I shake my head. “No. It wasallme.”
“Aw, Elliot, I wish the selfless act could help your case. Justice at the Bureau just doesn’t work that way.”
This time, I’m the one laughing. “Oh, I’m aware of your justice. My victim list of criminals roaming free all over the city told me everything about it. Weird how I didn’t come across the Bureauonceduring all those years I chased active criminals.”
Meena slams the file shut, her hands clutching. Then she takes a visible deep breath. “Yes, we should go around killing random werewolves instead. That’ll solve all the problems.”
“I didnotkill anyone who didn’t deserve to be removed from society. They would have harmed more—”
“How could you have possibly known?”
“We—” I snap my mouth shut. “I researched. Traced the victims’ movements. Only when I was sure it couldn’t have been anyone else did I kill them.”
Meena nods. “Even if I believe you, there’s just one problem. We looked—”
There’s a loud bang at the door. Startled, I look up at it. Is that adent?
Meena sighs an aggrieved sigh. “That took longer thanexpected,” she murmurs.
Then there’s another bang.
“God, Nicholas. Stop before the whole team abandons work to watch the show.”
Hope flourishes through me. He’s really fine. I know Meena told me, but I needed the confirmation. Needed to see him one last time.
Meena walks over to the door, her heels clicking across the floor. When she yanks the door open without any effort, Nicholas's furious face fills my vision.
Oh, he’sfurious. I hope he’s sane enough to back up my lie. There's no reason for both our lives to be destroyed over this.
Meena and Nicholas stare down at each other, both playing a game of power my human brain can’t begin to understand. “Why is hehere?” His words are coated in ire.
“Do you really need me to tell you? This is an official interrogation, Nicholas.Youcan’t be here.”
“The fuck I’m going anywhere. You betrayed—”
“Oh, save the dramatics. You made a fool of everyone. Not just your friends. Theentireorganization. And now you want to talk about betrayal.” She stomps back to the chair, leaving the door open. “Come in then. We’ll talk all about it.”
A chill runs down my spine at her tone. No. “You should leave.” I find my voice.
Nicholas’s eyes snap to mine. I wish they hadn’t. I can’t bear to see the hurt there. He doesn’t listen, though. He walks straight in and closes the door behind him. “Fine, then arrest me too. I knew everything.All of it.” His voice is firm.
I shake my head. “No, he’s lyi—”
“Or better yet, maybe I should turn myself in to the LAPD while I'm on my good Samaritan streak, too. I can tell them all about the confidential information I leaked, evidence I’ve hidden, people I’ve helped—”
“Youmustbe desperate if you’ve resorted to empty threats,” Meena interrupts him. She shakes her head. “Really, Nicholas? A serial killer?”
“He’s more than a serial killer. Didn’t you guys name him Vigilante Hunter?That's still creepy, by the way. And I’m not trying to threaten you. I’m reminding you of what we do. We break laws. We hurt people. We decide their punishments. We control lives.” He walks closer to the desk. “Don’t act like we’re so pure, Meena.”
I look at her with bated breath. She blows out a frustrated breath, breaking the tension. “That again? We can’t keep having this discussion. You know just as well as I do that this society can’t function without rules. We have them. He—” She points at me. “—never did.”
Nicholas shakes his head. “But he did. He had a moral code. Has he ever killed anyone who we were not going to arrest and imprison for life?”
Meena shrugs. “I don’t know, and that’s the point. Without rules and accountability, he could have been going around killing humans or werewolves we never found. Who knows if he didn’t.”
Nicholas’s resolve is breaking. He’s sweating. His jaw is tight. He really thought he'd be able to protect me. But it’s time to end this. “She’s right. What I did was—”
“Then give him rules.” My eyes snap to Nicholas. He’s standing ramrod straight, his eyes determined. Placing his palms on the desk, he leans down to meet Meena’s eyes. “Give him rules. We can use the help. Deep down, you know he hasn’t killed anyone who didn’t deserve much worse. So, hire him. Didn’t you teach me to take help when it’s given?”
