Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(50)

"He tortured you." Tony couldn't hide his surprise.

Roald inclined his head. "No man has only evil in his heart."

Tony couldn't argue that. "I should go," he said, fighting an odd urge to bow. "It was nice meeting you."

"And you, wolf," Roald returned gravely.

Tony tried not to look like he was in a rush to escape. Beautiful though they were, fae weren't the most comfortable people to be around. If Roald turned out to be Rick's future dad-in-law, that was one blessing Tony didn't envy him.


He shut the door to Rick's car before remembering he hadn't gotten his alpha's formal okay to leave. Fuck, he thought, reluctant to go back in. Not that he wanted to go home either, not with the lovebirds right upstairs doing whatever. He pressed his brow to the steering wheel.

Why did everything have to close in on him at once?

His stomach growled, reminding him of Chris and his tiger-only sparerib feast. God, he wished he were with the cat. How awesome would it be to be his truest self right then? His best self. His happiest.

He pulled out his phone before he could stop himself. He knew the number for Evina's station. Surely he could invent a reason for needing to speak to Chris. He could pretend Adam wanted a statement for his report. Nothing relevant to the case had happened at the pool hall, but firemen wouldn't know what cops put in paperwork.

~

Despite Vasur's spareribs smelling amazing, Chris couldn't work up an appetite. He kept remembering Tony shaking his hand like they were strangers.

When the phone rang in Evina's office, he hopped up from the station's meal table. Evina wasn't at its head today. She was hanging with Nate's wolves. Maybe the call came from one of them.

"I'll get that," he volunteered. Aware the others were watching, he bounded up the open steps to Evina's loft at a swift but not overeager pace. The space was glassed to provide a view of the truck bay below. Though their alpha's desk was cluttered, he found the phone with no trouble.

"Company 5," he answered.

"Chris." Tony was on the other end. The sound of his voice put Chris's hormones into hyperdrive.

He glanced at the office door, which he'd left open. "Why are you calling? Is something wrong?"

"No." Tony was quiet for a moment. His exhalation was too close to a sigh.

Chris turned his back to the windows and held the phone tighter. "Something is wrong. Tell me what I can do."

"It's nothing. Or nothing important." He paused and Chris waited. "When we were together at my place, you said you wanted to be there for me. Does that include if I'm in a funk and just really want to see you?"

Chris hesitated and then hated himself for it. "Yes," he said, attempting to inject the answer with firmness. He didn't do it quickly enough to fool Tony.

"Crap," the werewolf said. "I shouldn't be asking this."

"You should. I want you to. I--" He thought quickly. "I know a place that should be okay. I'll text you the address."

"You're sure?" Tony asked, relief evident in his voice.

"I'm sure. I'll leave in a few minutes."

He hung up, using Evina's computer to send the directions. Deleting the message from the sent folder felt more two-faced than usual.

You'd think he wanted to be caught.

"Got to go," Chris said as he jogged down the stairs again. "Personal business."

"Must be a booty call," Vasur teased. "My spareribs are too tasty to walk away from for less than that."

Chris didn't answer. The cat's guess was close enough.

"You're in charge," Chris said to Jonah. "Station 12 is still covering our calls. If anything big comes in, notify Evina."

"Sure, boss." Jonah leaned back in his plastic chair, his big body confident and relaxed. Something in his gaze gave Chris pause. The cat didn't precisely seem suspicious, but there was an extra distance behind his stare, like Jonah was measuring him. Jonah was Liam's bestie. Had Chris's recent run-ins with the omega triggered something in the higher ranked tiger?

"Everything okay with you?" Chris asked.

"Sure," Jonah repeated. He lifted his water bottle for a swig. "Go take care of your business."

His tone was respectful--at least on the surface. Chris shrugged inside his head. He'd have to deal with this later. Right then Tony needed him.

~

Chris had a wait ahead of him. He'd sent Tony the address for the Downtown Grande's attached coffee shop. Meeting there was less conspicuous than the hotel's Versailles-like marble and gilt lobby. Because Tony had farther to drive, Chris arrived first. He'd finished a cappuccino by the time the wolf strolled in.

He stood up without thinking.

"Hey," Tony said, glancing around the gleaming place. "This is a coffee shop."

He sounded like he was disappointed but trying to hide it.

"We're going to the hotel," Chris said. "I thought we'd meet here first."

"Oh." Tony looked at him and then down, his cheeks becoming a little flushed. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "Good."

Chris smiled. Tony was so easy to read it was flattering. "Don't get too excited. I haven't booked the penthouse suite."