Reborn (Shadow Falls: After Dark #1)(108)

“How?” Della asked.

“I’m hoping to figure that out on the ride there.”

They came up empty, but that didn’t stop them from charging into the FRU building. Well, Della charged. Holiday, wearing a long-sleeved yellow dress that hugged her round belly, wobbled in. She reminded Della of a pudgy duck. A beautiful pudgy duck with red hair. If this weren’t so serious, Della would have found it funny.

“Hi, Mr. Adkins,” Holiday said to the man at the front desk, granting him a big smile. “I need to speak to my husband.”

Mr. Adkins, who didn’t smile back, probably because he was a werewolf—Della had checked out his pattern—stared at Holiday. “I’m sorry, Mr. James is in a meeting with the Judging Committee.”

Holiday made a pleading face. “It’s important.”

“So is the meeting,” he said.

Holiday reached out to touch the were, but he backed up. “Fae influence isn’t allowed in this building.”

Holiday shot Della a quick glance and cut her eyes toward the hall that led to the back. Della couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, but her gut said Holiday meant for Della to make a run for it.

Della didn’t need to be told twice.

“Now, you wouldn’t want Burnett upset with you for not informing him that his pregnant wife is here, would you?” Holiday asked, drawing the man’s attention.

“Sorry, the rules are the rules.” The voices echoed behind Della as she hotfooted it down the corridor .

She tuned her ears off them and listened for voices coming from a room at the end of the hall.

Unfortunately, she heard the were yelling out for her to stop. Which meant she ran faster. Hearing footsteps, she hit the doors a little hard. The heavy oak panels slammed against the wall and one fell from its hinges.

Oops.

One swift glance around, and Della counted fourteen figures in the room. All men. But she knew she was in the right room when she recognized one of those figures as her badass camp leader. But wow, all men! She knew the FRU was chauvinistic, but damn, what century was this?

Thirteen of those men shot up from their seats.

The one who remained seated was another she recognized. Billy. Shoulders slumped, he held his head down, staring at his lap, as if his fate had been sealed, as if not one person in the world cared.

Della cared. Burnett cared. If she could just make him see reason.

Heavy breathing sounded behind her. “I’m sorry, I’ll remove her immediately.” The were came storming into the room.

“No,” Burnett demanded. “Let me handle this. She’s harmless.”

Just in case the dirty dog didn’t listen to Burnett, Della shot around and gave him a peek at her canines. When he took another step forward, she added, “Touch me and I’ll hit you so hard in the balls you’ll wish you’d been neutered as a pup.”

Burnett cleared his throat. “Okay, she doesn’t sound harmless, but she is.” Burnett’s glare said he’d be the one doing the harming if she didn’t behave. “Della, this is not a good time!”

“Yes, it is,” a voice came from behind her. Holiday’s voice.

Della loved it when things came together so perfectly.

Burnett’s eyes widened at the sight of his wife. He looked at the others in the room, then back at Holiday waddling up the center of the room. “I think you all have met my wife,” Burnett said, not looking happy.

“Yes,” one man said, sounding annoyed.

That was all it took for Burnett to give him a scowling look. “Is something wrong?” Burnett asked, his harsh look fleeting as he watched his wife.

“Yes,” Holiday said. Burnett looked ready to run to her, no doubt fearing for his child. “Billy Jennings is innocent.”

Burnett’s shoulders sank with relief, but Billy’s posture finally showed a backbone and he glanced up. The boy looked condemned, lost, and he had tears in his eyes, but for one second there was a flash of hope.

“And how have you come to this conclusion?” one of the Judging Committee, a blond vampire, asked Holiday.

“Lorraine Baker has proclaimed him innocent,” Holiday stated with pride.

“I didn’t think I did it,” Billy said. “I told them I didn’t think I could do it. I just didn’t remember everything. It’s all a blur.”

“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” said the older vampire in the room with a holier-than-thou attitude. “Lorraine Baker is one of our victims. She could not proclaim anything.”

Burnett’s shoulders flexed. “My wife is seldom wrong. She’s a gifted ghost whisperer.”

Della wondered why Burnett hadn’t shared this information with his agency.

But in the next few seconds, she knew why. All twelve men of the committee looked a bit shocked, or maybe scared was a better word.

What a bunch of wimps, Della thought. Sure, ghosts scared the crap out of her, but she wasn’t some bigwig on the FRU judge-and-jury committee. And how strange was it that they were on a committee to judge others, but feared the dead and the death angels judging them?

Another of the men, this one a warlock, spoke up and directed it to Burnett. “And you expect us to take the word of your … very pregnant wife, over a DNA test? No offense, but pregnancy tends to lower a female’s IQ.”