Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(109)

Della turned around, and there, on the hall floor, was the old man she remembered from her one and only council meeting. Considering his age, Della might have suspected he’d gone of natural causes. But there was nothing natural about the knife sticking out of his back.

“What’s the address here?” Della asked, looking away.

“Why?” her uncle asked.

She reached for her phone. “Because I’m calling Burnett.”





Chapter Forty-five

Begrudgingly, Chase stormed out of the office. He’d just dropped his ass on the seat behind the wheel. He hadn’t even shut the door when Burnett shot beside his car.

“Let’s go,” he said.

“What?” Chase climbed out.

“Della,” Burnett said. “She’s at a murder scene.”

“Stone?” Chase asked, slamming his car door and putting his keys away.

“No, Logan Powell.” He pulled out his phone and spouted out an order to someone.

“What? How did Della meet up with Powell?” Chase asked.

“Don’t know. She was short on details.” Burnett took off.

Chase took off after him.

Ten minutes later, Chase and Burnett landed in front of a large two-story house.

“Does this belong to Powell?” Burnett asked.

“I don’t know,” Chase said. “I’ve never been here.” And he sure as hell didn’t understand how Della had gotten here.

As he got closer, he spotted Della sitting on the edge of the porch. The muscle in his chest—his heart—released for the first time since he’d known she was missing.

The smell of death hit. As he moved closer, Della’s scent reached him. But then another scent hit, a weak vampire trace, meaning he was no longer on the premises, but it certainly answered the mystery of how Della had gotten here.

Eddie.

“What happened?” Burnett asked as they got closer.

Della stood up. “I don’t know, I just found him.”

Chase walked over, wanting to hold her, but her angry look stopped him. He waited for her to mention Eddie. She didn’t.

“Who was with you?” Burnett lifted his face again to draw in air.

Della’s gaze met Chase’s. He nodded.

“My uncle.”

Burnett shook his head and looked at Chase. “Did you know she was with him?”

“No,” Chase said at the same time Della did.

“I found Feng when I went looking for my father.”

“And why would he bring you here?” Burnett asked.

“I told him that Stone was Powell’s son. He thought maybe Powell could tell us where Stone was.”

Burnett looked at the door.

“Was the door broken in when you got here?”

“No, I did that.”

Burnett shook his head and exhaled loudly. “Have you touched anything else?”

She shook her head.

“Okay. Go back to the school.”

“But—”

“Don’t you even think of arguing with me!” Burnett seethed. “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been about you? Go back to the school. Straight back!”

“The car,” she said.

“I said get to the school!”

“It’s on Peach Street and—”

“I know where it is!” He raked a hand through his hair. “Some more agents will be showing up here any minute now. If you want a career with the FRU, you’d better get your ass out of here now.”

Chase saw Della nod. He also saw the tears in her eyes. He took one step toward her. She took off.

“Did you have to be so hard on her?” Chase growled.

Burnett ignored him and stormed inside the house. Chase followed.

He stopped when he saw Councilman Powell’s body in the hallway. Chase hadn’t been close to the man, but seeing him dead pulled at his heartstrings.

Burnett looked up. “We need to mask Della’s scent. Go to the kitchen, find some seasonings, anything with a strong odor, add water to it, and boil it. Then wipe your prints off and put it all way. Fast.”

*

Forty minutes later, Della landed in the school’s parking lot. As good as home felt, right then she’d rather be anywhere but here. She knew what, or rather who, waited for her.

Della had grown accustomed to butting heads with Burnett. Holiday was another story. Burnett got mad. The kind of mad Della could handle. Holiday mostly got disappointed. That was harder.

A night breeze brushed against Della’s face and she hesitated, closing her eyes. Her heart ached, her mind raced. Then, knowing she couldn’t postpone it, she walked through the gate. The slight click of the alarm announced her entrance.

She heard the creak of one of the white rockers on the front porch. Through the darkness she could see the shape of one small woman.

Della didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sorry she’d done it. Even considering everything that had happened, meeting her uncle was … good.

Holiday stood up.

Della stepped up on the porch. The red-haired fae frowned. Holiday didn’t frown a lot.

“I’m sorry I upset you,” Della said. “I know you were worried. But I had to go. And … the car’s fine.”