Unspoken: Shadow Falls: After Dark (28 page)

The baby squealed when they walked in and held out her arms. “I think someone wants you.” Burnett held out the child toward Della.

Della took the baby from Burnett. “She has good taste.”

Right then the child squealed again and stretched out her arms toward Chase.

“Yup,” Chase said and laughed.

“I take that back,” Della muttered.

Holiday chuckled. “You look … hot, Chase.”

“Excuse me?” Burnett said, in humor.

“Thank you,” Chase said, his uneasiness lessening. “And it fits, too.” He shot Della a quick glance.

“Here.” Della held out the baby. Chase took a step back. “I don’t know how to hold it.”

“It?” Della and Holiday said at the same time.

“I mean her.”

Della made a face at him and then turned toward Burnett. The child looked at her father and started flapping her arms up and down. “Dada dada.”

“Did you hear that?” Burnett smiled bigger than Chase ever remembered. “She’s saying daddy.”

“She’s just making sounds,” Holiday said.

“You’re just jealous she said daddy before mama.”

“I am not,” Holiday said, but she looked it. “That didn’t sound like daddy, did it?” She looked at Chase.

“No … I didn’t … I don’t think so.”

“See?” Holiday laughed.

“Not to take the spotlight off our little princess here, but…” Della focused on Burnett and set the child on her hip. Despite seeming unsure of herself, the ease with which she handled the baby surprised Chase. She continued, “Did you get anything from the bar?”

Chase noted the smile in Burnett’s eyes fade. “The number Sam gave is a throwaway phone. No one ever answered.”

“Could he know Sam was caught?” Della asked.

“We don’t know that, but it’s a possibility.”

“And I suppose he didn’t show up at the bar, either?” Della asked, her tone mirroring Chase’s frustrations.

“He didn’t, but we did ask around and confirmed Sam’s story.”

“The gang?” Chase asked. “You got something?”

“We’re still confirming some things,” Burnett said. “Word on the street is the gang is new here. But it has roots in France. Most of the members are mixed species—meaning their powers are limited, so we’re not considering it a huge threat at this time.”

Burnett’s direct eye contact with him seemed to mean he didn’t think Chase should be concerned about staying here. Chase wasn’t so sure he agreed.

“So Sam was a member?” Della asked.

“No, but Stone might have been trying to recruit him.” Burnett’s phone dinged; he checked it and then looked up. “I have something this morning to cover, but I wanted to go with you to the shoe stores. So check out a few of those addresses, and see if you can run down Stone’s girlfriend. We’ll meet up somewhere to hit the shoe stores together later.”

“Got it,” Chase said.

Della handed Burnett the baby.

Burnett took the child and made holding something so small and fragile look easy. “And remember, one hint of danger and you walk away and call me.”

“We know,” Della said.

Burnett frowned. “And don’t cause a mess for me to clean up.”

“Don’t worry,” Chase said.

“Right,” Burnett said. “And in case you don’t know, by ‘clean up’ I mean: no breaking and entering, no trespassing, no using excess force. You have your badge?” He looked at Chase.

Chase nodded.

“Everything you do reflects back on us. For all intents and purposes, you are to appear like humans. No jumping off tall buildings or bench-pressing cars. Keep your fangs in. You understand?”

“Yes.” Chase resented the insinuation that he would screw up—but he knew better than to argue. Then he remembered: “I spoke with Leo last night. The guard at the prison.”

“And?” Burnett asked, and his eyes widened with interest.

“He said that after seeing Kirk when he came to get me, he realized he had gotten him mixed up with one of the other councilmen. Councilman Powell.”

“So someone’s hiding something?”

Chase nodded, trying not to feel as if he were betraying the council. And he shouldn’t, because if any of them knew about Stone, they had betrayed Eddie.

“Let me ask you something,” Burnett said. “Since you still have connections with the prison and some of the council, what are the chances of getting them to transfer Pope into one of our facilities so we might question him?”

“Impossible,” Chase said. “Leo told me last night that Pope was killed.”

“Convenient,” Burnett said.

“I wish I could disagree,” Chase said.

Burnett nodded. “Well, you two get going, but I mean it: don’t create any shit.”

Hannah bounced up and down. “Chit. Chit. Chit!” she squealed.

Holiday glared at her husband. “I’m gonna wash your mouth out with soap for a month of Sundays!”

“Bye,” Della said, shooting Burnett a parting smile, and walked out. Chase was right behind her. They laughed.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Della asked, “Do you think they killed Pope because he talked to you?”

“I … I’m suspicious,” Chase said.

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m trying to figure that out,” he said.

Chapter Thirty-two

When they got to Chase’s Camaro, he pulled his keys out. “You want to drive?”

He remembered her driving his car and getting caught speeding by the cops. The memory almost brought a smile to his lips.

“That’s okay,” she said and jumped into the car without opening the door.

And she landed on a bag in the front seat.

She pulled it out from under her and when she did a twelve-pack of hot dogs fell out.

“What’s this?” she asked as he got behind the wheel.

“Oh, in case we meet up with trouble,” he said.

“What?”

He ignored her question. “Do you mind the top down or are you worried about your hair?” When she didn’t answer he added, “I still have some hair things in my glove compartment.”

She made a face and dropped the hot dogs on the floorboard. “I don’t care.”

He slid the keys in the ignition, sat back in the seat a bit, then looked at her. “Yes, you do.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“You care. And I don’t mean about your hair.” He held up his hand, and before she could argue, he continued, “I know, I heard everything you said last night. About you not thinking this is real, or that it’s not love. But after I left, I realized what else you said.”

Her brows pulled together. “What else did I say?”

He reached between the seats and got his sunglasses. Slipping them on, he glanced at her. “How did you put it? Oh, yeah: the chills, the thrills. Then there was something about you being obsessed with me.”

He slid the glasses down his nose, and looked at her over the rims.

Her wide eyes and slacked mouth told him she was searching for a comeback but couldn’t find one. Shocking—Della always had a wisecrack. He loved that about her.

He continued, “I just want you to know, I’m okay with that. It’s a damn good start. And I know this because I feel the same way. The difference between you and me is that I know it’s the real thing.”

She still didn’t say anything, so he went on, “Probably because I wasn’t completely honest with you in the beginning. You need time to trust this, to trust love and to trust me, and I get that. And I’ll be here when you finally do.” He pushed the glasses up and started the car.

*   *   *

Forty-five minutes later they parked in front of the first house on the list of Stone residences. Della look around. This was a not-so-nice house in a not-so-nice neighborhood. A dog, which looked to be a cross between a pit bull and a Tasmanian devil, was chained to a metal pipe stuck in the ground.

Chase glanced at her. “Meet Trouble.”

Della recalled the hot dogs and couldn’t help but grin.

Then she looked around. The house next to it had a
CONDEMNED
sign in the yard. she glanced up and down the street. The place looked like a great location for a meth lab. But was it a great place for a vampire on the run? Perhaps. She sure as hell hoped so.

Two weeks
.

When Chase cut off the engine, the dog rose up and let out a low, serious growl.

“Friendly sort,” Della said and realized Chase could probably say the same thing about her. She hadn’t spoken since they’d pulled out of the parking lot. What could she say? Oh, she wanted to tell him he was so slick that his own bullshit just slid right off of him. She wanted to accuse him of thinking he looked like hot stuff in that black suit and dark sunglasses. But he did look hot, and she knew him well enough to know he was being sincere. Her only answer was …
Not now.
And she kept that one to herself.

“Get the hot dogs,” he said.

“You’re gonna get past him by feeding him hot dogs?” Della asked.

“It’s better than what I fed him three weeks ago.”

“What did you feed him?” she asked.

“A bite of my ass.” He chuckled. “I thought I could rub his belly and make a friend.”

“He bit you?” Della couldn’t help but laugh.

“He didn’t get much,” Chase said and reached behind to touch his butt.

They got out of the car.

“So this house belongs to one of the Stones you’ve already investigated?” she asked, catching the scent of garbage and seeing the two overflowing metal cans on the front porch.

“Yeah.”

“Remember, Burnett has ruled them out and thinks we should move to the new list of Stones.”

“He also said for me to follow my gut. I feel as if I might have missed something. I want to circle back around, just to be certain.”

The dog barked, calling their attention again. He scratched at the ground like a bull ready to charge. Then he bolted toward them. The canine’s lip curled and exposed teeth, the hair on the back of its neck stood straight up, and drool oozed from its jowls. He got closer. Then closer.

Shit! How long was that chain?

Della was about to do a quick step back when Chase said, “It’s okay.”

Then, unfortunately, or fortunately depending whose side you were on, about a foot from where they stood, the dog ran out of chain. When he hit his limit, he was yanked up in the air and landed with a thud on ground. He didn’t stay down long.

“I think he was inbred a few too many times,” Chase said.

“Poor thing,” she said and meant it. Most animals were stupid or aggressive due to how their owners treated them.

“Open the hot dogs.”

“Why don’t we just fly over him to the porch? No one is out here.” She waved around.

“Two reasons,” he said. “One, we’re supposed to appear like humans, remember?”

“I don’t think Burnett meant—”

“Two,” he interrupted, “that chain reaches the door. How do you think I got my ass bit?” He rubbed his backside. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re gonna throw the Oscar Mayers, and while he’s munching on them I’m going to pull out that pole and reposition it so his chain can’t reach the porch.”

“And if he’s not interested in the hot dogs?”

“Then I’ll try rubbing his belly again.” He smiled. “I rub a mean belly. Just ask Baxter. Anytime you need—”

“My belly is fine.” She tossed a half of a hot dog and then looked at Chase. “Don’t let him bite you.”

“Good plan.” Chase took off. In record speed, he pulled the metal pipe from the ground and moved it closer to the dog to reposition it.

The dog, obviously feeling the chain’s movement, turned toward Chase and growled. Della threw another wiener.

The animal was so hungry, he forgot Chase and went hot dog hunting.

Chase pushed the metal pipe in the ground. “Done.” He bolted back.

Della tossed the rest of the wieners to the hungry animal and then walked across the yard to the porch. On the front door, hung crooked, was a sign:
IF TROUBLE, MY DOG, DOESN’T SCARE YOU, MY SHOTGUN MIGHT.

She looked at Chase. “You think you could offer to rub the shotgun’s belly? I fed all the hot dogs to Trouble,” she said in almost a whisper.

He grinned.

“Did you actually talk to someone here last time you came?”

“Yeah, human, in his late fifties, about as friendly as the dog. When I asked if he was Douglas Stone he said no and that he was just staying here with a friend. He was lying. Thing is I don’t know if the lie was about his name or staying here with a friend. Or both.”

Della took a deep breath to see if she got a trace of a vampire scent. She didn’t, but with the thick stench of garbage, it could be hidden.

Chase tilted his head to the side, listening to see if anyone was inside. Della did the same.

“TV’s on in a back room,” Chase said.

Della felt a thrill shoot through her. If this was Douglas Stone, her dad’s ordeal could be over.

“You wanna knock and I’ll go around back in case he tries to run?” she asked.

“Nah, if we hear him leave out the back, you go left and I’ll go right.”

She looked at the peephole in the middle of the door. “If it’s the same guy, he might not answer to you. Why don’t you stand over there and let me do the talking. If I get him to admit his name is Douglas Stone, then we know it’s not our guy, right?”

“Yeah.” Chase moved to a window a few feet from the door and peered in. Then he glanced back at her. “I can see the entryway from here. If he really has a shotgun, I’ll say move. You do it.”

“You think I should?” she asked with sarcasm and then motioned for him to move back a little. “Don’t let him see you.”

Della banged on the door. And listened.

When no one answered, she banged again.

“What the hell do you want?” someone yelled from inside.

Chapter Thirty-three

Chase stood at the very edge of the window, hoping he could see the homeowner, but the homeowner couldn’t see him.

“He’s coming,” Chase said in barely a whisper. “Not armed.” Chase tightened his eyes to catch the guy’s pattern on his forehead. “Human.” Chase was pretty sure it was the same guy he’d spoken with before.

“Go the hell away,” the man yelled out, but he kept coming.

“I just need a few minutes of your time,” Della said, and Chase noted she’d put a slightly flirty tone to her voice.