“He’s not a killer,” she said, knowing in her mind that was only half true. “He couldn’t have done that to that girl.”
“How do you know what was done to her? And what are you, his character witness?”
“I’m his friend. And I know what was done to her because I’ve seen the autopsy report. And before you even bother to ask, I probably got ahold of it the same way you did so don’t get all dignified about your precious confidential information.”
“You’re no longer with the MPD,” he told her. “You shouldn’t have access to any of their records for any reason.”
“And you should? This is a local crime. You’re a federal drug enforcement agent.
“Like I said, the murder connects to my active drug investigation. But I must say this is a pleasant surprise— to have you here defending one of my top suspects.”
“If he’s a top suspect, your case isn’t worth crap. All you have on him is his business card. How many strippers or prostitutes have your number, Agent?”
He looked startled for a brief second, then sat back in his chair. His hair was like ebony, cut low and smoothed in thick waves; his eyes were dark and pensive in a face that was handsome but definitely stressed. He wasn’t married and had never been, had two sisters and his parents were still alive. Dorian Wilson was the average male, overworked, underpaid, and unhappy. But there was something else. Kalina couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she knew instinctively that there was more to this man than what the eye could see.
“I’m not the one being investigated. Markland is. What happened to you, Kalina?” he asked her seriously. He didn’t look to Jax again, but she knew he was asking specifically about her union with Rome and subsequently her departure from the police force.
“I grew up” was her simple reply. “I opened my eyes and realized that no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves otherwise, this world we live in is not black and white. There are always shades of gray that we overlook because we’re too afraid to accept or to not be accepted. That’s how I know Xavier is innocent and why I came here to tell you to step back and take a hard look at this situation. You might just see the things I’ve seen.”
Not that she wanted him to see the Shadow Shifters—no, that was absolutely not what Kalina wanted. She only asked that Dorian take a deeper look into this murder to see that X wasn’t capable of doing those horrific things to Diamond Turner. The girl’s primary cause of death was an overdose of an unnamed drug. Only she knew the name; they’d begun calling it the savior drug, as evidenced by the shield on its package. It was Sabar’s greatest creation—a deadly mix of an herb called damiana and acids used to base cocaine. It was imperative that the shadows put a stop to him before any more people died because of it. If Dorian directed his energy toward getting the drug off the streets, that would be a tremendous help for the shadows. If he continued to look at X, Kalina was afraid it would end in his demise, because neither Rome nor Nick was going to allow X to be put away for murder. And knowing X, he’d kill anyone who even thought about throwing him in jail.
“Sounds like you’re writing a book,” Dorian quipped with a shake of his head. “But I’m living in the real world. I didn’t drop my job and all my responsibilities because some rich playboy decided to look my way. You breached one of the department’s most profound rules: You slept with a suspect. Hell, you married him when you know there’s a possibility he could be as dirty as his friend. So I have to ask you again, why are you here? Why come to me about Markland? You have to know that your character is just as tainted as his now. What makes you think I’d take anything you say seriously?”
His voice sounded incredulous, as if he really didn’t take stock in anything she’d said. Kalina knew this would be a possibility. To the human eye she had done the unthinkable. But to herself, for her own peace of mind, she’d done the only thing she could have. She’d chosen to be who she was and to live the life she was destined for. Unfortunately, Dorian would never know that.
She came to her feet slowly, clutching her purse under her left arm and staring down at Dorian.
“If you don’t take what I say seriously you’ll keep running in endless circles trying to pin this murder on Xavier. He’s not a killer. And the longer you keep looking in his direction the longer the real killer circulates the streets, being ingested by innocent victims and making a mad race up the charts for the world’s number one drug killer.” Then she shrugged. “But what do I know, I’m the traitor on the force. The one who wouldn’t be handled like a puppet in your game of politics versus justice any longer. It was my fault to think you, of all people, might be above that. My fault indeed.”
As she turned to leave, Dorian got up from his chair, racing around the desk to grab her by the arm and turn her back to face him.
“Kalina, wait,” he was saying only about a split second before Jax pushed between them.
He held a palm to Dorian’s chest while his bulky frame blocked Kalina from further assault.
“Don’t touch her again,” he told Dorian.
Dorian looked down at Jax’s hand, then reached for the gun in his holster, pulling it out and clicking off the safety right in Jax’s face.
“You do realize you’re assaulting a federal agent. I can either kill you or arrest you. Take your pick.” Dorian’s brow wrinkled, his lips going to a thin line.
Kalina put a hand on Jax’s bicep but looked directly at Dorian. “You won’t do either if you know what’s best for you,” she said as calmly as she’d come into his office and spoken ten minutes ago. “We’re finished here, Jax.”
The shifter gave Dorian a slight push as he moved his hand from his chest. He backed away from Dorian, keeping Kalina protected by his body. Dorian continued to hold the gun outstretched. He continued to stare at both Kalina and Jax. He did not pull the trigger and he did not call for backup to have them arrested.
Later, Dorian would wonder why.
It was just after five in the afternoon when Kalina walked into Havenway—or into what she considered complete chaos.
Jax always brought her in through the underground entrance. So after she’d taken the elevator up to the main level she came out at a side door in the front hall of the building. The original dwelling had a T shape, but Rome had ordered new construction to start on the remaining side so there would be two very long hallways with rooms and a connecting wing that would house their main briefing room, the kitchen, dining hall, and medical center. Normally, this hallway was quiet; everybody liked to use the side entrances. But today, it was brimming with shifters, guards all wearing their com links, some in small groups, others lining up and heading to the temporary briefing room. All of them were spitting mad.
Her nostrils flared at the scent of anger and rage wafting through the air. It was a strong, potent, and very distinctive smell that reminded her of the ammonia her foster mother made her use to clean the bathrooms. Something was definitely going on.
An alarm blared and she startled, putting a hand to her chest. That was the signal that Rome was ready for them in the briefing room. She had just taken a step to join them when Jax grabbed her arm. He’d been right behind her when she entered; then she lost track of him because of her concern for what was going on in the place she called home. He was whispering something in his com link but wouldn’t let her go.
“FL wants you with him, now,” was all Jax said before guiding her through the mass of guards heading in the same direction.
Her heart beat frantically in her chest as so many different scenarios raced through her mind. At least Rome was safe; she could breathe easily about that. But this, everything going on around her, was definitely a sign of something big.
The briefing room was roughly the size of a gymnasium, which wouldn’t be able to house all the active shifter guards in DC much longer. There was a stage toward one end, and a podium with a sound system had been set up there. Behind the stage the wall was draped in black, the
Jax escorted her down as guards filed inside, taking whatever seats were available. The stage was still empty, so she looked around for Rome and let out a breath of release when he and Nick followed by Eli and Ezra
