By the time we’ve exhausted the information we both have, Sloane slips out with a mumbled goodbye, my legs achy from standing in one spot for too long. “I’ve got a pretty damn good place to start,” I say as Kade walks me down to the lobby himself.
The silence feels a bit eerie, the larger Alpha’s presence suddenly way more noticeable as he steps beside me. We stop before the threshold, and for a moment neither of us reaches for the handle. His attention sits on me with the same steady weight it had in the station, only now there are no cuffs, no officers, no room full of people making it easier to pretend this is only recognition under pressure.
I twist to look up at him, realizing the mirror of this moment happened not even a few hours earlier. I swallow nervously, putting a few inches between us as my heart does something stupid in my chest. “Fate’s fucking with me, right?”
The line is supposed to break the moment. Kade only looks at me, like he knows exactly what I’m struggling with and has decided not to help.
I step back and reach for the door. “Send everything through Baxter until the order is formally rescinded. I’ll be in touch.” I hurry outside and into my car, driving nearly three blocks before Reyes calls.
I answer on speaker. “If this is about whether I ate lunch, there is a paper bag in my passenger seat with fig jam in it, and I feel like that answers several questions about my health.”
There’s a pause. “I’m going to ignore every part of that sentence until I have more emotional energy.”
“Good call.”
“Tell me you are not sitting between those two like a man who saw a sinkhole and thought, excellent, parking.”
I stop at a red light and look up at the sky, grimacing as it starts to turn gray. Lovely. Just what I needed. “It’s fine.”
“The last time a Beta said it was fine, they ended up mated to a whole pack.” Her voice drops the joke without losing the concern. “Sky, straighten this out before Morrison hears enough to make it ugly. I’m not telling you to walk away. I’m just telling you to know what you’re doing before someone else names it first.” She huffs out a small breath. “And since you’re not here, I’m assuming you were getting something useful. Did you find anything out?”
“Yeah, Kade said—”
Reyes starts laughing. “See, I understood when you ran out after the Omega but you really are torn between them. I love it. Okay, sorry. Tell me what you found.”
“It seems that whoever assaulted Emrys is just trying to get through to Kade. There might be more to it but that’s the shape of things.” I make a sharp turn and hiss as the car lurches to the side, my concentration shot as heat blooms through me. I know the repercussions of getting too close to people my biology decides I should want. I also know that it’ll only get worse if I indulge it while also pulling back.
“Just get back to the station before someone notices you’re missing. Morrison has been pissy all morning for some reason and even though we got her to rescind the protective order, something’s up her ass.”
“Like what?” I ask.
Reyes hums for a second. “I don’t know but I have a feeling that she has a reason for why this investigation veered left so fast.”
I end the call before she can spiral down a set of theories that’ll get us both in trouble. Right now, I just need to focus, solve the case, and return to the Hex task force with Caldwell. I definitely don’t need to be thinking about Emrys’ soft lips against mine or how close I got to dancing the same dance with Kade a few moments ago.
I’m definitely thinking about it.
Kade
Baxter calls at noon the next day, and for once in his life, he has the good sense not to start with a lecture. I’m at the conference table with Dana on one side, Sloane on the other, and three screens full of shell-company garbage nobody in this room likes enough to call interesting. My phone lights up beside the tablet. Baxter’s name fills the screen, and my hand is already reaching before I can pretend I haven’t been watching it all morning.
“You’re on speaker with Dana and Sloane,” I tell him.
Baxter pauses for half a beat. “Hello, Dana. Sloane.”
Dana leans back in her chair, arms crossed. “You sound thrilled.”
“I’ve chosen professionalism.” Paper shifts on his end, and my grip tightens around the edge of the phone. “The protective order has been officially rescinded. The charge is being dropped from active posture. You are cleared to return to your residence, though I would like to state, for everyone enjoying my voice on speaker, that nothing about this particular investigation has been standard.”
I stare at the phone while the words settle. “When did this happen?” I ask.
“The order is rescinded now. I would recommend letting the paperwork finish moving through the system before you plant yourself in the hallway like a vengeful monument, but legally, you can go home.”
“Understood,” I say.
Baxter makes a sound that suggests he understands me too well to believe that. “I have already sent the notice. I’ll forward the entered copy when it lands. Until then, keep your hands off anything that could be framed as interference, and route anything investigative through me.”
Dana reaches for her coffee. “He says that because he likes paperwork.”
