“That’s what Brody said. What can you add, Miss Lindsey?”
How about I fired a gun into Brody’s floor to stop Austin and his pal from cutting Brody to pieces. And his pal kidnapped me, tried to rape me, and I killed him when I shifted into a dragon. How’s that work for you?“I’m not sure I can add anything, Detective.”
He pursed his lips. “How’d he get that cut on his face?”
I never was a very good liar. I never had the practice, really. Meeting his gaze fully, I replied, “I don’t know. Brody didn’t say and I didn’t ask.”
“I see.”
His eyes never wavered from mine. Nor did I avoid his penetrating gaze, for I knew that would certainly reveal my inability to lie with any conviction. He stared at me, and I at him, long enough to make me want to squirm. My dragon kept me still, unmoving and confident.
“You’re awfully fond of him, I’m guessing,” he said at last. “You’re his neighbor?”
I sighed as though the question put me out. “Okay, so we’re more than friends. Maybe it’s the beginning of something, maybe not.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” he said. “Relationships have to start somewhere.”
“So what happened to Brody?” I asked. “All I got was a call saying he was here, something about a gun.”
“From his statement, he says Austin Rivers showed up at his work, threatened him and you. There was a fight. Rivers took off, but not before getting in a swift kick.”
“That mother fucker,” I muttered, my dragon’s anger rising, before thinking I should keep my mouth shut.
“I think Brody said something along the same lines.”
“Are you going to catch him?” I snapped. “He’s a damn menace.”
“We’re trying. He’s as elusive as the storied butterfly of love.”
I blinked. “The what?”
He chuckled. “Before your time. Before mine, too. From an old song. Anyway, you don’t seem too worried about Rivers threatening you.”
Bring it on, baby.“He’s a shit kicking coward. If he comes after me, I’ll cut off his balls and feed them to him.”
The uniformed cops laughed while Skinner eyed me with both amusement and alarm. “You’re awfully little, Miss Lindsey. I suppose you’re armed?”
“At home, yes. Not now.”
He sighed. “Look, don’t be stupid. Call us if something happens. Don’t be a hero, don’t be a vigilante. Just be vigilant.”
I’ve got a stalker threatening to kill me. Of course, I’m vigilant.“I will.”
“I hope to God I don’t find Rivers’s body in your house.”
“I don’t want to kill anyone.”Damn, I’m becoming a better liar all the time.
“Good.”
He made small chitchat until Brody, about thirty minutes later, emerged from the trauma room in a wheelchair. His left knee, bound in a nylon brace, rested on the chair’s extended framework. He grinned upon seeing me, made a thumb’s up sign as the nurse wheeled him toward us.
“I wonder if I can claim workman’s compensation for this,” he said. “Injured on the job.”
“You work that out with your attorney and your employer,” Skinner replied. “So. Have you anything to add to your statement?”
“Like what? I told you everything.”
“How’d you get that cut on your face?”
