Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(33)

Evina didn't answer, just continued to smile lovingly at him. Chris fought an urge to clear his throat. This conversation was making him uncomfortable. He knew he had no right to be bothered by the idea of Tony having a crush on another man.

"I'll wear the gray Armani," Nate decided, turning away again. "Witnesses respond to that nearly as well as the blue."

"Is he serious?" Chris asked once he'd shut the bedroom door.

Evina laughed softly. "He is, though he isn't usually this wound up." A sober expression replaced her amusement. "This is hush-hush, so please don't repeat what I'm going to say. One of his pack members has disappeared."

Chris's blood went cold. "Not Tony," he blurted before he could stop himself.

Evina blinked at him. "No. His brother Rick. He was guarding someone for a case--a witness, I guess--and they were attacked by goblins at her home. They escaped, but no one has heard from them since Sunday. Their alpha thinks they've gone off the grid on purpose."

"Goblins," Chris repeated. Goblins were one of Resurrection's more controversial ethnic groups. They were smart and worked cheaply, but the few who weren't law abiding could be vicious.

"That's what I hear," Evina said. "The pack's been in a tizzy. You know how tight-knit wolves are. One of them going missing is upsetting."

Chris gripped the island's black marble edge. Tony must be worried. Rick was his brother.

"I'm sure he'll be all right," Evina said. "Those wolves are resourceful."

Chris knew she meant Rick would be all right. He doubted anyone would remember Rick's jokey younger brother might need support. He realized too late that he was rubbing his right eyebrow, a nervous habit he tried not to indulge in.

"You're probably right," he said, forcing his hand to drop. "And speaking of resources, we'd better get this budget ready to submit . . ."

~

Tony stepped out of the interrogation room and closed the soundproofed door carefully. He wanted to slam it, but he'd probably break the thing.

The squad had pulled in a bunch of goblins for questioning. All were criminals with known or suspected faerie ties. The attack on Cass and Rick had left one goblin dead and quite a lot of goblin blood splatter. Happily, this suggested Rick and Cass weren't injured. Sadly, goblin DNA was complex. The lab took extra long to work up profiles. Complicating matters further, goblins didn't have fingerprints. As a result, they had no I.D. for the attackers, not even the one who'd died.

The goblin lawyer for the thief Tony tried to grill had accused him of police prejudice.

Possibly he was right. Tony found the lawyer as suspicious as his client. Frustrated, he thumped the back of his head against the cinderblock in the hall. Rick had been missing four days now. As far as Tony could tell, they weren't any closer to locating him. Sword Guy hadn't popped back onto the radar either, a fact Tony did not find comforting.


His gut told him the fae was still in Resurrection--and up to no damn good.

The door next to his opened. Adam looked at him as he exited and shut it. "Any luck?"

Tony shook his head. The alpha grimaced and rubbed the frown lines beside his mouth. "These goblins do not like talking to police."

"It doesn't help that we can't mention the you-know-whats."

They'd decided it was best not to let the rest of the city know a trio of dragon eggs might be floating around somewhere. If they existed and could be hatched after all this time, they'd attract too much potentially dangerous attention. Tony had no idea how you got a dragon to make or unmake a world, but any number of faeries might. In a town like Resurrection, an unexploded nuke would cause less trouble.

"How are you doing?" Adam asked in a more personal tone.

"Frustrated." Tony leaned harder against the wall. "Interrogations go better when Rick and I do them together."

"Sure," Adam said. He hesitated, his green eyes too compassionate for comfort. "You sense anything? About Rick, I mean. You two have a strong brother bond."

Tony guessed they did, but he was no psychic. He shrugged and looked down at his running shoes. His eyes were pricking with emotion. "I'm having a hell of a time not calling my folks back from vacation, but I think that's just me wishing they were here. If things get hairy, they'll be safer where they are."

"Why don't you have dinner with me and Ari? We'll grab a pizza. Kelsey's decided she likes gnawing on pepperoni. Ari thinks it isn't good for a five month old, but she is a five-month-old shifter."

"That's a nice offer," Tony said, "but I think I'm going to crash when I get home tonight."

"You sure? We'd love to have you. You might . . . settle easier with company."

Tony supposed he seemed like he needed settling. He just didn't think an evening playing fourth wheel to his alpha's cozy family would make him feel better. "I think I need sleep more than I need company."

"You do look tired," Adam acknowledged. "We're spinning our wheels here. Why don't you knock off now and start fresh in the morning?"

Tony's lieutenant didn't wait for him to respond. Instead, Adam slapped his shoulder like it was decided and strode past him down the hall toward the squad room.