Unspoken: Shadow Falls: After Dark (22 page)

The fact that Douglas Stone had found him first pissed Chase off—for several reasons.

Was being here putting Della and the others at the camp in danger? He wanted to be close to her, but not at the expense of putting her in danger.

His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps moving toward the cabin. Heavy steps. Too heavy to be Della.

Thinking it was the person he dreaded seeing the most—Burnett—and not wanting to appear weak, he jackknifed out of bed and started to the door.

By the time the footsteps arrived at the porch, Chase caught the scent. Not Burnett, but another person he didn’t care to see.

Being beholden to someone never sat well with Chase.

He ran a hand through his hair and waited for Steve’s knock.

Steve stood on the porch, looking about as happy to be here as Chase was to have him here.

“I came to check your wounds.”

“It’s not necessary. I’m fine.”

“Humor me,” Steve said. “I promise it won’t hurt.”

Chase clenched his jaw.

“Please,” Steve said. “Dr. Whitman asked me to do it.”

Chase pulled up his shirt. The shape-shifter leaned down to check the small pink mark on his skin that the wound had left.

“It looks good.” Steve rose up.

Chase met his eyes. “Why did you do it?”

“Do what?” Steve asked.

“Save my life.” Suddenly, Chase remembered something. “Or did you purposely not clean the wound well enough, hoping the infection would take me out?”

Steve frowned. “For your information, I cleaned that wound several times. And if I hadn’t, the infection would’ve killed you before Dr. Whitman got here.” He paused. “Now, turn around and let me check the wound on your back and I’ll go.”

Chase turned. Steve lifted his shirt. “Did you do it because Della asked you to?” he asked, hoping to point out to the shape-shifter that Della cared about him.

Chase felt his shirt fall back against his skin. Steve exhaled.

“I did it because I’m a doctor, because if I let you die just because I don’t like you, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

Realizing he was acting like a jealous boyfriend, Chase pushed back the unwanted feelings and faced the guy.

“Sorry. Thank you.” Chase held out his hand.

Steve didn’t take it. “You don’t owe me thanks.”

Okay, so maybe after accusing the guy of trying to kill him, he didn’t blame the shape-shifter for not taking his hand.

“Can I pay you?” Chase asked, still trying to make amends. “Name your price.”

“Keep your money.” Steve turned to leave, but before he reached the doorknob, he turned around. “Actually, there is a way you could repay me. Seeing that I saved your life.”

Chase tensed. Now he was sorry he’d played nice. “If that payment in any way involves my relationship with Della, you can go to hell. And I’ll be happy to help you get there if you—”

“Please,” Steve spit out. “I’m not ignorant enough to believe any deal I make with you could influence Della. And I respect her enough to not even try. She’ll make up her own mind who she wants to be with. You have no control over her decisions. And if you think you do, that just goes to show you don’t even know her.”

The words and the insinuation hit hard. “And you’ll respect her decision when she chooses me?” Chase asked.

“I’ll accept it. Just as I’m sure you will when she chooses me.”

“Nope.” Chase shook his head. “That’s where I differ from you. I’ll never stop fighting for her. You can believe it’s because I don’t respect her, but I think it’s because I love her more. Because I know with every cell of my being that she belongs with me.”

They stared at each other for several long, tense seconds, then Steve turned for the door. That’s when Chase realized Steve had never told him what he wanted. And damn it, he really didn’t like being beholden.

“If how I can repay you isn’t about Della, then what is it? Owing people’s not my thing.”

Steve took another step toward the door, then turned around. The remnants of anger still tightening his eyes told Chase that whatever the shape-shifter wanted, he wanted it badly—if not, he would have left.

“The ointment,” Steve said. “The one Della said her uncle invented. Would he be so inclined to share what’s in it?”

Chase felt his shoulders relax. “I’ll ask, but knowing Eddie, if he thinks it will save lives, he’ll say yes. It might be a while. At least until this mess is over.”

Steve looked ready to leave, but then spoke again, “You know, your opinion of Della’s uncle is higher than hers.”

“She doesn’t know him,” Chase said. “When she does, she’ll see.”

Steve shrugged. “For Della’s sake, I hope you’re right.”

As the guy walked out, Chase said, “Thank you.”

Steve kept walking but Chase heard his words. “You’re welcome. But I still don’t like your ass.”

*   *   *

“Perry feels terrible,” Miranda told Della as she dropped down on Della’s bed. Della had come back from Chase’s to read the DA’s file over and over. Hoping to find something that would help get her father off. Miranda’s footsteps on the porch had woken her from a dead sleep—only to face the dead.

Della could feel the fingers of cold getting closer.

“Did his cousin tell Burnett anything?” Della asked, looking around and hoping she was wrong.

“Perry said that Burnett hadn’t finished talking to him. He was called away on another case.”

Della tried to pay attention to the witch, but it was hard. She could hear Mrs. Chi in the living room.
Here, kitty, kitty.

Socks came hauling butt into the room and jumped onto the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Miranda asked the cat and picked her up.

“Be careful,” Della warned. “She has sharp claws.”

“Don’t make her feel bad,” Miranda said. “She only scratched you because the dog was here.”

“Yeah,” Della said. “But she obviously doesn’t like ghosts either.”

Miranda’s hazel eyes widened. “Is there a ghost … here? Now?”

Della wanted to lie, for Miranda’s sake, but she saw the girl shiver. From the cold as well as fear, so she nodded.

“Oh, crap.” Miranda put the cat down.

Kitty. Kitty.
Mrs. Chi’s voice echoed again. The eeriness of it caused fear to tiptoe down Della’s spine.

“Is it your aunt?” Miranda asked, and the witch’s breath sent a wisp of fog.

A thud sounded from the living room.

Socks flew off the mattress, hit the wall with a thump, twisted midair, then scrambled under Della’s bed.

If Della hadn’t been embarrassed, she’d have followed the cat.

Another thud sounded and Della turned her gaze to the door just as a bloody basketball rolled into the room.

Then Mrs. Chi appeared, looking lost and pathetic. Guilt chased away Della’s sense of fear. She’d been so worried about Chase and the DA’s file, she’d put her elderly neighbor out of her mind.

Mrs. Chi’s sad gaze met Della’s.
Where’s Chester?

“That’s not Chester.”

“Who’s Chester,” Miranda asked.

“A cat,” Della answered, but didn’t take her eyes or heart away from Mrs. Chi.

“Your ghost is a cat?” Miranda hugged herself from the cold. “This is getting freakier and freakier.”

They did it again,
Mrs. Chi said.

“Who did what again?” Della asked.

“Are you talking to a dead cat?” Miranda asked.

They hurt someone.

“Who did they hurt?” When the spirit didn’t answer, Della threw out another question. “Do you know the names of the guys who are doing this?” Della motioned for Miranda to be quiet.

No.
The old woman looked down at the basketball.
But I showed you.

“What did you show me?” Della asked.

You saw.

“What did I see?” Della stood up. “I didn’t see enough to help me stop these creeps.”

You saw,
Mrs. Chi repeated and then she and the basketball vanished.

Della snagged her phone, and called Burnett. It went to voice mail. “Call me,” Della said and started toward the door.

“Where are you going?” A scared Miranda popped out of the bed.

“To see Chase,” Della said, realizing they’d never gone over the vision. Maybe Chase would have an idea what Mrs. Chi’s words had meant.

“Can I come?” Miranda asked. “I don’t want to stay here with a dead cat.” Then the girl paused. “Or are you and Chase going to get naked again?”

“We weren’t naked,” Della snapped.

“If I’d been a few minutes later, you would have been.”

Della growled and wanted to deny it, but wasn’t sure it was altogether untrue. “There wasn’t a dead cat. Just a … dead … person.” Then, flinching at how that sounded, and hoping Mrs. Chi wasn’t in earshot, she added, “A sweet ol’ lady.” She flinched again. “Not that old.”

“I’m still coming.” Miranda stood up, looking around the room as if afraid something might jump out at her. “Why did I have to get stuck with two ghost-magnet roommates?”

“You’re just lucky like that,” Della said.

And so it seemed Della was lucky too, because Kylie stepped up on the porch and the witch decided not to come.

Chapter Twenty-six

The heavy-footed steps moving to his door told Chase the identity of his visitor before he got Burnett’s scent.

“Come in,” Chase said, though he doubted Burnett considered an invitation necessary.

The man stormed in. Chase didn’t waste a second. “Did you get anything from the guy Stone sent?”

“What the hell were you thinking?” Burnett thundered.

“I didn’t know Stone knew where I was!”

“I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about you going to that damn prison!”

“I was acting on some advice I got from another agent.”

Burnett stepped closer, his eyes bright with anger. “What idiot of an agent would have advised—”

“You,” Chase said, proud of himself. “You told me that to find the scum, I needed to ask other scums. The prisoners at—”

“I would have never allowed you to go alone!”

“Alone was the only way I could get in.” Chase held his shoulders tight and recalled his ammunition. “According to rule twenty-six, an agent is expected—”

“You are expected to have enough sense in your brain to know the risks.”

“I was aware of the risks,” Chase said.

“No, you weren’t. You think you’re invincible. You are young and dumb.”

“It would only be dumb if I didn’t get anything.”

Burnett scowled. “And who would have given us this lead if you hadn’t made it out?”

“I did make it out.”

“You think I haven’t seen this before? The first agent I was asked to train was nineteen. She thought nothing could touch her. She took a stupid risk and went after a killer by herself. By the time I got there, the only thing I could do was hold her hand while she died. They gave me the job of telling her mother that her daughter was dead. I refuse to have to tell another parent their kid is dead.”

I don’t have parents,
Chase almost said, but caught himself. “I probably should have spoken with you. You win. I was wrong. But can we start working on my lead, now?”

“Probably?” Burnett groaned, then looked at Chase. “We’re talking about Hell’s Pit, aren’t we?”

Chase nodded, a little surprised Burnett was aware of it.

“I weighed the risk and made the decision to go,” Chase said.

Burnett exhaled. “You know what? I’m wrong. I apologize. I mean, weighing the risk is an important ability, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Chase felt validated.

Burnett nodded. “How about we send Della in to confirm whatever lead you got? I’ll call her right now.” He pulled out his cell and started punching in a number.

Chase’s breath hitched in his chest. Burnett hadn’t dialed Della’s number, he told himself. This was a ploy.

“Della,” Burnett said. “I’m at Chase’s cabin. Can you meet me here in five minutes? We need to discuss something.”

“I’m on my way now.” Della’s voice rang out from the phone. Chase’s blood fizzed with frustration.

Burnett put the phone back in his pocket. “I want her to know the risk before she decides to do it.”

Now it was Chase’s time to grit his teeth. In his heart, he knew this was just Burnett’s way of bringing home his point. The man would never let Della go. Chase just wished the point wasn’t so damn sharp.

Burnett lifted one brow. “What’s wrong?”

Chase swallowed. “Okay. It was too risky. You win.”

Burnett ran a hand over his face then met Chase’s eyes again. “I don’t want to win! This isn’t some friggin’ game. It’s life and death. If right now I thought I could go to the FRU and get your ass tossed out, I’d do it. But no, it’s too soon, and they’d just give you to someone else. Then when you ended up dead, I’d be stuck thinking I could have saved your sorry ass if I hadn’t passed you on.”

Burnett moved in, so close Chase could count the man’s lashes. “But I swear to God, kid. If you do something else this stupid, I’ll find a way to get your ass tossed out of the FRU. And don’t for one minute think I don’t mean it. I’ll make some shit up about you and the council. I’ll plant evidence.”

He put one finger on Chase’s chest. It didn’t feel like a threat so much as a man bringing home his point again. “Because I can live with killing your career a lot easier than I can live with watching you get yourself killed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Chase nodded. “I understand.” And as scary as it was, Chase believed Burnett meant it.

“Good.” Burnett dropped onto the sofa. “Now, sit your ass down and tell me what you got out of your stupid mistake.”

Chase told Burnett everything. Even what he didn’t want to about his suspicions that someone at the council knew more about Stone than they were saying.

“I never considered that Stone would be looking for me. The last thing I wanted was to bring trouble here. If you think it would be best, I’ll find some other place to stay.”

Burnett seemed to consider it. “I don’t think that’s necessary right now.”

“The last thing I want to do is endanger—”

“If this kid, Sam, is all Stone has up his sleeve, I’m not worried.” Burnett leaned forward.