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There was a scuffle when they tried to handcuff Melony, but Cordova had come prepared. She sedated Melony while the other agents held her down. Limp and barely conscious, she was carried out into the hall, then down toward the exit.
As they took her away, it struck me again how much she’d tried to make her hair the same as Felicity’s. Before, I hadn’t noticed what she was wearing, but now, I recognized her matching set as something Felicity would wear. She was thinner than ever, almost skeletal, in a way that reminded me of how my father had looked the last time I saw him more of Dad than anyone.
I wasn’t sure what was sadder: how hard Melony had worked to make herself look like Felicity on the off chance that I would decide to love her, or how many people had been hurt by the blood curses that plagued our kind.
“What will happen to her?” I asked Cordova when Melony was out of sight.
“She’ll be taken to jail. Questioned. Extradited back to Portersmith County in Maine, since that’s where the initial crime took place.”
Back to Portersmith County? Shit.
That would be a mistake.
“If you can swing it, keep her away from Portersmith,” I told her. “Not sure if it’s possible, but the chief of police there—”
“Booker?” Cordova supplied. “Never liked him. You don’t trust him?”
“Melony—or her father, maybe—they’re working with my grandad,” I explained. “I think Booker might be in his pocket.”
“Samuel fucking Morrow,” Cordova swore. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s wrapped up in this.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Okay. I’ll update the lead on Morrow’s case. We’ll probably be working together from here on out. And I’ll see what I can do to keep Melony out of Booker’s hands. The last thing we need right now is a jail break.”
“I appreciate that.” I cocked my head in the direction they’d taken Melony off in. “What happens after she’s in jail?”
“The legal system does its work. She’ll end up in front of a judge, who will probably deny her bond. After all the trouble she gave us tracking her down in the first place, she’s a flight risk. Then back to jail for a while so our attorneys can build their case against her. And once she’s had her day in court… It’s pretty cut and dry if you ask me. Especially if you’re willing to testify.”
“Of course,” I confirmed. If I couldn’t take my anger out on her, the least I could do was make sure she never did this to anyone else.
“Figured. So, she’ll end up in federal prison. There’s one out in Missouri that deals with shifters,” said Cordova. “My guess is they’ll send her there.”
Federal prison. It was to be expected for a kidnapping offense, but something about it still didn’t sit right with me.
“You should know she’s not in her right mind.” If there was ever proper case for an insanity plea, Melony’s was it. “She’s got more blood curses right now than she knows what to do with. They’re making her…unstable. And on top of that, she’s going feral. She might not be able to choose when she keeps her human form.”
“Goddamn shifters,” Cordova cursed. “In that case, I’ll suggest she be kept in solitary. Maybe talk to whoever ends up defending her and get them to push for a psych eval and a team that can get her some help. I won’t pretend to understand how shifting works, but if she can’t control it, she’s a danger to others. Probably to herself, as well.”
We fell into step with each other on the way out of the hotel. Just outside the front doors, Denny was waiting for us.
He smirked when Agent Cordova glanced his way.
“Special Agent,” he greeted her.
She scowled in return.
“I need to go deal with this, so I’m letting you both off the hook. This time,” she informed us. “But any more updates you get on this, you call me instead of pulling any more vigilante shit. Are we clear?”
“Of course,” I said. Another lie for today’s pile.
Denny arched a brow. “That would mean I need your number.”
Cordova’s scowl deepened. She didn’t respond to that.
“The next incident where I find either of you doing your own work on one my cases, trust that you’ll be walking away in cuffs, too,” she said sternly. “Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” I didn’t doubt that she’d cuff us. It just meant that we couldn’t get caught.
Denny hemmed and hawed about that one, though. “I dunno. I like a woman who knows her way around a pair of handcuffs.” He turned his chin up to her. “Sounds like foreplay to me.”
“You… I—” Cordova’s cheeks flushed in a way that reminded me of Felicity, though Cordova’s complexion was darker, and she looked more frustrated than flustered. If she scowled any harder, her face would stick that way. “Have a good day, gentlemen.”
