"Didn't you just break a few major rules?" she said.
He started the engine and glanced at her. The wariness was still very evident in her eyes, but it had been softened slightly by a hint of amusement.
He shrugged. "They've come to expect that of me."
"I noticed they didn't quibble."
Maybe. But that didn't mean the shit wouldn't hit the fan later on. He had broken a few major rules, but right now, he didn't care. This case was getting dangerous, and he wasn't about to hang around where it wasn't safe. "At least Finley will be able to get an early start on those extra tests."
"And what about someone starting an investigation as to why I'm being attacked? Not to mention how they found us so quickly at the Rosewater?"
"What do you think I'll be doing while you're having those tests?"
"Good," she muttered, and crossed her arms.
The gentle hum of the engine filled the silence for several seconds. Her gaze was a warmth that he could feel deep inside, but he kept his own gaze on the road. Right now, she was probably trying to figure out whether he could be trusted or not. Which was fair enough, given the situation she found herself in. But if their positions had been reversed, he would have been asking lots and lots of questions, if only because answers didn't come by remaining silent. And sooner or later, if she wanted real answers, she would have to not only start asking questions, but place her trust in someone. Even if her psych evaluations suggested she not only had a problem with vampires, but trusting people in general.
So why had she trusted Kazdan? If ever there was a man not to trust, it was that lying, murdering hound.
"Am I still under investigation for Jack's death?" she asked eventually.
He nodded. "You shot and killed your partner. Did you expect them not to investigate?"
"No, but — " she stopped, and sighed. A frustrated sound if he'd ever heard one.
"There's nothing much anyone can do until those test results come back and confirm or deny your story."
"You can confirm my damn story."
He ignored the anger in her voice. "Only part of it. Fact is I was long gone by the time you killed your partner."
"You can still confirm the fact that they were trying to kill me."
"But not the fact that Jack was."
She made a sound in the back of her throat that sounded suspiciously like an exasperated growl. He looked at her, but she was now looking out the window and refused to meet his gaze, though the sudden tension in her shoulders made it obvious that she was well aware of his scrutiny.
The rest of the journey passed in silence. He parked in the SIU's underground parking lot and climbed out. She avoided his attempt to guide her across to the elevators, walking by his side but just out of arm's reach. He swiped his pass through the security slot and punched the button for sub-floor twenty-eight. Once they reached the main labs area, he led her to the unoccupied reception area and paged Finley.
"Why all these tests?" She leaned back against the whitewashed walls, and gave him what could only be described as a hostile look.
For all of two seconds, he thought about lying. But if he wanted her to trust him, he had better start giving her some reason to do so. So he shrugged, and said, "Because you did something the other night you should not have been able to do."
She raised an eyebrow. "Something other than having the audacity to save myself when my partner was trying to kill me?"
His smile was grim. "You sensed the kite-monster. You shouldn't have been able to do that."
"Why? You obviously could."
Yeah, but he wasn't about to go into the reasons for that right here. As protected as the SIU was from monitors, there was still the remote possibility that somehow, somewhere, someone was listening.
"The kites are a new find. Few people know of them, fewer still have been able to see them early enough to survive an attack. You did, and we need to know why."
The anger in her blue-gray eyes had died a little, but not the frustration and wariness. "So the psych tests were just a reason to get me down here to do these other tests?"
"Basically, yes."
"At least someone's being honest," she muttered, then gave him a smile that held little real warmth. "Thanks."