Creek tapped the screen of his phone, and then held it out for Remo to see.
He studied the picture for a long second before his angry gaze rose to meet Doc’s. “You are having me followed? On what grounds?”
Doc fixed his gaze on Remo and held it there. One way or another, Remo was going to tell the truth. “I’m not having you followed. Creek took those while on surveillance for another matter.”
“So.” Remo shrugged. “What is it supposed to prove, other than I often take walks through the streets?” He sat back. “Is this the council meeting? If so, I fail to see what a photo of me out walking has to do with anything.”
“Those photos were taken after I chased you out of Fritz’s apartment.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Remo laughed nervously. “Who is Fritz?”
“You know who he is. He’s the council member you replaced. The one you’re trying to frame as Heaven’s murderer.”
Remo started to stand, but Creek put a hand on his chest and pushed him back into his chair. “Don’t be rude. Your pride leader’s talking to you.”
“Get your hand off me. I’m done with this,” Remo snarled.
Doc rapped his knuckles on the desktop. “You leave and you’re done with this pride, you get me?”
Remo shut up.
Doc continued. “What this proves is that you’re not the innocent you make yourself out to be.”
Creek set the phone down on Doc’s desk. “I saw you in that alley in your animal form. You had four scratches on your back.”
“Do you have pictures of them also?” Remo asked.
“No,” Creek answered.
“His word that he saw them is good enough,” Doc said. “Because I know where those scratches came from. I put them there when I chased you out of Fritz’s apartment.”
Remo had the nerve to look bored. “I said I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Doc took a breath and tried to remain calm, tried to pull the frustration from his voice. “Look, all I really want to know is why you did it? Why you’d kill your sister? I can’t make it work in my head.”
Remo’s face didn’t change. “I loved my sister and I resent the implication that I would hurt her.”
“Why’d you frame Fritz? What does that get you?”
Remo sighed and stood. “I believe the time has come for me to consult with my father on this.” He moved toward the door.
Doc decided to call his bluff. He leaped over the desk and blocked Remo’s path. “You’re right. Maybe we should call your father. Maybe he’s the one behind all this.” Yellow flickered in Remo’s eyes like a flame, then went out. Doc pushed harder. “That’s more likely, isn’t it? You wouldn’t have the brains to think up something like this. Or the connections to make it happen. No, this definitely wasn’t something you’re capable of, because killing a family member? That would take stones bigger than what you’re carrying around. Rodrigo Silva–sized stones.”
Remo’s lip curled. “My father wouldn’t have the guts.”
“You’re the one who wouldn’t have the guts.” Doc leaned in until they were almost nose to nose. “You couldn’t even get this position without him.”
Remo’s eyes went gold and he snapped his jaw, baring his teeth. “I should have killed you too.”
He swung, but Doc grabbed his arm and threw him against the wall. Remo staggered back, swinging again. This time Doc caught Remo by the waist, took him to the ground, and held him there. “Why’d you kill her? Why?”
Beneath Doc’s grasp, Remo snarled and fought. “To push you and your useless human wife out of power, you stupid Mané.”
Doc jerked him to his feet. “I don’t know what the hell you just called me, but I’m sure it wasn’t good.” He shoved Remo up against the wall. “How does getting me out of power help you?”
Remo snarled. “Fritz was going to call for fresh blood to be voted in.”
“Fresh blood?” Doc stared at the murderer in his grasp. “As in you?”
“Yes. On the strength of my family name and with the sympathy of my sister’s death, every vote would have been mine. I would have taken over this pride and run it the right way. Restored the power it had under Sinjin and doubled it.”
Doc’s lip curled. “Under Sinjin, this pride was being punished for his whims.”
“And now it’s better that the pride is run by a street hood like you?”
Heat built in Doc’s bones but he was in no danger of losing control. He’d won this. “Considering you laid the plans that killed your own flesh and blood, I don’t think you’re in any position to be insulting your pride leader.”
“You’re not my pride leader.” Remo spat the words out. “You’re a pretender and that’s all you’ll ever be.”
“If Fi hadn’t given you that vial of sand, how were you going to make all this happen?” Doc forced a smile. “Because honestly, you don’t strike me as smart enough to have made this work otherwise.”
Remo snapped, but Doc held him back. “I would have planted the tainted sand, then had my sister’s body exhumed and reexamined, but your stupid wife saved me the trouble.”
New warmth crackled along Doc’s nerves. He leaned his full body weight onto his forearms, pressing into Remo so hard that the other shifter’s breath went ragged with effort. Then he put his mouth next to Remo’s ear. “Do you know what they do to pretty boys like you in prison?” Doc shook his head. “Bad, bad things.”