Page 89 of Tested
“Well get on it, skippy. I’ll have Poole try to convince the Morrigan you need an extra twenty-hour hours.”
“Thanks, man.” I climb out and he takes off, and I realize I’m feeling a sense of loss. Being one of the Elites meant being part of the team. Flying solo is a much different experience.
I pop the lock on the Taurus and as I’m climbing in, my cell phone rings. The name on the display sends chills down the back of my neck.
Bobby DelMacro.
I can’t think of a reason for him to call me, either good or bad. Only one way to find out.
“MacPherson.”
“Yeah, detective, it’s Bobby DelMarco.”
He’s whispering, which makes me even more unsettled.
“There’s some cop here, asking to talk to Joey. He says he has more questions, and that if we don’t tell him where Joey is, he’s going to bring all of us in.”
Shit. Fuck. Damn. “Where is Joey?”
“I don’t know,” he holler-whispers. “But something about this guy doesn’t feel right, and since your vampire friend gave me your card, I’m hoping you can help.”
Smith must be acting pretty desperate if a vampire scores higher on the trustworthiness scale. “Keep him talking. I’m on my way.”
I pull up their address. The GPS says it’s going to take about forty-five minutes to get to them, which is a long time to keep a jittery cop occupied. Gritting my teeth, I start to drive as fast as the LA traffic will let me.
Managing to beat Google’s predicted arrival time without getting a ticket makes me feel a little bit better. Smith’s car is still parked in front of the house. I check my gun to make sure it’s loaded and tuck it back in my shoulder holster. Jesus, I wish I had back-up right now.
But I don’t, and by the time I get in there, Smith could have offed the whole damn family.
That lights a fire under my cockles. I take the front steps at a jog and knock on the door with the kind of determination that saysLet me in or else.
An older woman opens it. Her eyes are open wide, the pupils long oval slits. Snake eyes. “Go away,” she says, but she tilts her head like she’s inviting me in. Her aura is full of static.Fear.
“I’d like to talk to you for a minute.” I take a careful step through the door and she nods her approval.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the middle of the night. Go away. We don’t want company right now.” She slams the door and I press myself against the wall, barely breathing.
“Can you shift?” I whisper and she nods. Given the state of her eyes, she’s halfway there already.
Smith starts barking threats at someone, probably the guy who called me. “Tell me where your son is before I make things even worse for you.” His voice is deeper, gruffer, like he’s on the verge of losing control.Shark shifter.Might not be able to do much out of the water, but those teeth. Damn.
Which means I might need to shift to fight him. The thought curdles the tension in my belly. A horse wouldn’t help me, so maybe a dog?
I can also take the form of the Bodach, a portent of death. I’d only done that once, and it damn near destroyed both me and the one I valued the most.
Mother has never told me who my father is, and I’ve never had the balls to ask. Whoever he is, the combination of his genes and hers turned me into a hybrid; never truly accepted by the Tuatha Dé Danann, but in my own way, more powerful than any but the oldest of them.
The Morrigan can take me in a fight, and so can others of her generation. The rest of them hate me because they cannot.
Mrs. DelMarco – I assume that’s who she is – heads down the hall in the direction of Smith’s voice. I follow, slowly and silently, trying to figure out where to go from here.
“So your son is going to stay hidden while his parents die? Sounds like he needs a lesson in family loyalty.”
I’m close enough to see Smith. He’s in the middle of a large room, his service revolver pointed at someone outside my field of vision. His aura is black, a deep, non-color void. A man mumbles something about different kinds of loyalty, and Smith laughs.
He’s enjoying this.
“Put the gun down, Adam.” I step through the doorway, my own pistol leading the way.
