Connor still hadn’t shifted his legs, broken that connection between us.
“He’s into you.”
I jerked, looked up at Lulu. “What?”
“Ruadan.”
It took a moment for my brain to switch gears. And when it did, her confirmation of my fear didn’t make me feel any better. I’d seen his interest, too, of course. But I knew it wasn’t romantic, even if I couldn’t explain to her how I knew.
“Explain,” Connor said, with more than a little force behind the word.
Lulu studied me, gaze narrowed in concentration. “I don’t know. He just looks at her... I guess, maybe, covetously? But I thought he was with Claudia.”
Connor’s body wasn’t relaxed anymore. He shifted, too, sitting up and leaning over the table, icy blue eyes intent on mine. “Covetously?” he asked.
“It’s the same old, same old,” I said. “He’s political, and probably thinks there’s something I can get him.” And that was all I was willing to say aloud.
Connor clearly didn’t believe me, but he was wise enough not to push the issue.
“We have to talk to the Ombudsman, my parents. Tell them what we’ve got, and what happened tonight.”
“We don’t have anything,” Connor said. “We have a pin, some speculation”—he glanced up, gaze settling on my face—“and a bruise. None of that is going to free Riley. None of it is going to convince the Ombudsman that he’s got the wrong man, especially if the other option is creating a supernatural war.”
I didn’t disagree that our case was weak, but we couldn’t sit on this.
“Your dad will freak out,” Lulu said.
“She’s twenty-three,” Connor said.
Lulu snorted. “Like that matters. You’ve met him before, right?”
“He’s more than four hundred years old,” I said. “A lot of ego accumulates in that time. And, no, he won’t like it. But he’ll get over it. Something’s going on. Something bigger than Riley or the talks. Something involving the fairies. They need to know.”
Then it would all be out in the open. Which I realized I’d prefer. I didn’t mind investigating carefully. But this was an entirely different kind of sneaking around, and it felt beneath all of us.
“I think we’re ready to go here,” Lulu said, glancing around.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“I’ll pay,” Connor said, and pressed the credit chip on his key fob against the circle on the table. It beeped, then glowed green.
Lulu frowned at it. “I wonder if the chip reader finds satisfaction in its life.”
“Would you?” Connor asked.
“That’s a pretty profound question for a shifter.” But when Connor narrowed his eyes at her, Lulu lifted her hands. “All in fun, my friend. All in fun. You’re like the protective older brother I never had. And never really wanted.”
FIFTEEN
“The burger was good,” Lulu said, when Connor joined us again in the parking lot.
“They have a good hand with food,” he said, then looked at me.
Time to do the right thing,I told myself,even if it stings a little.“I’m not admitting we needed you, but thanks for helping us out there. It was... moving toward ugly.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
I nodded, feeling like there was more to be said, but not entirely sure what that should be.