KDBookOnline
Share Us
Burnett had Chase take Della across the street, where they parked beside a fast food restaurant and watched Burnett, Trisha, and Shawn handle the police.
With Della being a minor, he didn’t want her involved. They had changed the story; now Trisha had been the officer who saved the girl. Not that Della cared. The kid was safe, that was what mattered. But it wasn’t all that mattered.
“He got away,” Della said. Amazingly, her voice sounded calm, but her insides hadn’t stopped shaking. She kept seeing that little girl and the knife to her throat.
Chase stood at her side. Too close. She felt his shoulder against hers. But she didn’t have the strength to push him away.
“But it could have ended so much worse,” Chase said.
“He’s right,” Burnett said. And then asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be okay,” she assured him, and her heart didn’t race to the lie. She would be okay: she just wasn’t right at this moment.
“Did you get anything from the weres?”
“Not yet,” Burnett said. “But we will.” He walked over and put his hand on Della’s shoulder. “You saved that girl, Della. You did the right thing.”
I know,” Della said. “But we still don’t have Stone. And in just days my dad is going to go to trial for murder.”
“And none of us are giving up.” Burnett looked at Chase. “Why don’t you take her back to Shadow Falls?”
“No,” Della said. “Didn’t you hear me? Time’s running out.”
“But—”
“No,” she said. “We still haven’t gone to Stone’s girlfriend’s place.”
For a second, Burnett looked like he was going to argue with her, then he let go of a deep gulp of air. “Fine, let’s go,” Burnett said. “I’ll meet you there.”
“We could handle it if you wanted to go get the interviews done,” Chase said.
“No,” Burnett said. “I’m going. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Wait.” Chase touched his forehead. “I just remembered.”
Della looked at Chase. “The guy I grabbed. I knew him from somewhere else.”
“What?” Burnett asked.
“The half were I snagged. I recognized his scent. I was going to tell you, but then all this happened. He’s one of the guys I pulled off Della that night and the one I smelled with the animal blood on him earlier that same night. He’s part of the group that killed the Chis and those other weres.”
“Are you sure?” Burnett asked.
“Positive he killed the Chis? No. But I’m positive he’s the same one with blood on him and the same one who jumped Della in the park.”
Della heard him, but had to work to get it. “Wait. Are you saying Stone, or at least his gang, is mixed up in the Chis’ murder, too?”
* * *
“Top up or down?” Chase asked Della a few minutes later as they got into the car to go see if they could find Stone’s girlfriend. He wished Burnett had insisted he take Della back to Shadow Falls. He could tell she was still shaken. And rightfully so.
He’d have been shaken too. He’d rescued a woman from a rogue before, but something about a child made it more intense.
“Don’t care,” Della said.
Chase reached over and caught her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”
She shook her head. “Not if we don’t find Stone it won’t be.”