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“I’ll behave.”
“That’s my girl.”
24
Maddox had no choice but to trust her.
Remembering what happened in the cabin, he didn’t bother locking her in the room. If she wanted to leave him, he wasn’t going to force her to use the window and risk further injury to her ankle. She could walk out. It wouldn’t matter. As soon as he was done with the cop at his door, he would find her again. Maybe then she would finally understand that she’d never be able to get away from him.
There was a mirror in the hallway. Evangeline had picked it out at a yard sale shortly after they moved in together. It was fancier than anything Maddox had in his old bachelor pad and the sight of it made him frown as he checked his reflection. The gold inlaid on the edge, the roses carved into the design, it was too good for a rugged shifter.
Just like his Evangeline.
Maddox checked his eyes—gold but not glowing—and his teeth—pointy but not long enough to worry the human—before making sure that his fingers had nails, not claws, and his back was straight, not hunched. His wolf was lurking right on the edge. It wouldn’t take much to switch forms, but his beast kept prowling inside his chest. Even it realized that being in its two-legged shape would make this easier.
After giving the bulge in his jeans one sorry pat, adjusting it so that his hard-on wasn’t so damn obvious, Maddox exhaled and opened the door before the Ant had the chance to ring the doorbell for a third time.
Just like he expected, the man who stood on his porch was from the Grayson PD. Tall and lanky for a human, the cop was at least a decade older than Maddox. A touch of grey started at the edges of his thick dark hair, his tanned skin lightly lined. Still, he had a friendly sort of air to him, despite the serious way he regarded Maddox.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Morning.”
“Are you Maddox Wolfe?”
Maddox nodded.
“Please step outside, Mr. Wolfe. I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind.”
Yeah, right. Like he had a choice.
He made sure to keep the door open behind him as he stepped onto the porch. For one thing, it told the cop that he had nothing to hide. For another, he was able to sense Evangeline easier this way. He would know if she left the room with enough of a head start to be able to block the door before the cop discovered her inside.
Maddox offered the Ant—his nameplate said Diaz—a tight-lipped smile. When it came to the police, a shifter couldn’t be too careful. He didn’t want to give Diaz a reason to reach for one of the weapons on his belt because he “felt” threatened.
“Can I help you with something, Officer?”
“I’ve come about an Evangeline Lewis. Is that name familiar to you?”
The cop watched him with a gleam in his dark eyes that Maddox took as a dare. Okay, so this guy had come prepared. He knew exactly who Maddox was and all about his relationship to Evangeline. For whatever reason, Diaz was testing him.
“Of course I do,” Maddox answered. Probably not what the cop expected him to say, but he was proud to admit the truth. “She’s my mate.”
“She’s also missing.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find her ever since they let me out of the Cage, but no one will tell me where she is.”
“Are you sure you don’t know where we can find her? Her mother’s frantic. It seems Ms. Lewis hasn’t been back to her apartment in a day or two and that’s very unusual. We’ve tried contacting friends and family. You’re the next one on my list. Can you help me?”
Keeping his expression neutral was harder than he thought. Diaz seemed earnest but Maddox called bullshit. If he didn’t suspect Maddox, he would’ve tried talking to him first by reaching out to Colt; that was the only number left in his file at the Cage. Plus, Maddox only nabbed Evangeline early yesterday afternoon. The cops couldn’t know for sure that she was actually missing already.
Could they?
Maybe.
There was no deception coming off of the cop. Didn’t matter. Diaz was up to something. Maddox was positive. While they might not have proof that Evangeline was with him—otherwise he’d be back in silver shackles and she’d be ripped away from him again—they were as certain as they could be. Now all they had to do was trick Maddox into confessing.
Ha. Not likely.
