Did Viktor know? Maybe that explained his discretion. This was a situation where I realized I needed to rely on my partner, so I sent a message to Christian.
Raven:Can you come pick me up at Glass’s house?
Christian:Date not going well?
Raven:You could say that.
Christian:My hands are full, lass.
Raven:Does this mean I won our bet?
Christian:Feck off.
Raven:Come get me.
Christian:I’m not your chauffeur. Call a cab.
Raven:Glass is the killer.
I waited for a reply.
Christian was a pain in the ass—that was a given. But could I count on him to be there for me when I needed him? Would he believe me? I had a feeling Glass was going to go on as normal with the date, but if I sat with him at that table, my anger was going to burn his nostrils. There was no way I could hold in my emotions for that length of time. Hopefully the heavy aroma of meat and potatoes would shield me for a few minutes longer when I went back inside.
Christian:Stay calm. I’ll be there in ten.
“Stay calm, he says.” I put my phone in my pocket and considered jumping the fence. Not a good option. Chitahs were excellent trackers and could run just as fast as a Mage, if not faster. Plus he would know something was up.
Then another thought popped into my head: Chitahs weren’t easy to take down. I’d gotten into an ugly fight with one in the past. They were strong, quick, and not someone you want to fight when they flipped their switch and went primal. But Glass trusted me to some extent, so what if I just did everyone a favor and killed him right now? Was there enough evidence? Maybe his name was a coincidence. It was probably a common name in the old days. Was I jumping to conclusions with the shoes? His mother’s things were all over the house, and maybe he’d gotten rid of some of them in the process of clearing the room.
I gazed upward at a dark sky. What else did I have to go on? Glass was at the scene of both crimes, but then again, he was the detective.
Which led to another conundrum. Accusing a detective of a crime was one thing, but killing him was something that could result in my arrest and execution. The higher authority didn’t play around when it came to Regulators and detectives who worked their cases. They were lawmen, and killing anyone who worked for the higher authority without rock-solid evidence was an act of treason.
A knock sounded at the window, and I turned.
Glass gestured for me to come inside, so I gave him an artificial smile.
“And the best actress award goes to…” I opened the back door and drew in a deep breath. “That smells delectable. Do you mind if I wash my hands before we eat?”
“Sure. The bathroom is down the hall on the left.”
There was uncertainty in his voice, and I heard him draw in a deep breath as I sauntered by.
“Dear God,” I hissed, shutting the bathroom door behind me and turning on the faucet.
I needed to stall. If I went into that kitchen now, I was liable to stab him in the eye with my fork. I hadn’t brought any weapons with me since going to third base and having my date find a dagger between my legs might not be a vote of confidence.
All things considered, my reflection in the mirror was pretty damn sexy. The matte lipstick was the color of a good merlot. Gem had lent me a powder for my chest and neck that had a reflective quality—like pixie dust. I didn’t go overboard on the black eyeliner since my lipstick was enough.
Why the hell didn’t I put on perfume?I thought while searching his cabinets for anything that carried a strong odor.
I poured mouthwash into my mouth and swished it around while rummaging through the cabinets beneath the sink. Towels, toilet paper, shampoo, but no cologne.
Damn Chitahs!
A lightbulb went off, and I spit the mouthwash into the sink. After closing the cabinets, I hurried to the toilet in search of air freshener. I hoped for a can of the spray kind, but all I could find were ones with the sticky center. I pulled the cap as high as it would go and jammed my finger in the crack, pinching off as much of the pine scent as I could and then rubbing it all around my neck and armpits. Where did emotional scents originate from? I assumed maybe the glands, but who knows, maybe they shot out of my belly button.
I flushed the toilet again and watched the water swirl around the bowl. I used it as a form of meditation and searched for a funny thought to throw off my scent of suspicion and alarm.
