Page 13 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
I rolled my eyes to the back of my head. What sort of voodoo magic had this guy worked to make Rory worship the ground he walked on?
“He was always secretive.” Ezra’s lips pursed into a moue of distaste. “Disappearing for days at a time with no explanation. Always had these mysterious ‘work emergencies’ that he couldn’t explain.”
My detective instincts perked up. Dev hadn’t told Ezra what he was. The full moon absences, the sudden emergencies when wolf business called. I tried pressing deeper into Ezra’s thoughts, searching for more details, but came up with nothing.
“And then”—Ezra’s hand slashed through the air—“the final straw. I had my friend follow him one night. Dev met these two men I’d never seen before. I’ve got a photo of it. All three of them went into some seedy hotel together.” His lips curved into a cruel smile, staring directly at Rory. “You know, if he’d just asked me, I’d have happily had a third join us.”
The noise that came from Rory’s throat was somewhere between a growl and a choke.
“Not you, though,” he said to Rory. “Obviously.”
“Alright,” I interjected, before Rory could claw his eyes out. “So, what did Dev say?”
“Well, that’s the end of it.” Ezra’s fingers drummed against his thigh. “I sent him the photo with a few choice words about what I thought of his behaviour. Told him we were done. And he didn’t even have the decency to respond.”
“And you haven’t heard from him since?” I pressed.
“Why would I want to?” Ezra’s lip curled. “Dev is trash. I should never have lowered myself.”
“Can we see the photo?” Rory’s voice crackled with tension.
Ezra’s glare could have stripped paint.
“The photo, please.” My tone brooked no argument. This photo could well be the last time Dev was seen before he disappeared.
With an exaggerated sigh, Ezra snatched his phone from the glass coffee table. His fingers flew across the screen before he thrust it at me.
Rory immediately pressed against my side, leaning in to see. The contact shocked through me—we hadn’t been this close since that night when I’d snapped those handcuffs around his wrists. His shoulder dug into my arm, warm even through my suit jacket.
Rory’s breath hitched.
The photo showed Dev outside on the street, standing very close to two other men.
Rory’s eyes flicked to me meaningfully, then he stared at the photo with theatrical intensity, practically boring holes into it with his gaze.
…WOLVES…I KNOW THEM…he thought so aggressively that I winced, practically feeling the capital letters.
He was so close that his excited exhalation tickled up my neck, and I suppressed a shiver, shuffling away from him.
…SHIT SHIT SHIT, I KNOW THOSE WOLVES…
“Can I send this photo to myself?”
“I don’t see why not.”
After sending it over, I offered Ezra his phone back. “You’ve got my number now. Ring me if you hear from him.”
“But Dev’s notmissing!” Ezra snapped. “Is… is he?” He looked between the pair of us. “He’s not actually missing… right?”
“Keep in touch,” I said, heading for the door.
Ezra stared after us, expression glazy, hand frozen halfway through his hair.
I clicked the door shut behind us. Rory’s usual vibrant energy had been replaced by something taut and brittle, and he started pacing the hallway like a caged animal.
“Come on, let’s go.” I set off down the corridor, and to my relief, he followed. “And laughing emojis?” I said. “Come on, really?”
Rory whirled on me, eyes flashing. “I’m sorry, but did you see how Dev replaced me with my fuckingtwin, but taller and hotter?” he spat.
