Jana laughed. A hollow, mocking sound. “Guess he’s not on our side.” Her chin tilted up, just a bit. “Maybe he’s just on yours, hmm, demon? Use me, then throw me to the wolves.”
No, that wasn’t—
Tony started reading Jana her rights. Fuck.
Chapter 6
The door to interrogation room three closed with a soft click. Jana took a deep breath. Not like this was the first time she had found herself in one of these tiny rooms, sitting at an old, scarred table, and facing off against a cop who wanted to throw her butt in jail.
“I’m Captain Antonio Young,” the cop said, as he took a step closer to her.
“We know who the hell you are, Tony,” Zane muttered from her side. Because, yeah, they were still handcuffed. Still locked together. Covered in soot and ash, they’d been through fires hotter than those in hell, and they were still cuffed.
The cop-Tony-raised one dark brow. “You know who I am, Ms. Carter?”
Well, she did now, so Jana kept her face expressionless. Oh, she hurt. Every part of her body ached, and she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.
Preferably without being handcuffed to a demon.
But at least the cops had sent some food in to her and Zane. Only because of Zane’s connections. Otherwise, Jana knew she never would have gotten those stale doughnuts and that coffee with the grounds floating at the top.
Tony pulled out the chair across from them, and its legs scraped against the floor. “Which one of you wants to tell me what the hell is going on here?”
“If I knew,” Zane said instantly, “I’d tell you.” Of course, he would. “Good” guys always liked to rat to cops.
“Hmmm.” Tony’s dark eyes dropped to the handcuffs. The metal shined on the top of the table. “Guessing those are P.P.?”
“P.P.?” Was that frog’s croak hers? Great. Her life was fandamn-tastic.
“Paranormal protected,” he murmured.
So he knew. Good for him. “What are you?” she asked, straining to make her voice stronger. Damn smoke.
His gaze shifted to hers. “I told you already, I’m a police captain.”
His eyes were so dark they almost looked black. The guy had a deep olive skin tone, a perfect face, and a voice like warm honey. “You an incubus?”
He blinked and, wait, did his high cheeks redden?
“He’s no damn incubus,” Zane said and a thread of anger roughened the words. Sure, he’d gone through the smoke, but he sounded perfectly normal. Demon strength and healing powers had their benefits. “He’s human.”
“We can’t all be demons,” the cop said quietly.
A human who knew Zane’s secrets? Interesting.
Tony leaned forward. “Why’d you attack my man, Zane?” The question was fired fast.
His man? Oh, the other cop. “Because your man fired on us,” Jana answered immediately, not waiting for Zane to respond. She wouldn’t let Zane take the heat for this. Not when that cop had come out with his gun blazing.
Tony’s lips tightened. “Bullshit. I gave an order—”
“Oh, you gave it all right,” she shot back, her hands knotting into fists. “Deadly force was fine as long as it was directed at Zane, right? What’s a dead demon when—”
But the cop wasn’t looking at her. He shook his head, slowly, and a deep furrow appeared between his eyes. “He fired on you?”
Zane lifted his hand, raising the cuffs. “First he tried to … ah, break us apart with a bullet. When that didn’t work, well, he said I was the expendable one.”
“Fuck.” Not disbelief. Shock. Wait, did he believe what they were saying?
Jana glanced between them. “You ordered a hit on him, you—”
“Ease up, princess,” Tony said. What? Her eyes narrowed on him.
“I’ve got a rat in my unit.” Tony shook his head again, and his shoulders slumped a bit. “What the hell is happening?”
The guy was playing innocent, that was happening. She’d never met an innocent cop. Plenty who were on the take. Plenty who knew how to look the other way, but innocent? No way.
“How’d the fire start at Night Watch?” Tony asked, and that fast, the cop’s eyes were back on her.
Jana shrugged. “You tell me, princess.”
His eyes narrowed, just a fraction. “You’re a wanted woman. How about I just go and throw you in a cage until it’s time to haul you back to New Orleans?”
“Tony,” Zane’s voice snarled, “you’re not—”
She yanked on the cuffs. “You really going to throw us both in jail?”
Tony put his hands on the table and leaned toward her. “I know what you are.”
“Bored?”
“Dammit, Jana!” Zane’s hand slapped on the table, making it shudder. “Just let him—”
“You’re an Ignitor.” Tony pressed closer. “You like the fire, don’t you? You like to see those flames dance and destroy.”
She didn’t speak. Beside her, Zane seemed to be all but vibrating with tension.
“Zane was going to turn you in at Night Watch, wasn’t he?” The cop’s dark stare held hers. She could see the faintest flecks of gold around his pupils. “That’s why you’re cuffed. He was forcing you to come with him.”
She stared back at Tony and didn’t speak. Her hands flattened on the table.
“That made you angry, didn’t it? You couldn’t get him to let you go, and it pissed you off. And when Ignitors get pissed”-a brief pause—“things have a way of exploding.”
“She didn’t do it,” Zane gritted out. “Trust me on this, okay?”
“I would.” Tony’s gaze slanted to Zane. “But I can’t be sure if your brain’s talking, or your dick.” Her nails scraped over the tabletop.
“You left with her last night.” Tony exhaled. “You stayed with her, all night. While you were cuffed, I’m sure the two of you were playing … nicely.”
“I was fucking drugged! I was out of my head, I don’t know—” Zane broke off and rolled his shoulders, as if he were shaking off the memory.
“Drugged?” Tony blinked. “You were—”
“You found my car, right?” Zane’s lips tightened. “Some assholes hit us. Slammed into my ‘Vette. They fired at us and caught me twice with some kind of drug.”
“Who were the ‘assholes'?”
Jana shrugged. “Why don’t you go ask your cop? You know, the one who was so eager to shoot Zane and take me into custody?” She bared her teeth in a hard smile. “I’ll give you ten-to-one odds that he knows exactly who they are.”
Tony glared back at her, but after a few moments, he eased away and turned on his heel, marching for the door.
“Tony?” Zane called.
“I’m going to find Harris,” he said and yanked open the door. “He’s the cop who pulled you over.” The one who’d tried to kill Zane.
“Yeah, you go find that little bastard,” Zane said, and she heard the underlying threat in his voice. Find him and let me have him.
Jana didn’t take a full breath until Tony left the room. When the door clicked closed behind him, the tension eased from her shoulders. Well, some of the tension eased.
Her gaze darted to the mirrored wall on the left side. Was she still being watched?
“Tony won’t let anyone view us. He won’t run the risk of them finding out what you are.”
Jana glanced at him.
Zane ran a tired hand down his face, streaking the ash. “What we are.”
“You sure about that?” She didn’t have enhanced senses. She’d never know if someone was there.
Zane tossed a glance at the mirror. “I’m sure.”
Okay. That was something. “We’ve got to get out of here.” Her palms were slick with sweat.
One brow climbed. “Baby, we’re not going anywhere.” He caught the edge of her chair and hauled her closer. “Three hunters are dead. Dead. The Night Watch Agency was torched, torched right before-what a damn coincidence-you were scheduled to be turned in.”