Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(131)



“Negative zero.” Holiday smiled with empathy.

Miranda felt a little bit validated. “Have you seen Perry?”

“No.” She sat down beside Miranda. “Burnett told me he’s upset. Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”

Miranda inhaled, wishing it was birthday cake she smelled instead of everyone’s anger. “I’ve never seen him so mad.”

“I know exactly how he feels,” Holiday said.

Miranda looked at the fae. Hadn’t she been on Miranda’s side?

Holiday continued. “I feel it every time my husband runs off and puts himself in danger. I told him once that if he died I wouldn’t attend

his funeral.” Holiday’s eyes got misty. “I was lying. He knew it. The thought of losing someone you love this much … It’s devastating. You

get scared and mad.”

“I know,” Miranda said. “But he put me through it when he was off working undercover with his brother.”

Holiday chuckled. “I’ve had a very similar conversation with Burnett when he gets bent out of shape about my need to help a spirit. There’s

something about the male psyche that can’t see that the danger they put themselves in as being in any way related to the dangers we might

face. I mean, Burnett’s a smart man, and I’ve explained it to him in a logical manner. He doesn’t see it.”

Miranda gave her pillow a punch. “Now I’m getting mad. I need him.”

Holiday squeezed her hand. “I don’t blame you, but give him some time. On top of being upset that you put yourself in danger, Burnett called

a few minutes ago and said the Galveston FRU brought Perry’s brother to the Houston facility. Burnett and Perry are headed there now. That can

’t be easy for Perry.”

Holiday went to leave, then turned back. “Oh, good news. Bell crossed over. She knows we’ll take care of her son.”

“Good.”

Miranda curled up in bed. Her pillow smelled like Perry. Her heart ached for him dealing with his family, but she was still pissed. And if he

thought he could waltz back here and expect her not to give him some hell, he’d better think again.





Chapter Thirty-eight

“I’m telling you, you got the wrong guy. My name is Perry Gomez. I was visiting my brother.”

Perry watched through the two-way mirror as his brother threw him into the fire. Jax wore the special shape-shifter cuffs and a patch with a

potent drug that kept him from shifting.

Burnett sat across from him. “You’ve got about ten minutes to write down all of your gang contacts. Your cooperation will decide what prison

you go to while awaiting trial.”

“You are sending the wrong brother to jail!”

Burnett smiled. “You’re really sticking with that story?”

“It’s true. Call my mom. You took my phone. Her number’s there. She’ll tell you who I am.”

Perry exhaled. Jax was right. She’d lie for him. Not that it hurt Perry. That wasn’t the parent who pulled on his heartstrings.

As if he had any heartstrings left to pull. Miranda had snapped them in two. But goddamn it! How could she think what she’d done was okay?

“Hell, you have records on me. I lived most of my miserable life in the FRU foster home. Check your own damn records.”

Perry decided it was time.

He walked out of one door and in through another. Shock then fury tightened the skin around his brother’s skull.

“You…? You helped them. You turned on your own blood! How can you live with yourself?”

Perry chuckled at the irony of Jax saying that after trying to do the same. “And you were selling girls as broodmares. How much were they

paying you for their lives?”

Jax looked back at Burnett. “He killed a man. I’ll tell you where his body is.”

Burnett leaned back. “You mean the body I buried and you dug up?” He glanced at the clock. “Now you’ve got seven minutes.”

The cold look in Jax’s eyes said he knew it was over. He finally understood how hopeless his case was. “I ain’t giving you shit. I pray one

of those gangs kills every last one of you! And you,” he glared at Perry, “I hope they gut you like a pig. Slowly. Mama was smart to get your

daddy to abandon your ass.”

Burnett kicked Jax’s chair and he went down. “I tried to make it easier on him,” Burnett said.

“I knew he wouldn’t work with you,” Perry said. They started toward the door. Then Perry turned around and went to stand where Jax could see

him. “When I showed you how fast I could shift, I held back. And seriously, I’m much better looking than you are.”

Once in the hall, Burnett looked at Perry with concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I am.” And he meant it.

*

Sunday morning, Miranda lounged in bed, her nose in a book, because tomorrow morning was test day.

She was checking her phone again for a text when it dinged with a message. Perry? Her heart soared, but crashed when she saw it was Holiday

telling her she had a visitor at the office. She texted back: Perry?

It seemed unlikely, practically impossible, because Holiday would never call Perry a visitor, but damn it, she could hope.

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