Hidden Crimes (36 page)

“Smells great,” Nate complimented, falling in
with the casual vibe. “Thanks for coming out to do this.”

He slipped into his bedroom corner before
anyone decided they ought to chat.

His safe was behind a painting of the local
grocer Maria had done for him one Christmas. She’d included every
detail: the grocer’s dog, the prices on the fruit bins, even a
poster for a play the local high school had put on. It was their
neighborhood in a nutshell, worn and homey and colorful. Tony’s
sister probably didn’t guess how much the gift meant to Nate—or the
treasures he used it to protect.

His hand trembled as he turned the dial. He
kept his mother’s valuables in here: baby pictures of him, her two
Extraordinary Bravery medals, a single love letter his father wrote
to her. He’d left when Nate was four, but she’d always loved him,
and had never tried to make Nate think he was a bad man.
He was
a lone wolf
, she’d liked to say.
He gave us as much
settling-down as he had in him
. As an adult, Nate had sometimes
felt he understood that. Tonight, he knew his father hadn’t been as
fortunate as he was. To meet someone you wanted to commit to was a
blessing.

The item Nate sought was at the back of the
cavity. The velvet box was so old it had faded from red to pink.
This was his mother’s wedding ring. His grandmother’s too. Nana
Rivera had passed it down to his wandering father. Both his
parents’ history was in it.

And now mine
. Nate dropped to the edge
of his bed to open it.

The antique ring was pretty, the diamond not
huge but clear. His heart thumped faster when he touched it. Was it
too soon to ask Evina to marry him? Should he wait until she knew
him better? Until she was certain he’d do right by her and the
kids?

He shut the lid and rose, shoving the box
into his trouser pocket. He was certain, more than he’d ever been
about anything. He wanted Evina to know his intentions now. If she
wasn’t ready, he’d keep asking until she was.

If you wanted a good territory, you had to
stake a claim.

He smiled at that idea, nervous but happy.
His course of action decided, he bounded up the building stairs to
the roof. The noise of the party hit him the moment he pushed the
door open.

And so did something else.

He blinked, completely flummoxed by what he
was looking at. The roof, which he owned but had never gotten
around to fixing up, was transformed. What used to be bare tarpaper
was now a miniature park. Grass had been rolled over beds of earth,
brimming with chrysanthemums and green things. Little trees and
benches overlooked winding paths paved in cobblestone. On one side
of the roof, a bar and a buffet table bustled. On another, an
elaborate jungle gym had been erected. Nate’s honorary nephew swung
on it like a monkey, evidently demonstrating its finer points to
Evina’s admiring twins.

Nate had a jungle gym on his roof. Obviously,
Nate didn’t need one himself. Nate’s pack was trying to help him
please his tigress and her cubs.

His eyes welled up even before the partygoers
spotted him and roared, “Surprise!”

When wolves and tigers roared at you, you
heard it. Nate had to press his hand to his heart to keep it from
jumping out. “Crap,” he said once he could speak. “How the hell did
you do all this in a day?”

From the front of the crowd, which had to be
a hundred people, Carmine let out his belly laugh. “We snuck out
between interviews. Plus, Adam had half the cops in the city
pitching in. He’d have had more, but Tony was being picky when it
came to construction skills.”

Half the cops in the city had done this for
him.

Nate looked at Tony and Rick and Adam, all of
whom were grinning. Evina stood next to Tony, his big hand resting
on her slim shoulder. She was smiling too. She knew what this meant
to him.

“Get that man a beer,” Tony called. “He needs
fluids if he’s going to break down sobbing.”

People laughed, but Adam brought him one.

“This is my apology,” he said quietly. “For
getting my back up and not trusting your instincts the way I
should.”

Nate accepted the bottle, though his throat
was too tight to drink. His voice was rough when he spoke. “This is
a hell of an apology, boss. And the jungle gym . . . That’s a nice
touch.”

“Tony seemed to think it was good idea. Grant
flew it up here in one piece.”

The gargoyle lifted a wing and a paw at him.
Touched, Nate’s ribs constricted another notch. Not about to let
him off the emotional hook, Adam waited until he looked back at
him. His green gaze was so intense it had almost gone wolfy. “If
this tigress is who makes you happy, she’s who we want for
you.”

“Crap,” Nate said as the water in his eyes
spilled over.

Serious moment broken, Adam laughed and
slapped his back. “Come grab a plate. We’ve got a mountain of food
to eat. Those tigers don’t mess around when they cook. Last I saw
Rick and Tony’s parents, they were actually speechless.”

As they wound through the partiers, Nate saw
a lot of cops he knew and a lot of firefighters he didn’t. Evina’s
sultry friend Freda headed up a group of laughing male and female
EMT’s who were clustered around the bar sipping sunset orange
drinks from martini glasses. Nate recognized some of the paramedics
from crime scenes and acknowledged their friendly waves. His
personal music collection was playing from hidden speakers, R&B
people could dance to. Faerie lights had been strung around a small
dance floor. In its center, Derrick Black the werepanther news
producer was cutting an impressive rug with Rita Mohajit. Nate had
been to and thrown parties in his life but hadn’t had one thrown
for him since he was a kid. Tonight felt a bit like wandering in a
dream. Everything was too wonderful to be real.

“Everyone is getting along,” he murmured,
marveling.

“You can thank the good food for that,” Adam
said. “And Grant. Tony warned your guests he’d fly anyone who
fought off the roof and drop them in the river.”

“Don’t tell the kids,” Nate said. “That might
sound like fun to them.”

~

Nate seemed not to have informed his pack of
his true status. Maybe he didn’t need to. Maybe his underlying
nature wasn’t something a wolf could see. That Evina’s tigers could
perceive it was obvious. She watched her crew of sixteen meet Nate,
take in his alpha energy, then glance speculatively at her. They
knew her current lover was unlikely to leave the RPD. Police work
was too linked to wolf nature and traditions. This being so, they
didn’t have to gird themselves for him becoming their co-boss.
Working out his precise position in the pride would be interesting.
Weretigers were as hierarchical as wolves. She wondered if Nate was
aware of the paterfamilias role that was opening up for him.

She also wondered if he’d want it. Paul had,
she suspected, but hadn’t quite slid into the spot. Ironically, it
was looking like it fit her wolf better. Christophe’s story of how
Nate had helped him change probably had something to do with that,
but Nate’s unique charisma accounted for it as well.

He was an alpha who hadn’t spent his life as
one, a natural leader who had experience following. He possessed
both confidence and humility.

In addition to which, he was an unmistakable
ladies man. His ability to charm didn’t turn off just because he
cared about Evina. Other males respected sexual success. It was
possible she respected it herself. Males weren’t the only ones at
the mercy of anthropological tendencies.

“So, so fine,” Freda purred at her elbow, her
gaze on Nate as well. She handed Evina one of the Kashmir Mango
Martinis Christophe was making it his mission to introduce Nate’s
wolves to. “I am genuinely regretful to be giving up fantasizing
about that man.”

Evina choked on a swallow of the strong vodka
drink. “You were fantasizing about Nate? You only met him
once!”

“Once was enough. I do hope that, as my
friend, you appreciate my sacrifice.”

“I imagine the fact that he has a number of
hot wolf friends softens the blow.”

“Just a tad,” Freda said creamily. “You ask
him to move in together yet?”

Evina choked on the drink again.

“Oh, come on,” Freda said, patting her back
to help her stop coughing. “You’re alpha. You don’t have to wait
for him to ask.”

“I have kids,” she said.

“Who he obviously likes. Unless . . .”
Grinning, Freda tapped her pretty cinnamon-colored lips. “Maybe
you’re holding out for something more old-fashioned.”

“Well, I’ve done the living together thing,”
Evina admitted even as she flushed. “I’m just not sure Nate is that
serious yet. Or if he’ll ever be.” She crossed her arms and frowned
at herself. She couldn’t help what she wanted: she simply wasn’t
certain wanting it was advisable.

“It’s like that, is it?” Freda said softly.
“You’re, like, forever in love with him. That’s nice, Evina. You
don’t have to be embarrassed. Anyway, wolves totally do commitment.
It’s not that long a shot.”

“Maybe,” Evina said and forced her arms to
uncross again.

Nate chose then to turn and smile through the
crowd at her. God, he was cute, his bad boy style on display
tonight. Underneath that, he beamed happiness. She couldn’t have
been happier for him. He was back in the fold, surrounded by
friends and family.

Evina wanted to be a part of that for
him.

Someone turned the music louder, head-bobbing
R&B pumping out of the speakers. Nate began dancing for her,
his fingers crooking to call her out to him. Those hips of his were
dangerous—and never mind his naughty smile. Ignoring the fact that
her black leather skirt—the same she’d once worn to booty call
him—was too short to move much in, Evina prowled through the bodies
to join him.

She couldn’t have him thinking tigresses
weren’t as good at swiveling their hips as wolves.

Nate bit his lip and shook his fingers to
express how hot he thought that was.

She laughed and tossed her head. She’d worn
her curls down for him, knowing he liked her hair that way. He took
her hands and spun her to admire the full effect. She should have
guessed he’d be fun to dance with, that he’d make her feel like a
woman
and
a queen. His snazzy boots twisted and turned so
neatly he could have been professionally trained.

When he went down without warning on one
knee, Evina assumed he’d tripped on a cobblestone.

She offered to help him up, but then he dug a
small hinged box out of his pocket. Evina’s heart jumped into her
throat.

“Evina,” he said to her.

No one else was paying attention until the
music suddenly cut off.

“Woot!” his friend Tony called, letting them
know who the culprit was.

Nate called him a name she hoped her kids
were too far away to hear.

“No, no,” Tony teased. “We all want to hear
this.”

Nate called him the name again.

“Nate,” she said, beginning to laugh
softly.

“Fine,” he huffed. Filling his lungs with a
surprisingly shaky breath, he opened the box. On a silk-lined
cushion a diamond ring twinkled—probably fortunate for her
sanity.

“Evina Mohajit,” he said almost steadily.
“From the time I was a teenager, I knew how to be nice to women.
Until I met you, I didn’t understand what it meant to be good to
one. You make me want to be good to you. Be my wife, Evina. Let me
help your kids grow up.”

“Give her the ring!” Carmine hooted,
pretending to be Tony.

Nate stifled a snort and held it up.
“Please,” he said quietly. “Make my life finally feel whole.”

Evina was shaking all over. This was
ridiculous. She was the head of her pride, the head of a fire
station. Too many times to count, she’d faced life and death
dangers. Surely she could answer this one question—which wasn’t in
doubt anyway.

“Yes?” she managed to squeak out.

Nate rose and gave her a big hug. “Sorry,” he
laughed against her ear while their audience clapped. “I didn’t
mean for that to be such a scene. Here.” He pushed back to slide
the ring on her finger. The antique band was a little loose, but it
was beautiful to her. “This was my mom’s. I’m sorry you didn’t get
a chance to meet her. I know she’d have loved you.”

His voice had gone husky. He’d truly given
her a treasure. Evina looked from the twinkly diamond to him with
sentiment-blurred vision.

“I love it,” she said, squeezing him tightly.
For some reason, him returning the embrace made her tears overrun.
“Omigosh, I feel like a sap!”

He kissed her even as she cried, to the
amusement of everyone. Thankfully, the music started up again. She
and Nate grabbed their chance to step out of the spotlight. At the
edge of the dance floor, Christophe had Rafi and Abby by the hands.
Her cubs’ eyes were saucer big.

“Big night,” her beta said, smiling at her
fondly.

“Mommy!” Abby burst out as if she couldn’t
contain herself. “Is Nate going to be our dad now?”

Nate went down on his knees to her. “I’ll be
one of them,” he said. “If that’s okay with you.”

Evina watched her daughter struggle. Abby
loved Paul dearly, but Evina knew he wasn’t around as much as her
little girl would have liked.

“I don’t have to choose?” she asked.

“You don’t,” Nate assured her.

“And Malik will still be our brother?” This
question came from Rafi.

“Absolutely,” Nate said firmly.

Evina looked down to hide her smile. For a
guy who was a neat freak, Nate was certainly jumping into her
family messiness with both feet. She put her hand on his shoulder
and squeezed the muscle there. She vowed she’d always remember how
awesome he was being.

~

They made their goodbyes—or tried to—an hour
later. Naps notwithstanding, the twins were flagging. Evina wanted
to get them home to their own beds. Nate put Tony in charge of
seeing the party wrapped up safely. After that, he found his
alpha’s wife, kissed baby Kelsey’s wispy hair, and squeezed Ari in
a hug. Ari seemed as happy as Nate that he and Adam had
reconciled.