“Yeah, except it didn’t happen. He told me yesterday that, after everything, he was going to start the process of making me a full inspector. Today.”
“That’s amazing! Darling, I’m so proud of you.”
“Dane, you’re not listening. He didn’t come in. He promised he would do it, and then he didn’t show up. I mean, everyone knows he usually takes a few days off after a case, but this wasn’t even his case after he handed it off to me.”
He gave her a level look. “And remind me why he handed it off to you again.”
“You know why. He was assigned a bigger one.”
“Exactly! He’s probably just busy with that other case. You know, investigating.”
“That’s the thing, though. He told me yesterday that his case was going sideways too. I honestly don’t think he’d take time off if that were happening.”
“Huh.” Dane turned his glass between his fingers, considering.
“Yeah. And now the case we thought was just a weird little burglary has cracked into something a lot bigger, so it’s not even over. If anything, it’s become even more important.”
“True.”
“It just doesn’t make sense that he’d not show up and not answer any of my calls or texts. I mean, Dane,” she caught his gaze and worried for a second she might tear up. “I’m worried about him.”
“Worried?” Something in the way all this was settling on him seemed to activate his spine. He sat up straighter, chewing slightly at his bottom lip. “Tell me something, babe. What does your gut say?”
“I’ve never been one to rely on gut feelings.” Yet that’s all she had been spilling out. Suddenly, she felt silly. “You know what? Forget it. You’re probably right. I’m sure he’ll be back in a day or two.”
“Don’t do that. Why are you doing that?”
“What?”
“That.” He put his glass down and pushed all the way up to face her. “You’ve got really incredible intuition, but you’re always second guessing it.”
It was a startlingly forward thing to say, but that was Dane, rushing ahead and damning the consequences.
“Is that what you think?”
“Don’t get mad. You know it’s true. You’ve got the most incredible set of instincts I’ve ever seen. It’s part of what makes you the smart, resourceful person you are. You never do anything without backing it up with ironclad evidence, but it always starts with your gut. So... what does your gut say?”
He had her anatomized down to the smallest fiber of her being. He knew her as well as she knew herself. Maybe it was the bond, or maybe something more; but the permission he gave her made Aurora look deep inside and confront her worries and unfounded suspicions.
“My gut says something is wrong,” she said with finality. “Dead wrong.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe it’s tied to that bigger case? I don’t know. But, Dane, when he wasn’t in by closing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad had happened. You know, I told him about Finch and how we trailed the killer.”
“So?”
“I’m worried he might have gone out on his own.”
“That’s fair,” Dane nodded with full seriousness. “In his position, I might do the same.”
“Exactly!” She slapped her thigh for emphasis. “What if he went out there and found the killer? Dane, what if he found them and things went wrong?”
“All right.” He drained the rest of his glass and stood up.
“Down the hatch,” he said, pointing to her own drink. She tossed it back, as instructed. “Good. Now come on.”
He extended his hand to her, looking every bit like a hero out of myth. Aurora stayed put, her hand hovering just inches from his.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean let’s go.”
“What the... Go where?”
He dropped his hand and laughed, his heroic stance melting into the easily confident stance she could draw in her sleep.
“Babe, you’re forgetting. I’m a fucking wolf.”
“Language.”
He chuckled at her little idiosyncrasy. “Fine, I’m an effing wolf. Tracking people is what I do. Now, let’s get our shoes on and go find your friend. If I can just nab his scent, we’ll find him in no time. With any luck, he’ll be in some seedy bar and we can join him for a nightcap.”
“Deal,” she said, feeling better already.
Within moments, they were out in the crisp night air, walking hand in hand. In the light of day, she might have been too shy to do that, what with the case only being freshly dismissed. Though, in truth, she would have been squirmy holding hands with any man in public.
But, as they carved their way toward the Judiciary under the light of a full Othercross moon, she felt a shift inside her. Day or night, she would be proud to be on this man’s arm.
Twenty-One
Aurora was used to being in the office after nearly everyone else had gone home, but this night felt different. The air seemed charged, and their footsteps echoed deeper into the darkness than usual.
On top of that, Dane seemed on edge, which only made her more anxious. He had gone eerily quiet the closer they got to the Judiciary. Once they were inside, she felt him bristle, as if his hackles had risen, even in human form.
“Is everything all right?” Despite being alone in the building, she felt compelled to whisper.
“No.” The answer sent a chill through her. He kept his eyes ahead, unblinking at the shadows looming in front of them.
“What’s wrong?” Fear made her voice even smaller.
“I’m not sure.”
She could already envision Paul’s body. In her imagination, he was tipped back in his chair, gushes of purple blood spilling down his chest. Those eyes that had only recently warmed to her, staring sightless at the ceiling. It made her queasy.
By the time they reached the offices, her hands were shaking so much, the keys rattled when she unlocked the door. Stepping into the pit, Dane seemed to swell with tension, which wasn’t doing her any favors. It would have been so easy to turn the lights on, but the grip of the place begged for the dark.
“Maybe we could get something in here,” she offered weakly.
Dane shook his head. “We need to go into his office. I need to get his scent. It can’t be mixed with anything else.”
She trembled as she looked at Paul’s door, fearing what they would find inside. It seemed almost cruel. After sniffing Finch out of the air from the beach like a magic trick, why was Dane so intent on pinning Paul down with such certainty? And why did his voice have that throaty quality, like his beast was close to the surface?
They opened the lead investigator’s door and stepped inside. As soon as they did, Dane froze in place. He was coiled so tightly, it made goosebumps break out across Aurora’s skin.
“What is it?”
“It’s Paul.” Dane looked at her at last, and his eyes were keen, even in the shadows. “Paul is who we traced from the gardens. Paul killed Griffin Finch.”
He said it with such certainty, she couldn’t question him, yet the news hit Aurora like a kick to the stomach. Stepping back, she reached out to find something to steady herself.