Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(38)

“Believe me, my mom has told me everything she knows about being a high priestess. She’s never mentioned a tattoo. I hate my life,” Miranda

moaned.

“No you don’t,” Holiday said.

“Yes, I do. Perry came to see me,” Miranda tossed out the words like a confession.

“And that’s got you upset?” Holiday asked.

“I don’t know what to do.” She closed her eyes a second, wishing Della and Kylie were here. Not that talking to Holiday wasn’t good, but

Kylie and Della were her touchstones. A talk with them always made her feel better.

“You’ll figure it out,” Holiday said, as if it wasn’t a big deal. As if it was easy.

Nothing felt easy!

She recalled her almost argument about Anthony with her sister. “Has Burnett said anything about Anthony?”

Her question met silence. Silence was never good.

*

Perry moved closer to the two-way mirror, staring into the interrogation room, waiting for Burnett to pull more information out of Lily. Could

it really be that it was the same Jax?

Chase and Lucas moved in a bit as well.

Lily closed her eyes. “I told you, I don’t—”

“Okay, he’s a badass, but that still doesn’t tell us who he is,” Shawn spoke up.

“Was Jax the one who committed the robbery?” Burnett went with a direct question. The man never beat around the bush.

She shook her head. “No, not him. It was one of his friends … one of his ‘boys’ he called him.”

“Who is Jax to you? Does he have a last name?” Burnett asked.

She looked down at her hands and ran one finger over her wrist that looked inflamed. “If he thinks I’m the one who gave up his friend, my ass

is grass. He’ll come after me—”

“I won’t let him get to you,” Burnett said.

She lifted her eyes. But didn’t answer.

“I need you to tell me what you know,” Burnett said.

She stared at the wall.

“Now,” Burnett growled.

“He’s my stepbrother. Jax Bowen.”

Perry filed that name away.

“Is he a gang leader?” Burnett asked. “Is that what you mean by his boys?”

Her shoulders slumped. “I guess you’d call it that. He always had people doing things for him. He wouldn’t rob a convenience store, or beat

someone up. He’d get someone else to do it.”

“Where does he live?” Burnett asked next.

She hesitated again as if answering might cost her. “The last I heard he was in Houston.”

Houston? Perry’s suspicions grew.

“Do you know the name of the gang?” Burnett asked.

She shook her head.

“Is Jax supernatural?” Burnett leaned in closer.

She nodded.

“What kind?” The question hung in the air unanswered.

A cracking bang shattered the silence as Burnett hit the table with his fist. Not really hard, but hard enough to make a scared girl jump.

Hard enough that Perry saw regret in Burnett’s eyes.

“Shape-shifter,” she said, her voice thin.

“It has to be him,” Perry muttered.

“What?” Lucas asked.

“Just thinking out loud.” Perry looked back at the two-way mirror.

“You don’t understand,” Lily spoke. “He … he already…” She glanced away. Her words pulled back in with what looked like fear.

“Is Jax the one who hurt Mrs. Crow’s niece?” Shawn asked.

The girl’s gaze shot up at the warlock. “How did you know about that?”

“Mrs. Crow told me.” Something about Shawn’s tone had changed. As if he no longer looked at Lily as the enemy, but maybe a victim.

Lily’s shoulders pulled back with a snap. “You talked to her? You didn’t tell her I was part of this, did you? Because I’m not. I would

never hurt them.” Desperation gave her words power.

Remorse filled Shawn’s blue eyes. “You were leaving because you were worried they’d hurt Mr. and Mrs. Crow, weren’t you?”

“He’d hurt them for helping me. He already hurt Mrs. Crow’s niece. I had to leave.”

“Shit,” Shawn muttered.

“Comeuppance is hard to swallow,” Chase said and let out something a little less than a chuckle.

“Yup,” Lucas said. “Especially when it’s handed to you by a pretty girl you zapped with enough volts of electricity to kill a small cow.”

Perry didn’t talk. He didn’t want to miss anything Lily said.

She sat up a little straighter. Burnett adjusted his chair, preventing Perry from seeing the girl and reading her body language.

“They didn’t deserve to be mixed up in this. The only way to protect them was to leave.”

Burnett’s posture was no longer intimidating. “This friend of your stepbrother that you recognized. Was he also shape-shifter? And do you

know his name?”

“Only part. He’s also were. The only name I know him by is Chuckie.”

“Did this guy recognize you?” Burnett asked.