Once Bitten (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #1)(7)

His eyes darted between Raoul and me as if weighing the odds of it being a bad idea. “I’ll be right across the hall.”

I knew he granted us the illusion of privacy, but it worked fine for me. I wasn’t the one sitting in the hot seat.

“You want to tell me what I’m doing here at this hour of night?” I said when Avery left. “What did you do? Sell someone a shit shack and convince them it was a castle?”

“You’re not funny, Alexa.” He sat back in his chair and crossed one leg smoothly over the other. Raoul looked no less masculine for it. He made a show of fussing with the crease in his pants to avoid meeting my eyes.

“I’m waiting.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot in an exaggerated display of impatience.

“Julie Price was murdered last night. I was taken in as a suspect due to my previous relationship with her.” He cleared his throat and dared me to make assumptions.

“And? If they’re letting you out, then obviously, you got away with it.” My lips quirked, but I maintained a straight face.

The look he shot me was absolutely murderous. Risking a glance at the open door, he growled. It was so low that it reached only my sensitive ears. My defenses kicked into overdrive, my instincts instantly went on full alert.

Ok, maybe I shouldn’t have said that with a cop within earshot, but Raoul needed to know I wasn’t at his beck and call. I hadn’t been that girl for a long time.

Julie Price, I’d heard the name once or twice before. She had worked for the same real estate company as Raoul. The two became lovers, as was the usual for a guy like him, but it had ended some time last year. If I recalled correctly, they’d broken it off when her husband discovered the affair. That had been months ago.

“Alright,” I sighed and shuffled my feet. I refused to take the empty seat across from him. “Give me the low down.”

The look he shot at me oozed venom. “I didn’t do it.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “As of right now, I’m being released simply because they can’t prove it was me. But, considering they can’t verify my alibi, I’m still under scrutiny.”

“Why can’t they verify your alibi?” I had a few of my own sneaking suspicions why, but I wanted to hear it from him.

He glanced across the hall through the open door, cleared his throat and picked away at the edge of his coffee cup. “I was with Belle.”

Well, that explained it, alright. Belle Listand was nothing but trouble. A mid-thirties werewolf with a fondness for sins of the flesh, she was on my list of least favorite people. Her elderly husband had been ailing for more than a year now. Since he had no living offspring and a whole lot of money in oil, she went to great lengths to keep him in the dark about her many affairs. The old guy had no clue, neither that she spent her nights with other men, rather than in her grand rooms on his sprawling estate, nor that she occasionally ran on four legs and howled at the moon.

If Raoul had no alibi because he’d been with Belle, then that meant she had refused to risk her husband finding out that she was a no good tramp. And, she most definitely was the type to allow someone else to sit in prison because she had a secret to hide.

“So, she left you in the lurch huh? That shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

“It doesn’t.” He got to his feet in one smooth motion, which brought Avery back with the sound of jingling keys.

“I’ve got some papers for you to sign. Then you’ll be free to go.” He handed a pen to Raoul.

He made eye contact with each of us in turn, and I had to admire his demeanor. Though he may not have consciously realized it, he was holding his body in a slightly defensive stance. Some humans sensed our unnatural vibe.

Though I didn’t want to get into the close confines of a car with Raoul, the faster we left, the sooner I could drop him off and be rid of him. As I led the way to my car, Raoul made a point of keeping in step beside me rather than behind. I couldn’t believe how pathetically fragile his ego was. I shook my head but said nothing.

“Thank you, Alexa.” Taking a gamble, he laid a warm hand softly on my shoulder. I fought the urge to actively shrug it off. “I really appreciate your time. I mean it.”

Now that he was touching me, I wished that I hadn’t come. “So where am I taking you? Is your car at home?” I tried for nonchalance but failed miserably when the awkwardness never ceased. Uncomfortable and annoyed, I eased away from his touch.

“Yeah, home would be nice. I can take a cab to my car tomorrow. It’s in the city, at the office.”

So, they’d arrested him at work. Ouch. That one had to hurt. I didn’t even have a scathing remark for that. Shame on me.

As we approached the Charger, I pressed the remote unlock. The lights flooded us in a sudden spotlight.

“When did you get the new car?” Raoul gave it an appraising once over but paused when he caught sight of my scowl. “It’s not a new car?”

“You asked me that six months ago. I’ve had the damn thing for more than a year. Do you ever pay attention to anyone or anything outside of your personal bubble?” It came out fast, before I’d realized it. “Forget it.”

Almost anxiously, Raoul reached for the passenger door handle. I knew he wanted to say something, most likely a bullshit apology, which I did not want to hear.