“The hell it is!” Grant responded. “You drove all the way up here in a stolen car and I want him arrested, Officer!”

Grant stepped away from Bill, glaring at him, backing up towards the gate.

“Sir,” Lucy said, “I’m going to have to ask you to stop moving.”

“Arrest him!”

“Stop moving!”

Grant turned, puzzlement on his face. “I’m not the one who did anything wrong!”

“Sir, go back to where you were—”

As she spoke, Lucy drew her gun, and that was the signal. Amber’s parents and the Van der Valks shifted even as Betty slapped the gun out of Lucy’s hand. Grant lunged, grabbed her, and threw her. She hit the edge of the tow truck and spun away from it, sprawled on to the ground.

“Surprise,” Kirsty said, closing in with her teeth bared.

“Yeah,” said Lucy, standing, “surprise.” And then she shifted.

Chapter 28

OFFICER LUCY THORNTON GREW taller, broader, and strangely angular, the lines of her bones pressing out against her skin – that skin now a deep dirty green, and rough, like sandpaper. Her uniform struggled to contain her. Her hands were talons and, while she had no horns, her mouth was twisted into a permanent grin.

She was on Kirsty before Kirsty even knew what was happening, slamming those heavy knuckles into her face. Grant charged and Lucy hurled Kirsty at his legs. He tripped, sprawled, and Lucy kicked him under the chin. Then Bill was there, taking her off her feet. They fell, grunting and cursing and rolling into the shadows.

Amber shifted without even realising. She saw her mom go for Lucy’s gun and she ran, dived, closed her hand around the barrel.

“Let it go,” Betty snarled, doing her best to pull it away.

She elbowed Amber in the face and Amber growled and twisted, and Betty tumbled over her and now they were rolling as well. Amber’s black scales rose in response, as did her mother’s. The gun went off and Amber jerked away and ripped it from her mother’s grip. It went spinning under the tow truck. Betty grabbed Amber’s horns and slammed her head into the ground, then scrambled up and went after the weapon.

Amber rolled on to her back, her vision blurring. She heard an engine trying to turn over, and a voice. Kelly’s voice.

“The car won’t start! Amber!”

Amber looked up. Through the tears, she saw Kelly poking her head out of the Charger’s window, and suddenly her head cleared and she was getting up. She staggered a little, but her balance returned even as she was stumbling for the car.

“Move over,” she commanded, and Kelly slid to the other side. Amber got in behind the wheel.

“It won’t start,” said Kelly. “I know cars and this isn’t gonna—”