Chapter 12
I got my things from the lab. My coworkers stood there, watching and muttering about what was happening. They eyed Banner. When I had everything, I told them good luck and left.
When we arrived at home, I was swept into Keir’s arms and kissed before we went inside.
We’d spent a couple of hours getting to know Banner.
However, that was on hold because of the other thing on my agenda.
Despite Keir’s request that I postpone it, I couldn’t make Eithan wait another day.
Plus, he was bombarding my phone with texts and voicemails, asking what happened at the lab. The word was spreading fast.
I set up lunch with him not far from the precinct at a place we’d lunched at before. Keir insisted on being allowed to drop me off. He promised not to be within sight while we talked, but he wanted to be nearby in case he was needed. I gave in to that much.
Movement at the diner’s door caught my attention. It was Eithan. He spotted me immediately and strode over and stopped beside my chair. I was pulled up into his arms so he could hug me. I hugged him back, but broke contact as subtly as possible. He frowned but let go. We sat.
“God, it’s been killing me to wait. I’m so glad we’re doing this. There’s so much to talk about. Why don’t we order first, then talk?” he asked.
I agreed. It wasn’t long before our waitress had our orders. We’d been here enough to know the menu in and out. As soon as she walked off, Eithan gave me a serious look.
“Fi, tell me what the hell happened today at the lab. There’s talk about you being in Daniel’s office and him having a screaming fit after you walked out.
Then he was escorted to see the director, followed by Wanda, and then you.
When you came back, a man was with you, and security was with you as well.
You cleaned out your desk. Everyone is saying you were fired.
They can’t do that! You did nothing wrong,” he snapped.
“Hang on, don’t go crazy on me. Let me explain,” I said.
He subsided, which allowed me to give him the highlights. He swore at points, growled at a few, and then was shocked at others. When I was through, he sat there shaking his head.
“Christ, all that over you needing a few days off. I bet they’re kicking themselves. They have no one who comes close to your work. You process more in a day than two people, and your findings are never contested at trial. But why did you resign?”
“Eithan, it was time. It’s been time. I can’t keep being used, and to be honest, I was tired of the partiality some workers get and not others.
Wanda isn’t the only one. There are others, though not as bad as her.
I can get a job in another lab. I’m not sure if it’ll be with a police department, though. ”
“You’re right, you can. I’ll just hate not seeing your beautiful face when I’m at the precinct. But we can still have lunches. And if I’m seeing you outside of work all the time, then it’ll be good.” He smiled.
Lord, here came the hard part.
“Eithan, about seeing each other outside of work. I’m afraid that’s not happening.”
His smile slid away to be replaced by a frown. “What do you mean?”
“I thought about what you told me the other night, and I examined my heart. As much as I value our friendship, which I do, I don’t see you that way. I’m sorry. And while you asked me to give us a chance for those feelings to develop in me, I know that it won’t.”
“It’s that goddamn Keir. He got to you, didn’t he?
I knew something was up when you postponed our talk and said you spoke to him and your family.
I don’t know what hold he has over you and them, but I can protect you from him.
You denied he was a criminal, but I don’t believe it.
” He reached across the table and grasped my hands.
“No, he’s not a criminal, and he’s holding nothing over us.
But I do have feelings for him. I know I lied and told you he was my boyfriend when he wasn’t.
That was wrong of me. However, it doesn’t negate the fact that I do feel deeply for him.
There’s a strong connection between us, despite knowing each other for such a short time.
It’s intense and growing daily. I’m physically attracted to him and more. I can see myself with Keir.”
I hated that I was hurting Eithan and dashing his hopes, but it had to be done. His grip tightened, hurting my fingers. I tugged on them, and he loosened his hold.
“You can’t do this, Fiona. You’re gonna end up hurt and alone if you’re lucky. If not, you’ll be dead. There’s something about him that makes the hairs on my neck stand up. He’s a threat. I can’t explain it any other way. He has this way of looking at someone like they’re prey.”
He’d picked up on the predatory side of Keir. Whether it was because my mate wanted him to, or he was that perceptive, I wasn’t sure. If he were perceptive, why hadn’t he ever noticed that side of me?
“Keir won’t hurt my family or me,” I denied.
“Like hell he won’t!” he exclaimed. His fist came down on the table. Heads turned to stare. He was in his uniform. Eithan seemed to realize the scene he was causing. He lowered his voice.
“Come with me. We need to go where we can talk alone. There are too many people here.”
He came to his feet and tugged on my hands. I shook my head and remained seated.
“No, we’re not going anywhere. We’ll stay, eat, and finish our talk. I don’t want to leave this on a sour note between us. I value our friendship. Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded.
Panic entered his expression. He tugged harder. I wasn’t about to allow him to yank my arms out of their sockets, so I stood. He began trying to drag me toward the door.
“Stop!” I demanded.
That’s when he did something I never expected him to do. He swung to face me, and the next thing I knew, he had his handcuffs out. He expertly had them open and one around my wrists.
Now, as a shifter, I could easily break the cuffs apart.
But doing so would lead to questions. I wasn’t about to expose shifters.
So, though I kept pleading with him to let me go, I let him put the other cuff on.
All around the diner, people were whispering.
Eithan snatched up my purse. Then, I was led out of the diner. Outside, he was rambling.
“I’m sorry, Fiona. But it’s the only way we can talk and for you to listen to me. I promise, I’ll let you go as soon as you come to your senses. We need to talk to your family.”
I saw his patrol car parked a few spots down from the diner. He was leading me that way. Suddenly, when we were ten feet away from the car, Keir came out of nowhere and blocked our path. His eyes were filled with fury as he noted the cuffs around my wrists and the way I was being hauled along.
“Sanchez, let her go this instant, or you won’t like what I do to you. You have no right to kidnap or arrest her. She’s done nothing wrong,” Keir growled.
“You need to get the fuck away from us. I’m not arresting or kidnapping her. I’m merely getting her away from your undue influence and to a place where we can speak freely. I won’t let you threaten her into being with you. She’s mine! Fiona has always been meant to be mine,” Eithan shouted.
“You’ve got to stop, Eithan! You’re risking your reputation and job. Someone is going to call the cops, and then what will you tell them?” I asked, trying my best to snap him out of his momentary insanity.
His wild gaze landed on my face. “I’m not losing you, not to him, not to anyone. My fellow brothers and sisters in blue won’t arrest me. Not after I tell them what’s happening here. They’ll help me protect you. I’ll tell them how he’s blackmailing you or whatever it is.”
I gave Keir a helpless look. What should we do?
We couldn’t fight on the street, and I wasn’t comfortable being alone with Eithan anymore.
I had no idea what he might do in the name of saving me.
Keir situated himself. His scent changed.
He was giving off a wave of pheromones and more.
It was the smell of a mated shifter in protective mode.
I was turning my head to look for a way out when another man strolled casually up to us.
Instantly, it registered that he was like us, only different. I wasn’t sure what he was.
He was as tall as Keir and heavily muscled.
His dark hair was closely cropped, though the top was slightly longer.
The lower half of his face was covered in a luxurious dark brown, almost black beard and mustache.
His warm olive skin was complemented not only by his hair color but also by his mahogany-brown eyes.
Staring at his eyes, I felt the pull of his magnetism.
“It seems you need some help, Keir. Here, let me,” the stranger said.
He moved right in Eithan’s face and captured my captor’s gaze. Eithan didn’t blink or look away.
“You’re going to release her and let her leave with Keir. You’ll get into your squad car and go about your day. At the end of your shift, you’ll go home, sleep, and decide to go out with one of the women who has been after you. You’ll enjoy it. You’ll give up on unrequited love.”
His voice was low and hypnotic. I’d never heard of a shifter being able to do something like this.
To my astonishment, the moment the man stopped talking, Eithan turned to me, undid the cuffs, handed me my purse, and without a word, he walked off and got into his squad car.
He drove off without a backward glance. My mouth was hanging open.
The man who’d made it happen stood there, giving me a charming smile.
“Hi there, Fiona. Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” the man asked.
Keir was rubbing my wrists as he glared after Eithan. However, at the guy’s words, my mate examined me.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you? And how do you know my name?”
The stranger grinned wider. “I’m the charming one, unlike this one. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Nico. I’m Keir’s friend, along with others you’ve recently met.”
As he held out his hand, I automatically took it. Nico was another Sentinel, but what was he doing here? Nico lifted my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it.
“Alright, enough hand kissing. She’s my mate. Get your mitts off her,” Keir grumbled.
“Hey, don’t be hateful. Just because I have charm and everything else, and you have…
whatever you have, doesn’t mean you have to be mean.
I can’t help that when I see a beautiful woman, I need to kiss her hand.
And since you’re one of my best friends, though who knows why, we’re going to be family.
I want her to like me.” Nico finished his short speech with a wink at me.
“I think we’d better get our asses off the street before one of the onlookers gawking out the diner window calls the other cops. We need to head back to the Katz residence,” my mate informed his friend.
“Good idea,” I said.
Keir held my hand and led me to where he’d parked around the corner from the diner. I addressed Nico as we began walking off, and Nico ambled along with us.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nico. But forgive me for asking, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be in California?”
I waited for him to answer me, wondering whether what he'd done to Eithan would stick, or if I would have to put up with more scenes from him. I never imagined him acting that way.