In my life, things most always get worse. And at this moment, it was the understatement of the year.
We’d been caught. Guess I could remove “expert thief” from my résumé now. I felt Ronin and Iris stiffen next to me. I could deal with going to the witch prison, but I wasn’t ready to have my friends go down with me. Not when this was my idea in the first place.
With a snap of her fingers, Adira gestured to her two vampire dogs to stay put outside the office. Then she strolled in, her motions stiff and hurried, trying to make herself look important, but it just looked like she really had to pee. The light of the room shone on her red hair, making it look on fire. I could make that happen.
Her eyes flicked everywhere at once. Her face held the cold beauty of someone who was going to get the prize she’d been waiting for.
I’d never hated her more than I did at this exact moment.
Marcus walked in next. I hated that my pulse increased at the sight of him, at his thick luscious dark hair, his wide shoulders, and his incredibly tight behind. I hadn’t spoken to him since I’d verbally thrown him out of Davenport house. Okay, it had been a little extreme, but I’d been out of my mind with fear and anger that he wouldn’t help Ruth. I’d lost it.
Now that I’d had a few weeks to calm down, guilt gnawed at me. I’d lost control. And I’d taken it out on him. I wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive me for that. He looked at the book on the floor at my feet for a moment. Then he pulled his head up and our eyes met. His face was blank of emotion, but such a coldness shone in his gray eyes, a finality, that gave me my answer. My heart squeezed itself into a hard fist.
Marcus wanted nothing to do with me. Not anymore.
I was crushed. My heart seemed to split in half, but I stood. I would not break down now because of a man… because of what I’d done. It was over. I had to move on.
Both Ronin and Iris felt the change in me, and they both squeezed in tighter around me, like a safety net.
Jeff and Cameron stayed outside the office too, though I was sure it was more to keep an eye on the vampires than anything else.
Both of Marcus’s deputies had disappeared a few days before Adira had arrived. As the new chief, I had the distinct feeling Adira had removed them to bring in her people.
Burying my feelings into that part of me where I could take them out later, I stared at Adira.
“You following me?” I accused, hoping Adira didn’t see the book on the floor. Damn. How was I going to sneak it out now without her or Marcus noticing? He’d already noticed the book. Now I had to wait and see what he was going to do about it.
A slow, lazy, carnivorous smile touched Adira’s lips. “You triggered the silent alarm, silly witch.”
I shot Ronin a look. The half-vampire shrugged. “What? I had no idea,” he said.
I knew I should have been scared, but all I felt was rage.
“This is Ronin’s building,” I seethed, shaking with fury and calling her all kinds of obscenities with my eyes. “He’s allowed to do whatever he wants with it.”
“Really?” Adira’s gaze shifted to Ronin.
“Solidarity, sister,” said Ronin as he stepped forward and attempted to high-five her.
Adira’s face twisted like she’d just stepped in dog poop. She eyed Ronin like he was foul, beneath her, as though being half-vampire made him lesser somehow.
Yup, I hated her even more after that.
“What the hell are you still doing here,” I growled as Ronin dropped his hand and stepped back. His pale face reddened, and I knew he was angry and embarrassed. I’d stake her in the heart just for that. “Shouldn’t you return to your coffin? Preferably in the bottom of the ocean?” I asked, matching her smile.
Iris leaned and whispered in my ear, “I can make that happen.”
A nervous laugh bubbled up. The visual was awesome.
Adira traced her long fingers on one of Gilbert’s shelves. “Believe me,” she said, flicking her fingers with what might be dust or something more sinister. “I can’t wait to get out of this crappy little town. But I’m stuck here. You see… since I made the arrest on your aunt, I’m the one who has to escort her to Grimway Citadel.”
I cringed like she’d bitten me on the neck with her vamp teeth. “You mean when you made a false arrest.”
Adira turned to face me. “I made the proper call.” She pulled a pair of iron handcuffs from inside her short, leather jacket. They looked just like the ones she’d put on me before. “Looks like I’m about to make another.”
Magic pulsed, fed by my anger. I trembled with it. I didn’t even have to pull on the elements. My emotions channeled them on their own, charging them to full. My hair shifted in a breeze that touched only me, and a crapload of power filled my chi. If she took a step toward me, I was going to blast her into vampire pieces.
“Come on then,” I challenged, my voice so hard I barely recognized it. “Come and get me. I dare you, fang bitch.”
Ronin smacked his thigh and laughed. “Good one.”
The tension in the room escalated.
Adira had gone deathly still, gathering intent and power about her as she readied herself to come at me. Her beautiful face was as savage and pale as it was hollow, hard, and unyielding.
If I killed her, that would make me a murderer. Yeah, not that smart. How could I help Ruth if we were roomies at Grimway Citadel?
Ley lines.
It was so simple I almost burst out laughing. Almost.
Apart from my aunts, no one knew how I could bend the ley lines with my will. Right now, all I had to do was reach out and grab one to pull myself, the book, and my friends away from here. No doubt it would make us guilty if we ran, but I’d figure out the logistics later.
There was no way in hell she was going to put those on me.
“Tessa is right,” announced Marcus, and I turned my eyes on him surprised, but he was looking at Ronin. “Ronin is the owner of the building. Here in Hollow Cove, that’s a free pass. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not breaking any laws.”
“They were sneaking into a place of business in the middle of the night in the dark,” said Adira. “Where I’m from, that’s what we call criminals.”
A hard expression flickered across Marcus’s face. “You’re not from here.” His shoulders tensed. “And I’m the chief. If Ronin feels like showing his lady friends a good time in his building after working hours, that’s his call. No harm done.”
Lady friends?
A cruel smile curved the corners of her mouth. “If that’s true, why did he set off the silent alarm? I’ll tell you. It’s because he didn’t know there was one. For all we know, he was trying to steal something in Gilbert’s safe.”
Ronin howled in laughter, a tad over the top. “There’s nothing in that safe worth stealing,” he snorted. “Trust me. The only thing that’s worth some money in here is his collection of vintage Playboys.”
“Shut up, Ronin,” I hissed. “Not helping.”
Ronin lost his smile. “Right. My bad.”
Marcus’s expression went hard as he eyed the vampires. “This is my town,” said the chief, an underlying threat in his voice. “You’re not acting chief anymore. And honestly,” he added, “I don’t care what you say. You don’t belong here.”
“Tessa Davenport has a penchant for breaking the law,” expressed Adira, her focus on me again. “I’ve asked around. It’s a well-known fact.”
“Oh, please. Pack of lies,” I voiced, knowing full well it was the truth. Oops.
Marcus stepped up to Adira until they were face to face. “I’m the law here, and I say they didn’t break any.”
Adira leaned forward, her green eyes now black. Damn. She’d vamped out.
“Is that so?” she hissed. She made to step toward me, but Marcus blocked her way.
Marcus watched her for a long moment. “Tessa. Ronin. Iris. Please leave the building. You’re not under any charges. You’re all free to go.”
I stared at my friends’ open mouths. Marcus was letting us go? We all knew we were breaking all kinds of laws, but he was letting us go. Why?
Emotions welled in me, and the winning one was guilt. But it was obvious Marcus wanted nothing to do with me. Yes, he was letting us go, but I was willing to bet it had more to do with Adira than me—his way of showing her who was boss.
My eyes flicked to the book at my feet.
“Get out,” said Marcus, his voice dangerously low.
“Aye, aye, captain,” said Ronin, and he gave Marcus an army salute. “You heard the man. Let’s go, my beautiful lady friends.”
Ronin hooked his arms through mine and Iris’s. Before I could attempt snatching the book without anyone seeing, he steered us away from the two chiefs and ushered us out the office, past the two vamps who were getting an eyeful from Cameron and Jeff, and out the front doors of Gilbert’s store.
Ronin let us go when we reached the sidewalk. “Man, I don’t know about you guys, but I need a drink.”
“I really hate Adira,” said Iris, looking angrier than I’d ever seen her. “I was just about to give her chlamydia.”
I burst out laughing loudly from the pent-up stress. It felt amazing.
“God, I love you.” Ronin pulled Iris against his chest and kissed her. “Love it when you talk STDs.” Iris giggled and kissed him back fiercely.
My relief was short-lived. I’d lost the only proof that could get Ruth off the hook for murder.
The sound of a door shutting had my gaze flicker to the front of Gilbert’s store. I clenched my jaw as I watched Adira and her cronies walking away. She never once looked in our direction as she and her vamp pose team disappeared down Shifter Lane with Marcus watching them leave.
I tried to shake off my discomfort as I stared at the wereape who’d probably broken some chief’s code by letting us go.
As though he’d heard me, he turned, and our eyes met. His gray gaze seemed to pierce a hole through my soul. I felt like I’d been hit on the head with a shovel.
And when he started my way, I felt like I’d been hit in the head by two shovels.
Vertigo hit me. Had I been wrong? Had he lied to Adira just to spite her and was indeed going to arrest us?
He stopped silently when he was facing me. My head was going a million miles an hour. I tried to read him, but his face was a careful, an expressionless mask.
Marcus reached inside his coat and pulled out a familiar red book. “Here. You forgot this.”
Ronin cursed and I caught a glimpse of Iris pinching his butt. Weird.
I took Gilbert’s book in my hand, though my lips were unable to form any words as so many questions flooded my brain at the same time.
“Thanks,” I said, looking up into those beautiful gray eyes.
“Don’t mention it.” Marcus watched me for another moment, and then he turned and walked away.
I watched him slip into the shadows between the nearest building and vanish from sight, leaving me confused and feeling like the biggest ass on the planet.