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He dug deeper and hit it Only gently, but it felt like he was driving a red-hot poker deeper into h the roof, and sweat popped out across asps

SoI’ve hit it," he co and try not to hter, I’d fucking shatter theain Heat flashed, white hot, through my muscles and nausea rose thick and fast I sed heavily and closedwould make me less aware

It didn’t

I felt every inch of the bullet’s journey upward Felt it when his grip slipped and the bullet fell back into my flesh Sweat dripped from my forehead and ran in rivers down my back, and bile rose so fast it took all of one and Harris was holding up the tweezers with the bloody bullet clamped firmly between its jaws

"Done," he said "But you need to change to stop the bleeding"

"Thanks" I rolled out of the chair and reached for the shifting ull

There was no hesitation, no pain, this ti and reshaping my body, until what stood there olf rather than hu the feel of her, then, somewhat reluctantly, shifted back The wound was nowhere near healed, but at least the bleeding had stopped

Harris closed the first aid kit then put the bloody tweezers and scissors into a plastic bag "What now?"

"Well, the va past the nanowire and controlling Benny, so our first order of business is to get hi outside in the car for an all-clear, so we need to bring him in"

He raised an eyebrow "Why is he outside?"

"Because I knew so thewith va him safe"

"Given the vamp is injured but telepathically unrestrained, how safe would it be to bring hi, I’ll be able to protect him"

I said it with more assurance than I felt, but Harris didn’t seem to notice He pushed away froht you suspected hi a fake brother and connected to the evil plot surrounding you?"

"He is a fake, but he’s not willingly connected to theyou’ve unraveled more clues?"

"I certainly have" And so to like

He opened the front door and waved Evin in, then walked across to Benny and squatted down beside hiave a slight nod "His pulse is steady, but his nose will be hty sore when he wakes"

There wasn’t lanced around as the door opened and Evin stepped inside His gaze quickly swept Harris, Benny, and thenin the blood on my pants and around the chair "What the fuck has been happening?"

"Long story," Harris said "Grab Benny’s feet We need to get him into a cell"

Evin did as ordered, and the two lifted the young man with ease "He looks as if he needs a doctor, not a cell"

"He’s susceptible to vaoes into the cell," I said, connecting just enough to his mind to feel if the vampire tried to control him "And we can’t risk a doctor for the very same reason"

"Oh"

For someone who didn’t have much to do with either cops or valy calh the door A few seconds later, the cell door slammed shut and footsteps echoed as they returned

"So why are you two here?" Harris asked as he walked into the reception area Evin followed him out and propped his butt on the reception desk

"It’s not that I don’t appreciate the intervention," Harris continued, "but I ordered you to stay away"

"And we knoell ordering me to stay away in the past has worked, don’t we?" He rolled his eyes I smiled and added, "I needed to ask you some questions"

"Then fire away" He strolled across to a percolator and flicked a switch The rich aro my taste buds water

I crossed ave me what I could only call a "cop look" and said, voice flat, "Mike West isn’t involved in any nefarious plot against you"

"Then do you knohy he was driving toward the whaling station just over an hour ago?"

Harris shrugged "Why is that even important?"

I sidestepped the question with another "Then do you knohat Denny and his friends have been up to over the last few hours?"

"No Not only have I been out of contact with Mike, Denny, and any of his friends, but I ith you, chasing a killer and then getting locked in a cell How the fuck would I knohat anyone has been up to?"

"Then no one has reported anything to you?" I persisted

"No And if anyone had reported it to Mike, I would have heard it Eet routed to both cell phones e’re out of the office" He glanced at Evin "How do you take your coffee?"

"White and one"

Harris nodded,one to Evin and one toon the chair I’d proppedat, Hanna?"

"I’m not Hanna"

"Well, until you re Noer the da your prisoners, Denny and his friends kidnapped Evin"

"What?" He glanced sharply at Evin, eyebrow raised in query

"It’s true," Evin said "I have the bruises and rope and silver burns to prove it"

"And I have the ransom note" I took the piece of plastic out of my pocket and handed it over He read it silently and shook his head

"Why would the da this stupid?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered it anyway "It was a ploy to getstation alone, where dearest Denny intended to exact his revenge Except they were expecting me to drive out there and, as it turns out, I have an alternate shape - a seagull That ability allowed et the jump on theot the hell out of there"