I get out of the car to get a better feel of the place. As soon as I open the door, I sniff out two werewolves inside. “Someone is definitely in, though.”
Matt walks around the car to stand next to me. “You think it’s him?”
I shrug. “Only one way to find out.”
Without another word, Matt and I take out our guns and take the opposite ends of the wide and open steel door. We’ve done this drill a thousand times.
I take a peek inside. A long hallway leading to another smaller door. It’s dark, the only way I see anything is because of my werewolf vision.
I give Matt a quick nod before stepping inside, my gunalready trained forward. I hear Matt’s steps follow me.
We walk slowly, listening for any movement. When I reach the door, I stretch out my arm to open it. Before my fingers reach the handle, a siren explodes in my ears.
Pain tears through my skull. The sound claws at my brain, scraping it raw. The world disappears.
I stumble back, desperate to get away. To run. Far, far away. I can't. My knees buckle as if the sound itself knocked them out from under me. Across the hall, Matt is slumped against the wall, his hands clamped over his ears. His eyes are wild.
"What..." I try to speak, but I can't hear my own voice. I can't even feel my tongue. My body turns impossibly heavy. My knees hit first, then I pitch forward. Dirt scrapes my cheek.
"Matt?" I try to call for him, but all I manage is a weak puff of air that stirs the dust.
Then the siren cuts off. The silence is almost worse. Dizziness crashes over me. The last thing I see is a pair of shoes stopping inches from my face.
Then everything goes dark.
Chapter Twenty-One
Missed Calls and Major Breakthroughs
Elliot
I nod at whatever Ashley is saying. I haven’t paid attention for the whole of the fifteen minutes she’s been talking. What could she be saying anyway? I have the entire schedule on my tab, so nothing important. My gaze flickers to my phone on the desk again. No new notification.
“It was just a tiny bite. I didn’t even bleed, so I should be fine.” Why is she taking a seat? Aren’t we done yet?
“Mm-hmm.” Why hasn’t he texted or called? I thought we were good now. Things have been great the last two days. That’s not a long enough duration to form a pattern, I know. But Nicholas has been different since our little chat. He’s been sharing more about his work. He’s been more open.
And now he hasn’t texted me back all day. Is that why he didn’t come over last night? I sigh.
“I know, but I don’t want to get shots.”
I frown. Could it all be an elaborate plan to keep me away from the case? A distraction, maybe?
I shake my head. No, I love the man, but he’s not smart enough to be that manipulative. He’s hot, though. So, he’s got that going for him. He’s good at his job too. And he’s annoyingly nice. Toeveryone. Even to Ashley when she’sbeing annoying like she is right now.
My gaze finds her. She’s still talking.God.
“Alright,jeez. I’ll get the damn shots. You’re so rude. You really shouldn’t be this rude to the woman who makes your schedule every day.”
Like a pendulum, my eyes find their way back to my phone. If everything is okay and if he’s so nice, why hasn’t he texted me yet? He could be busy with work, but healwaysfinds time. What could be so special about today?
“Oh my god, okay. I’ll go right now!” Ashley gets up abruptly, and frankly, a little rudely, before walking out of my office. “I won’t be back until tomorrow,” she says over her shoulder, and then the door slams shut behind her.
All that talk to ask to leave thirty minutes early? I’ll have to remember to teach her about this little thing called an email the next time I see her, which won’t be before tomorrow, apparently. And since it’s almost closing time, she didn’t even need to tell me she has to leave.
I give in and pick up my phone. Staring at the last text I sent, I feel a sense of dread filling my gut. He’s alright, I’m sure. He has a big caseload. He’s good at his job, remember? The man is busy, and it’s only been a few hours. I place the phone back on the desk and focus on the footage from the hacked cameras.
Sam has been MIA since I woke up this morning, so we haven’t had the time to check on the Bureau updates yet. We’ve made it a habit to do it every morning despite Nicholas’s disapproval.
