Unspoken: Shadow Falls: After Dark (11 page)

“You thought that was me.” Now the shape-shifter smiled.

“Yeah, I did,” Chase said, certain his own expression didn’t come off so upbeat. “So it was a friend, huh?”

Their gazes met. Tension filled the early Sunday air. Chase inhaled and the guy’s scent filled his nose. The scent reminded him of Della because Chase had always smelt it on her when he first met her. Something he really preferred not to think about.

Steve looked skyward where the bird flew in circles. “Nope. Not as far as I know.” The guy’s heart rate didn’t indicate he was lying. “But he is now.” Steve smiled, showing no fear. Something Chase admired even when it stung.

Since he’d learned of this guy’s feelings for Della, he’d wanted to find things about Steve to dislike—things to discredit him in Della’s eyes.

But other than his flirtation with the daughter of the vet Steve worked for, Chase hadn’t been able to find any dirt on the guy. That made things harder, but it also spoke of Della’s choice in who she let into her life.

Chase swallowed his pride and decided to take the high road. “I guess I was wrong. Sorry.”

Steve glanced away for a second as if debating something. When he looked back he had determination written all over his expression. “That’s not the only thing you’re wrong about.”

Chapter Twelve

Afraid he knew where this was leading, Chase clenched his jaw so hard he was amazed his teeth didn’t crack.
Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it.

“What else am I wrong about?” He breathed in through his nose, hoping the oxygen would help calm him.

“About me respecting that you and Della belong together.”

His eyes grew warm as they did when he started to change into vamp mode. “Careful,” he cautioned and gave himself the same warning. His gut said Burnett wasn’t making idle threats about kicking his butt out of Shadow Falls.

Steve shook his head, ignoring the warning, and that pissed Chase off more.

“You see, the only thing I have to respect is Della. Not you. And not what you think you two have. And personally, I think she’s capable and adamant enough to make her own decisions. And you, Mr. Tallman, need to wrap your head around that.”

Steve turned and walked away.

Chase gripped his fist so tight his hand ached. It wasn’t his head having a hard time accepting the guy’s words. It was his heart. But if Steve thought Chase was just going to roll over and give up, the shape-shifter had better think again.

*   *   *

Della remained in the chair across from Holiday’s desk. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—allow her father to go to jail. But how she was going to stop it was still a mystery.

Burnett spoke up again. “For the Chi case, we got prints. Unfortunately, there were a lot of prints in their shop. So far, there’s no match to anyone in the FRU fingerprint database. And we got a shoe print. They’re trying to identify it.”

“The autopsies haven’t been done yet?” Della asked.

“No. But I’m hoping we’ll have results tomorrow.”

“What about the weres that were arrested?”

“None of their prints matched either. Chase says they aren’t the ones he’d traced earlier with the animal blood. It could still be the same group, and the ones guilty of murder got away.”

“So make them tell us who they were with!” Della snapped.

Burnett sighed. “We tried. None of them would give us anything.”

“Let me talk to them,” Della insisted.

Burnett laced his fingers. “Chase interviewed them. Did a great job, I might add. They’re either that loyal or that scared. And I would bet they’re scared.”

Della shook her head. “So we don’t have anything?”

“Yet,” Burnett said. “It’s early.”

Holiday readjusted Hannah on her hip. “Burnett said you saw Mrs. Chi’s spirit? Did she give you any clues?”

A bloody image of the woman sitting at her mom’s kitchen table flashed in Della’s mind. “No, she doesn’t even know what happened to her. But…” Della reached up and touched her neck. “I think her neck was cut.”

“That would be right,” Burnett said. “It was stated in the report.”

Della inhaled, trying to deal with the ugly truth.

“I know this is hard to talk about,” Holiday said. “But sometimes they try to tell us something in odd ways. They say something strange, or might be wearing something that doesn’t fit their character. Can you remember anything odd about her visit?”

“No,” Della said, wanting the image of her out of her head. Then she remembered. “Wait. That’s not true. She had a basketball. It was bloody.”

“A basketball?” Burnett asked.

“Yeah,” Della said.

Holiday shifted Hannah to the other side of her lap. “And I’m assuming Mrs. Chi didn’t play ball.”

“No.”

Holiday raised a brow. “Then this is a sign. Either the killer had a ball with him, or she’s seen the killer play ball. Or maybe both.”

“Is there a park with a basketball court near your house?” Burnett asked.

“Yeah,” Della grasped on her first ray of hope at finding the killers. “At the front of the park where we caught the other weres.” She stood up. “Should we go there now?”

“No, I’ll send Lucas.” Burnett pulled out his phone. “If he runs into any weres they might be more forthcoming with him.”

“But—”

“Don’t even start.” Burnett looked up from his cell. “First, I already told you that you weren’t working this case. And second, if you go there, they’ll recognize you or your scent from last night.”

“And I’ll recognize them,” she said. Right then the lights in the room flickered and went off. The dead silence of a power outage filled the room.

Burnett moved to the wall where the controls were for the alarm system. While he hit a few buttons, he continued speaking. “Being this close to a full moon, it’s best to let another were handle this.” A light beep came from the controls.

“Problems?” Holiday asked, looking at the alarm.

“Probably not.”

The lights flickered on again. He looked back at Della. “Now go catch up on some rest. You look like shit.”

Holiday pulled her daughter closer, pressed a hand over her ear, and shot her husband a frown.

Burnett made an apologetic shrug. “Sorry. I mean, you look … awful.”

Della glanced at Holiday. “He’s such a sweet talker. How did you get so lucky?”

Holiday chuckled, then stood and touched Della’s shoulder. A warmth traveled into Della’s chest and for one second Della wished she could just give in to it and forget about all her other problems.

“He occasionally says the right thing. And as poorly as my husband put it, you do look tired. Go get some rest. Miranda and Kylie should be here in a couple of hours. And I know they are going to be over the moon that you’re back. And there’ll be no resting then.”

Della heard Burnett telling Lucas about the basketball court. She looked back at the stubborn vamp, then frowned again at Holiday. “It’s not fair. I need to work this case. I knew them. I care, damn it!” Her voice shook, escaping around the knot forming in her throat. “Why can’t he see that?”

Holiday sighed. “You are working this case. Mrs. Chi is coming to you with clues. And when you’re exhausted your chances of channeling a ghost are less likely. Plus, I’m sure Burnett will fill you in as soon as he hears from Lucas.”

Della, certain she couldn’t change Burnett’s mind, and doubtful Holiday was going to help her out this time, shot out of the office.

She exited the cabin door, and had one foot on the porch when Holiday called out from the doorway.

“Yeah?” Della asked. Her gaze fell on Hannah as the baby gave her a big smile. Della felt almost guilty being in such a bad mood.

“If Chase gives you any problems, I want you to come to me. You got that?”

“I think I can take care of him.” Della frowned, not liking the fact that everyone seemed to think that she couldn’t handle Chase.

“Yeah, but why should you have all the fun?” Holiday smiled with empathy.

Della recalled Chase saying almost the same thing. “What cabin is he staying in?”

The camp leader hesitated.

“I need to talk to him. I’ll find him either way,” Della said. “It’ll just take me a little longer and I won’t have as much time to rest.”

Holiday frowned. “Fourteen. But remember … no bloodshed. Only I get to do that!”

“Fourteen,” Della repeated and watched Holiday close the door. Turning to leave, she noticed the bird that stood perched on the porch rail. But with only one thing on her mind, she kept going. She’d gotten down the first step when she felt that odd kind of tingle down her spine. The someone’s-staring-at-you kind of tingle.

She looked left. No one.

She glanced right. Nothing.

Then she remembered the damn bird. She swung around.

The black grackle—so black that it looked almost blue—cocked its head and stared right at her. She recalled crossing paths with the shape-shifter, John, when she’d first arrived.

“John?” she asked, waiting for the bird to speak. The feathered creature just stared. “What?” she asked. “What do you want?” It remained silent.

She waved her hand out to see if it would fly away.

It didn’t.

A normal bird would have scurried away.

Convinced it was John, she took a step closer. “Fly away or I’ll pluck a feather,” she warned.

The bird flapped its wings, but didn’t leave its perch. Not very John-like. The teen, only half shape-shifter with limited shifting abilities, was as skittish as a mouse with an inferiority complex. Nor could the teen completely disguise his scent. She took a deep breath. Nothing. Nothing but bird.

“Okay, if you’re not John, who are you?” Then just like that, the possibility of the bird being a different shape-shifter, one with disguising abilities, filled her mind. But Steve wasn’t due back here for another week.

“Steve?” she whispered his name, even though this bird was a common grackle and Steve had a fascination with falcons.

Footsteps suddenly echoed from the path that led to and from the cabins. Thinking it might be Chase, Della pulled in a noseful of air and turned to see who it was. Her breath caught when the figure, walking slow and easy, made the corner.

Her mind started noting details.

Tall.

Wide shoulders.

Dark hair, slightly curly.

Eyes brown.

A soulful gaze. A soulful gaze focused on her. Directly on her.

Steve.

Her heart did a leap. And so did the bird behind her. She heard its wings pushing against the wind to flee. Part of her wanted to join the creature in flight. Seeing Steve made her feel emotions that she wanted to run from. Emotions that weren’t even clearly defined.

Ahh, but Steve’s scent stirred up memories. Memories of them together. Laughing.

Kissing.

Sharing.

Then came the memory of him saying goodbye.

As he continued walking forward, she realized that if they spoke here, their conversation would be privy to any vampire ears nearby. And since one particular pair of male ears was in Holiday’s office, she leapt off the porch and met the shape-shifter at the exit of the trail.

He stopped and smiled.

He made her world feel a little crazy.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.” She fought the awkwardness stirring in her chest. She’d seen him briefly in Paris when she’d gone with Miranda and tried to find her uncle. It had felt just as awkward then. When she left he hugged her and said they’d talk when he got back. It was talking time, but for the life of her she didn’t know what to say. They stood there. The silence, louder than nature, echoed around them.

Finally a subject landed on her tongue. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be here until next week.”

“Yeah, they let us go early.” He slipped a hand into his jeans pocket.

“So Perry is here, too?” Della’s mind went to Miranda.

“Yeah.”

For one second, she wondered if the bird had been Perry. If so, why hadn’t he said anything?

She felt Steve’s gaze shift over her and recalled Burnett telling her she looked like shit. Just how a girl wanted to look when she ran into an ex—or almost ex. Not.

“You’re back here early too,” he said. “Everything okay … at home?”

The awkwardness level increased tenfold with his question. The old Della would have told him. Opened her heart and let all the pain and anguish pour out. He would have wrapped his arms around her—brought her head to that soft spot between his shoulder and chest. His caring embrace would have felt good. It would have eased some of her pain.

But that was the old Della.

The new Della didn’t know what to do. The realization scared her. She liked feeling in control, a step ahead. She could never be on top of her game if she didn’t have a game plan. Or at least know the rules.

And where Steve was concerned she hadn’t considered a strategy and didn’t own that rule book. If she did, she sure as hell hadn’t cracked the spine. Hell, she was outright clueless.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” she lied. The words had no sooner tripped off her lips than she regretted them, because she saw in his eyes that he knew she lied.

“I’m sorry.” The apology slipped out before she could even consider the wisdom of offering it.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Really.”

She wasn’t altogether sure what the “really” meant, but the okay part was just Steve being nice and considerate. Steve being … Steve.

Suddenly, she remembered where she’d been going.

She remembered Chase.

A big lump of emotion formed in her gut. “I need to go. I have to … see someone.”

“We’ll talk later?” he asked.

“Yeah. Of course.” Maybe by then, she’d have her shit together and not be stuck in this awkwardness. Maybe she’d have a damn plan.

Nodding, she took her first step down the path.

“Della?” he called out.

She stopped moving, but didn’t look back. She needed a second to prepare herself, almost afraid of what he was going to say.

Chapter Thirteen

Chase walked into the cabin, got Baxter some food and water, and pointed the dog to his new bed. The dog was too busy sniffing around to care. Finally, after checking out all of the rooms and all of the corners, the dog started following him around.