“You okay?” the vampire asked.
Tears filled her eyes. She nodded. Her gaze went to Perry.
“Is this everyone?” Burnett asked, looking at a guy sprawled out on the ground.
She pointed up. Burnett and all the vampires looked up. Murmurs of surprise echoed as they saw the men caught in the trees.
Burnett looked back at her. “How…?” He shook his head. “Later.” He turned back to his crew. “Cuff the ones on the ground first. Then”—he pointed up—“get the ones up there.”
Miranda walked toward Perry. He held his hand to stop her. She did, but it hurt.
“Perry,” she said and took another step.
He took one back. His eyes turned a bright yellow. His aura was both dark, bright, and angry. She’d never seen him like this.
“I’m sorry.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Do you have any idea the hell I’ve been through the last eight hours?”
He shifted and before she could say anything, he took flight. Tears filled her eyes. Kylie swooped in. She wrapped her arms around Miranda.
Then she spoke. “I’m gonna hug you, because you look as if you really need one. But we’re all pretty pissed at you right now.”
* * *
Kylie wasn’t joking. Everyone was angry. Her parents were waiting at the FRU station. Her dad yelled at her. Her mother wouldn’t talk to her. Then a very irritated Burnett made her go over everything a dozen times. It didn’t help that Zander hadn’t been found. Miranda would have worried, but a feeling said she’d be okay.
She explained why the warlock gang wanted her and Tabitha, and how they had gone to Jax and his gang to find and kidnap them. It didn’t seem to matter too much. They were still angry. The two to forgive Miranda the quickest were Kylie and Della. But only after Miranda pointed out that they’d both, at one time, left to take care of something on their own. Della still couldn’t look at her without growling.
Miranda could take the vamp’s attitude. Perry’s not so much. Didn’t he know how much she needed him?
Back at the cabin, Holiday came to see her. Teary-eyed, Miranda soothed Holiday’s ire by telling her about how she’d gotten this message at the falls and considered it blessed by the death angels.
Holiday hugged her. “You did the right thing. It’s just hard to be on this side of it. We thought we’d lost you.”
Miranda dropped down on her bed. “I know, but if I’d told Burnett, what were the odds he’d have let me go?”
“Negative zero.” Holiday smiled with empathy.
Miranda felt a little bit validated. “Have you seen Perry?”
“No.” She sat down beside Miranda. “Burnett told me he’s upset. Don’t worry. He’ll come around.”
Miranda inhaled, wishing it was birthday cake she smelled instead of everyone’s anger. “I’ve never seen him so mad.”
“I know exactly how he feels,” Holiday said.
Miranda looked at the fae. Hadn’t she been on Miranda’s side?
Holiday continued. “I feel it every time my husband runs off and puts himself in danger. I told him once that if he died I wouldn’t attend his funeral.” Holiday’s eyes got misty. “I was lying. He knew it. The thought of losing someone you love this much … It’s devastating. You get scared and mad.”
“I know,” Miranda said. “But he put me through it when he was off working undercover with his brother.”
Holiday chuckled. “I’ve had a very similar conversation with Burnett when he gets bent out of shape about my need to help a spirit. There’s something about the male psyche that can’t see that the danger they put themselves in as being in any way related to the dangers we might face. I mean, Burnett’s a smart man, and I’ve explained it to him in a logical manner. He doesn’t see it.”
Miranda gave her pillow a punch. “Now I’m getting mad. I need him.”
Holiday squeezed her hand. “I don’t blame you, but give him some time. On top of being upset that you put yourself in danger, Burnett called a few minutes ago and said the Galveston FRU brought Perry’s brother to the Houston facility. Burnett and Perry are headed there now. That can’t be easy for Perry.”
Holiday went to leave, then turned back. “Oh, good news. Bell crossed over. She knows we’ll take care of her son.”
“Good.”
Miranda curled up in bed. Her pillow smelled like Perry. Her heart ached for him dealing with his family, but she was still pissed. And if he thought he could waltz back here and expect her not to give him some hell, he’d better think again.
Chapter Thirty-eight
“I’m telling you, you got the wrong guy. My name is Perry Gomez. I was visiting my brother.”
Perry watched through the two-way mirror as his brother threw him into the fire. Jax wore the special shape-shifter cuffs and a patch with a potent drug that kept him from shifting.
Burnett sat across from him. “You’ve got about ten minutes to write down all of your gang contacts. Your cooperation will decide what prison you go to while awaiting trial.”
“You are sending the wrong brother to jail!”
Burnett smiled. “You’re really sticking with that story?”
“It’s true. Call my mom. You took my phone. Her number’s there. She’ll tell you who I am.”
Perry exhaled. Jax was right. She’d lie for him. Not that it hurt Perry. That wasn’t the parent who pulled on his heartstrings.
As if he had any heartstrings left to pull. Miranda had snapped them in two. But goddamn it! How could she think what she’d done was okay?
“Hell, you have records on me. I lived most of my miserable life in the FRU foster home. Check your own damn records.”
Perry decided it was time.
He walked out of one door and in through another. Shock then fury tightened the skin around his brother’s skull.
“You…? You helped them. You turned on your own blood! How can you live with yourself?”
Perry chuckled at the irony of Jax saying that after trying to do the same. “And you were selling girls as broodmares. How much were they paying you for their lives?”
Jax looked back at Burnett. “He killed a man. I’ll tell you where his body is.”
Burnett leaned back. “You mean the body I buried and you dug up?” He glanced at the clock. “Now you’ve got seven minutes.”
The cold look in Jax’s eyes said he knew it was over. He finally understood how hopeless his case was. “I ain’t giving you shit. I pray one of those gangs kills every last one of you! And you,” he glared at Perry, “I hope they gut you like a pig. Slowly. Mama was smart to get your daddy to abandon your ass.”
Burnett kicked Jax’s chair and he went down. “I tried to make it easier on him,” Burnett said.
“I knew he wouldn’t work with you,” Perry said. They started toward the door. Then Perry turned around and went to stand where Jax could see him. “When I showed you how fast I could shift, I held back. And seriously, I’m much better looking than you are.”
Once in the hall, Burnett looked at Perry with concern. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I am.” And he meant it.
* * *
Sunday morning, Miranda lounged in bed, her nose in a book, because tomorrow morning was test day.
She was checking her phone again for a text when it dinged with a message. Perry? Her heart soared, but crashed when she saw it was Holiday telling her she had a visitor at the office. She texted back: Perry?
It seemed unlikely, practically impossible, because Holiday would never call Perry a visitor, but damn it, she could hope.
That hope died with the next ding. No.
Miranda had even texted Perry, told him she was angry—because she was—but then insisted they needed to talk. He hadn’t even texted back!
The pain was so déjà vu. Him walking away from her. Hurting her, yet again.
How many times was she going to let him do this?
Pinning her hair up, she took
off to see who was visiting. Wouldn’t Holiday have said if it was Tabitha or her parents?
Walking through the door, she moved into Holiday’s office. A man, maybe in his fifties, sat in a chair. Dressed in a suit and tie, he wore his hair flipped back, like an old movie star—or Elvis.
She didn’t have a clue who he was.
Glancing at Holiday, who looked puzzled herself, Miranda waited for her to say something.
“This gentleman says he knows you,” Holiday said.
“From where?” Miranda asked.
He stood up. “I’m Jeremiah Makepeace.”
“Jeremiah.” Miranda went right in for a hug. “Wow. Now you’d pass for a fairy godfather.”
“So how do you know each other?” Holiday asked.
Miranda looked at Jeremiah, seeking permission to tell her.
He nodded.
Miranda leaned in. “He was the armadillo.”
Holiday’s eyes opened. “Oh.”
Miranda focused on the man again. “The curse…? How did you break it?”
“Helping you and Zander stop the evil ones,” he said.
“And Zander?” Miranda asked.
“She’s at the FRU agency speaking with your friend, Burnett James.”
“Is she okay?” Miranda asked.
“It will take time, but I think she’ll heal. I’ll see to it.”
“You love her, don’t you?” Miranda’s heart went to Perry. She pushed the pain away.
He blushed. “Was it that obvious?”
“Pretty much.” Miranda smiled. “You didn’t abandon her.”
“Neither did you. You helped save her. Thank you.”
“Will you two be okay?” Miranda asked. “Do you have a place to live?”
“Zander still has family and I’ve managed to bury a few keepsakes over the years that will pay my way.”
Miranda imagined him as an armadillo stealing from the warlocks all those years, burying his loot in a hole in the ground. She hoped he had enough to live well.
* * *
Sunday afternoon Perry stood outside of the interrogation room. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, or gotten a full night’s sleep. But last night he hadn’t slept a wink, going over in his mind what he’d say to his parents. Or rather to his dad.
Seeing Jax yesterday hadn’t hurt. He doubted he’d be hurt by his mom, either. He’d known she hadn’t loved him from the beginning.
His dad had been different.
“You don’t have to do this,” Burnett said to Perry.
“Yes, I do.” Even as raw as Perry felt on the inside, he knew this was right. This was putting his past behind him. This was hoping for a future.
He’d agreed to just let Burnett bring his parents in. While the arrest had taken place in Houston, Burnett had managed for them brought directly to the Fallen FRU headquarters. No doubt so Perry would have privacy.
Burnett held out the envelope they’d found stuffed in his dad’s suitcase. Part of him wished they hadn’t found it. Part of him wished it changed things. And maybe it had, but not enough.
“I got this.” Perry took the envelope, then said, “Thank you.”
Burnett nodded.
He walked in. His mom gasped. His dad didn’t look surprised. He wouldn’t.
Like Jax yesterday, their hands were cuffed and they wore patches on the sides of their necks.
“I told you he was behind this!” His mom seethed. “How could you do this to us?”
“Shut up, Sophie,” Perry’s father said.
“Our own son!” she screeched.
“I said shut up!” his father ordered. Then he met Perry’s gaze. “Why, son?”
Perry found his voice. “Why turn you in?”
“No,” his father said. “Why did you find us?”
“Because he’s evil! I told you this when he was born,” his mom yelled.
Perry’s father turned and stared at his mom. It was as if he saw her for the first time. “Can someone take her out of here! Please!”
Perry swallowed.
The door opened. Burnett looked at him. Perry nodded. Burnett took his mom by the elbow. His mom glared at him, but she somehow knew not to mess with Burnett.
When the door closed his father confronted him again. “Why did you find us?”
Perry tried to lean back in the chair, but he was too tense. “I didn’t know at first.”
“Revenge?” his father asked.
Perry ran a hand over his face. “No. When I was young, I dreamed of finding you. You’d give me a good reason for why you left me. Maybe someone was trying to kill me and you left me at that damn mall to protect me.” He waited for the knot of pain to lessen in his throat.
“Yeah, there were a few times I got mad. I thought about revenge, but that’s not it. When I started looking for you, I thought it was just to ask you why.” He inhaled. Perry saw pain and tears in his dad’s eyes.
Perry had to take a deep breath to continue. “For years, I lacked any kind of self-worth. If your parents didn’t even want you, or love you, who would? But thanks to some people, one being the man who put those cuffs on you, I moved past that. So for a while I thought I just wanted you to see me. To see I turned out okay. But that wasn’t it, either.” He swallowed.
His father leaned in. “Perry—”
“No, you asked a question and I’m going to answer it.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I found you because as a kid, the only damn thing I could remember you doing wrong was leaving me. Before that, I remember wanting to be just like you. And I needed to see your flaws, your mistakes, because I wanted to make sure I turned out to be a better man than you.”
“It wouldn’t take much.” His father pushed a hand over his face. “I—”
“The thing I’ve learned is that it’s not our parents or DNA that defines us. It’s not our mistakes, our powers, or our handicaps. It’s the choices we make. And the little ones are just as important as the big ones.” His throat tightened to the point of pain. “But even the right choices we make don’t always correct the wrong ones.”
Perry pulled out the photos from the envelope. Photos of him walking in and out of the FRU building. “When did you get these?”
His father looked away. “Tuesday morning. Caleb brought them for your mom. She was in the shower, so I kept them.”
Perry swallowed. “Why didn’t you give them to her, or give them to Jax?”
He looked at Perry. “Because whatever you did to us, we deserved.”
“So it was just to relieve your conscience?”
His father shook his head. “I carried guilt around for so long, I don’t remember what it feels like not to have it.” His voice shook. “It might not matter to you now. But I did love you. My mistake was loving your mother more. I’m not asking for forgiveness, but I thought you may want to know that.”
Perry stood. It hadn’t stopped hurting, but now it was a different kind of hurt. One he could move past. “Burnett’s fair. He’s only charging you for the robberies, and he’s going to make sure you’re sent to a decent prison.”
“And your mom?” his father asked.
“Same thing.” Perry picked up the envelope and started out. He told himself he didn’t owe his dad anything, but then damn it, he realized he did. He turned and held out the envelope. “Like I said, this choice doesn’t make up for your earlier ones, but … thank you.”
* * *
A few hours later Burnett pulled up at the one hotel in Fallen and glanced at Perry.
“You don’t have to stay here,” Burnett said. “It’s summer. There’s plenty of empty cabins.”
“I know.” He exhaled and then needed to know. “Is she doing okay?”
Burnett cut the engine off. “Yeah. She asked about you.”
Perry clenched his fist. “I’m still so pissed at her. I love her so damn much, but the thought of her putting herself and me through what she did … it infuriates me.”
 
; “I know. I feel the same way, and I don’t know if it makes any difference but she was warned in the falls that if she told anyone, people would die. I think you were on that list. She said it was … something she just had to do, even if it was dangerous.”
“It doesn’t matter. Do you know what they were going to do to her?”
“I know, but … truth is I felt the same way about you getting mixed up in this.”
“That’s different. I’m a guy.”
He kind of chuckled. “I have this same argument with Holiday when she does something dangerous for a ghost. But there’s something about a woman’s psyche that doesn’t understand that. I’ll bet Miranda thinks the same way. Now, I’m not saying they’re right, but there is just a tiny bit of logic to it.”
* * *
Miranda had felt pretty good about her test after she’d taken it. Most of the answers came to her with a little happy feeling in her chest that said, “You got this one.” But now, three hours later she was back to having boob sweat.
Holiday, Kylie, Della, and Miranda were all sitting in Holiday’s office. Mr. Garcia, the dean of the school, who was doing this as a favor for Holiday, had told her he would call with the results at two.
That was five minutes away. Anticipation danced on Miranda’s shoulder.
“Everyone breathe,” Holiday said. “There’s so much anxiety in this room, it’s fogging up my windows.”
“I did the best I could,” Miranda said, now fearing it hadn’t been enough.
“Let’s not start thinking negative thoughts,” Kylie said. “You’re going to make the score.”
“Right!” Della said.
“Have you seen the caps and gowns?” Holiday asked.
“They’re dorky looking,” Della said.
Holiday frowned. “I’m still not sure what we’re having for snacks.”
“Just have pizza,” Kylie said. “It doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s going to be midnight.”
Holiday frowned. “You guys didn’t have a prom, I just want it to be nice.”
“It will be,” Kylie said.
The phone rang. Everyone held their breath. Even Holiday.
She picked up the phone. “Shadow Falls Academy … Hello Mr. Garcia,” she said.