Eternal (42 page)

She shouldn't feel guilty, she told herself. Steve had known he was probably going to be leaving when he'd pushed his way into her heart. That was wrong.

Just wrong.

*   *   *

At six thirty the next morning, Della woke up to her phone ringing. Lordy, had she rolled over during the night? She didn't think so. She really must have needed the rest.

As she reached for her phone, she spotted the silly Smurf and smiled. When she saw the call was from Chase, her smiled widened.

“Hello,” she said.

“Were you still sleeping?” he asked and his voice sounded raspy as if he'd just woken up, too.

“Yes,” she said.

“Sorry, I just woke up and … I missed you. You want to meet me at seven instead of nine?”

She grinned. “No. I've gotta visit with Natasha and Liam, and then go tell Burnett and Holiday I'm going to meet you.” And she wanted to call Marla, too. Just to make sure things at home hadn't gotten crazier.

He must have picked up on something in her voice. “Do you think they'll have a problem with it?”

“I'm not asking them, I'm telling them,” she said.

“Because you don't think they'll let you come?” he asked.

“Let's talk about that later,” she said. But they were going to have to. She closed her eyes. Would Chase decide to come work for the FRU? Dread spilled over her and her early morning good mood faded.

“Okay. Then nine,” he said. “What do you want to do?” he asked.

She felt a tiny little tremble run through her. What did she want to do? Was she ready to let this thing between them go to the next level?

“Why don't we just play it by ear?”

“Sounds good.” He got quiet. “I do miss you,” he said.

She looked at the Smurfette. “Me, too.”

*   *   *

Della got up to shower. She washed her hair, shaved her legs, and even put on a little makeup. Towel wrapped around her chest, she hurried through the living area to her room. Kylie and Miranda were still asleep and she preferred to leave before they woke up. Face it, she didn't want to fill them in on her plans, because she didn't know what those plans were.

Opening her underwear drawer, she found a black bra beneath her everyday white ones.

She pulled it out. The lacy piece of fabric dangled from her finger and she exhaled. Was she planning on Chase seeing that bra? Was she planning on Chase taking off that bra?

Oh, hell!
She didn't know. But just because she wore it, didn't mean she would get naked. She slipped the bra on and then found a matching pair of black panties.

Out the door in fifteen minutes, she turned the corner in the path toward Natasha's cabin when her phone rang.

Thinking it would be Chase again, she eagerly grabbed the phone, but a quick check showed Burnett's number. “What now?” she muttered and prayed it wasn't bad news. Prayed it wasn't him reminding her that her time with Chase had ended.

“You up?” Burnett asked.

“On my way to see Natasha and Liam. Why?”

“Can you come to the office instead?”

“Why?” she asked.

“See you in a minute,” he said, not answering her question.

Damn, damn, damn!
Her gut said this wasn't going to be good.

*   *   *

Burnett waited inside Holiday's office. Holiday wasn't here, so maybe that meant it wasn't too bad. She'd noticed when things were gonna be bad, he had Holiday around to magically make bad news more tolerable.

Della had no more stepped into the room when she got Holiday's scent and she came stepping out of the bathroom. And she didn't look happy.

Della inhaled and sat on the sofa before they insisted she do just that. Holiday came and sat beside her.

“What is it?” Della asked.

Burnett picked up a big brown envelope and came and sat on the arm of the sofa.

“I told you I had my concerns about Chase.”

So this was about her and Chase not seeing each other. But damn they weren't wasting any time.

“I know.” Della looked from Burnett to Holiday and back to Burnett. “But we did this job and it went great. And I think … at least, I hope, I can talk him into maybe considering coming to work for the FRU.”

Burnett stared at the envelope in his hands. “I had Hayden go invisible and hide out at Chase's cabin to see if he was up to anything.”

Della frowned. “That wasn't nice.”

“Be mad at me if you want. But I did it because I knew you weren't going to stop seeing him. And if I was going to let you continue this relationship, I had to be sure.”

Della got a bad feeling. Why was Burnett telling her this? Did he think he'd caught Chase up to no good?

She looked at the envelope he held and knew it contained something bad. Something Burnett was going to try and use to keep her away from Chase. She wasn't sure what was in there, and she wasn't sure it would work.

“So what do you have?” she asked.

“Honestly,” Burnett said, “I don't know, but it puzzles me.”

“What puzzles you?”

When he didn't immediately start talking or hand over the evidence, she got a little pissy. She snagged the envelope.

He frowned, but she frowned right back.

“Della,” Holiday said as if to try to calm her.

Della rolled her eyes at the fae. “He's going to show it to me sooner or later, right? Let's just get it over with.”

 

Chapter Forty-five

They were photographs. Large eight-by-ten images. The first one was of Chase standing outside on his porch.

No incriminating evidence there.

Her hands shook slightly with fury at Burnett interfering with her life. She flipped to the next photo. Chase sitting on his porch with binoculars in his hands. Bird-watching. Oh, yeah, that made him a terrible person.

She moved to the next picture. Chase standing on his porch talking to someone. A man with his back to the camera, moving, so he was nothing more than a blur.

She flipped to the image behind that one. Her hands stopped shaking. Her heart stopped beating.

“I'm not sure what this means,” Burnett said. “Does Chase know your father?”

“I … I…” She couldn't answer.

Della felt her chest grow heavy, and her sinuses stung, but not one tear dared to crawl up her nose and appear in her eyes. She was too busy studying the picture. Studying the man standing on Chase's porch. Staring at the look in Chase's eyes. He was angry.

Then she shifted her focus to the man. The same face as her father. The same height, but it wasn't him. Her father didn't have muscled arms; her father's gut, though not fat, was just a little paunchy.

This wasn't her father.

This was her uncle.

Emotion washed over her in waves of pain. Chase had lied. Had been lying to her from the start.

Anger.

Fury.

Betrayal.

And to think she'd worn her black bra. Had even considered taking off her black bra. She'd practically fallen …

No, she
had not
fallen. But, by God, he was going to fall. Hard. On his ass. And she was the one who was going to put him there.

“Are you okay?” Holiday asked.

“No,” she said. Why lie? Burnett would know. But she said it in a low, quiet voice. “Can I have this?” She held up the photo and tried her best to sound pleasant.

Burnett nodded. “You're going to confront him?”

Or kill him
. “I think that's a good idea.” She stood.

“I don't think so.” Holiday popped up and caught her arm. “You're too angry.”

“She seems fine to me,” Burnett said. “Let her go and get her answers. She deserves to know what kind of game he's playing. For all we know, her father wants Chase to find something bad to discredit the school.”

My father's not doing anything.
But Della didn't say a word.

Holiday continued to hold her arm and glanced at her husband. “Ever heard the saying, ‘silence can be deadly'? Or ‘the calm before the storm'?”

“I won't stay long,” Della said. “I need to talk to him.”
And more.

“No,” Holiday said with vigor. “Go take a walk or a run and then come back here in a few minutes and we'll reassess. When your emotions settle down, you can go talk to him.”

Della wanted to explain that she wasn't going to calm down.

How could she? She'd been duped.

Played.

Nothing made her angrier than someone playing her for a fool.

And she'd been a fool all right.

“Give it ten minutes. Ten,” Holiday said.

Della nodded. She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of the photograph.

“Don't you leave until you come back to see me,” Holiday said.

“I won't,” she said and meant to keep that promise. Not that it would be easy, all she wanted to do right now was find the Panty Perv and tell him exactly what she thought of him. But like it or not, Holiday was right. She had to plan what needed to be said, because she didn't ever plan on laying eyes on him again.

Bonded my ass!
How could he claim to be bonded to her, then do nothing but lie? The whole time, he'd lied. He knew about her uncle.

She suddenly felt sick. She walked out of the office and started toward her cabin, only to realize she didn't want to talk to Kylie or Miranda right now.

Right before she turned off the trail to head out toward the woods, she heard someone call her name.

Derek.

“Later,” she said and started to take off.

“No!” Derek yelled out. “It's important.”

She started to take off anyway, but words sounded in her head.

You need to hear this!

The cold surrounded her.

“Hear what? Why the hell should I listen to a word you say?” Della asked, speaking to a wall of nothing more than cold air. “Aren't you the one who put Chase and me together to work this case? I could've saved Natasha on my own. I didn't need him!”

She stopped and turned to face Derek, who she heard stop behind her.

“What did you say?” he asked.

“I wasn't talking to you. But since you're here … what is it?”

His mouth formed a tight line, concern filled his eyes. “I … shit, Della, I don't know how to tell you this.”

“It's easy. You open your mouth and words come out,” she said, her patience spent. “Try it.”

He nodded. Exhaled loudly. “Remember when you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt's case?”

She nodded.

“Since I didn't hear back from him, I called him again last night.”

“And?” She motioned with her hands for him to continue.

“The detective called him back yesterday. He said after he looked at the files, he checked on what all they still had in evidence.” Derek shuffled his feet a bit. “They ran some tests on some blood they'd collected. They weren't able to do that test back then, they didn't have the capability. The results came back.” He hesitated. “They're going to make an arrest. They're going to arrest your dad, Della. I'm sorry.”

She stood there for several seconds.

His words flew around her head
. Remember you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt's case?

Her father was going to be arrested for murder and it was her fault.

If she'd never asked Derek to look into it, the case would have stayed buried. Stayed cold.

She'd done this. Done this to her dad—an extremely private man, who didn't even want to think about the past. Now the whole world would know. There would be news reports, photos in the paper. Her father would be humiliated. More important than that, he'd be accused of murder. What if they convicted him?

She swallowed down the pain. Tears stung her eyes. If she hadn't disappointed him before, she'd really done it now.

Not just him this time, either. This wouldn't just hurt him, but her mom, her sister. It could destroy her family. Completely.

What the hell had she done?

Or a better question, how in the hell was she going to make it right?

Her phone rang. She pulled it out. Her sister's number showed on the screen.

Della answered the call. “Hey.” Her voice shook with that one word.

“Della?” Her sister's voice came with the sound of tears—much like the ones running down Della's face. “The cops came … they took Dad.” Marla sobbed. “They think he killed someone. Mom's so upset, she can't stop crying. You have to come home. You have to!”

Della heard Marla's request. But how could Della do it? How would she get blood if she was at home? How could she keep her secret from her family? How could she leave Shadow Falls?

Then again, how could she not go home and try to fix this, when she was the one who caused it?

“I'm coming,” Della told Marla. “I'm coming home.”

 

Yes, that was one hell of a cliff-hanger—and you won't believe what happens next!

Don't miss the final book in the Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy

U
nspoken

where all will be revealed.

July 2015

Visit
www.cchunterbooks.com
for the latest news.

 

ALSO BY C. C. HUNTER

Born at Midnight

Awake at Dawn

Taken at Dusk

Whispers at Moonrise

Chosen at Nightfall

Reborn

 

Praise for the Shadow Falls Series

“Hunter sucks you in … an amazing roller-coaster ride.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“The Shadow Falls series belongs to my favorite YA series. It has everything I wish for in a YA paranormal series. A thrilling tale that moves with a great pace, where layers of secrets are revealed in a way that we are never bored. It continues a gripping story about self-discoveries, finding a place in the world, friendship, and love. So if you didn't start this series yet, I can only encourage you to do so.”