“No.”
“Be honest.”
“Nothing a bandage around my knuckles won’t handle.”
He chuckled. “Good for you.”
“I’m not coming back.”
“To the CPD? Or at all.”
There was a long pause. “I need a fresh start. It’s been . . . too long. Too much.”
José closed his eyes again. “Yes, it has been.”
“Thank you for warning me.”
“Thank you for your service. And I just want to say . . .” Off in the distance, he heard the familiar sound of sirens closing in—and wondered how long it was going to take before he didn’t feel like they were something he had to get involved in. “Take care of yourself, Officer, and happy retirement.”
“Listen, don’t tell anyone you spoke to me. I think it’s best that I just . . . remain an unsolved case.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
“Thanks. Bye.”
“Goodbye.”
He ended the call just as the first of the squad cars came screaming down the country-ish road, heading for him.
And for Stan, who had retired in a fashion as well.
Rio ended the call and looked over the lip of the quarry. It was a helluva spot, this set of cliffs and the huge pool below, especially with the twinkling of downtown off on the horizon. After a moment, she hauled back and slung the phone into the water that was so far down the drop.
Then she turned and faced . . . the man/male/wolf/vampire who had gotten her off that mansion’s property and safely out here, away from prying eyes.
Luke was leaning back against the Monte Carlo, his arms crossed, his eyes on her. He was so still, and magnificent, and . . .
As she started to walk over to him, he straightened. But he didn’t smile.
“You reach him okay?” Luke asked.
“Detective de la Cruz has everything they need. It’s all going to come out, everything that Mozart was and did is going to land on his head. A man lost his life to get that information to me, and to try to save my life. The department will honor him by prosecuting that asshole.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, it’s everything I wanted. So I can say goodbye. You know, say goodbye and be at peace with it all.”
Luke nodded and rubbed his hands together. “All right, then. I guess this is it. I, ah, I’d say see you later, but—”
“I meant goodbye to Caldwell and my life there.”
“Oh. So you’re going to disappear, go underground. Do you have enough money? I mean, not that you need my help—”
“Well, see, I thought you might need mine.”
He blinked. “I’m sorry?”
Rio walked around in a little circle. “I thought a lot about things while we were driving down from Walters. And also, as we came out here just now.”
“I figured you were silent because you were scared of me.”
“Scared of you?” She stopped in front of him. “How could I be scared of you? You’ve saved my life three times. And you’re . . .”
“A monster, right?”
Rio reached up and put her hand to his face. “A mystery. Never a monster.”
Luke closed his eyes as if her touch was both the most painful thing he’d ever felt and the most soothing. “Rio . . .”
“Yes, I thought maybe, since you helped me, I could help you.”
“With what?” His lids opened slowly.
“Liberating the prison.” As his brows shot up, she nodded. “That’s what you’re thinking, right. You were going to kill Mozart because you don’t want the deal to go through. So you can undermine the power structure, free the falsely imprisoned, save Kane, and make sure Apex and Mayhem are okay. Right?” When he didn’t respond, she prompted, “Right?”
“Well, yes. How’d you know?”
“I know you better than the few hours we’ve been together suggest I should. I truly feel like . . . I know you down to your core.” She laughed a little. “Well, except for the whole werewolf thing.”
“Wolven,” he corrected.
“Wolven, then. And then the vampire is just . . .”
“Vampire.”
“Ah. Good. I’ve got that down then already.”
Luke shook his head. “What are you talking about here, Rio?”
“I’m talking about helping you free those people, no matter what their species.” She stepped off from him. “I’m dead, technically. I have no existence in Caldwell.”