Dangerous Territory

Eighteen

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"For goodness sake, let me in before somebody sees."

Jon retracted his claws and fangs and moved to the side so that Mala could hurry into the house, shutting the door firmly behind her. "It's barely six in the morning. Does anyone know that you're here?"

"Of course not," she huffed. "Tanya's still asleep and I already told her I was meeting up with one of my police friends today so she'll think nothing of it when she wakes up."

Jon mumbled something under his breath and then walked with her to the couch. He was dressed in a ratty white t-shirt and shorts, eyes bleary as he'd obviously just gotten out of bed and wasn't in the best of moods.

"What is it? I've only got an hour left of sleep before going in for my shift, so you'll have to hurry."

She slipped the case from underneath her coat and held it in front of her.

He looked at it in disdain, "okay?"

"Yesterday, I went to see a man who claimed he had proof that Auden was innocent, only to find out that he'd been killed and his proof had been stolen. His daughter gave me this. Apparently, it's the last of his research."

Jon's expression didn't change. "That?" He scoffed, "it's tiny."

"It's something."

"How do you even know she was telling the truth?"

"Trust me." She growled, "she almost killed me before finding out I was Auden's mate, and warned me that I'd be dead if anyone found out I'd met with her. This has to stay between us, got it?"

Jon rolled his eyes, "fine. Let's see it then."

She placed it on the table, buzzing with a mix of anticipation and agitation.

Once she had gotten back to the apartment the previous day, she had shoved it to the back of her drawer and tried to forget it was there, too worried about what she would find. It was a last minute decision to come and see Jon, knowing that she could trust him with whatever was inside. Not to mention she would appreciate the emotional support.

She let him open it up and take out the contents.

"There's barely anything here." He said, sounding like he'd rather be sleeping.

"Yeah, well as I said- whoever killed him managed to get most of it."

They read over it, notes upon neatly written notes.

It was overwhelmingly underwhelming.

"It's useless." She whispered, reaching her breaking point. "There's nothing here besides diary entries and newspaper articles."

Throwing the paper in her hands down, she gave an angry growl, fingernails stretching into sharp claws. She took deep breaths, resisting the urge to rip every part of that man's research to shreds.

There was nothing of worth left.

They had seized it all.

"Mala, look here."

Her head snapped up to where Jon was waving two pieces of stapled paper together.

"What is it?"

"It looks like a letter, addressed to... Avana Lodz, I think that says. Anyway, look at this," he shuffled so he was right next to Mala and pointed at the paper with his hands.

"Wow, that's Auden's report card." She mused, staring at the paper in wonder. "All Nations High? That high school was just around the corner from mine."