The boys instantly sat at attention.
Lex started to stand, but Dage gestured her back down before flashing a badge and handing over a federal court order. “My apologies, but these two are in federal custody.”
Oh, hell no. She shook her head. “Not a chance, King.”
He smiled. “I have the badge, the documentation, and the understanding of your chief. So either you know something he doesn’t, and you’re willing to share such information, or you’ll follow this very clear, very legal federal document.” He focused on the boys. “The guns are also part of an international case, and my partner is confiscating them now. With proper documentation of course.”
Garrett winced. “Your partner wouldn’t be a massive guy with golden eyes, would he?”
Dage shot a hard look at his nephew. “No. Your father is on a mission elsewhere.” He smiled at Logan. “I brought a member of your family.”
Logan groaned and slumped in his chair. “Which brother?”
Dage’s smile held a tinge of evil, and Lex almost felt sorry for the kid.
The door opened, and an incredibly petite blonde walked inside, holding an evidence box.
“Mom!” Logan exclaimed, jumping to his feet along with Garrett. Their chains held tight, and both lurched forward but remained standing. Red colored Logan’s face from his neck to his ears.
Mom? The woman was absolutely stunning yet terribly small. No way had she birthed Logan Kyllwood. Lex stood and looked down at someone way too young to be Logan’s mom. The woman held out a hand. “Felicity Kyllwood.”
“Federal officer,” Dage said dryly.
Felicity waved his statement away. “For goodness sake. It’s so nice to meet you. Thanks for putting up with the boys.” Her voice was unnaturally hoarse to the point of being edgily sexy.
Lex carefully shook a fine-boned hand. Felicity had long, almost white, blond hair and eyes blacker than Kell’s. She was fine boned, delicate, and incredibly graceful.
Lex leaned toward her. “Are you a vampire?” she whispered.
Felicity blinked. “Vampires are only male. Well, usually. I’m a demon, Detective.” She faced her son. “Am I to understand you boys were caught with our weapons?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the boys said in unison, looking down at the table, their shoulders slumping.
Lex frowned. “We raided the place, and I’m sure they weren’t planning on that. The guns were well hidden, I heard.”
Dage bit his lip. “That’s kind of you, Detective.”
She couldn’t help but defend the poor kids.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Felicity said with a sweet smile, her voice husky and low.
The kids groaned.
Left without a choice, unless she wanted to challenge Dage’s credentials and tell everyone he was actually a vampire, Lex had to release the kids.
Garrett gave her a half-hug, and Logan nudged her with his hip as they passed. He whispered, “Don’t be surprised if the entire surveillance system goes down and loses the records of the last few hours. Solar flares and all that.”
So, there’d be no record of Dage, Felicity, or the boys. Or any evidence of the Dunne brothers’ crime. Where the hell had reality gone?
That left her with a limited time to figure out who’d killed Spike before the Dunne brothers also pulled some international intrigue and disappeared with their knowledge of Apollo and the manufacturer and distributors.
Over her dead body.
Chapter 32
Lex wandered by the other interrogation room to find the interview still going on, with Masterson asking questions and Simone stonewalling him.
Enough of that crap. She walked back into the squad room and punched up Bundt’s computer to watch the video again. She slowed it down, watching carefully as Daire and Adam released Spike from the tree with little care but no real anger or intent.
Her stomach began to roll. If either of those men had wanted to kill Spike, they would’ve done it easily and without exhibiting him on a tree.
She’d been hurt, and she’d been angry because Kellach had lied to her. Now that her mind had cleared, she was still hurt and pissed, but she realized there was no way the Dunne brothers had killed Spike. The question now became how the manufacturer of Apollo had discovered Spike’s connection to the police.
Spike wasn’t the brightest guy, so the answer could be as simple as he’d been followed. Also, who’d sent the video—and why?
She bit her lip and called the precinct’s video and surveillance guru, a woman by the name of Sylvia, and asked her to take a look at the video for . . . well, anything . . . before directing her to put it on the internal server. Sylvia said she’d hurry and get it done, because she’d just received orders that the video and all pictures were part of a federal case, and she had to turn them over.
Lex shook her head. “Do your best,” she whispered. Hell. It was just a matter of minutes before Bundt had to release the Dunnes.