"So our killer has an unpleasant history with doctors, might be a doctor herself, and is definitely a multishifter." She met his gaze. This close, flecks of green gleamed in the warm hazel depths of his eyes. "How many multishifters has the SIU got on file?"
"Several hundred, at least."
"I thought you said multishifters were rare."
"They are, by comparison to the numbers of shifters."
"Yeah, right." What other half-truths had he fed her? "How many of those have twins?"
He shrugged. "Twins run in families — it's not a side effect of being a shifter."
"So the first thing we do is search the files and see how many multishifter twins we have on record."
The warmth fled from his face. "The first thing you do," he corrected softly. "After you get some sleep, that is."
He was locking her out again. Not that she was entirely surprised. He'd warned her of his intentions, after all.
"You can push as far as you like. I'm not quitting." Despite an effort to keep her voice flat, a hint of anger crept in.
"We shall see," he said softly. "Ready to go?" He rose to his feet and held out a hand.
She ignored it and rose. She brushed past him, tried to ignore the tingling warmth that resulted from such a brief contact, and walked over to the coffee table to collect her bag. "There's a cab rank down the street. I'll catch a ride there."
"It's two-thirty in the morning."
"And I'm a cop with a gun. I think I can manage to survive a three-minute walk in the dark."
"I have no problem with driving you home."
"But I have." She snorted softly, then added, "You can't play it both ways, Gabriel."
He raised an eyebrow. "I am merely offering you a ride home. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Yeah, right."
"Fine," he muttered, and made an oddly violent motion with his hand. "Go, then."
She walked out. And for the second time in twenty-four hours, slammed a door shut with wall-shaking force.
* * * *
Gabriel grabbed his coat and viaphone, and then he set his apartment's alarm sensors as he walked out the door. Once he reached the street, he changed shape and soared into the night skies.He had no doubt Sam could survive the three-minute walk to the cab rank. Under normal conditions, he'd back her to survive just about anything the streets could throw at her. But in the last twenty-four hours she'd been given an overdose of Jadrone and had had very little sleep. Her reflexes, strength, even alertness, would be down. If someone did actually want her taken out, it would be the perfect time.
He spotted her within minutes — an angry looking shadow striding towards the cab rank. He circled slowly while she climbed into the vehicle, and then he followed it through the quiet city streets.
She got home without incident. He waited until the lights went on in her apartment, then wheeled away and headed for his brother's place in Toorak.
A bleary-eyed Stephan opened the door as Gabriel walked up the steps.
"Do you know what time it is?" Stephan asked.
"Yeah. It's time for a drink." He stopped on the top step and regarded his twin steadily. The shadows under Stephan's eyes were darker than ever, but at least he no longer looked like death. "Why are you up?"
"Lyssa's been throwing up half the night."
Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "She's close to term — shouldn't the morning sickness by over by now?"
"Should be. And the term morning sickness is definitely a misnomer." He stepped aside. "Head into the study."