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“Don’t you think that hurt her?” His bright eyes dared Chase to deny it.
“I suppose it did,” Chase admitted. “The first time, I left because I knew once you figured out I was working with the council you wouldn’t allow me to stay. The second … I left to fix a problem, not to create one.”
“You left to protect Feng Tsang and let Della’s father take the fall.”
Chase lifted his gaze. “I left to find the person responsible for committing the murder.”
“That would be Feng Tsang,” Burnett said. “Della saw in a vision—”
“I don’t know what Della saw, but Feng did not kill his sister. But he knows who did.”
Burnett did not look convinced. “Do you know where Feng is?”
Chase met his gaze sincerely. “No.”
“If you did know, would you tell me?”
He could lie and control his heartbeat, but he suspected Burnett would guess. “No.”
“So you’re still protecting him?”
“I’m trying to protect the innocent. That includes Della’s father.”
Burnett leaned in again. “Funny, that’s what I’m trying to do. And you know who’s more innocent than Chao Tsang?” He paused. “Della.”
He got Burnett’s meaning. “You don’t need to protect Della from me.”
“The hell I don’t!” His palms flatted on his desk. His canines extended as a not so subtle reminder of how dangerous he could be.
Chase had to grit his teeth not to tell Burnett to go to hell. Instead he sat in silence. Total silence. Somewhere in the office was a clock, and it marked the seconds as they passed. Chase stopped counting at sixty.
Burnett finally leaned back, not in a relaxed pose, but he no longer looked poised to pounce. “If you know who killed Della’s aunt, why don’t you just bring their ass in to the FRU?”
“I need some help,” Chase admitted.
“And the council won’t help you?”
He pulled his shoulders up, not in defense, but in honesty. “They have tried. His name is Douglas Stone.”
Burnett sat still. “Who is he?”
Before Chase could answer, Burnett’s phone dinged with a text. He read it and instantly his eyes glistened with anger. When he looked up all that fury was aimed as Chase.
Was it at him, or at whoever left the text? Didn’t matter, Chase surmised, because right now he was the only target.
“And now you come begging for our help,” Burnett seethed.
It was the word begging that did it—pushed Chase over the edge. “I am not begging.” He inhaled to calm his fury, especially in the face of Burnett’s rage. “I’m offering my services to the FRU.”
Burnett leaned in again. Chase had seen the man angry, but never like this.
“Then offer it to them, Mr. Tallman. Don’t involve me or Shadow Falls in your deal.”
Chase squared off. Was that what the text had been about? “Surely the FRU knows the value of having another Reborn in their employment. My conditions…”
The man’s canines came all the way out and his eyes glowed.
Just like that, Chase realized his mistake. He should never have tried to use leverage against Burnett.
