Page 31 of Butterfly Assassin
The door opened before either of them had a chance to knock, and Isaac stood there—arms crossed, not looking all that pleased to see them. Michael doubted that would change much after he heard what they had to say.
“They’re waiting for you in the living room.” Isaac stepped aside and ushered them in.
Michael walked down the short hall and stopped in the doorway to the living room, experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu. Alpha Thomas stood next to the fireplace with Harper and Nash sat on the sofa looking over their shoulders at him. Had it only been yesterday that they’d been here? It seemed longer than twenty-four hours.
Clearing his throat, he walked in and sat when Thomas gestured to the empty section of the corner sofa, Frank at his side.
“Detectives.” Thomas inclined his head. “We’re all here, as requested. What do you want?”
“Straight to the point.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow. “I don’t feel the need to exchange pleasantries. I’m pretty sure none of us are going to like what you have to say.”
Michael shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. You might find some parts of it appealing.” He was offering them something in return after all.
“I doubt that, but do go on.”
Sitting forward, arms resting on his thighs, Michael turned to face Aaron better since it concerned him most of all. He faltered because,damn, he’d forgotten how attractive Aaron was. Recovering quickly, he said, “We want you to carry on fighting for Smith.” The room was silent, all eyes on him, so he forged ahead before any of them objected. “We strongly suspect he’s somehow involved with these murders, but we need proof—something to tie him to them.” He met Aaron’s eyes and tried to ignore his stricken expression and the guilt it evoked. “You’ve already caught his attention; he’s going to have his eye on you now. Sooner or later, either him or one of his men is going to let something slip, and with any luck, you’ll be close enough to hear it. None of them suspect you’re a shifter, right?” Aaron shook his head. “Good. So they won’t know to guard what they say within your hearing range.”
He paused, not liking the way no one had said anything. It wasn’t at all the reaction he’d expected, and it unnerved him. Sitting back against the cushions, he looked from Thomas to Nash and finally Harper. “Well? Is anyone going to say anything?”
Both Harper and Nash immediately looked to their alpha.Are they waiting for permission?Michael understood pack structure and the dynamics between alpha, beta, and pack members, but sometimes seeing it in person still surprised him.
Thomas turned to Aaron. “As far as I’m concerned, we’ve dealt with the matter of you fighting. You have your punishment and that still stands. This is something entirely different.” He met Michael’s gaze. “Am I right, Detectives?”
Michael glanced at Frank before answering. “Yes. We’re offering to waive the pending charges against Mr Harper and Mr Nash in exchange for Mr Harper’s cooperation. And since this is at our request, Mr Harper will be exempt from any further charges relating to any fights he takes part in while working with us.”
Thomas sighed. “I see.” Addressing Harper again, his expression softened. “This is entirely up to you, Aaron. It’s your decision.”
Harper clasped his hands in front of him and dropped his head, staring at the floor.
Michael’s gaze was drawn to the long line of Aaron’s neck, where smooth-looking skin led to broad shoulders covered by a tight-fitting T-shirt. He followed the taut material down the length of Aaron’s body before catching himself and averting his gaze.
Since when did I start thinking of him as Aaron?
Focus!
“So if I do this, you won’t press any charges?” Aaron asked.
Blue-grey eyes met Michael’s, and he lost his train of thought for a second before replying, “That’s right.”
“And if I don’t?”
Please say yes.
For once Michael didn’t want to press charges, didn’t feel that burning need to see justice done. They’d broken the law, yes, but the thought of sending Aaron—or Nash, for that matter—to Krillick Hall, made him feel a little ill. Michael sighed. “Then we’ll have to consider whether or not to pursue our investigation.”
“With me?”
“And Mr Nash.”
“Fuck.” Aaron dropped his head into his hands for a moment. “I thought we were done with all of that. Pay off Harry’s debt, tell Smith I wasn’t fighting any more… Done.”
Michael met Aaron’s gaze, steadily. He might be pissed off with him and Frank right now, might think they were taking advantage of this situation—which they were—but really, they were doing each other a favour.
This way, both Aaron and Harry would only suffer whatever their alpha had judged necessary, but the matter would be taken no further by the SCTF. And in return, the SCTF would hopefully get the evidence they needed to connect Smith, and whoever he was working with, to the murders.
They just needed Aaron to see it that way too.
