Shadow Falls After Dark: Eternal Part 46

Della got a bad feeling. Why was Burnett telling her this? Did he think he'd caught Chase up to no good?

She looked at the envelope he held and knew it contained something bad. Something Burnett was going to try and use to keep her away from Chase. She wasn't sure what was in there, and she wasn't sure it would work.

"So what do you have?" she asked.

"Honestly," Burnett said, "I don't know, but it puzzles me."

"What puzzles you?"

When he didn't immediately start talking or hand over the evidence, she got a little p.i.s.sy. She snagged the envelope.

He frowned, but she frowned right back.

"Della," Holiday said as if to try to calm her.

Della rolled her eyes at the fae. "He's going to show it to me sooner or later, right? Let's just get it over with."

Chapter Forty-five.

They were photographs. Large eight-by-ten images. The first one was of Chase standing outside on his porch.

No incriminating evidence there.

Her hands shook slightly with fury at Burnett interfering with her life. She flipped to the next photo. Chase sitting on his porch with binoculars in his hands. Bird-watching. Oh, yeah, that made him a terrible person.

She moved to the next picture. Chase standing on his porch talking to someone. A man with his back to the camera, moving, so he was nothing more than a blur.

She flipped to the image behind that one. Her hands stopped shaking. Her heart stopped beating.

"I'm not sure what this means," Burnett said. "Does Chase know your father?"

"I ... I..." She couldn't answer.

Della felt her chest grow heavy, and her sinuses stung, but not one tear dared to crawl up her nose and appear in her eyes. She was too busy studying the picture. Studying the man standing on Chase's porch. Staring at the look in Chase's eyes. He was angry.

Then she shifted her focus to the man. The same face as her father. The same height, but it wasn't him. Her father didn't have muscled arms; her father's gut, though not fat, was just a little paunchy.

This wasn't her father.

This was her uncle.

Emotion washed over her in waves of pain. Chase had lied. Had been lying to her from the start.

Anger.

Fury.

Betrayal.

And to think she'd worn her black bra. Had even considered taking off her black bra. She'd practically fallen ...

No, she had not fallen. But, by G.o.d, he was going to fall. Hard. On his a.s.s. And she was the one who was going to put him there.

"Are you okay?" Holiday asked.

"No," she said. Why lie? Burnett would know. But she said it in a low, quiet voice. "Can I have this?" She held up the photo and tried her best to sound pleasant.

Burnett nodded. "You're going to confront him?"

Or kill him. "I think that's a good idea." She stood.

"I don't think so." Holiday popped up and caught her arm. "You're too angry."

"She seems fine to me," Burnett said. "Let her go and get her answers. She deserves to know what kind of game he's playing. For all we know, her father wants Chase to find something bad to discredit the school."

My father's not doing anything. But Della didn't say a word.

Holiday continued to hold her arm and glanced at her husband. "Ever heard the saying, 'silence can be deadly'? Or 'the calm before the storm'?"

"I won't stay long," Della said. "I need to talk to him." And more.

"No," Holiday said with vigor. "Go take a walk or a run and then come back here in a few minutes and we'll rea.s.sess. When your emotions settle down, you can go talk to him."

Della wanted to explain that she wasn't going to calm down.

How could she? She'd been duped.

Played.

Nothing made her angrier than someone playing her for a fool.

And she'd been a fool all right.

"Give it ten minutes. Ten," Holiday said.

Della nodded. She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of the photograph.

"Don't you leave until you come back to see me," Holiday said.

"I won't," she said and meant to keep that promise. Not that it would be easy, all she wanted to do right now was find the Panty Perv and tell him exactly what she thought of him. But like it or not, Holiday was right. She had to plan what needed to be said, because she didn't ever plan on laying eyes on him again.

Bonded my a.s.s! How could he claim to be bonded to her, then do nothing but lie? The whole time, he'd lied. He knew about her uncle.

She suddenly felt sick. She walked out of the office and started toward her cabin, only to realize she didn't want to talk to Kylie or Miranda right now.

Right before she turned off the trail to head out toward the woods, she heard someone call her name.

Derek.

"Later," she said and started to take off.

"No!" Derek yelled out. "It's important."

She started to take off anyway, but words sounded in her head.

You need to hear this!

The cold surrounded her.

"Hear what? Why the h.e.l.l should I listen to a word you say?" Della asked, speaking to a wall of nothing more than cold air. "Aren't you the one who put Chase and me together to work this case? I could've saved Natasha on my own. I didn't need him!"

She stopped and turned to face Derek, who she heard stop behind her.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I wasn't talking to you. But since you're here ... what is it?"

His mouth formed a tight line, concern filled his eyes. "I ... s.h.i.t, Della, I don't know how to tell you this."

"It's easy. You open your mouth and words come out," she said, her patience spent. "Try it."

He nodded. Exhaled loudly. "Remember when you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt's case?"

She nodded.

"Since I didn't hear back from him, I called him again last night."

"And?" She motioned with her hands for him to continue.

"The detective called him back yesterday. He said after he looked at the files, he checked on what all they still had in evidence." Derek shuffled his feet a bit. "They ran some tests on some blood they'd collected. They weren't able to do that test back then, they didn't have the capability. The results came back." He hesitated. "They're going to make an arrest. They're going to arrest your dad, Della. I'm sorry."

She stood there for several seconds.

His words flew around her head. Remember you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt's case?

Her father was going to be arrested for murder and it was her fault.

If she'd never asked Derek to look into it, the case would have stayed buried. Stayed cold.

She'd done this. Done this to her dad-an extremely private man, who didn't even want to think about the past. Now the whole world would know. There would be news reports, photos in the paper. Her father would be humiliated. More important than that, he'd be accused of murder. What if they convicted him?

She swallowed down the pain. Tears stung her eyes. If she hadn't disappointed him before, she'd really done it now.

Not just him this time, either. This wouldn't just hurt him, but her mom, her sister. It could destroy her family. Completely.

What the h.e.l.l had she done?

Or a better question, how in the h.e.l.l was she going to make it right?

Her phone rang. She pulled it out. Her sister's number showed on the screen.

Della answered the call. "Hey." Her voice shook with that one word.

"Della?" Her sister's voice came with the sound of tears-much like the ones running down Della's face. "The cops came ... they took Dad." Marla sobbed. "They think he killed someone. Mom's so upset, she can't stop crying. You have to come home. You have to!"

Della heard Marla's request. But how could Della do it? How would she get blood if she was at home? How could she keep her secret from her family? How could she leave Shadow Falls?

Then again, how could she not go home and try to fix this, when she was the one who caused it?

"I'm coming," Della told Marla. "I'm coming home."

Yes, that was one h.e.l.l of a cliff-hanger-and you won't believe what happens next!

Don't miss the final book in the Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy.

Unspoken.

where all will be revealed.

July 2015.

Visit www.cchunterbooks.com for the latest news.

ALSO BY C. C. HUNTER.

Born at Midnight.

Awake at Dawn Taken at Dusk.

Whispers at Moonrise Chosen at Nightfall Reborn.

Praise for the Shadow Falls Series.

"Hunter sucks you in ... an amazing roller-coaster ride."

-RT Book Reviews.

"The Shadow Falls series belongs to my favorite YA series. It has everything I wish for in a YA paranormal series. A thrilling tale that moves with a great pace, where layers of secrets are revealed in a way that we are never bored. It continues a gripping story about self-discoveries, finding a place in the world, friendship, and love. So if you didn't start this series yet, I can only encourage you to do so."

-Bewitched Bookworms "Ms. Hunter handles this series with such deftness, crafting a wonderful tale that speaks to the adolescent in me. I highly recommend this series filled with darkness and light, hope and danger, friendship and romance."

-Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick).