When she hung up, she went outside quickly to hide her uncle’s file in Kylie’s car. She’d just hidden the file in the trunk and slammed it shut when a peregrine falcon landed on it.
Della stared at the bird. “The FRU are due here any minute. You should leave or you might get your ass in a sling.”
She saw the bird turn its little head first left, and then right, as if checking whether anyone was watching. Then magical electrocharged bubbles started popping off. “I don’t care if I get in trouble,” Steve said, and hopped down to the ground, landing only a few feet in front of her.
Della shook her head. “Well, I don’t want you to get in trouble, so leave.”
He closed his eyes a second, then opened them. “I just wanted … I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I overreacted yesterday, and then just now in there. I just … worry about you.” Honesty and emotion sounded in his deep voice.
Her chest gripped. “I’m fine. Look, I’m not hurt.”
“Then why are you bleeding?” he asked.
“I’m not bleeding,” she said.
“Your nose.” He grabbed the hem of his shirttail and brought it up to her nose.
When he pulled back, she saw the red stain. She touched her nose. “I don’t even remember being hit.”
“You wouldn’t remember,” he said. “I’m sure you were more worried about your friends than yourself.” He dropped the hem of his shirt and glided his finger across her cheek. “Am I forgiven?”
The soft touch sent currents of breath-catching emotion right to her heart. “I wasn’t the one who was angry,” she said.
“I know, but you weren’t the one who lost their cool, either. And the only reason I came here today was because … I just freaked out about you being hurt and all I could think was I’d been ugly to you.”
She swallowed the lump of emotion down her throat. “I can’t make you any promises, Steve.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said, and smiled.
That was his way of saying he’d prove her wrong. And part of her almost wished he would.
“Did you find anything out about your cousin and uncle?”
She nodded. “It’s true, my uncle was turned into a vampire.”
“Do you know where to look for him?”
“No, but at least I know for sure now.” It was a start, Della told herself, and she knew she wouldn’t stop without finding all the answers. But now she needed to find out about her aunt.
“I’ll help any way I can.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. A soft, sweet kiss. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she longed to lean closer. She ached to be held, to feel his strength around her.
When he pulled back, he had a frown on his face. “You’re still warm.” He reached up to touch her brow.
She caught his arm. “I might have a little cold or something. Now go before you get caught here.”
“A cold?”
“Go,” she insisted.
“Fine. But call me as soon as you can.”
She nodded, and the bubbles appeared around him as he returned to bird form. Then, not wanting to leave Kylie and Miranda with the ball of kangaroos too long, she took off toward the door.
But before she got inside, two dark sedans squealed up in front of the funeral home, and six FRU agents hauled ass out of the car, charging right at her. Before Della could say anything, they had her circled. Two vamps, a were, a warlock, and two shape-shifters. And from the looks of them, they didn’t know if she was friend or foe.
One of them grabbed one arm and another caught her other. Freaking fantastic. First she was confronted by the bad guys, and now it was the good guys.
“Let me go,” she seethed. “I’m the one who called you.”
A snarky-looking shape-shifter moved directly infront of her. Reaching over Della’s shoulder, he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back. “You speak when you’re spoken to!” he said in a threatening voice.
Before she questioned the wisdom of it, her kneefoot shot up and caught the jerk in the balls.
Chapter Twenty
The FRU agents calmed down as soon as Della told them her name and repeated that she’d been the one to call Burnett. Well, all of them calmed down except the lead agent, whose boys she’d offended. When he was able to stand, he moved in as if to confront her. The lone female agent, a were, stepped between her and the ball-busted shape-shifter.
“Move,” the angry agent seethed, his hand still fisted between his legs.
The agent looked back at Della as if she was considering it, then refocused on the angry agent. “She’s one of Burnett James’s students, and the last person who affronted one of them is doing desk work in some unknown town in Montana. Do you really want to do this?”
“I don’t give a flying—”
“What’s the problem?” Burnett landed with a thud beside the group.
“She attacked me!” the shape-shifter bit out.
In a clipped voice, and very few words, Della gave her side of the story. The female were nodded when Burnett asked if that was correct. Burnett’s eyes went red with fury at all the agents for coming in hostile when he’d informed them of the situation.
Unfortunately, he saved some wrath for Della, Miranda, and Kylie. Or, at least that’s the way it appeared three minutes later when he set them down on the sofa in the back of the office and threatened their lives if either of them did more than breathe. He didn’t say another word, didn’t even ask one question. He and the six other agents stood around the duct-taped orb of kangaroos, each of them looking more puzzled than the other.
“What kind of animal is that?” one asked, pointing to the snout protruding from one little open spot in the ball.
The female were turned her head and studied the nose. “It looks like…”
“Kangaroo.” Burnett shot Miranda a look.
Miranda smiled, but then she frowned when she saw Burnett’s expression. “How can he be mad?”
“Being mad, for Burnett, is like blinking. It’s a natural reflex,” Kylie said. Burnett turned his head and glared at Kylie. “But don’t worry, he always comes around,” she added in a confident voice.
“I hope so,” Della whispered, studying the team and thinking that one day she’d be doing this. Well, she hoped she didn’t run into a ball of kangaroos, but she’d be working cases. Dealing with bad guys. Heck, it felt damn good knowing she’d helped stop Mr. Anthony from practically enslaving newly turned vamps. Would Burnett see this as a plus on her part? Or would he accuse her of doing something stupid? Knowing Burnett, it would be the latter.