The door to the interrogation room finally opened and Cassidy walked in. Alone. This couldn’t be good.
He took a seat across from me and leaned back, staring at me as if I would start spilling my guts to him without provocation. I knew the others, including our lieutenant Owen Briggs, were watching behind the mirror.
“Comfortable?” he asked, and I knew he meant the air conditioner. I shrugged noncommittally. “So, talk to me, Grey. What happened?” I didn’t say a word. I stared back stoically. After several minutes of tense silence, his nostrils flared in frustration. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” He leaned forward, leaning his elbows on the cold table. “And trust me, Grey, I want to help you.” His eyes softened, and I believed him.
My team wasn’t bad. We worked well together and had each other’s backs when needed, but in this case, I knew they couldn’t help me. The only thing they could possibly do was get me a shorter sentence at Ironwood Penitentiary. I couldn’t go there. I’d be going to the place where my enemies were, the people I’d sent to prison. It was the worst place for a cop to be. It was a death sentence.
“Damnit, Grey!” He slammed a fist on the table. “Give me something!”
I cleared my throat. “I want my phone call.”
He slumped back in his chair in defeat and nodded. “Right, your phone call.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ll get it when I find a phone.” Cassidy pushed his chair back, making it screech against the floor, and stormed out of the interrogation room.
It was a tactic we used with suspects when they asked for their phone call. I knew I wouldn’t be getting my call anytime soon, but that was okay. It gave me time to contemplate my next words, because who I called for help was a big deal. Once I made this move, there was no going back. I had to make sure it was a good one.
I wasn’t calling Bash. I wasn’t calling my parents or my brother. I was calling Alexander.
When I was finally able to make my call, Michaels escorted me into a room with a phone so I’d have some privacy. The one call I needed to make was in Scotland, but I didn’t care that I was about to rack up a serious phone bill. When Michaels left, I waited a whole sixty seconds before grabbing the phone and dialing the number I’d memorized by heart. I’d done so for emergencies and was glad I did, because this was definitely an emergency.
Shame filled me as the phone rang. I was running to my father—to the King—for aid, but my hands were tied. I didn’t know what else to do but use my privilege.
No answer. I got his voicemail. I hung up and called his office. Margaret, his secretary, answered right away.
“Castle Mac, office of King Alexander MacCoinnich, how may I help ye?” she said in her thick Scottish brogue.
“Margaret! It’s Mackenzie. Is my father in the office?” I practically yelled. I jumped from my seat and tried to calm myself down. I didn’t want anyone to know who I was calling.
“Mackenzie, darling! How are ye?”
“Not so good, Margaret. I really need to speak to Alexander. It’s an emergency,” I urged her, because she could talk your ear off for hours if you weren’t careful.
There was a sharp intake of breath. “Oh, dear. He’s currently in a meeting, but let me run in and get him. Hold on, darling.” I heard her put the phone down, followed by the clinking of her high heels running across the marble floor of the castle.
I drummed my fingers on the table as I impatiently waited for someone, anyone to get back on the phone before Michaels returned to tell me my time was up. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of my face as I watched the door. “C’mon,” I muttered, bouncing my leg anxiously.
I heard heavy footsteps through the phone line and sighed in relief when I heard his voice. “Mackenzie, what’s wrong?” Alexander’s deep voice boomed through the phone, music to my ears.
I nearly cried. “I’m in trouble,” I whispered. “I did something bad, Alexander, and I’m in serious trouble.”
Without hesitation he said, “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it. What did ye do?”
“I killed a vampire Elder.”
Crickets.
You could hear a pin drop, that’s how silent the line went. I shut my eyes, imagining the disappointment in his face. I was not the heir to the throne he wanted, at least not the one he deserved.
“Tell me everything that happened, Mackenzie,” he said somberly, and I did.
I rushed to tell him everything that had happened from the very beginning up until now, to my arrest. “—now I’m waiting to be processed. They’re going to send me to Ironwood. Alexander, as a cop, I can’t go there. I’ve put too many people away. They’ll kill me.”
“I will nae let that happen, Mackenzie. Do ye hear me? If I have to smuggle ye out of that bloody country, I will.”
I smiled. I hadn’t realized I was crying until tear drops fell on my forearm. I quickly brushed them away and straightened, vowing not to show weakness.
“Ranulf is here and has been listening in. He has an idea.” Ranulf was Alexander’s right-hand man, his most trusted advisor, and head of security. I should have known he was there.
“Hey Ranulf.”
“Stupid girl, the things ye get yeself into,” he barked, and I rolled my eyes. He would always call me stupid girl until the day I died. Which might actually be sooner than we thought. “We’d already started your claim for Scottish citizenship, which you’ll need when you take the throne. I’ll go put a rush on that. Since ye’re royalty, we might be able to grant you diplomatic immunity if we register ye as a diplomat in America.”
I froze. “I can’t get diplomatic immunity in my own country!” I whisper-yelled. My eyes were wild at the absurdity of the scenario. I’d known about the citizenship bit; we’d started that before I left Scotland a while back, but everything else just sounded like a movie.
“Ye can if ye denounce yer country,” Ranulf continued. “Then it won’t be yer country.”
I nearly dropped the phone. They wanted me to give up my United States citizenship. The country in which I was born and raised. My home.
I knew one day I’d have to leave for Scotland to take the throne, but to denounce and strip away my rights just sounded … wrong.
“I-I can’t. This is my home. What happens when I’m cleared of the charges? I’ll no longer be a citizen of this country.”
“Ye’ll be a diplomat,” Alexander replied calmly. “You can stay or come to Scotland, Mackenzie.”
I would be able to work at the SIU—not like they would want me anymore—but I would have many restrictions.
“We need to find another way,” I said just as the door opened and Michaels came in.
“Time’s up,” Michaels said, making a hand gesture for me to hang up the phone.
“I have to go; my time is up, but there has to be another way. Call and talk to Amy,” I instructed, not waiting to hear what Alexander said before I hung up. I could have sworn I heard him say I love you, but I refused to believe it. We were still building a relationship and it was going great, but some things were still awkward. We hadn’t gotten to the I love you’s just yet. Either way, I had too much on my plate to worry about my daddy issues.
“Thanks, Michaels.” I pushed the phone to the middle of the table. I was about to stand and follow him out of the room when he stopped me.
“Let’s talk,” he suggested, taking a seat in the chair across from me. This room wasn’t made for interrogations. It was for the one phone call and that was it, so I knew no one was listening in. “I trust you, Grey. More than anyone on this team.” His voice was thick with a New York accent.
“I trust you, too.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “And it’s because I trust you that I’m telling you this. Things are looking bad. The vampires are out for blood – no pun intended – and they want us to throw the book at you if we don’t hand you over to them outright. We’re obviously not going to do that. Briggs said we could, but we protect one of our own. So, we’re stuck bet
ween a rock and a hard place, Grey. Either we hand you over to the vamps, or we give you the maximum sentence. And none of us want to do either one.”
Garrett Michaels and I had been partners for years, since I was his intern, so we had a sense of loyalty to one another that was different from the rest. I appreciated him giving me the scoop and letting me know what they were facing. It gave me an understanding now as to why Cassidy was so frustrated with me.
“If you hand me over to the vampires, at least I’ll have a chance to escape. At Ironwood, I’m already dead.”
His face was solemn as he processed what I said and the accuracy of it. At Ironwood, every supernatural’s powers were suppressed, so I’d be human against the masses. And while I knew how to fight and could defend myself, I also knew I wasn’t invincible. I’ve learned that lesson a couple times.
“Tell me you have a better plan than that, Grey.” His eyes begged me. “At least give me some details about that night. Anything that could help your case.”
I bit my lip and thought hard about that night at the cathedral. I’d retold this story so many times, but never revealed all the details. Like how everyone looked, what it smelled like, who was there. All of which matters in an investigation.
“There was something about the Elder named Isaac that bugged me. He kept staring at me and smirking, almost like he was waiting for me to do something. It might be a stretch, but do you think maybe they denied her the cure on purpose just to antagonize me?”
“Hmm,” Michaels contemplated. “Possibly, but it’s circumstantial, at best. And why would they want to do that? Especially if it risks one of their own.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But if I was investigating, I’d start with Isaac. Something’s fishy with him.”
“Anything else?” Michaels pulled out a notepad and started to take notes.
“Keep an eye out for Lucian. I heard they’re gunning for him. He needs to be kept safe.” It didn’t matter that we were fighting, I didn’t want any harm to come his way. Especially if it was because of me.
“Who’s after him?” he quirked a brow.
“The Elders.”
That made him raise both eyebrows in shock. “Now that’s something I can work with.”
“Really?” I answered, surprise in my voice. I leaned forward to look at the notes he’d taken.
Michaels nodded. “It might just be vampire business, but according to the SIU guidelines, the Head Vampire of New York City falls under our jurisdiction. So, if anything happens to him, it’s our business. Didn’t you read the handbook at orientation?”
“I skimmed it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll bring it to you for some light reading while you’re sitting in your jail cell. You’ll need it when you come back to work.”
I grimaced. “I don’t think I’m coming back after this, Garrett.”
His head whipped up from his notepad. “Oh, you’re coming back, Grey. I’m gonna get you out of this. One way or another.”
The team had seventy-two hours before I had to be processed and prepared to be shipped off to Ironwood, by law. Now that I’d spoken to Michaels, I knew why they were holding back. They were working the case. Trying to figure out a way to get me out of it. For starters, they could have been a little nicer about it, but according to Michaels, no one wanted to get my hopes up. Which was reasonable. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, either. But if push came to shove, I’d tell them to hand me over to the vampires. I’d stand a better chance with them; I just had to be ready for a lot of torture. No biggie.
I laid on the cot in my jail cell, grasping the SIU handbook across my chest. Each of us was given a copy the day we were hired, which held all the rules, guidelines, and special supernatural laws we had to abide by. Michaels brought it to me as soon as they locked me in, and I remembered why I never finished it. I made it to page four before I quit and laid down. I stared at the ceiling, imagining everyone working double-time to get me out of this mess and here I was, unable to do a damn thing. Feeling useless was the worst feeling ever.
“No one likes a pity party,” Finn said as he clanked his ring on one of the cell bars. “But misery does love company.”
I turned my head to look at him leaning against my cage. “Come to join the party?”
“Why the hell not?” He shrugged and pulled a chair from the officer’s desk, dragging it to the bars. He sat down, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. “I would have brought you a drink since the situation definitely calls for it, but since you’re as clean as they come, I brought you water.” Finn rolled me a bottle of water. I sat up and stopped it with my foot.
“Thanks,” I chuckled and lifted the bottle up. It was cold and coated with condensation. I uncapped it and gulped half of it in one shot. “How’s it going out there?”
Finn clucked his tongue. “Not good, Grey. Not good at all. Michaels says you want us to turn you over to the vampires.”
“Worst case scenario.”
He nodded. “I think it’s your best shot if we can’t figure this out. But I’m afraid the others won’t agree to it.”
I leaned my elbows on my knees and blew out a breath. “Then you have to convince them, Finn. You have to pull the trigger. Metaphorically speaking, of course.”
He nodded again. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Finn and I continued to have an easy conversation after the heavy stuff was out of the way. We never really had the chance to speak like this; the Reaper kept to himself most of the time, but in this moment, he opened up. Maybe it was because my death was imminent and he pitied me, who knows, but I appreciated the time he spent just shooting the breeze with me.
Once he left, I was alone once again, aside from the officer on duty. I was unable to do anything in my defense, and it drove me crazy. Being in a cage didn’t help. I’d caged my wolf for so long, now that she was stirring, the confinement was making her antsy. It wasn’t a good feeling.
“Easy, girl,” I muttered to myself, trying to calm my wolf from raging out and shifting. I could only imagine how she would feel if we got sent to Ironwood. I shook my head. I couldn’t let it happen.
I drifted off to an uneasy sleep. I didn’t know how long I was out before I heard the clanging of the cell bars and stirred awake. I uncurled myself from the cot and looked up to see Cassidy unlocking my cell.
“Get up,” he instructed indifferently. I wasn’t going to lie, it stung a little. “Your lawyer is here.”
I frowned. “My lawyer?” I never called for one, and I definitely didn’t ask for a public defender. In all honesty, it wouldn’t do me much good in a supernatural court. Guilty was guilty.
“Yeah, Grey. Whoever you called, or maybe your friends, whatever, got you a lawyer and they want to see you.” He swung the door wide open, motioning for me to exit.
I scrambled to get up and hurried out of the cell. I followed Cas toward one of the private rooms that didn’t have cameras or mirrors, but before I went inside where my lawyer was waiting, I stopped him.
“Listen, I know you’re pissed,” I started, grabbing his arm and halting him. He turned to look at me. “Rightfully so, I’ll admit. But you know how I am and that I’ll do anything for the ones I love, no matter the cost. And I understand that it’s not fair to my friends when I put them in situations like these where they feel like they have to help me. So, don’t feel obligated. You don’t owe me anything, Cas.”
His gaze narrowed. I was still holding onto his arm and I could feel his muscles flexing. “You’re not the only one who will do anything for the ones they love, Mackenzie,” he offered in a serious tone. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have thought he said something upsetting.
My heart softened. No matter how pissed he was at me, he would still do whatever he could to save me. I didn’t deserve it. The relationship between me and Cas was like one of a brother and sister, and I cherished it deeply. He helped me through some of my worst times
back when I had no one, and that was something I’d never forget.
“I don’t deserve your friendship, Cassidy Chang,” I pronounced with a sad smile as I turned to go into the room. I didn’t want to hear his response. He was still upset. Sometimes we say things in anger, and I didn’t want him to say something he’d regret.
Once I entered the room, all hope of beating my charges left me in one fell swoop. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I was totally judging. Seated in one of the chairs at the table in the center of the room was a man in his mid-twenties. Way too young to be a lawyer. At least a good one with experience. He was blond, green eyed, and devilishly handsome. When I say the man was smokin’ hot, I mean damn, he was killer. If Bash wasn’t in the picture, well, I probably wouldn’t do anything because I have no game, but let’s pretend I did. In which case I’d say I’d totally tap that. Even though he was seated, I could tell he was tall and very well built. Not too muscular, but not too lean. Just right.
“Mackenzie Grey?” He smiled warmly at me and I almost forgot my name, looking at those pearly white teeth.
What the hell?
I shook myself out of my stupor and stuck my hand out. “Yes, and you are?”
“My name is Mason Kincade.” He shook my hand and I felt the callouses of rough hands used to hard labor. Not the baby smooth softness I expected. Which meant there was more to this lawyer than met the eye.
I sat in the seat across from him and eyed him thoughtfully. “So, Mr. Kincade, who called you on my behalf?”
He shrugged. “No one. I took on this case myself.”
Well, that was certainly different. I laughed casually to hide my shock. “And why would you do something like that?”
Mason placed his forearms on the table and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Why would I want to miss the opportunity to defend the Freedom Princess? That’s a once in a lifetime opportunity … although, looking at your track record,” he pointed to a thick manila folder on the table, “… it may not be once in a lifetime.”
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