Once Upon a Shifter (47 page)

"Phoenix wants there to be something between us, but I'm not interested in him intimately. He is useful to me in other aspects."

His eyes narrowed.
Drugs? He didn't think that was it; Mena was too prim and proper to get wrapped up in something like that. Plus, he hadn't heard any rumors on the Force about Phoenix dealing. What the fuck would she need him for?
"What other aspects would that be?"

The door opened and Phoenix walked out with Daryn and Roel.

Letting the air pass through his teeth in irritation, Alex leaned back, propping his left ankle on his knee and resuming the slow swinging once again. "Never mind."

Phoenix stopped on Mena's side of the swing and let his shoulder rest against the stained wood siding of the house, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. "Mena has agreed to let us protect her, with a few minor stipulations."

Alex's brow popped up. "Stipulations?" He moved his focus to Mena. She smiled, so he looked back to Phoenix. "Go on."

"Until the killer is found, you and your men can watch over Mena during the day and my men and I will watch over her during the night, at my home—" When Alex began to protest, Phoenix waved his hand through the air. "I can assure you that she will be safe there. Plus, that is not negotiable, so you can save your breath. In the meantime, we are all going to look for Katie's killer. If you agree to do this our way, Mena will share with you what she knows about the killer—"

Alex shot to his feet and glared down at Mena. "You know who did this and you—"

As quickly as he had stood, Roel placed his hand on Alex's shoulder and promptly deposited him back in the swing. Alex sat there a moment, stunned, but Roel just grinned down at him. Did the guy have a Superman cape on under that tight T-shirt? No one had been able to manhandle him that easily since he was fifteen.

The door opened again and several more people walked out onto the porch. He must have been too consumed by his work to see any of them arrive, because none of their faces looked familiar.

Phoenix continued. "Like I was saying, Mena will fill you in on any details we have now as well as anything we find out in the future, but only if you do this our way. This isn't your normal homicide case, detective; I can promise you that much."

Alex cleared his throat and tried his best to relax under the pressure of so many eyes on him. He'd known this case would be different from any other he'd had, and he had a feeling these people weren't going to let him talk about any of it to his superiors. Not that he'd want to, if he knew. That scared him a little. Well, a lot. Yeah—a lot actually better explained how scared he was.

"And what if I agree, but don't like what I hear?"

Phoenix's mouth spread into a big toothy grin, and Alex could have sworn something was different about the guy's teeth. Were his canines longer than normal?
No
, he thought as he shook his head,
it must just be the lighting mixed with the stress of a hectic week playing tricks on my mind.
When he looked at Phoenix again, everything appeared normal about his mouth.

"Don't worry, Rhodes, we won't tell you anything that will give you nightmares."

Alex glanced around at the standing bodies, and then his gaze fell on Mena. God, there was nothing that he wouldn't do for her. At least, there was nothing he could think of anyway.

"Does that mean you aren't going to tell me anything scary or that you aren't going to tell me everything?"

Phoenix only shrugged at the question.

"Is it legal?" Alex blurted, irritation creeping into his tone.

"It has been so far, but I can't promise what tomorrow will bring," Phoenix said.

Alex's gaze fell to a dark stain on the guy's button-up, and then his eyes widened as he caught sight of a short gash in the material and what appeared to be something white on the other side—gauze; Phoenix had been injured since he had talked to him last. He was almost certain he would have noticed it before. "Are you hurt?"

Confusion filled Phoenix's expression until he looked down. He chuckled lightly as he glanced up to Mena. "I'll let her explain that, too. That is… if you decide to stay and play with us. Keep an eye on her right hand, detective. It's lethal."

Alex's head whipped around to see amused, pale-green eyes, but before he could ask her if she was the one who had shot or stabbed Phoenix, she held up her hand to stop him.

"I want you here, Alex, but not for the reason you want to be here, not entirely. I don't need your protection, but I doubt you will refuse this case just because I ask you to."

Alex stood slowly and paced a few steps, eyeing Roel just in case the guy decided to do a repeat of the sit-and-stay.

It was obvious Mena didn't need his protection; there were plenty of people here to prove that, but he couldn't just walk away, not knowing that she was in danger and knew who the killer was. "And this information you give me about the murderer—"

"It's confidential, cop," Heath piped in. "If you want in, know that it's only going to be you and that none of us are going to prison for anything we do to bring down Katie's killer."

On a heavy sigh, Alex said, "I had a feeling someone was going to say that. Look, as much as I hate to admit it, the fact remains that I am an officer of the law. I can't just let—"

"Then you can walk away, cop," Brad said. "Easy as that."

"I can't do that!" Alex shouted. "I don't know what you people are into, but I already know too much to just walk away and refuse the case. But, by law, I can't allow you to—"

"We aren't asking for your permission," Mena said quietly.

Alex's eyes locked with hers. She was asking him to give up everything. What he believed in. His lifestyle. If he allowed them to track down and kill another human being, he'd be a fraud. He couldn't be a detective anymore, not unless he wanted to be one of these corrupt cops that he saw on TV. The judicial system was supposed to judge and punish. He couldn't become a vigilante. And it pissed him off that Mena thought he could.

"Mena, are you aware of the situation you've put me in?"

"I am, and I'm sorry."

The exhale that passed his lips was long as he contemplated his options. He couldn't do this. He had to leave, get away before they convinced him that what they were plotting was the right thing to do. It was against the law; he could feel it in his gut. "Mena, I—"

"Leave us," Mena said.

Alex glanced around in shock as every person standing on the porch obediently filed back into the house. Well, all except for one: Phoenix. The guy stood there, lips pressed together, hands balled into tight fists and shaking his head. It was clear the guy didn't want to leave Mena alone with him; maybe he already knew what she was planning to say. Alex didn't have a clue, but he doubted there could be anything to change his mind about helping them. Only a handful of minutes before, he hadn't thought there was anything that he wouldn't do for her, but this was crazy talk. Going to prison swiftly moved into the first slot of things he wouldn't do for Mena. If he left now, he wouldn't have to continue with the list; it was sure to grow.

"Phoenix, I would like to talk with Alex alone. Will you please join the others until I am finished?"

Phoenix's scowl didn't change as he glared at Alex.

Alex's eyebrows lifted when Phoenix continued to look at him. There was something—something he couldn't put his finger on about the guy, but he didn't like him. He usually had a reason when he didn't like someone. Maybe it was the interested vibe in Mena he was getting from him that rubbed him wrong. He didn't know, nor did he really care; he just wished the bastard would go away. "You need something else?"

Phoenix glared at him for a moment, and then kicked off the wall. "Just know that not everyone wants you here, Rhodes." He turned on his heel and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

The chains holding the swing clinked together, making a back and forth tink-tink-tink sound, letting Alex know that Mena had stood from her seat, but he wasn't ready to look at her yet. He wasn't sure what he would say now that they were alone. He wouldn't do what she had asked of him, so the only way this night was going to end was badly. Maybe he could pass the whole case over to Thompson. He would just tell the chief that he felt too close to the victims, and then they would have no choice but to remove him without further questioning.

"Alex," Mena whispered from right beside him.

His eyes drifted shut as a chill passed over his skin. The strong need to protect her washed over him once again and he nearly blurted out that he would do it. His sanity was at risk. Would he be able to keep from losing his mind when the chief called to tell him that Mena was dead? Bile rose to the back of this throat as the thought sickened his stomach. No—no, he would most definitely go crazy, and it would be his fault entirely for giving the case away.

Soft fingers touched his cheek and he jerked back in surprise, his eyes shooting open to reveal to Mena the hell she was putting him through. If she touched him again he would cave. Shit! What the hell was he thinking? He was already caving.

Alex backed away from her until the heel of his boot began to tilt over the first step. There were only five steps down to the sidewalk, and if he ran to his Jeep, he could be gone in less than a minute.

Those sultry lips of hers parted and he forced his foot to take that first step down.

"Alex—"

"I can't, Mena—"

"What can I say to get you to stay long enough to at least listen—?"

He closed his eyes and let his other boot fall to the next step. "There is nothing you can say. I'm going to give the case to Thompson first thing in the morning."

There was a heartbeat of silence, and then, "That's probably best."

"Yeah," Alex said as if trying to convince himself just as much as he was her.

He took another step down. Only two more to go. He was convinced once he got to the sidewalk he would have won; it would be easy after that, to walk away from her, stroll to his Jeep and drive out of her life forever. Damn it! He could already feel the insomnia seeping into his body. Maybe he could start a dark-circles trend: the less sleep you get and the shittier you look, the cooler you are. His boot somehow found the next to last step.

"May I hug you before you go?"

Jesus, woman, don't ask me that!

"This may be the last time I ever see you. I assume our lunch date for tomorrow is canceled now."

He meant to tell her this definitely would be the last time they ever saw one another and that the lunch date was indeed canceled, but as he looked back to where she stood on the porch, he sucked in a breath and stumbled down the remaining steps to the sidewalk. She was right in front of him.

His frame went completely rigid as her arms came up to wrap around his neck, and then the dam of emotions he'd been struggling to hold in broke free. He pulled her to him and hugged her fiercely.

"Mena, don't do this. I'll pass the case to Thompson and take a leave of absence. I'll take you somewhere until the killer is caught and put behind bars. Nobody will find you. I swear it," he said in a tortured whisper.

She pulled away and looked up at him. "I can't, Alex. I know you don't understand. It's okay that you don't. It is safer for you to be ignorant." Cupping his face in her hands, she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Tell me goodbye, Alex. Give the case to someone else and never look back."

Goodbye?
His heart raced and pounded beneath his breast, threatening to throw him into an anxiety attack. He couldn't tell her goodbye. Ripping the beating muscle from his chest with his bare hands and handing it to her would have been easier than telling her goodbye.

"I can't," he choked out.

Mena nodded in understanding, and then she did something that instantly changed his mind about everything; she rose up on her toes and touched her lips to his.

The world stopped spinning.

Chapter 18

Phoenix

It was all he could do not to throw the door open and break that cop's neck. But that would solve only one problem and create a hundred more.

"I told you not to watch them, bloodsucker," Daryn snapped.

As Phoenix's head whipped around, he knew by the look on the young wolf's face that he was having just as much trouble knowing Mena was kissing the cop as he was.

"Shut up," Phoenix grumbled as he pushed the drapes aside to look through the window once again. He'd wanted to say more, but he was afraid Mena's pack didn't know the problem she was having with her wolf, and he didn't want to make her appear weak to them. He still had faith that he would be able to help her tame the wild beast. So, as far as they knew, it was Mena who was now kissing Rhodes, not her wolf doing the lip-locking.

"Leave him alone, brown-noser," Roel quipped, with an eye roll. "Mena is way out of your league, and frankly, we are all getting a little tired of watching you grovel at her feet. It's a sign of weakness. She will never pick you as her Beta. I hope you're not expecting her to. You might as well go ahead and drop out while you're behind."

"So, you agree that she is better off with a vampire and a human than one of her own?"

Roel shrugged as he plopped down on the couch with a beer in his hand. "You want my honest opinion? Yeah, I do. Phoenix is God only knows how many centuries old…"

Phoenix turned his head to give Roel a go to hell look, but he chuckled before looking back out the window.

"…and he's been the leader over his clan for over a century. Mena listens to him, and I don't think he would advise her to do anything except what is good for our pack and his clan. Marc would have never considered what she is doing, and that's why he is dead, because he sent us to kill one of Phoenix's vamps. He didn't care about us or making the pack better. He only cared about one thing, himself. I'm glad he's gone, and I'm glad his wife was the one to take him out. I think she deserves to be with whoever makes her happy, and if that means the guy is a vampire or a human or both… well," he shrugged, "I'll stand behind her in whatever decisions she makes."