Ellery was Jackson’s person now, but before that happened, he’d had to get Jade’s seal of approval. He was pretty sure the only reason she’d turned over the reins was that Jade was quite simply exhausted by the job.
“Uhm, Jade…,” he began as he approached her at the built-in secretary’s counter that separated the waiting room from the offices.
“What do you need?” she asked, looking up from her computer with a frown line already between her eyes.
“The Townsends need a ride to their house and then across town.”
Jade’s eyes widened. “We’re doing that now?”
“There is something very wrong with that police report,” Ellery growled, looking out into the waiting room and relieved to find it empty. “I don’t trust them to be safe in their house, especially not if Ty gives me the names of the other people at the party where he was busted. AJ can give them a ride, but….”
She was already digging through her purse for her keys. “Isn’t Jackson supposed to be coming in? I thought we were all doing lunch.”
“Yeah. I expected him and Henry back about fifteen minutes ago. Think there was traffic? Maybe they stopped for lunch. Or coffee. Or….” Ellery wasn’t aware that he was rubbing his chest until Jade looked from his hand to his eyes and then back again.
“Yeah,” she said unhappily. “Maybe we should—”
At that point Ellery’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket.
And tried not to hyperventilate.
Don’t look at the news—we’re fine.
“What?” she asked, taking in his expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you have a local news channel on your computer?” he asked, and his healthy breakfast made unhealthy noises as she pulled up a news site. They both read the scrolling banner across the top together.
Shots Fired at Public Defender’s Headquarters. Police Have Suspect Barricaded in Stairwell.
“Oh shit,” Ellery said, his heart pulsing in his throat.
“Are we fucking serious here?” Jade asked.
Which was exactly what Ellery texted Jackson.
Are we fucking serious here?
Jackson returned, I told you not to look!
Where are you?
Hiding with Jenny Probst behind the giant copier in the supply closet.
You do that a lot, Ellery texted, and he could almost hear Jackson’s filthy laugh in return.
It’s not as romantic as it sounds.
Is Henry with you? And Ellery wasn’t sure whether to hope yes or hope no.
Yes. He’s the guy who barricaded the door. Ellery, he was coming specifically for Jenny. Do you know why?
He thought about it. The Townsend case was hinky, but he already had that file because Jenny had dropped it off the day before. The guy currently barricaded on the stairwell wouldn’t know that, necessarily, but then it could also be the case file Jackson was supposed to pick up.
Or it could be something completely unconnected.
I’d need to see the file she wanted you to get, but it could be something totally unrelated. You know that, right?
His response was an emoji face with rolling eyes.
It’s possible, he maintained stubbornly, partly because Jackson on the phone arguing was not Jackson out in the thick of things taking unnecessary chances.
She’s sort of hysterical right now. I may go get the case file just so I have something to do while I’m waiting.
“Werewolf fucking Jesus,” Jade muttered, and Ellery stared at her.
“The fuck is that?”
“I don’t know. We saw a meme, we decided to make it a thing. But seriously, tell him no!”
Please don’t, Ellery typed, aware that his fingers were shaking.
No response.
Ellery pulled up Henry’s number and texted, Tell him to stay put!
You tell him!
Tell him I’ll kill him myself!
Keep your shorts on. He’s back.
Ellery stared at his phone, sweat trickling down his back, heart pounding like he was the one in lockdown, waiting for an active shooter to pound through his door.
When Jackson’s name flashed across his screen, he swore softly, “Werewolf fucking Jesus.”
And smiled.
I’m fine. Everything is fine. Got the file. I think cops took the shooter down with tasers. Give us an hour, we’ll be there.
There was a pause while Ellery caught his breath, and the phone screen flashed again.
Want us to bring lunch?
Ellery started to laugh softly and a little hysterically.
Don’t sweat it. Jade and I will walk down.
His phone erupted then into a lot of texts saying mostly it was hot outside and not to bother and it was no big deal, but Jade was already running down the hallway to give her keys to AJ, and Ellery was heading for Galen’s office to brief him, and seriously.
Ellery had given him one lousy thing to do.
In Jackson’s words, fuck that guy!
AJ DROPPED Ellery and Jade off about a block from the public defender’s building before driving away with Ralene and Ty Townsend in the back of Jade’s SUV, a little confused but very grateful.
Jade and Ellery joined the throng in front of the building, watching as two EMTs transported a guy handcuffed to his stretcher out of the building, two policemen on their heels.
Henry and Jackson followed—both of them looking casual and happy and 100 percent abso-fucking-lutely fine—escorted by a very familiar young detective. Sean Kryzynski had blond hair and blue eyes like Henry, but Sean’s narrower face, his more expressive eyes, his smaller build, marked him as another kind of creature entirely.
When Ellery had first met Kryzynski, or K-Ski as Jackson and Jade had taken to calling him, he’d been super idealistic and super sure that Jackson had done something wrong in his past to deserve all of the bullshit the department threw at him. After a year of working together—sometimes willingly, sometimes not—Kryzynski had started to trust Jackson a little, and Jackson had stopped treating the guy like a raging yeast infection under his balls.
Kryzynski had lost a little of his new-detective polish, but he’d gained some wisdom—and some lines around the eyes—over the past year.
Ellery considered him a friend, and he was pretty sure Jackson did too.
“You have no idea who this guy is?” Kryzynski said, for what sounded like the umpteenth time.
“He was the guy who shouted Jenny’s name and apparently fired his gun into the air. And I’m guessing he can run like the wind.” Jackson’s hand shifted as he walked with Kryzynski down the stairs, and Ellery was suddenly aware of the messenger bag at his hip.
Go, baby, go, he thought silently, because oh yeah, they really needed to read that file.
Kryzynski nodded. “You had to see the video replay. He seriously would have made it to her floor if you hadn’t barricaded the door.”
“All Henry’s doing,” Jackson said mildly.
“Jackson’s idea,” Henry said, sounding bored. “He was supposed to be taking it easy today.”
Kryzynski gave a real smile, one that reached his tired cop eyes. “First day back?”
Jackson grimaced. “Wasn’t supposed to be.”
Henry and Kryzynski both chortled.