I shook my head, scolding him with my eyes as I leaned close and squeezed one of his tattooed biceps. “Take the badge’s phone,” I whispered.
His wink was the only confirmation I needed. I could trust Z to back me up.
I let go of his hand and then marched down the sidewalk back toward Potts’ chintzy little office. I was determined to figure out who the hell this cop was and how he’d figured me out already. I ignored the ‘run, run, run’ chant that my heart and legs were doing. Nope. I was not going to take the coward’s way.
I yanked open the exterior door just in time to hear Potts screech from her office, "What the fuck do you mean, just checking in? No warrant. No information. That's how this goes."
I noticed that the check in book on her reception table was gone, a dark square of wood contrasted the rest of the sun-stained desk. Shit. If he had that, he’d probably seen my name already. I swallowed hard and forced my feet to keep going around her plant so that I could peer into her office. I could see her with a file in hand, standing next to an open filing cabinet. Across from her, a good-looking guy in his forties shoved his hands into his black suit pockets.
His nostrils flared and a lock of black hair came tumbling down over his forehead as he snarled, "Please, Potts. We all know you take in those criminal psychos under the guise of reform—"
"Was that supposed to convince me to help you? Because, newsflash, it didn't." Potts took a step forward and got in the guy’s face.
The breath surged out of my body like a waterfall surging off a cliff. He's not here about me, I realized. I fought my body's urge to sag in relief. I had to look natural.
“I’m looking for a damn murderer, Potts. That trumps—”
“It trumps the law?” she screeched. “Get out! Get the fuck out!” She started shoving him toward the door.”
“When it involves certain people, yes.” He replied, backing smoothly away from her enraged form.
“Certain people! Certain people! What the hell does that mean? Some murders are more important than others?” Her face turned nearly purple in rage.
I hoped mine hadn’t turned white in fear. Because if this guy was talking about an important murder … I had a very bad feeling I knew which one.
“Total bullshit,” Potts waved her hands wildly. “What the hell? Did one of the Council members get offed?”
“Why would you ask that?” The Pinnacle pinhead took a step closer to Potts.
Fuck.
He was definitely investigating Claude’s death.
Pott’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? A Council member died? Not just from vampires?”
The cop didn’t respond, just clenched his jaw and turned. He caught sight of me. His brown eyes widened and he strode forward into the lobby and then loomed over me.
Double fuck.
The urge to bolt slithered up my spine. My heart swelled up and felt like it was about to pop. But I held perfectly still. The only movement I allowed myself was to tilt my head and look over his shoulder, past him to Doctor Potts. I forced a confused expression onto my face. "Are you okay, Doctor Potts?"
She waved the file folder in her hand. "Yes. Fine. If you consider that a Pinnacle Officer was just violating--"
He cut her off fast, stepping toward me, his eyes still studiously on my face. "Excuse me. But you look familiar ... "
"Nope. Can't talk to her." Potts stomped over and while she didn't shove him, she brushed against him. Hard.
I widened my eyes and did my best to look scared instead of raising my hand to high-five her. I also had to fight back the warmth that spread in my chest at the fact that she was turning into a mama-bear for me.
"Free country." The officer said. Now that he was close, I could read the name on his badge. Michael Muller, Detective.
"We aren't in the country, we're in my office," she countered. “My office. My rules. We invoke the fifth amendment.”
I pulled the confused, innocent look that had worked so well to piss off many a professor. "Aren't you supposed to get, like, a judge's permission for stuff? Where's your partner?"
Potts looked at me like I'd just vomited up a hairball or was turning into a mutant before her eyes. And in a way I was. But Muller bought the ditz act and that was all that mattered.
He looked at me with a mix of arrogance and pity in his eyes. "You've been watching too many norm cop shows, sweetie."
Sweetie. Oh, fuck him. It was hard not to let my smile twitch, but I managed. Barely. "Are you one of the cops who's gonna find all those crazy vampires?" I bit my lip like I was really worried.
Potts rolled her eyes as she turned away from Muller and stomped back over to her filing cabinet, clearly deciding that if I was going to act that dumb, then I didn’t need, or maybe didn’t deserve, her protection. But she didn't call me on my bullshit.
Muller tilted his head. "Don't you worry about those things. They'll be gone before moonrise."
Hand to the chest, I told myself and then instructed my face to look grateful. "Oh, good. You found them already then? Cause on Insta, all my friends are saying the parties tonight are cancelled. But if they’re gonna be gone …" I pulled out my burner phone and dragged open the video app. I swept my hair to the side like I was about to selfie it up. “I can’t wait to tell them. They’ll be so happy—”
“Whoa. Wait a second. I didn’t say you should party.” I lowered my phone casually, but flicked my gaze to the screen, ensuring I had the video focused on Muller. Then I crossed my fingers.
“But you just said they’ll be gone by tonight. I don’t understand.” I gave him the head tilted, mouth open, confused look that stupid Terra Lysour’s BFF, Lane, had always gotten whenever Terra used a word with three syllables.
Muller’s gaze immediately softened and his hand came up for a split second, like he wanted to pat my shoulder. Why were so many guys like that? Who liked stupid people? Ugh.
“So, the vampires are still hiding out somewhere?” I pressed.
“Look—”
“Do you know, like, where? If you don’t know where, how are you going to catch them? How are people going to stay safe? How’d they even break out?” I let the pitch of my voice rise and my breathing get panicked.
“They didn’t. Look—”
“They didn’t break out? What? Did someone let them out—”
The way he shut down his face gave me everything I needed for the video. We didn’t have footage of the vamps pouring out of the Pinnacle. But there was no denying that the first outbreak had occurred on its lawn. And now, there was no way people would miss his expression, that closed look public figures got when they were deciding how to skirt the truth. The internet was going to love this. So would Malcolm. I tried not to smirk as I kept up my frantic charade, all while swiping ‘end’ on the recording.
“Maybe we need to leave town.” I leaned over and looked at Potts. “Maybe they should evacuate the city!” I started pacing.
“Calm down. Okay.” This time Muller’s hands did come up, in frustration. “You’re freaking out when you don’t need to.”
“Don’t need to! All kinds of people are dead! And you haven’t caught—”