She held his gaze. Silently daring him to man up and admit he hadn’t been honest with her. Certainly not transparent.
When he hesitated, she snorted with disgust. “Last night you told me Knight said you’d get her killed. Exactly when did she tell you that?”
“I was kind of hoping in all the excitement you missed that.”
She wasn’t amused at his attempt at levity. “First off, I miss nothing. Second, the ice you’re treading on is damn thin. You want to answer my question now, Hollywood? And no bullshit.”
“Not here,” he said softly. “Interview room.”
She followed him; he closed the door behind them. She waited to see if he meant to stand or sit. When he sat, she took the chair directly across from his and met his gaze evenly. “Whenever you’re ready, dude.”
He nodded slightly and began. “The night you were researching the number seven, I went to see Knight.”
“Why?”
“I felt drawn there.” He paused a moment, then went on. “I didn’t set out to go see her. I just started walking, thinking things through.”
“And ended up at her place? On Esplanade? That’s a stretch.”
“No. Her spot on Jackson Square. That’s when I knew I had to talk to her, right then.”
“Why?”
“I knew she was lying, about Miller’s reading. She saw something that scared her. I wanted to know what that was. I thought we needed to know.”
“We,” she repeated. “Ironic. Considering.”
He winced slightly at the sarcasm. “That’s not the only reason I needed to talk to her. The other was— It’s difficult to explain.”
“Take a whack at it, Hollywood. If anyone can explain something away, it’s you.”
He let out a slow breath. She saw something in his expression she never had before—insecurity and doubt. “Like I said, when I took her hand, I got nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
Micki waited, torn between being pissed and fascinated. Doubtful and spellbound.
“I should have picked up something,” he went on. “It was like a dead channel. It threw me . . . I wondered—”
“What?”
He shifted his gaze. “If she wasn’t human.”
“You didn’t just say—”
He met her eyes then. “Yeah, I did.”
For a moment, she simply stared at him. He was dead serious. She saw it in his unflinching gaze, the set of his mouth. “And we’ve now crossed over the rainbow.”
“Exactly my thought.” He rubbed his jaw. “I remembered where she lived, and headed there. She answered my knock, was obviously unhappy to see me there, but I refused to go.”
“That’s when she made the comment about dark and light?”
“Yes.” A rueful smile touched his mouth. “You really don’t miss anything, do you?”
If he thought he could distract her with compliments, he was in for a big surprise. “What came next? The Scarecrow or Cowardly Lion?”
“She told me the darkness was greedy and light was fleeting.”
“What does it mean?”
“I didn’t know. And I still don’t.”
“More bullshit, Hollywood?”
He shook his head. “Parker claims he doesn’t know either.”
“And you believe that?”
He hesitated. “No. But I have no way of proving it.”
“Go on.”
“Knight was obviously distraught and didn’t want to talk to me. When I refused to take no for an answer, she called me arrogant.”
“Finally, somebody speaks the truth.”
“I thought you’d like that. To be exact, she called me an arrogant Half Light.”
“Half Light,” she repeated, frowning. “Did she explain?”
“What do you think?”
“That’s when she said you were going to get her killed.”
“Actually, she said I’d get us both killed. And now she’s dead.”
Micki heard the angst in his voice. She shook her head. “She had a heart attack. Not your fault, partner.”
He ignored that and went on. “She denied knowing anything about Miller. Then slammed the door in my face.”
“But she was lying.”
“I thought so then. She confirmed it when she called Saturday night. She said they were in danger.”
“And that she knew where Gomez was.”
“Yes.”
Mick frowned. It linked the three women and indicated that Zach had been correct about Gomez being the one who got away.
Three young women. Not two.
Of course Zach had been right. He’d had inside information.
Inside information. It got her back up. It ran counter to what she’d built here, what she held on to day in and day out. Us against them. Right against wrong.
Family.
“Why’d you keep it from me?”
“Which?”
“All of it.”
He spread his hands. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s not. It shouldn’t be. We’re partners.”
“At the time, it seemed like—” He hesitated. “—Sixer business.”
The words landed with a thud. Angry heat stung her cheeks. “We’re not on the same team.”
He looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t say that.”