Lysander
"Oh, him, ask him." Chase nodded to a familiar officer.
Finally. They were finally tired of the game they’d been playing since the alleyway. Chase selected Rowan Masterson, one of the few people on the force whodidn’thate me—
"Hey Ro, go park my car, will you?" Chase tossed the keys in a high arc towards the front desk.
The lion shifter caught the jingling keys one-handed without even looking. "Sure thing, boss."
Few people were even in the lobby of the Better Tomorrow rehab clinic long past regular business hours. Only DSA officers and hospital personnel conversed tiredly in the overly bright setting, cleaning up after a missing patient.
Damn. Guess Chase actually pointed at the officernext toRowan, at Daniels, the stocky bear shifter who sneered whenever I was within a 25-foot radius of him.
Telling John about my low status with the rest of the department was intended to build some trust between us. But with Chase involved, it had turned into a game. My companions were enjoying this too much.
Ignoring my partner and our guest sniggering behind me, I approached the officer with authority, aiming to make this quick. "Will you escort John to the conference room?"
"Sure thing,boss."His signature sneer came with borderline insubordination this time. “Anything else? A piggyback ride back to your car, or should I chew your food for you?”
"Yes. Remember that I’m a sen-an agent who outranks you. Watch your tone."
"Great advice,junioragent. I’ll get right on it."
He motioned for John to follow, and I turned to see John and Chase exchange the end of a fist bump. At least they bonded a bit over my torture. When the two men walked maybe 15 feet to our right to the conference room, it hit me why Daniels had beenespeciallyannoyed.
I glared at Chase, who was cracking up. “You knew it was right there, didn’t you?”
“Sorry.” His smile told a different story.
Our fun for the night ended. We both got to work, talking with the officers and learning what they found so far and chatting with some of the staff ourselves. We soon met up with each other again to discuss our findings.
“Go ahead,” Chase said. “Let’s see if you’re rusty.”
"It’s not exactly difficult. This isn’t a facility for housing prisoners and doesn’t have the same precautions in place to prevent escapes. Most people here have issues that hinder their ability to move freely, so wandering off is already difficult for them. Plus, patients who need care don’t usually turn down necessary treatment, especially when they aren’t footing the bill. Does that cover it all?"
Chase nodded. “Pretty much. John Davis is new here and not everyone is familiar with him.” Something I had in common with them. “This was also the perfect opportunity because his caseworker is out of town on a much-needed vacation.” Chase had his phone out, fingers flying over the keys. “I’m texting Aaron to let him know now.”
Between establishing the Ashvale Department of Supernatural Affairs and working on a major corruption case right out of the gate, Director Merritt Slate and Aaron Honeywell had little time for themselves after becoming mates. Plus, Aaron had gone back to school to become a counsellor. They definitely deserved a break, though my own absence hadn’t been long enough to account for this development.
“Aaron’s the caseworker? How did that happen?” Wasn’t he still supposed to be shadowing cases, not leading them?
“Aaron was the only one John liked, no, the one he disliked the least.”
“Johnselected Aaron? Who is this guy, a celebrity, someone influential?”
“No, nothing like that.” Chase finally looked up from his phone where Aaron was determined to set a new record for how many texts could be sent in a minute. “But he needed someone he was comfortable with and respecting his choices was especially important to his mental recovery in the beginning. He’s one of the captives from our last case together. The Brokers abducted him.”
Shit. That meant John had been taken from his home and kidnapped by the Supernatural Rarities Brokers, my last case as a senior agent. They sold people with unmanifested supernatural abilities for profit. The Brokers got rich. The buyers gained control of an individual with powers to use at their discretion. The people like John received nothing from the deal, nothing good or that benefited them. Nobody asked for their participation, they forced it.
No wonder he felt restless. A wave of guilt washed over me. My suspension meant we didn’t meet sooner. If I hadn’t screwed up—
"Hey.” Chase wave his hand in front of my face. “Whatever’s going on in your head, cut it out."
"If I hadn't been suspended and reassigned, we’d have met already. I could have helped."
"Maybe. Or maybe he would have shut you down like everyone else. At least you were heretonightand you got through to him."
"What we saw tonight…” I wasn’t even sure what we saw. John stood up to his attackers. The bursting streetlights, the telekinesis, the explosive force of power. “What is he?”
