Chapter 20 Who Could It Be
\[Anthony’s POV\]
I shoot a glare at the damned iceman before turning my gaze to where Tabitha stands, watching the officers that were attempting to take her in for questioning. Whose fucking side was the ice man on? Ours, or these bastards?
"Release me!" I growl, attempting to crack the ice that holds me. "Before I consider you the enemy,"
As far as I was concerned, every supernatural being was the enemy and needed to be gotten rid of, but since it was becoming more and more common for them to exist amongst us, I wasn't able to do that. Instead, I had to work alongside them and try to get along with them. I was going against every instinct and teaching I had received from the church.
"If I do," the iceman begins. "You'll attempt to attack these men again."
"And?" I snap. "They're trying to take Tabitha in as if she is a criminal!"
Was he out of his fucking mind? So he was helping them instead of us. Even though we worked closely alongside PD, it didn’t mean that we always saw eye to eye.
“They’re just doing their job,” he points out. “If I release you, you’re going to act like a fucking idiot again.”
Frowning, I consider his words while the urge to punch him rises, but I quickly push it down. If I wanted him to release us, I needed to remain calm. Right. Calm. But that was easier said than done.
“I’ll just go,” Tabitha sighs, looking annoyed. “You just want to question me about these deaths and the notes, correct?” She continues. “Fine, I’ll go. Maybe we can come up with answers together.”
As she speaks, I don’t miss the hint of worry in her tone. Although she was trying her best to remain calm, I knew her too well to fall for that.
“If you go, I’m going too.” I announce, earning myself a look of shock. “What?”
“I don’t need you to go with me,” she points out, narrowing her gaze. “I’m not a child.”
“I’m part of this investigation too,” I point out.
“As am I,” Atticus adds.
Feeling my annoyance spike, I prepare to argue with him, but realize that in the end he is right.
“Then is it agreed that we will all go?” He continues when I don’t speak. “Officers?”
Silence falls around us as the two men consider, and when they finally nod, Atticus releases us.
Later, Atticus and I stand in a small room with a window in it so that we can watch the officers question Tabitha about all the murders.
Now that we were alone, my annoyance with the ice man was beginning to grow again, and despite the tension I was feeling, he seemed to be ill-at-ease.
“What’s the deal with you two?” He asks conversationally. "She seems to really not like you."
“What does it look like?” I shoot back at him.
“Looks like you hate each other to me,” he chuckles, causing a pang of pain to shoot through me. “But you seem to still care.”
“And if I do, what does that have to do with you?” I challenge.
“Quite a bit,” he admits. “You see, I’m interested in her, and it would be problematic for me if you’re hanging around her.”
Letting out a growl, I turn my gaze toward Atticus’ to find that he is watching me with amusement.
“What?” He asks, looking smug. “Did you think that you were the only one with eyes? Tabitha is gorgeous, and she has this..." growing quiet, he considers. “This pull to her.”
Pull? What the hell was this man going on about?
“Anyway,” he continues. “Since it looks like she doesn’t really give a damn about you, I’m not too worried.”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue but stop as a loud screeching echoes around us, indicating that Tabitha’s questioning is just beginning.
For the next hour, they go through the motions of going back and forth over whether Tabitha was involved in the murders, whether she had any idea of who it could be, and, of course, trying to get her to admit that she was the one responsible. However, in the end, the only clues we had were that they were all related and that the ones responsible were after her.
When they finish, Atticus and I head out into the hall and wait until Tabitha emerges, looking exhausted.
“Who wants a drink?” Atticus asks, rubbing his hands together. “It has been a day.”
“I’m down,” Tabitha responds immediately. “Where are you thinking?”
Shock rolls through me as I look from Atticus to Tabitha, wondering exactly why she didn’t deny his suggestion.
“I know just the place,” Atticus beams, snapping me out of my head. “You coming too, mister broody?”
“Of course I am." I respond immediately. Like hell, I was going to let them be alone. "There's no fucking way you two are going without me."
Later, I find myself sitting in a dark supernatural club, staring at a man who is clearly a member of the fae.
On the dance floor, many dance, grinding against one another as the scent of desire and expectation drifts around. The upstairs holds many doors, and I can only imagine what is going on inside them from the occasional scream of pleasure I hear between song changes.
Beside me, Tabitha is on alert, and I can’t help but wonder if she knows exactly what is going on in this place, but before I can ask, the bartender gives us a smile.
“You brought friends today, Atticus,” he chuckles, before his eyes come to rest on Tabitha. “You won’t be causing trouble this time around, will you?”
Eyes widening, I look from the bartender to Tabitha, trying to figure out what exactly he means, but before I can, she lets out a frustrated huff.
“As long as those bastards don’t show,” she responds angrily. “If they do, I make no promises.”
Those bastards… Who the fuck was she referring to? Were they the ones who left their marks on her?
“Less talking, more drinking,” Atticus announces, ordering our drinks and then swiveling in his chair so he can face the dance floor. “We came here to unwind, not to grow more irritated.”
“Easier said than done,” Tabitha sighs, suddenly seeming drained. “You don’t quite understand how badly I want to find them.”
“Who?” I demand, grabbing her arm. “Who the hell are you talking about?”
“None of your business,” she snaps, pulling herself free. “And don’t touch me as you please.”
Her words are like a slap in the face, but I continue to stare her down. Who the hell had her so riled up to the point she looked ready to kill them? What the fuck had I missed?