ChapterNine
Nothingworked itself out.
By the time I climbed up the pillar and to the dock, the human police were already there, as well as a dozen ODP officers. They put a blanket over me and had a really hard time keeping the humans off me. They had questions to ask, but I couldn’t give them any answers. My eyes were on the dark water of the Hudson, half of me afraid, half of me disappointed.
Don’t tell them I was here.
Yeah, of course Dominic would say that. Of course he would push me up that pillar and then disappear into the water before I could say a single word.
Of course he was going to disappear again, the wolf-ass, and leave me to face the consequences of both our actions all on my own. I’d have been a fool to expect anything else.
It was two in the morning by the time the officers walked me into Headquarters and straight to Chief Randall’s office. I hadneverseen the man more furious in my life. I was still shaken, my clothes still wet, my wounds all bandaged by the nymphs on the way here, so it was easy for him to scare the shit out of me. Was he going to burst into half a horse now and eat me just like that werewolf had planned to do? I didn’t know, but his eyes were red, and the way he paced around the office, I could have sworn it sounded like hooves hitting the linoleum floor instead of his shoes.
“What the hell were you thinking, De Ver?!” he burst out even before I properly sat down.
“I’m sorry. I was just going to check the place out—”
“By your fucking self?!” he snapped. “On whose fucking authority?”
“Yours. You appointed this case to me,” I reminded him.
“You made a fucking mess out ofeverything,” he said, coming close to me and leaning down so we were eye level, as if he wanted me to see his wrath clearly. “Do you have any idea what the fuck I’ve had to go through becausemyagent—a goddamn pixie!—trespassed into the cargo ship of one of the richest men in the world and killedsevenof his security?!”
My mouth opened to speak, and the look in his bloodshot eyes dared me. The Chief dared me to say a single word, and he was definitely going to eat me alive if I did.
And I realized, no matter what I said to him now, it wasn’t going to get through. He was too pissed—madwith rage. He wasn’t going to listen to me. And truth be told…I didn’t really have an explanation for any of it.
“I’m sorry, Chief. It won’t happen again,” I forced myself to say and lowered my eyes to my lap, trying not to shake. But I was so cold, it was impossible. My clothes felt like they were made out of ice. I should have listened to the nymphs and changed into one of their uniforms, but I thought they’d dry at least a little bit by now.
“Damn right, it won’t. You’re off the case, De Ver,” the Chief said, making my entire body jump.
“No.” I stood up, shaking my head. “No, Chief. I found it. That ship is full of Crackdown. I saw it myself. Iusedit on one of those men who shifted and was about to eat me. It was Crackdown, and it literally works within seconds!”
The Chief looked at me hard for a long second. “And you didn’t happen to take a sample with you, did you? As proof?”
I shook my head. “No. I barely got out with my life.” And if it wasn’t for Dominic, I wouldn’t be here at all.
But then again, if it wasn’t for Dominic, I would have never attacked those men. I’d have never gone below deck at all.
“Chief, it was there. They had cases full of that stuff—just go below deck. You’re searching the ship, right?”
The Chief flinched. Definitely not a good sign. “What we’re doing isbeing sued,” he spit.
“So what? You can still search the ship. All it’s going to take is ten minutes to find it—it waseverywhere. All those casesfullof syringes!”
The doubt I saw in his eyes nearly made me sit down again.
“You don’tbelieveme?” He thought I’d lie to him about something like that?
“These people you pissed off are not someone you kid around with,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t care—they’re making that drug. I saw it—it was all over down there.”
Turning his back to me, the Chief sighed and covered his face with his hand. “Pulling a search warrant for that ship right now is going to be damn near impossible.”
“But it can be done.” I moved around him to see his face again. Half the anger was gone, but he still looked exhausted. “Right now, Chief. It was everywhere, I’m telling you. I saw it.”
He must have seen something in my wide eyes because suddenly, the Chief nodded. “I’ll take care of it. Go home, De Ver.”