Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(64)

Another agent stuck his head into the room.

“If he”—the man pointed to Chase—“is working this case, you need to get him to sign a contract now.”

“Let’s get this over with.” Burnett led Chase out, leaving Della with Perry. Before the door closed, Shawn—Miranda’s Shawn—walked past.

After staring at his cousin for a few seconds, Perry started toward the door. “I’ll be right back,” he offered. He was almost out the door when Della realized what he might be doing.

“Hey,” she said.

He looked back. “What?”

“Don’t go looking for trouble.”

“I’m not,” Perry said. “I just want some air.”

“There’s plenty of air in here.”

“I’ll be back.” He walked out.

Della stood alone in the room, then looked back at Perry’s cousin.

The door opened, making Della realize the room was soundproof. She hadn’t been able to hear anything outside the walls. She looked back, expecting Chase or Burnett, but in walked a woman, a young woman, only a few years older than Della. Her fitted black suit identified her as an agent. Della automatically checked her forehead and noted she was half vampire and half fae.

“Oh, hey, I thought Burnett was in here,” she said.

“He went to sign some of Chase Tallman’s paperwork,” Della answered.

“I’m Trisha.”

“I’m Della—”

“I know who you are,” the woman said.

Della studied her. “Have we met?”

“No. I’ve just heard about you. That you’re planning on signing on with us.”

“From Burnett?” Della felt a touch of pride.

Trisha nodded.

“Don’t believe half of what he says,” Della said.

“Oh, he had nothing but good things to say. He told me just enough to make me feel sorry for you.”

“Sorry for me?” Della emotionally flinched. What the hell had Burnett told them? About her parents?

“Okay, that was a bad way of putting it. I meant I heard enough to know what you’re up against.”

Della still didn’t understand, and her expression must have shown it, because Trisha continued, “When I first came to work here, I was assigned under Burnett.” She smiled. “I requested a transfer.”

“Oh, you mean about him being a male chauvinist pig?”

The woman grinned. “That might be a little strong.”

“No, it’s not,” Della said. “I tell him that all the time.”

She laughed. “Sounds like he met his match with you. But when you get here, if you’d like to train under me, I’d be honored.”

“Thanks,” Della said. She hadn’t really considered the training period of becoming an agent, and for some reason it sent a thrill through her. As if that part of life was closer than she expected. With all her problems of late, she’d kind of lost the excitement of where life could lead.

She glanced back up at Trisha, who appeared to be waiting for Della to say something else. “But I’ll probably just stick with Burnett. He’s a pain in the ass, but I’m told I can be the same. So we’re a pretty good pair.”

She laughed. “Well, it sounds like you two belong together. To be honest, I’ve regretted my decision as well. He’s a good agent.”

“So the other agents here aren’t as overprotective as Burnett?”

“Well, they all have a little bit too much testosterone—just not as much as Mr. James. But after meeting you, I think you have enough estrogen to put them in their places.”

All of a sudden, in the other room, Sam stood and banged on the door. “Are you gonna keep me in here all day?”

Della and Trisha both glanced at the boy through the two-way mirror. “Looks as if he might be frustrated enough to talk now. Burnett asked me to soften him up earlier, but he wasn’t responding.”

“He has to talk,” Della said, thinking of her father, and the ticking clock. In two weeks he could be sent to prison.

“I read him when I was in there,” the agent said, and Della assumed she was referring to her fae ability to read emotion. “He’s not a bad kid, mostly scared. But we’re all scared, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.” The woman had probably read Della’s emotions. But could she read her enough to know Della wasn’t afraid for herself—only for her father?

Two weeks.





Chapter Twenty-eight

“Just go in and be honest,” Burnett told Perry.

Chase stood by Burnett as he spoke to the shape-shifter.

“What are we doing? Good cop, bad cops? I’m nice to him, and then you two beat him up?” Perry asked.

Chase heard concern in Perry’s voice, and obviously so did Burnett.

“We’re not treating him as a hostile … yet,” Burnett said. “If he talks, we’ll go extra easy on him.”

Chase wasn’t sure he agreed with that, but he didn’t think he had the right to argue.

“Okay,” Perry nodded at Chase. The quick duck of the head didn’t come with any friendly pretense. The way Chase saw it, Perry was probably friends with Steve.