“It’s not your fault she died. It was just her misfortune for going out on a date with you.”
He sputtered out a laugh and stood up. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Not really. But my job isn’t to make you feel better, Christian. If you have any enemies, you might want to start narrowing them down. Someone obviously tried to pin this on you—probably someone with a vendetta against you. Only you have the key to solve that mystery.”
He locked his fingers behind his head. “If you’re right, this could take decades to solve. I make enemies for a living, not friends.”
My shoulders sagged. “This is a disaster.”
“No, surviving the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 was a disaster. This is just a fecking inconvenience.” His phone suddenly vibrated, and he pulled it from his back pocket. “Viktor’s asking me to come home.”
“Are you?”
“Regulators might be waiting with a warrant for my arrest. Viktor does what’s best for Keystone. You should know that more than anyone. I don’t have anyone I can trust.”
I hopped off the table and stepped over the blanket. When I reached him, I laid my hand flat on his chest. “Yes, you do. Maybe we’re not bosom buddies, but I don’t want these women turning up dead any more than you do. If I allowed them to lock you up, no one would be working on this case. I don’t want someone to lose their life in order to prove your innocence.”
He brushed his knuckles across my cheek with a tender stroke. “Ah. So the Shadow has a heart after all.”
I found myself wanting to lean into him, but I stepped back instead. “I don’t know how you’re going to keep your phone charged in this shack, but turn it on. If I need to send you a message or call, I’ll probably do it from Wyatt’s phone. What do you plan on doing in the meantime?”
He put his hands in his pants pockets and leaned against the wall. “I’ll go back to the Red Door and look for security cameras in the area. It’s the Breed side of town, so chances are slim to none. I’ll charm a few of the regulars in there and see if they noticed Marlene with anyone.”
“Besides you.” I poked my finger through a hole in his sweater. “The last thing you need is a witness who can testify against you. Be careful. Detective Glass might have the same idea in mind. If he sees you in there, he’s probably going to arrest you.”
People only went to Breed jail when there was sufficient evidence to convict, and nobody wanted to end up there. I’d heard horror stories in the bars about how many decades people spent in jail. No television, no courtyard, no books, no parole—nothing like human prisons.
“Just know this,” I began. “If this is some kind of trick you’re pulling to throw everyone off, or if you’re lying to me, I’m going to execute you myself. My gut tells me it’s not you, but maybe that’s because I don’t want to believe that my partner could be guilty of something like this.”
“Even though I’m a Vampire,” he added.
“That too.”
He strode forward, arms folded. “You know, I’m beginning to think I should change the conditions of our wager. I don’t care if you bring up the women I bed, but maybe I’d like to stop hearing you rabbit on about Vampires. It’s especially insulting coming from a halfling such as yourself.”
“I’m not a halfling. I’m a crossbreed.”
He waved a hand. “Semantics. Unless you want to have a sleepover, I’ll drive you back to the city. You’re going to have to call a cab or walk from there; I’m not taking you all the way up to the gates.” Christian swaggered toward the door, keeping his back to me. “How did the rest of your date go?”
Deciding not to mention the part where I got cold feet about kissing Glass, I replied, “Good. He wants to see me again.”
“And you?”
I picked up the blanket and placed it on the table. “I’m not going to lie—it’s a little weird dating a Chitah. Not for the reasons you like to throw out there, but I don’t know anything about his culture or instincts. I think he was sniffing my emotions more than he was the lamb chops.”
Christian came up behind me and put his mouth close to my ear. “If he asks you about me, he’ll know if you’re lying.”
“I thought about that.”
“If he starts to bring up the case, tell him he has to speak with Viktor. Maybe you should avoid dating until this whole thing blows over.”
I turned my head slightly so that my mouth was near his cheek. “You’d just like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I’m the one who has to abstain for a week. I don’t think you have any room to complain. I have to admit, you didn’t strike me as the type who went for lamb chops.”
I chuckled. “That was his idea.”
“He doesn’t know you very well. I would have whisked you away to the roof of the tallest building.”
