Diego shook his head. “A cop. My partner. I was remembering my brother at his funeral, trying to hold it together. My brother’s a cop too, and when one gets shot, it’s like…” Diego’s throat tightened, and the words wouldn’t come.
“The worst thing imaginable.”
“You got it.”
Diego had no clue why he was saying this to Eric Warden, a Shifter he’d met five minutes ago. Diego hadn’t talked about what had happened in more than a cursory way to anyone—not to his mother, not to Xavier, not to the other guys on the force, or even to the counselor they’d made Diego see.
“It was damn bad,” Diego said. “Especially since Jobe died trying to save my life.”
Eric pressed Diego’s shoulder, the movement almost a caress. “I’m sorry, Diego Escobar. I will say a blessing for him, and for you.”
Cassidy had said much the same thing. I’ll say a blessing for you. She hadn’t simply said it, as a stranger might politely say, I’m sorry for your loss. They understood, these Shifters. A loss for one person was a loss to everyone.
The phone rang in the kitchen, then stopped, followed by Jace’s low voice. Eric listened, head cocked, not letting go of Diego.
When Jace hung up, Eric called to him. “Jace, come on with that coffee.”
Something clattered. “Don’t get your pants in a twist, Dad. It only brews so fast.”
“I don’t need coffee,” Diego said. “I just need to see Cassidy.”
Eric’s hand slid to Diego’s neck and cupped it in a way that was a little more personal than Diego liked from another man, but he didn’t pull away. Eric kept up the pressure for a few seconds before releasing it.
“Cassidy’s not here,” Eric repeated.
“So you said. Can you call her? I’ll talk to her, make my captain happy, then I’ll get out and leave you alone.”
Eric rubbed his lip, a very human gesture. “Thing is, Escobar, I lied. Cassidy’s not here. I mean not here in Shiftertown.”
Diego got to his feet. “Then where the hell is she?”
Eric rose with him. “She’s all right. She insisted she go make her offerings, and I had to let her. But I sent my trackers with her. They’ll make sure she’s safe to their last breath, or they’ll answer to me. Trust me, they don’t want to answer to me.”
Diego glared at him. “Damn it, that’s not the point. Cassidy isn’t supposed to leave Shiftertown—at all. If she’s seen out of it, she’ll be arrested, Shifter Division will get her, and there won’t be anything I can do.”
“She won’t be seen,” Eric said in a hard voice.
“How the hell do you know that?”
Jace came out of the back carrying a mug of coffee. He looked from Eric to Diego, assessed the mood, then lifted the mug and drank the coffee himself.
“The phone call Jace just took was from one of my trackers,” Eric said. “They’re checking in every half hour. I heard what he said. Cassidy is fine.”
Jace nodded confirmation and took another sip of coffee.
“Son of a bitch,” Diego said. “It’s not about how well she’s guarded. The only reason she’s not in a Shifter Division cage is because I vouched for her, promised that she’d stay home. You need to find her and get her back here. Now.”
“I just told you what she’s going through,” Eric said in a hard voice. “Her mate was cut down by human hunters. Tonight is his remembrance blessing, and she’s making her peace with where he died. She hasn’t been able to make herself go there until now, which is a huge step forward for her. I couldn’t tell her no.” Eric’s expression reflected anguish, but Diego couldn’t let this go so easily. “I know what she’s feeling,” Eric went on, “because I went through it too. She needed to go, and I understood. I sent the trackers with her to make damn sure nothing happens to her. She’s praying, and she’s fine.”
“I’m damn glad to hear she’s fine, but you should have stopped her,” Diego said heatedly. “Do you know what Shifter Division will do to her if they find her running around without a leash? Whatever the hell they want. They won’t stop themselves. She’s only a Shifter, a female Shifter. That’s how they think.”
All compassion vanished from Eric’s eyes. “If they touch her, they’re dead. I don’t care about Collars, and I don’t care about rules. Think about that.” Eric flicked Diego’s tie. “Without a leash. Yeah, that’s funny.”
Diego didn’t move. “If you fight the cops, it’s you that’s dead. You, your son, your sister, and anyone else Shifter Division decides to put down. You think about that while you take me to her.”
They faced each other, brown eyes staring into green. Diego saw anger congealed inside Eric, twenty long Shiftertown years of it.
The man had power, yes, and Diego saw that Eric hated dampening that power to obey the rules. But he’d do it, Diego also saw. Eric would do anything to keep those in his protection safe. Had done it, was doing it every day of his life. Diego understood, because he had the same instinct.
Eric raised his hands. The gesture might be conceding, but the look on Eric’s face was anything but.
“I’ll take you out to where she’s gone, but only if you promise not to arrest her. We’ll bring her back, you tell your Shifter Division she’s doing fine, and you leave her the hell alone.”
“No,” Diego said. Eric’s eyes widened a little, the blaze of rage startling, but Diego faced him down. “We find her, we bring her back here, and then I decide what to do with her.”
Eric wanted to fight him; Diego read that in his face. The man wasn’t just Collared and confined, he’d had every natural authority taken away from him, and he hated it. Eric had nothing left in his arsenal. But that didn’t mean he still didn’t have power. Diego knew that if he’d confronted Eric in Eric’s true territory, with Eric’s rules, before the Collar, Diego would already be a smear on the floor.
“Ready to go?” Diego asked softly.
Eric snarled, the sound low and laced with menace. He held Diego’s gaze a little while longer, then he abruptly turned and yanked open the front door, just stopping himself from ripping it off the hinges. He strode out, and the door banged behind him, hard enough to bring plaster down from the ceiling.
“The worst thing imaginable.”
“You got it.”
Diego had no clue why he was saying this to Eric Warden, a Shifter he’d met five minutes ago. Diego hadn’t talked about what had happened in more than a cursory way to anyone—not to his mother, not to Xavier, not to the other guys on the force, or even to the counselor they’d made Diego see.
“It was damn bad,” Diego said. “Especially since Jobe died trying to save my life.”
Eric pressed Diego’s shoulder, the movement almost a caress. “I’m sorry, Diego Escobar. I will say a blessing for him, and for you.”
Cassidy had said much the same thing. I’ll say a blessing for you. She hadn’t simply said it, as a stranger might politely say, I’m sorry for your loss. They understood, these Shifters. A loss for one person was a loss to everyone.
The phone rang in the kitchen, then stopped, followed by Jace’s low voice. Eric listened, head cocked, not letting go of Diego.
When Jace hung up, Eric called to him. “Jace, come on with that coffee.”
Something clattered. “Don’t get your pants in a twist, Dad. It only brews so fast.”
“I don’t need coffee,” Diego said. “I just need to see Cassidy.”
Eric’s hand slid to Diego’s neck and cupped it in a way that was a little more personal than Diego liked from another man, but he didn’t pull away. Eric kept up the pressure for a few seconds before releasing it.
“Cassidy’s not here,” Eric repeated.
“So you said. Can you call her? I’ll talk to her, make my captain happy, then I’ll get out and leave you alone.”
Eric rubbed his lip, a very human gesture. “Thing is, Escobar, I lied. Cassidy’s not here. I mean not here in Shiftertown.”
Diego got to his feet. “Then where the hell is she?”
Eric rose with him. “She’s all right. She insisted she go make her offerings, and I had to let her. But I sent my trackers with her. They’ll make sure she’s safe to their last breath, or they’ll answer to me. Trust me, they don’t want to answer to me.”
Diego glared at him. “Damn it, that’s not the point. Cassidy isn’t supposed to leave Shiftertown—at all. If she’s seen out of it, she’ll be arrested, Shifter Division will get her, and there won’t be anything I can do.”
“She won’t be seen,” Eric said in a hard voice.
“How the hell do you know that?”
Jace came out of the back carrying a mug of coffee. He looked from Eric to Diego, assessed the mood, then lifted the mug and drank the coffee himself.
“The phone call Jace just took was from one of my trackers,” Eric said. “They’re checking in every half hour. I heard what he said. Cassidy is fine.”
Jace nodded confirmation and took another sip of coffee.
“Son of a bitch,” Diego said. “It’s not about how well she’s guarded. The only reason she’s not in a Shifter Division cage is because I vouched for her, promised that she’d stay home. You need to find her and get her back here. Now.”
“I just told you what she’s going through,” Eric said in a hard voice. “Her mate was cut down by human hunters. Tonight is his remembrance blessing, and she’s making her peace with where he died. She hasn’t been able to make herself go there until now, which is a huge step forward for her. I couldn’t tell her no.” Eric’s expression reflected anguish, but Diego couldn’t let this go so easily. “I know what she’s feeling,” Eric went on, “because I went through it too. She needed to go, and I understood. I sent the trackers with her to make damn sure nothing happens to her. She’s praying, and she’s fine.”
“I’m damn glad to hear she’s fine, but you should have stopped her,” Diego said heatedly. “Do you know what Shifter Division will do to her if they find her running around without a leash? Whatever the hell they want. They won’t stop themselves. She’s only a Shifter, a female Shifter. That’s how they think.”
All compassion vanished from Eric’s eyes. “If they touch her, they’re dead. I don’t care about Collars, and I don’t care about rules. Think about that.” Eric flicked Diego’s tie. “Without a leash. Yeah, that’s funny.”
Diego didn’t move. “If you fight the cops, it’s you that’s dead. You, your son, your sister, and anyone else Shifter Division decides to put down. You think about that while you take me to her.”
They faced each other, brown eyes staring into green. Diego saw anger congealed inside Eric, twenty long Shiftertown years of it.
The man had power, yes, and Diego saw that Eric hated dampening that power to obey the rules. But he’d do it, Diego also saw. Eric would do anything to keep those in his protection safe. Had done it, was doing it every day of his life. Diego understood, because he had the same instinct.
Eric raised his hands. The gesture might be conceding, but the look on Eric’s face was anything but.
“I’ll take you out to where she’s gone, but only if you promise not to arrest her. We’ll bring her back, you tell your Shifter Division she’s doing fine, and you leave her the hell alone.”
“No,” Diego said. Eric’s eyes widened a little, the blaze of rage startling, but Diego faced him down. “We find her, we bring her back here, and then I decide what to do with her.”
Eric wanted to fight him; Diego read that in his face. The man wasn’t just Collared and confined, he’d had every natural authority taken away from him, and he hated it. Eric had nothing left in his arsenal. But that didn’t mean he still didn’t have power. Diego knew that if he’d confronted Eric in Eric’s true territory, with Eric’s rules, before the Collar, Diego would already be a smear on the floor.
“Ready to go?” Diego asked softly.
Eric snarled, the sound low and laced with menace. He held Diego’s gaze a little while longer, then he abruptly turned and yanked open the front door, just stopping himself from ripping it off the hinges. He strode out, and the door banged behind him, hard enough to bring plaster down from the ceiling.
