I offered him a hint of a smile. “You should know by now that I can handle myself.”
“Is that why you smell like a pine tree on fire?”
“I needed to cover up the scent of ‘oh shit, you’re the killer.’”
“Clever.”
His eyes skated down to my lap. “Your hands are shaking.”
“I wasn’t afraid for my life, Christian. I was afraid of losing control and what I might do to him.”
He leaned in tight and tilted my chin up. “Neverlose control.”
For a moment I thought he would kiss me. Would I pull away like I had with Glass? But that moment faded when he turned away and merged into traffic again, leaving my heart beating so loudly that I was sure it was a banging drum in his ears.
As we headed home, I sent a message to Viktor to let him know I was still alive.
For now.
* * *
Every memberof Keystone assembled in the gathering room. Christian paced the floor before he finally sat on a stool in front of the hearth, stoking the flames with a metal poker. The fire illuminated the room as the stone architecture had a reflective quality.
Like a guard on duty, Niko hadn’t left my side. Maybe he caught a flutter in my energy, but he remained close, as if I were going to disappear. When Wyatt revealed that his ghost friend had identified Glass as the killer, I stayed silent, a mixture of betrayal, embarrassment, and anger rolling through me.
Claude’s eyes were giving me chills even from where he stood. As I told my story to pile on more evidence against Glass, a murky black would swallow up the gold in Claude’s eyes—a sign he was losing control of his emotions. Gem was very gifted at talking him down, and I could see why she was an ideal partner for him.
I was in the middle of a Gem-and-Niko sandwich and not exactly sure how to react to the concern. I’d been alone for so long that it was an unfamiliar feeling to have someone care about what happened to me.
“I don’t think he was planning to kill me,” I repeated.
“You can’t know that,” Niko said. “Men like Glass don’t think the way we do. They’re methodical and careful about every decision they make. He could have been using you to gather information on what we know.”
“I wouldn’t have told him anything.”
“Under physical duress…”
I clenched my jaw. The last time I’d been tortured, I sang like a canary, and even though I was now loyal to Keystone, I understood Niko’s concern. Still, I had my doubts that Glass had been planning to do anything heinous to me aside from offering a tour of his mother’s wig collection. Glass was smart, and if he were to be the last person to see me alive, that would bring the investigation to his front door.
“He wooed all those other women,” Gem reminded me. “I bet they thought they were in love with him.”
Something snapped inside me. I launched to my feet, hands clenched in tight fists. Howdarehe try to seduce me like one of his pets. And how could I have fallen for it? I stepped over Wyatt and paced toward the fire before turning to face the team.
Shepherd was sitting in the chair to my left, tapping his knife against his boot. “I’m going to put nine hundred holes in his body and see how he likes that.”
Viktor sat down, and Gem yanked Claude’s hand, forcing him to sit next to her in my spot.
Blue’s heels tapped against the stone from where she sat on a low partition in one of the archways. “Wyatt, make sure you respond to Romeo and let him know how excited I am to meet him.”
Wyatt laced his fingers behind his head. “He’s probably going to try to cancel after what happened tonight. I’ll be sure to let him know that a better woman is out there waiting for him. Got any nudie pics you want me to attach?”
“Of your mother,” she fired back.
Shepherd sheathed his blade. “Our case hangs in the balance of how well Wyatt can write love letters. Why does that scare me?”
Viktor savored his vodka with a slow sip. “Glass doesn’t know we have invitations, so be careful who you speak with at the ball. My guess is he’ll enjoy watching his prey, so alert the team if you find him first. Keep your masks on, do not use your real names, and limit conversations. Once he approaches Blue, she’ll draw him away for a private conversation. He’s more likely to say something incriminating while alone, and we’re collecting as much evidence as possible before making a scene. He is a detective and under the protection of the higher authority. If we do not collect every scrap of evidence to build our case, we could be tried for slander.”
I jumped when Christian jammed the poker into the fireplace and stabbed the weakening log until it broke in half.
