“Send me the coordinates.”
“Sending now.”
I butted in, “Who’s handling the crime scene?”
“Nez and Yazzie were the first officers to arrive and they have secured the area,” Officer Yellowhorse replied.
“Tell them not to touch anything until we arrive,” I ordered.
“I will relay your instructions.” There was a slight pause before Yellowhorse asked, “Is Elder Tsosie with you?”
“My father was severely injured by our suspect. General Jones brought him to the Coletti ship for treatment. He’ll be back in time for the council meeting.” At least I hoped so.
“I will advise the council members.”
“Thank you.”
The General severed the connection. “When is the council meeting?”
“Next Monday,” I answered.
The General patted my hand. “Your father will be able to resume his duties by then.”
“As soon as he’s at full strength, he’ll want to join the hunt,” I groused.
A smile touched Zarek’s mouth. “Your father has a warrior’s heart.”
“He’s utterly fearless in battle,” I said.
Jake added, “So is his daughter.” He pulled back my chair. “Let’s go get your battle armor.”
“I’ll need my murder bag too.”
“No, you won’t. The armor comes with a warrior’s bracelet that’s equipped with all sorts of goodies,” Jake said.
I smiled. I loved gadgets. “I can’t wait to try it out.”
“I’ll meet you in the shuttle,” General Jones said. “Don’t dawdle.”
Dawdle? Like I was going to apply makeup and do my hair first?
“We won’t.” Jake slid an arm around my waist and teleported. We appeared in a room filled with all sorts of weapons. Swords, knives, laser pistols, rifles, war hammers and metallic black belts in an assortment of sizes.
An older, badly scarred warrior walked over to us. “This is your mate?”
“Partner. I’m his partner,” I corrected.
The old guy cocked an eyebrow. “Are you now?”
“Yes.”
“Have you drunk his blood?”
I didn’t like where this was going. I nodded.
The old guy continued, “Are your minds linked?”
“That is none of your business,” I snapped.
The old guy grinned. “Do you know how to fight?”
“I’m a cop and a shaman. What do you think?”
He pulled a belt off the wall and held it out to Jake. “I like her. She’s feisty.”
“That she is.” He took the belt.
I gave Jake the stink eye. “Have you forgotten we have a murderer to catch?”
“No, ma’am.” Jake fastened the belt around my belt. “As promised, your body armor.”
“It’s just a belt.”
“Which can morph into body armor,” Jake replied.
I poked at it. “Are you kidding me?”
There was a tiny tic in Jake’s jaw. “No, buttercup, I’m not. This is Askole armor. The best in the galaxy.”
The Navajo nation was a tiny bit isolated from the rest of the world, and with my shaman duties I never had enough time to keep up with current events. “My bad. I never knew the Askole made armor.”
“If you had accepted Central Command’s offer to update your systems, none of this would be a surprise to you.”
“We’re a sovereign nation. Your upgrades came with too many stipulations,” I countered.
Jake shot back, “The Navajo nation is about to be dragged into the 21st century, whether they like it or not.”
“We have a treaty.”
“Which is about to be amended,” Jake stated.
“It’ll never happen.”
“You and your father are the harbingers of change.”
I stared at Jake in horror. “You gave my father Coletti blood?”
“It was the only way to save him,” Jake answered.
“Whose blood?”
“Zarek’s.”
Fuck.
“You two done?” The old guy asked.
Jake nodded. “For now.”
The old guy handed Jake a small bronze warrior’s bracelet. “For your lady. It has all the extra features you asked for.”
“Many thanks, Xan.”
“It was my pleasure.” Xan disappeared into a small workroom.
Jake secured the bracelet on my left wrist. “It’s a comm-link and has multi-functional scanners you’ll need to investigate crime scenes.”
“With our budget, it’s hard to get goodies like this.”
“That won’t be a problem any longer.” Jake slid into my mind. “Open yourself to me. I need to share my knowledge with you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Trust doesn’t come easily to you, does it?”
“I’m a cop and someone has been trying to kill me since I was four. What do you think?”
“I’m your partner. I’ll never hurt you and I’ll always have your back. Now, do you want to be able to work all the cool, new Coletti technology I’m giving you or not?”
I really did, but Coletti warriors were sneaky bastards. “Is this going to strengthen our bond?”
Exasperation filled Jake’s mental voice, “Our minds are already permanently linked. This will simply give you the knowledge you need to function as a Coletti investigator.”
“What does this knowledge download include?”
“How to use your warrior’s bracelet, battle suit and an assortment of Coletti weapons. I’ll even throw in how to fly a shuttle.”
Somehow Jake knew I was a pilot and that I’d always wanted to fly a shuttle. But he was right. If I was going to keep my people safe, I needed to join the 21st century. “Deal.” The minute I opened my mind, Jake’s power flooded into me. Whoa what a rush. A kaleidoscope of images and memories suddenly spun through my head. Just when I thought my head would explode into a million pieces, everything abruptly clicked into place. Damn! I even knew how to sword fight.
“Memory transfer is complete,” Jake announced.
“I’ll say.” I cocked my head. “Kaylee’s birthday is next week. Have you gotten her a gift?”
“I have. Chips, salsa, chocolate and her favorite perfume.”
“That’ll work.”
Jake smiled and ghostly fingers stroked my body, sending pleasure cascading through me.
Instead of smacking him, I reveled in the sensations for a moment. I hadn’t realized how much I needed a man’s touch, but Jake did, and he was deliberately seducing me. I reigned in my raging hormones. Two could play at this game. Once Jake understood the Navajo people and our customs, he’d see things differently. “Shaman training takes years and if I can share my knowledge with you, it’ll simplify things.” Saccharine sweetness coated my words.
Jake eyed me suspiciously. “After we’ve processed the crime scene, we’ll do that. Now,
