Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(61)

Burnett moved in, so close Chase could count the man’s lashes. “But I swear to God, kid. If you do something else this stupid, I’ll find a way to get your ass tossed out of the FRU. And don’t for one minute think I don’t mean it. I’ll make some shit up about you and the council. I’ll plant evidence.”

He put one finger on Chase’s chest. It didn’t feel like a threat so much as a man bringing home his point again. “Because I can live with killing your career a lot easier than I can live with watching you get yourself killed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Chase nodded. “I understand.” And as scary as it was, Chase believed Burnett meant it.

“Good.” Burnett dropped onto the sofa. “Now, sit your ass down and tell me what you got out of your stupid mistake.”

Chase told Burnett everything. Even what he didn’t want to about his suspicions that someone at the council knew more about Stone than they were saying.

“I never considered that Stone would be looking for me. The last thing I wanted was to bring trouble here. If you think it would be best, I’ll find some other place to stay.”

Burnett seemed to consider it. “I don’t think that’s necessary right now.”

“The last thing I want to do is endanger—”

“If this kid, Sam, is all Stone has up his sleeve, I’m not worried.” Burnett leaned forward.

Chase hated to disagree with Burnett, but … “You may not be worried, but the kid managed to get in. And as nonthreatening as Sam might have been, the next guy—”

“His getting in was my own mistake,” Burnett said. “I should have run a check as soon as the power flickered. I won’t make that mistake again.” The man leaned forward. “If I feel your being here becomes a threat, we’ll revisit this discussion. Until then, you stay.”

Burnett’s tone made it sound like an order. One that Chase didn’t think he had the right to give.

*

Della landed in front of Chase’s cabin. She tuned her hearing to listen to the conversation and walked in. They both looked at her and Burnett motioned for her to sit down.

“Who on the council do you suspect of being dirty?” Burnett asked Chase.

“I’m not sure, but maybe I can investigate further by speaking to the prison guard. Maybe he knows more than he thinks.”

Della didn’t miss the fact that Chase wasn’t willing to admit it might be Kirk who was dirty.

Burnett frowned. “You do not go back into that prison. Not even near the prison,” his tone deepened.

“I understand,” Chase said.

Della wasn’t sure what had conspired between these two, but Chase seemed to be playing nice.

In the beat of silence, her patience snapped. “What did you need to see me about?”

“Let’s start with good news,” Burnett said. “I just heard back from the agent trying to fix things so Natasha can return to the human world. We tied up a few loose ends and now have her disappearance tied to Liam’s.”

“So she gets to go back home?” Della asked.

“We still have a few things to work out, but yes.” He paused. “Now for the bad news. There’s been another murder. We’re thinking it’s the same killers as the Chis and the young were cases. A couple, early twenties, only a mile away from the other crimes, was found in another park.”

Della nodded. “Mrs. Chi appeared to me about fifteen minutes ago and told me they had hurt others. I called you.”

“I was on my way here.” He hesitated. “Did she give you anything that might help us catch them?”

“No. But she still had the basketball. Did you keep the agent at the park at the basketball court?”

“I did. No one has shown up.”

“Was there a basketball court at the other park?”

“I think so,” Burnett said. “I’ll put someone on it. And I’ll see about putting other agents at any nearby park with courts.”

“I’d be happy to do that,” Chase said.

Burnett shook his head. “They might recognize you from when you rescued Della. Plus the doctor said you need to take it slow for today.”

Della remembered the reason she’d come here to start with. “Mrs. Chi said something … something that led me to believe she thinks I didn’t pick up on something in the vision. Because Chase was in the vision too, I thought if we compared notes we might stumble across something.”

“You should have done it right afterward,” Burnett said.

“Things came up,” Chase said.

Changing the subject, Della asked, “Have the autopsies been done?”

“Of Mr. and Mrs. Chi, yes, but not the young weres.” Burnett hesitated. “Definitely a were crime, a few bite marks but nothing distinguishable. So no evidence to help catch the killers. They are testing for DNA, but unless the killers were arrested by the FRU, that won’t help us.”

“So they just get away with murder?” Della snapped, and her frustration intensified not just from knowing the Chis, but from the fact that these killers were close to her parents’ home—close to her sister, who probably visited both the parks where the murders happened.

“Not if I can help it,” Burnett said. “The same examiner who did the Chis’ autopsy is doing the young weres’. She’s supposed to call when she’s finished.”