Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(35)

of the suspect, helpful to some supernaturals when identifying a suspect.

The two guys turned around when he opened the door. Lucas stepped forward and gave him a man hug, a thump on his shoulder. Men didn’t hug.

Well, not each other. Girls? That was another matter. It hit him then that Miranda, who’d been dubbed a serial hugger, hadn’t embraced him.

He pushed the thought away, reminding himself to take things slow.

“Burnett’s been worried about you,” Lucas said. “What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Perry said. “Della and Kylie said you two are working on Miranda’s case. You got anything?”

“Not much,” Lucas said.

“Just some leads that we’re following in a couple of hours,” Chase said.

Perry turned toward Chase and offered his hand. He’d never disliked the vampire. And he seemed to make Della happy. Perry hoped they could be

friends.

Chase pumped his hand. “Good to see you again.” His tone rang honest.

“You, too.” Perry’s gaze went to the two-way mirror.

He saw Burnett talking to a young woman. He squinted to see what she was. A mixed-breed. “What’s going on?” Perry’s attention shifted away

from the girl to Shawn. The guy looked uncomfortable and a little roughed up.

“A jewelry store robbery,” Chase said. “The chick works there. Shawn thinks she’s behind it.”

“What happened to his face?” Perry asked.

“She kicked him.” A touch of humor sounded in Chase’s voice.

Perry let out a chuckle. “He got beat up by a girl?”

Lucas grinned. “We said the same thing.”

“Stop!” the girl being interrogated said loud enough to pull Perry’s eyes back to the window. “I’m going to say this one more time. I had

the money because I was making a deposit!” She glared up at Shawn.

Shawn moved closer to the table. “You were leaving town. You told your landlord you were moving out. Give it up.”

The girl slapped both hands on the table. “What does moving have to do with making the deposit?”

“Do you think we’re that stupid?” Shawn growled.

She tilted up her chin and met his eyes directly. “This guy?” She pointed to Burnett. “No, I don’t think he’s stupid. You, however … The

Almighty obviously gave you a double dose of looks because you are dumber than dirt.”

Chase, Lucas, and Perry all laughed. “She doesn’t like him!” Perry said.

“Actually”—Chase lifted a nose in the air—“she does.”

Lucas took a sniff of air. Perry didn’t bother, shape-shifters didn’t have the gift of scent.

“You’re right,” Lucas said.

“And that’s not just her pheromones,” Chase said.

Lucas chuckled. “That girl better watch out. Miranda will get jealous and might turn her into a kangaroo with…” Lucas’s words dropped

short. He gazed at Perry. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“No problem.” But the heaviness in Perry’s chest implied it was. How serious had Miranda and Shawn gotten? Had she ever skinny-dipped with

him? Perry swallowed the thought down, but it tasted like sour milk.

He studied Shawn again and realized the guy being attracted to someone might be a good thing. Maybe he wasn’t so in love with Miranda as Perry

feared.

Perry glanced back at the possible jewelry thief. The brunette with long hair and big brown eyes was hot enough that most guys might let out a

little pheromone. It didn’t mean Shawn would act on it. And it didn’t mean he was a jerk—just a normal guy.

Still Perry couldn’t help but find a little comfort in it. When he’d been with Miranda he’d barely noticed other girls.

“Enough!” Burnett’s voice echoed over the sound system. Perry watched as Burnett stood up. “Look, Miss Chambers, if you could take a break

from tossing out insults and explain what was really going on, then maybe you could be on your way.”

She drummed her fingers on the table as if finally nervous. “What is it you want me to say?”

“See,” Shawn spoke up. “That look, that’s what I saw earlier. She’s lying.”

Yeah, she was, Perry thought. Being able to cue in so close to emotional shifts wasn’t as reliable as hearing someone’s heartbeat, but it was

close.

“He’s right,” Burnett said. “What are you not telling us?”

Perry and the other two in the room stood silent, watching this play out.

“I’m not lying.”

“But you are hiding something. What is it?” Burnett cleared his throat. A small sound that sounded big. Tension filled the room. “If you

expect us to believe you weren’t stealing the money, explain why the sudden rush out of town?”

Lily shrank back into her chair. “Can’t a person decide to move?”

“Sure you can. But not with four thousand dollars of cash that doesn’t belong to you,” Shawn added.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I was going to deposit that money! I would never steal from the Crows.”