett to accept him back.
The desk between them was suddenly slung against the wall. Burnett James stood up in full vamp mode.
Yup, it had been a big mistake.
“Go!” Burnett seethed. “While you still can!”
Chase stood up. “Look, I realize—”
“Go!” he ordered.
Chase heard the warning in the vampire’s voice and saw it in his eyes. Desperate, but not stupid, he turned and walked out.
Damn it to hell and back! Chase seethed as he hurried off the porch. He’d screwed up. At this rate, he was never going to win Della back.
At this rate, maybe he didn’t deserve to. He should have known this would backfire.
* * *
Della landed in the park in the mix of t
he trees and rubbed her arms to fight off the cold, again wishing she’d worn a jacket. The moon gleamed on the metal playground equipment in the clearing about a hundred feet away. Another chill tiptoed down her back. There was something eerie and almost ominous about an empty playground—as if it had been robbed of its innocence.
A swing squeaked as a cold breeze stirred it. The noise seemed loud, as if it were a call for help in the night’s silence.
She looked around at the dark shadows and lifted her nose to make sure no one lurked nearby.
Her phone beeped. Probably Burnett.
As she pulled her cell from her pocket, she heard a car pull up and cut off its engine. Someone opened a car door and then she caught the scent of a were. She shifted deeper into the trees, glancing up to plan her exit if the were came at her. Right as she clicked on Burnett’s number the scent became familiar. She knew before she read the text what it would say.
Burnett hadn’t come. Had Lucas brought Kylie? She inhaled again.
No Kylie. Disappointment stirred. She could have used some girlfriend time.
Turning, she watched as the good-looking were crossed the parking lot. The dark-haired, six-foot-plus eighteen-year-old held a Thermos. Her stomach grumbled.
“Hey…,” Della said and then, “thanks.” She took the Thermos.
“No problem,” he said.
“Why didn’t Burnett show?”
“Something came up,” the were said.
“A new case?”
“I don’t think so,” Lucas said.
Della wasn’t sure if he was hiding something or just being vague. Lucas wasn’t exactly the talkative sort. Most weres weren’t. Not that Della disliked him. He loved Kylie, one of Della’s best friends, and he was good to her.
“Do you mind?” She held up the Thermos.
“No. My job’s not complete until you do.”
They moved over to the playground.
She glanced back just then, realizing what he’d said. “Did Burnett instruct you to watch me drink?”
When he didn’t answer, she knew he had. “That’s ridiculous.”
“He just knows how hard it is to be vampire while trying to coexist with humans.”
She found just a little comfort in knowing it wasn’t just her.
“I hear you’re coming back to Shadow Falls.” Lucas stood beside a swing set.
A new wave of hurt filled her chest. “Yeah.” She offered one quick word, then lifted the nozzle and drank. The sweet berry fluid of O negative spilled on her tongue and she had to remind herself to slow down and savor it. Burnett had sent his good stuff.
“I saw Kylie and Miranda before I left. I told them,” he said. “They’re thrilled. Miranda hasn’t had anyone to fight with since you left.”
“We don’t fight that much.” She dropped into a swing and kicked the ground with the heels of her boots.
“Right.” Lucas chuckled. “They miss you.”
Della latched her hand around the chain. She just sat there, the round plastic rubber of the swing’s bottom hugging her butt, and drank her blood and thought about her two friends.
“Me, too,” Della finally said. Not that she didn’t talk to them—she did, about twice a day. But she still missed them. Missed everything and everyone at Shadow Falls. It was home. So why did the thought of going back hurt so much? The answer bubbled up from the ache in her chest. Because her dad didn’t want his own daughter around.
After taking several more sips, she saw Lucas tilt his head to the side as if listening. Normally, a vampire’s hearing, sight, and strength were stronger than a were’s, except around the time of a full moon. That’s why vampires had to be on higher alert during this time. Still, she angled her own head and listened to see if she picked up on anything.
Sirens. Several of them. She stood up and gulped down the last of her dinner. “Let’s go check it out.” She wasn’t ready to go back to her room and get caught up in the hurt again.
They tossed the Thermos in Lucas’s car. By the time they’d exited the woods, three cop cars, with sirens and lights flashing, were in the parking lot of a strip mall about a block from the entrance to Della’s subdivision. In it were the Chis’ small jewelry store, an all-night convenience store, and a pizza joint. Had someone tried to walk out without paying for a six-pack?
Lucas stopped before moving closer to the crowd and his expression tightened. Della, still fighting the cold, lifted her face and caught the scent of what had brought on his frown. Blood. Lots of blood as well as traces of … “Weres,” Della said aloud. Though the scent was weak.
She recalled seeing the three weres walking down the street earlier. In her mind’s eye, she could picture all three of their faces, too.
“We should call Burnett.” Della shivered again from the cold.
“We don’t know if the weres were involved,” Lucas said, in defense of his whole species.
She couldn’t blame him. He was right. Of all the species inhabiting the earth, humans did more than their share of causing trouble. And shedding blood.
“It was a robbery,” someone said into a phone. An ambulance pulled up and two uniformed guys jumped out of the vehicle.
Looking between a couple standing in front of her, Della expected to see the paramedics running inside the only opened business, a convenience store.
But they passed that door and … “Not the Chis’ store,” Della muttered and slipped her way up closer to the front of the crowd.
Crap! It was the jewelry store. Had someone broken in? But whose blood was it? The Chis closed the shop at seven. By now they were home in bed.
Another cold blast of November air sent goose bumps climbing up Della’s bare arms. She slipped her hand into her jeans pockets to warm her fingers.
All of a sudden Della heard a meow. She looked to her right and much to her relief, Mrs. Chi stood there with Chester, the big orange tabby, in her arms.
“Oh, thank God,” Della said. “What happened, Mrs. Chi? Is Mr. Chi okay?”
“I don’t know,” Mrs. Chi said. “I … I…”
The cat vanished. Poof, her arms were empty. Mrs. Chi gasped right along with Della, and then the woman looked around on the ground. “Chester? Chester?”
From inside the store, Della heard one of the cops say, “The cat’s still alive. Someone get this cat to a vet.” Della suddenly recognized the cold. The kind of cold that came with death—that came with the dead.
Chapter Six
Her chest gripped, and she felt pain behind her rib cage. Goose bumps tripled and chased each other on Della’s skin. She looked at her elderly neighbor, remembering that when she’d been turned and Mrs. Chi had heard she’d been sick, she’d brought Della egg drop soup. Was the woman…?
Mrs. Chi glanced up at Della. “Have you seen my cat?” Then panic entered her dark Asian eyes. “What happened? I brought hamburgers and then…” She faded, turning into nothing more than a smear of wispy fog in the night. Or was that smear the mist in Della’s own eyes?
“No,” Della said. “Talk to me. Who did this to you?”
“Who did what?” Lucas asked, now standing next to her.
Della ignored him and pushed her way through the crowd, wanting nothing more than to prove herself wrong. Right before she went to jump over the yellow tape that an officer had just rolled out, Lucas caught her.
“You can’t go in there.” He leaned in. “Della? What’s going on? You’re acting freaky. Kylie freaky. Ghost freaky.”
Della ignored Lucas and listened to the cops’ dialogue. “How many?” asked one of the paramedics.
“Two,” someone answered. “I’m told it was their store. Someone pumping gas saw the old man on the floor through the window.”
* * *
Chase had taken his car down some back roads where he could drive fast. He’d even taken the top down, hoping the frigid air would help him think of how to get his ass out of the sling he’d gotten himself into.
As hi
s motor roared he recalled something his dad had told him years ago. Chase had thrown a ball and accidentally broken his next door neighbor’s window. The old man who lived there had been a grumpy ol’ ass. Chase hadn’t wanted to face him. His mom had agreed to do it, but when his dad found out their plan, he hit the roof.
When you make a mistake, son, you face it.
He’s gonna yell at me, Dad.
Well, yeah. You broke his window. He has the right to yell.
Chase turned his car around and headed back to Shadow Falls.
He parked his car. The lights were off in the office. Burnett was probably at the cabin he and Holiday shared. He walked through the gate, knowing the alarm rang.
When he stepped up on their porch he heard Holiday talking, no doubt trying to calm her husband down. It seemed that was the woman’s mission in life.
He knocked.
“Be smart and leave!” Burnett’s words and anger carried through the door.
“I’m not leaving,” Chase said.
The door swung open. A bright-eyed Burnett stood there.
“Can I come in?” Chase asked.
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he said, but shifted back.
Chase stepped inside. Holiday rushed in from the hall with Hannah, her dark-haired little girl, in her arms and placed the baby in Burnett’s arms.
“What are you doing?” Burnett asked.
“You asked me to not let you kill him. I figure you won’t kill him if you’re holding Hannah.” The woman’s green eyes looked determined. “Plus, she needs changing and it’s your turn.”
Burnett cradled the small sleepy body against him. “I still have one free hand.” He looked at Chase. “Why are you back?”
Chase swallowed the lump in his throat. It wasn’t fear, it was pride. “Because I remembered something my dad told me. When you make a mistake, you face it. I made a mistake, sir.”
“If you mean coming back here, I agree.”
“No. I made a mistake trying to force your hand. You demand respect, and believe it or not, I do respect you. What I did was probably the most disrespectful thing I could have done. I’m asking you to overlook my stupidity. Let me stay here.”