"Stacey's mom," I splutter, coughing out water that went down the wrong way. Tall Attractive Man 1 and Tall Attractive Man 2 look down at me in either intrigued disgust or disdainful contemplation as I try to clear my throat. "Oh my god," I mumble, continuing, rubbing at my mouth. "I was crushing on Stacey's mom. The one that's got it going on."

Petey looks unimpressed. Officer Stacey Smith looks like she's probably heard it before and is now deliberating whether or not she should smash the glass of water I'm holding to my face. Honestly speaking, I probably karmically deserve a hospital trip for more than just that outdated joke, so she'd be saving me the trouble.

Sensing the atmosphere, one of the two men takes the glass of water from me and then takes the cuffs Petey left on the coffee table. He tosses the cuffs over to Smith. "We'll take it from here," he informs her, all professional and unaffected. "Anything we should let the Alpha know?"

Smith hesitates, even as she puts her cuffs away. She glances over to me, at the other man approaching me, and then to the door where we came in. "It's..." Any confidence about handling the situation seems to evaporate from her. She clamps up, instead of telling him about her brother's public indecency charges. "That'll be between me and the Alpha."

In her pause, the other man's leaned in to me. He takes a quick sniff. His hair's scraggly and long like he's just crawled his way out of a desert and fought off a seagull for a bagel. He's much lither than his counterpart. The leather jacket on his shoulders practically swims on his frame. He bares his teeth at me when he pulls away. I flash some teeth at him too. I floss too.

The man looks surprised, and then glowers. "Recently scented," he reports to the first man, tone accusative. "Is this why the Kill-By-This-Date order was rescinded? We were told a No-Kill because the Alpha's son couldn't even keep it in his pants?"

"Can it, Jett," Smith snaps before the other man can open his mouth. "You were told a No-Kill because when an entire Pack of werewolves is given free reign on a town, the civilians suffer for it." When it comes to her job, Smith's voice is definitely sharper. "My family's private business isn't business that should involve the rest of the pack. Now if you'll excuse me, we need to see the Alpha--"

"Shut up, Stace." Jett cuts her off with a hand. Smith looks like she's going to break it for just that alone. "Alpha's making cookies because the corpse promised her it'd break up the relationship. Cookies, Stace. Last time she made cookies, she divorced your dad and she left his body in a landfill. Your family can lead this pack, but it can't be trusted with relationships."

Smith's face turns red. "Are you trying to say something?"

"I'm not saying I'm not trying to say nothing, but--"

A shock hits me, harder than that electrical ward. "I don't believe it. "Putting two and two together, I stare at Petey just as Smith and Jett start arguing louder. "You betrayed me for homemade cookies baked by a hot psychopath? What's in them? Oatmeal and raisins? "

"I betrayed you for homemade cookies because I'm hungry," Petey says. He looks annoyed I'd even think to consider myself an objective judge of psychopathic behavior when he's the one trying to cheat on his diet as a dead corpse. "And yes, they're oatmeal with raisins. I asked for them. So there."

Out of the corner of my eye, the Man With No Name has left the living room, but I'm more concerned in figuring out how to strangle Petey without leaving marks. "You civil raisin ass buffoon," I seethe. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't forfeit your vengeance right here and right now."

Petey stares at me. "One," Petey says slowly, like I'm five years old. "You're on the job and technically, as the person who revived me, you're obligated to finish this business how I want it to be finished, one way or another. Two," he continues, as a chair goes flying across the room and breaks the plaster wall beside us. "This pack has short tempers and a suspicious relationship pattern. Break up with him, kiddo. Your spit buddy's probably the one who killed me."

"He already said he didn't!" I feel like pointing out that the sky is blue. I shrink in the leather jacket that Cheekbones took off his very own back to give to me. It's very warm and comforting and reminding me of intense moments wrapped up in each other's arms and tongues. "I even made him cry when I suggested it. And besides, why would he kill you if he's dating me?"

"He could've pined for me," Petey says, gesturing at his very chest I've been doing my best to ignore. "Most people do."

"Shut up, Petey." I'm getting a headache.

"Listen," Petey interrupts. "You know how easy it is for someone to cry, right?"

"I--" I open my mouth. I close my mouth. I open it again. "He said he loved me."

"That sucks," Petey says, sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"I don't think he's the type to manipulate like that, though," I say, defensive. "Also, it's nice to be told that someone loves you. Stop," I say, before Petey can even open his mouth. "Don't tell me you love me."

"Fine," Petey says, as the stereo of growling and snarling beside us has quieted down to normal human speech. "But this is all I have as a lead. Unless you've got something better?"

"I guess," I say slowly. "The vampire queen who you were using as a lap pillow did mention that Cheekbones was standing over your dead body on the school stage."

Petey looks like he wants to throttle me. "This is the exact kind of stuff you're supposed to be telling me earlier instead of keeping it all to yourself," he fumes. "I love you, ("Stop," I say) I really do, but you're impossible. Vengeance isn't a one-person job."

Someone clears his throat. Immediately, Smith and Jett quiet down, and Petey and I look over to the man who's returned from the kitchen.

"The cookies are ready," he says. "The Alpha will see you both now."