Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(107)

“Did my father see you?” Della asked.

Her uncle nodded. “We were fighting in the hall. I saw him run into the room where Bao Yu was.”

He did it. I showed you!

Della saw it again in her head. Her aunt flat on the floor. A knife jutting out of her chest. When she reached up she found another hand on the knife. The knife pulled out. The pain hit. The numbness started. The last thing she saw was her brother, holding the knife. Blood dripping from the blade.

Just like that, Della realized something. In every vision she’d showed Della, her father had never … stabbed her.

“I know what happened.” Tears filled Della’s eyes and she looked first at her uncle and then back to her aunt. “You were trying to pull the knife out. He saw you and he thought he was helping. But you died then. You thought he killed you. He thought he killed you.”

The car spun out of control—Della saw Feng fighting the wheel—then the last thing Della saw was the tree rushing toward them before everything went white. All white.





Chapter Forty-four

Chase watched Burnett cut the engine off. About a dozen mobile homes filled the small park. Gold light beamed out of the windows. Both he and Burnett pulled in air at the same time, testing it for any weres.

Burnett’s gaze shot to Chase.

Chase nodded. “It’s him.”

“You get anything besides were?”

“Humans. And it might be more than one were.” Chase looked down at the paper Burnett had handed him. “The address says number eight. It must be one in the back.”

As Burnett reached for the door handle, his phone rang and he checked the number. “Make it fast,” Burnett said into the phone and got out of the car.

“We found the Corolla, but not Della.” Shawn’s voice reached Chase’s ears.

“Where did you find the car?”

“We looked at all the places her father hung out these last few days, thinking Della might have gone looking for him. The car is parked in front of an old Chinese restaurant in Chinatown.”

“Have you checked the area?” Burnett frowned at Chase.

“Yes. She’s not here. Do you want us to get the car?”

“No,” Burnett said. “She’ll come back for it. Leave someone there, and … keep looking. Find her.” Burnett hung up.

Chase heard Burnett’s concern and he felt it tenfold. He also knew what scared Burnett the most was that Stone had somehow gotten his hands on Della. And damned if it didn’t terrify Chase. He’d seen what that man was capable of doing to his own girlfriend. He could only imagine what he’d do to a stranger.

They walked past the first five trailers. Chase heard people milling around inside.

“You go to the front door and knock,” Burnett said. “I’ll go to the back and stop their asses when they run.”

“I could do the back,” Chase offered.

Burnett frowned. “I got it.” Then he glanced around. “We’ve got to do this with no show. Not too many witnesses. You understand?”

Chase nodded and started to the front porch of trailer number eight as Burnett went around the back.

He stepped on the porch and right before he knocked he heard the telltale sound of a shotgun being cocked.

Chase moved. Just not fast enough.

*

Della pushed the airbag out of her face and looked at her uncle. He was doing the same thing.

Della smelled blood before she saw it ooze from his brow. “You okay?”

“Yes. The wheel went crazy.” He touched his brow. “Just a bump. You?”

“Fine.” Only after declaring it did Della move all her arms and legs. Nothing hurt.

The car engine spewed and sizzled. She glanced to the backseat with concern—only to feel like an idiot because her aunt was already dead. But she wasn’t even there.

Her uncle got out of the car. Della did the same. Or would have if the car door would have opened. She gave it a shove and the sound of screeching metal filled the night. They stood outside the car.

Feng looked at the vehicle.

“I warned you,” she said.

He nodded. “Never liked that car anyway.” Then he looked up at the sky. “It’s still quite a few miles from here.” He looked her up and down. “Sure you’re not hurt?”

“Sure,” she said.

“Then you’re okay to fly?”

She nodded.

*

Chase lurched back, landing on his feet.

Pain hit his shoulder as one tiny shot grazed him. But if he hadn’t moved he’d have been a goner. He growled and caught the scent of his own blood.

Pissed off, he leapt back onto the porch. He pushed through what was left of the door, hoping the shotgun wasn’t a double barrel, ready to give someone hell.

But hell had already been given. Burnett had the two guys down, FRU cuffs on their wrists. Chase saw the back door of the trailer on the floor.

Relief filled Burnett’s eyes when Chase appeared. Then he scowled.

“You’re hit!”

“Just grazed.” He went over and picked up the shotgun. Adrenaline still fired through his body, his shoulder stung, and he fought the desire to kick the two half-weres now stretched out face down on the stained carpet.