Page 37 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“Out we go now,” Ezio says as he tries to push Yorick out the window. He’s released his mouth to pick him up, but even the odd angle isn’t slowing him down.
“Ha ha… Detective. Detective, there’s a murder happening right before your eyes,” Yorick calls.
“That will make it easy to file the paperwork,” Ezio says.
“Wait… there’s paperwork? Never mind. Being a detective isn’t quite for me, then. I just wanted the shiny badge.” He has to shout a bit since he’s partly out the window.
“Does any of this look safe? If I wreck, you two would be perfectly fine, but I’d be splatted all the fuck around,” I say.
Ezio jerks back. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I apologize.”
I pull into the station, and Phil’s car parks next to mine. He seems oddly reluctant to get out of the vehicle. “You think maybe he’s horrified after seeing the detective he’s supposed to deal with attempt murder?” I ask mockingly.
“Yorick would have bounced,” Ezio assures me.
“I don’t bounce!” Yorick cries. “What if something happened to my beautiful hair?”
He pats it to make sure the wind didn’t mess up his bun too much. When he gets out, he beams at Phil, which makes the man look even more nervous. He does get out and says not a damn thing about Yorick hanging out the window.
Phil follows us inside as I take him over to the machine to read his fingerprints. Then I have a tech, who is a werewolf and knows about our database, draw his blood for me. Once he’s all set, he hesitates near the door. “Can I see my parents?”
“I… don’t think that’d be advisable. Sadly, we didn’t find them until about a week after their deaths. If you are adamantabout it, you would be permitted. But take it from me, it’s best to remember them how they were,” I tell him.
He’s quiet for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Of course. You have a place you’re staying?”
“Yeah, just that hotel connected to the casino. I was advised that staying at one of Casimir’s hotels would be best.”
“Great. If you need anything, here’s my number and Ezio’s as well.”
“Thank you,” he says.
“You want my number too?” Yorick asks, even though… I’m not quite sure why he’d need Yorick’s number.
“Uh… sure?” he says, probably feeling like it’d be rude to tell him no. Yorick is all too happy to give it to him.
Once Phil is gone, it’s just the three of us.
Yorick looks between us, eyes narrowing more and more as he does his best to scrutinize us. “So… I would love to hang around, but the two of you have someshitbrewing and I think it’d be best if you two just laid it out there, yeah? If you don’t need help spewing it out, I’m gonna head to Julian’s. He promised me that he’d teach me how to paint. How fun, yeah? I’m going to paint a big middle finger and send it to Atticus. If you two get done, come join us. Ta-ta.” And he’s gone.
And while I vaguely remember not wanting him to join us, I now very much want him to come back.
I hurry back to the car so I don’t have to talk about this in front of any of the officers who might overhear—or maybe I’m just hoping that getting to Casimir’s as fast as I can will end this awkwardness. Ezio gets into the passenger seat and looks over at me.
“I’m so sorry,” he says the moment he sits down.
“You were involved?” I ask.
“Yeah. I was. I’m so sorry.”
He really was involved… butEzio? Ezio actually was…
My stomach tightens. It feels like someone has just ripped a hole right into my guts and is squeezing them, twisting them. I can’t breathe. Did I really go this long without asking him because I was terrified this would be his answer?
“It really wasn’t my jurisdiction, but the chief was a human who was married to a vampire who thought I could possibly help,” he says.
I freeze before slowly looking over at him. “Help?”
