MAX
It wasanother week before we met up with Myla.
Faris’s death was reported as accidental by Haylen Frost. Since neither he nor anyone in his pack were contesting the report, the paranormal police didn’t need to get involved. Both Jake and I breathed a huge sigh of relief because neither of us had wanted to face our Chief Inspector and try to lie or, at best, omit the truth.
Keeping it from everyone else was surprisingly easy because there was so much else going on. I pushed it to the back of my mind. If I didn’t think about it, then it wasn’t happening. Not the healthiest way to deal with it, but it worked for now.
It also helped that I was so busy with Axel’s situation that Jake and I barely saw each other.
Until today when we were due to meet up with Myla.
She came to the house, all of us deciding it was the easiest and most secure location to have this chat.
“Hey.” She gave me a tight smile as I let her in. “I’m sorry it took so long. Things in the pack are…strained.”
I raised an eyebrow. That couldn’t be good.
“How’s things in yours?” she asked, taking the chair opposite Jake.
I joined him on the sofa. “Quiet. Xen’s forbidden us from tellinganyone, and I’ve heard no rumours so I can only assume he hasn’t told anyone either. We haven’t spoken to him since that night, and if I’m honest, I’ve no desire to either.”
Jake grunted in agreement, and Myla glanced at him.
“What about your dad?” she asked. “Is he all right? Has Xen punished him?”
I’d wondered if there’d be any consequences for John after that night, but oddly enough there didn’t appear to be. Maybe Xen reasoned that the guilt John felt over killing Faris and then seeing his son forced into an arranged marriage was punishment enough.
We didn’t know for certain, though, because Jake had asked him for time before talking to him again. Not that I blamed him in the least, but it made the detective in me antsy. I wanted to see John, ask him about that night to glean every last bit of information we could from him.
But I had to respect Jake’s wishes.
“I’m seeing him tomorrow,” Jake said, surprising the fuck out of me.
“You are?” I turned to him, eyebrows raised. “Since when?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Since I got my head out of my arse. We need to speak to him while the events of that night are fresh in his mind.” He hesitated, “Well, as fresh as they can be while off your head on aconite-laced alcohol. As much as I don’t want to talk to him right now, it’s not doing anyone any favours. None of this is going to magically go away, so I need to deal with it.” He lifted his phone and waved it at me. “Also, his messages were getting desperate, and I feel like shit for ignoring him.”
“Fair enough. Want me to come with you?” I was meant to be working all day, but I’d put it off if Jake needed me.
“No, it’s fine. I think it’ll be better if it’s just the two of us for now.” He smirked at whatever expression I had on my face. “I know what questions to ask too, you know.” It made a nice change from the frown he’d been sporting for most of the last week, and he also made a very good point.
“I know, sorry. I’m just itching to help.”
“You can give me a list of questions you’d like answered, if that’ll make you feel better?”
I grinned, because he knew me so fucking well. “It will, thank you.”
Myla cleared her throat.
“Sorry. Would you like a drink before we get down to business?” I offered, remembering my manners.
Myla shook her head. “No, thank you. I just want to get started. The sooner we can find a way out of this the better.” She winced and glanced at Jake. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “Don’t be. I think we can agree that neither of us want this.”
She relaxed into the chair. “Okay.”
“So,” I prompted. “Why can’t you just tell your dad that you don’t want to marry Jake? That you have someone else in mind?”
