The quiet was deafening. I tapped my nails on the counter to break the silence, and then I chewed on a pinky nail in annoyance. This had better be good, I thought. If Raoul called me here over something stupid like a DUI, I was going to break his nose. If anything, he probably deserved to stay locked up.
The energy shifted, and I sensed their approach before the big man in uniform appeared from the hall. The incredibly depressing receptionist followed and twirled a strand of greying hair between her fingers. She still clutched my I.D. between her fingers, and I extended a hand to indicate that I wanted it.
Her gaze went first to the officer, who stood a full head taller than either of us was. At his nod, she dropped it within my reach.
“Ms. O’Brien, hello. I’m Constable Avery.” He moved immediately to open the high security door and ushered me into the station.
Constable Avery was in his early fifties or so. He had a fit football player’s build that had softened only slightly with time. His hair was cropped short, and his moustache was more grey than brown. Despite the gun at his hip, his crystal blue eyes were serious but friendly.
“Pleased to meet you.” I accepted his offered hand. He judged my handshake as flimsy, but, if I’d been there to out strength him, I could have crushed his fingers with minimal effort.
“And you are Mr. Roberts’s…?” The question hung between us, which left me to fill in the blank.
“Colleague.” The word just popped out. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to assume more than that. “I’m a close friend and colleague.”
“Alright.” He gave me a quick once over and decided that I wasn’t much of a threat. “Why don’t you come on back while I finish up with some paperwork?”
His quick dismissal ticked me off, but I knew it wasn’t personal. If he’d known that I could gut him with my fingers alone, I doubt he would have been so willing to turn his back on me.
I followed him past a series of rooms until they gave way to offices. The majority were empty at this time of night, save one. A uniformed officer spoke loudly into the phone, oblivious to our passing.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass, Jim!” Her voice dropped in pitch when she said, “If you blow this case for me, I’ll bust your balls from here to Timbucktwo.”
I smirked but resisted the urge to laugh. A lady needed special skills to work in an industry like law enforcement.
The last two doors were heavy iron with a safety glass window. Inside, Raoul sat at a small table, alone in the windowless room. He clutched a Styrofoam cup of coffee, but he didn’t show much interest in it. He just stared straight ahead and drummed his fingers on the tabletop, while he whistled a jaunty tune. To me, this attempt at keeping his cool revealed exactly how close he was to turning wolf on these people and tearing a few faces off.
I did not hide my smirk when Constable Avery turned a key in the lock and swung the door open. I had a good mind to go in there clucking away like a distraught wife, just to embarrass him further.
His expression clearly stated that he was more than ready to leave. I noted how his first response was to glare at me, then Constable Avery.
I raised a questioning eyebrow and rested one hand on my hip. I stopped just inside the doorway. Coal black eyes fixed on me, Raoul raised the corner of his top lip in the hint of a snarl.
For someone who wanted my help, he sure wasn’t doing a good job of making me feel especially giving. This was a complete joke.
Black hair hung long around Raoul’s face. He’d gotten a trendy cut since I’d seen him last. It now rested just above his shoulders rather than well below. He looked damn good, as much as I hated to think so. His wide shoulders were squared, and he looked tightly wound, as if braced for trouble. He wore his usual dark suit, Armani or something equally pricey. My senses thrilled at his heady wolf scent mixed with aftershave.
A frown creased my brow. Why had I even agreed to come here? Was there really nobody else he could call for this? I’d bet my money that he had several women who would be more than willing to waste their time with this crap. Why me?
Avery lingered near the door as if awaiting my cue for him to leave us.
“Is he being charged with anything?” I asked outright. It earned me a grimace from Avery and a death glare from Raoul.
“No, not at the moment.” Avery crossed his arms over his massive chest and looked down at me from his six-foot-plus frame.
“Then may we have a moment alone?” I followed up with a quick smile.
His eyes darted between Raoul and me as if weighing the odds of it being a bad idea. “I’ll be right across the hall.”
I knew he granted us the illusion of privacy, but it worked fine for me. I wasn’t the one sitting in the hot seat.
“You want to tell me what I’m doing here at this hour of night?” I said when Avery left. “What did you do? Sell someone a shit shack and convince them it was a castle?”