Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(95)

He tried scraping it off, but it wouldn’t come. He gave up and grabbed the spoon.

Chase took his first bite. And looked at the lid. Maybe the cheese was what made it good, because without it, it tasted bad. Really, really bad.

He spooned himself another bite. Logically, he knew that just because he loved Della didn’t mean he had to like everything she liked.

He still didn’t stop eating. Because … because … Hell, he didn’t know why. Other than that Della liked it.

Nope, he never stopped. He finished the whole damn thing. Every disgusting spoonful.

*

Steve and Della walked out of the coffee shop. The sky was dark. The moon still hung big in the sky, only a sliver of its fullness missing. But it was probably the safest night to be out, because the weres were all hung over from their monthly shift.

The wind was cold, but not deadly cold. It reminded her that she hadn’t seen a ghost in a while.

When they cut around to the back of the hospital, the darkness became denser. Only their footsteps echoed in the night.

“Right there,” Steve said and pointed up. “Tenth floor. Second window to the right.” He looked around as if to make sure no one was watching. “I’ll meet you up there?”

Della nodded and flew up.

There was a ledge, about a foot wide, but it gave her just enough space to park her butt. She had just perched herself when she realized just how much pigeon poop she’d just sat on.

Oh, and it smelled.

Nasty.

Just as Steve had said, the window was left partially opened.

Della raised it another ten inches. The smell of old paper, reminding her of how an old library smelled, filled her nose. She turned her legs around and slipped inside. Her feet had barely hit the floor when Steve landed on the windowsill, looking regal as a peregrine falcon. Her heart did a little tug. She did almost love him.

But it still wasn’t love-love.

He swooped inside.

With his wings fluttering back and forth, the magic bubbles appeared around him as he transformed back into human form.

“I found a flashlight when I was here,” he whispered and turned to look around. “I thought I left it right—”

“There,” Della said, spotting in on the floor below the window.

He grabbed it and turned it on. He cupped his hand over it as if it were too bright. His nervousness made her antsy. She tilted her head to listen for anyone nearby. She didn’t hear a sound.

“Is someone else supposed to be in here?” she asked.

“There’s a laundry room next door. For all I know, people are there at all hours. And the place has like three security guards. So we need to be careful.”

She tilted her head to the side. “But I don’t hear anyone. So we can relax.”

He frowned. “We’re breaking and entering. We can’t relax.”

“Let’s find the file.” And when she turned around she realized just what a job that would be. Row upon row of metal racks filled the room. And each rack held boxes stacked on top of boxes, reaching almost to the ceiling, which was at least thirty feet high.

Her gaze shifted from one end of the room to the other.

“Are they marked?” Della asked.

“Some have dates on them,” Steve whispered.

They walked into the front of the room, stopping when she got to first row. She took the light from Steve and shined it at the stacked boxes.

She could barely make out the writing. She had to get closer to the box to see the year, nineteen sixty, scribbled in pencil.

“What year are we looking for?” he asked.

“Nineteen ninety-five,” Della said.

It took fifteen minutes to find the right year. Unfortunately, it appeared it had been a busy year, too. There were over forty boxes.

Talk about a needle in a haystack …

She climbed up the metal rack, and brought down a box. Steve took it from her. Frowning, she realized that if they didn’t get lucky, it could take forever.

Making it worse was that whoever had packaged the files hadn’t taken care to put them in any order. Some were alphabetized and others random.

They were on the last six when Della started to worry that it wouldn’t be here. That she’d dragged Steve out and forced him to help her break the law for nothing.

But then when she picked up one of the remaining boxes to open, she felt it. A chill.

“I think it’s in here,” she said. She pulled off the top. One file was standing up higher than the others.

The name of the file tab read: CHAO TSANG.

*

Chase paced. He took Baxter for a walk. Then he went for a run.

He wanted to see her. Just tell her he was sorry for acting like an ass. If she started asking questions again, he’d leave.

Running inside, he filled Baxter’s bowl. “I’ll be right back,” he told the dog.

A few minutes later, he walked through the Shadow Falls gate. Burnett looked at the window as he walked through. He just waved.

As he got closer to Della’s cabin, he heard voices. Taking the steps, Chase had already knocked before he took in a breath and tasted the air. He got some odd scent—probably the chameleon chick—and a witch. Miranda.

What he didn’t get was Della.

The door opened and Miranda stood there. She smiled. Then her smile faded. No, not faded; vanished. Like bam! There one second and gone the next.