With reluctance, Ian released the other officer and rose to face the woman possessing a complete contempt for procedure in regard to vampires. Her frosty gray eyes matched the iron in her words. They were enough to put a chill to his anger. She was nearly a foot shorter than him, the top of her head reaching his shoulders, but her willowy, gently curved shape made her seem taller. Her crossed arms betrayed her agitation, though he couldn’t see it in her placid expression.
His pissed off faltered. Long, dark lashes framed those striking, nearly colorless eyes. Pale, delicate features drew his gaze, from her smooth brow to her pert nose to the tiny hollow above her rosy lips. Her skin was so radiant, flawless, he wanted to lick it just to discover if it tasted as creamy as it appeared. She was quite…cute. And familiar. Then he remembered where he’d seen her before.
“Alice?”
She tilted her head and her brow furrowed. “Have we met?”
“Yes.” Something in her eyes told him she knew damn well who he was. He’d been briefly introduced to her at the Ancients’ mansion several months earlier when Kade’s parents had been executed, leaving Kade as the heir apparent to the Immortalis throne. Even then, Ian had experienced the same magnetism when their eyes met. Ignoring the impulse to call her on her pretense, he extended his hand. “Killian McCready.”
She hesitated before her slender fingers slid against his until their palms touched. A more sensuous handshake never existed. It made his abs clench imagining where he wanted those small hands on his body.
“Alice Capshaw.” Her assessing scrutiny held a flare of heat. Encouraging. “Your accent is stronger. And what happened to your hair?”
So she did remember. A corner of his lips lifted in a half smile. Well fuck me running. How long had it been since he’d last smiled without faking it? He tried to ignore the nip of worry following that realization. Apathy was an early precursor to the vampire madness, vesania, and he sure as hell wasn’t getting any younger.
“What’s wrong with it?”
A faint coral pink bloomed across the apples of her cheeks. Maybe she hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud. “Uhm. Nothing. It’s just very…short. Most vampires favor long hair.”
“Every few centuries, a change is a good thing. And about the accent, my Irish comes out more when I’m angry.” His gaze swept along her curves, and his voiced dipped to a rasp. “Or passionate.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything more. In fact, she seemed outright uncomfortable, her focus moving to the activity around the room. Anywhere but on him.
“Where’s Val? She would have called me.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to recall them. Taking such a critical tone with her wasn’t exactly the best way to get answers. Or under the skirt clinging to her beautifully rounded hips. Goddamn. A fierce burst of lust to have those sexy thighs wrapped over his shoulders knocked his outrage right off-kilter.
Icy eyes stared back at him, oblivious to his rather explicit fantasizing. “Val’s taken time off. I’ve stepped in for her. And it’s not procedure to call in the Legion every time there’s a murder.”
“Except when the vic is a vampire.”
“He was turned this morning. He’s not official.”
“It’s not reversible. He wouldn’t have woken up the next day partly cloudy with a chance of humanity.”
“I’m well aware of that, Tracker.” She said his title like it was a dirty word. “It doesn’t change the fact that the victim is legally human.”
Her arms crossed again, tightening her sweater over her breasts. A dozen hellhounds couldn’t keep him from dwelling on her plump cleavage. Even in the midst of contention, she made his mouth water. Damn, he needed to get laid.
When she didn’t respond, he dragged his gaze up to her sweet, heart-shaped face. Too bad her words weren’t so sweet. “So we’re going to argue over jurisdiction? That’s a first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most agencies can’t run fast enough from murder cases, especially where the Immortalis are involved.”
“I might have done the same.” She glanced toward the murdered vampire as he was lifted to a gurney. Her gaze darted away, and her voice went buttery soft, a purr that traveled the length of his spine. “But that was before.”
“Before what?”
She chewed her bottom lip a moment, lost in thought. His eyes were drawn to that full, pouty lip. The way she worried it with her teeth made him lose focus, and more of his blood drained southward without permission.
“I saw him.” She gestured toward the gurney rolling out of the kitchen. A darkness haunted her expression, one that hammered at doors inside him he’d believed sealed forever.
“It doesn’t matter to you that he’s a vampire?”
“I’ve never had a problem with vampires. I like vampires, and he deserves justice as much as anyone.”
Ian felt those words down to his bones, his chest constricting with the emotion they brought up. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah, he does.”
“I’m not giving up the case.”
Stubborn, frustrating… He leaned in close until they were nearly nose to nose. Surprise and a tidal wave of pleasure struck him when she didn’t back away, though her rhythmic pulse went into overdrive at the column of her throat. It wasn’t fear he detected. The subtle scent of citrus, vanilla, and something sweet he couldn’t put his finger on enticed him to bury his face in her thick, silky black hair and rub all over her skin. Against his will, his fangs descended.
He’d pounce on her at this rate. Muzzling his wayward thoughts, he brought himself back to their argument. “I’m not letting you keep this case from me. Is this a good time for you to make waves with the Immortalis? Because I sure as hell don’t mind waving the human flag and cozying up if it keeps us from fighting.”
Her eyes widened, and he couldn’t pull away. They were the color of moonlight with a darker gray shadow along the edges. “That bad?”
He blinked a few times and eased out of her personal space, mentally shrugging off the spell she’d cast over him. “Yes. A split between the castes is bad news for humans. We would have free rein to feed at will.”
“Point taken.” She tapped her lip thoughtfully, drawing his attention right back to that spot. It wouldn’t be so damned distracting if he didn’t want to lick and nibble there.
Her gaze took an indulgent trip down the length of his body, spiking him from room temperature to supernova. Hell and damnation. His blood was actually, honest to God, moving in his veins. Even admitting she was an intriguing combination of feisty, kissable, and at least physically interested didn’t explain that response.
“How do you propose we solve our problem here?” Traitorous arousal turned his demand into a low-pitched, husky invitation—which she thankfully overlooked, her attention snapping to his face like a naughty, guilt-ridden schoolgirl.
“Your problem,” she said. “I have the case already. First on scene. Victim is legally human.”
He gave her a flat stare. “Do you want me to haunt you? I will. I’ll shadow you everywhere, even during daylight.” The idea of shadowing her held an appeal that should spur him in the opposite direction, but a sinful part of him hoped she’d hold onto her resistance.
She scowled, an adorable little crease forming between her eyebrows. “You can’t do that.”
“Watch me. I’m a fairly mature vampire, Alice. Daylight doesn’t hit me as hard as most, and my happy arse can handle a little burn.” When she collapsed onto a barstool at the island counter, he restrained a grin. He definitely had her. “You might find it hard to get the vampires to talk. In fact, I guarantee they won’t talk to you.”
“That’s tampering with witnesses.” Her expression went flinty, her eyes reflecting something intimately akin to loathing. Unexpected, but fuck her loaded glare. It wasn’t his fault no one would talk to her, but he would use that fact if it nudged her to cooperate.
“So sure I’d be the one b
ehind that? The Immortalis isn’t too keen on humans right about now.”
“You don’t care one bit about twisting arms and forcing your will, do you?”
“Sometimes that’s the only way to get things done.”
“Fine.” She stood abruptly, nearly knocking the barstool over. “We’ll share this one. Don’t call me. I’ll call you.”
With a purposeful stride, she pushed past him. The seductive sway of her hips entranced him for a moment before it sank in she was walking out. What the hell?
“Alice.” Before she slipped out the door, he caught her arm. She glared daggers at his hand where it cupped her elbow. “I’m not trying to take anything from you. I only want to find out who did this and make him pay.”
“I know what you’re trying to do.” She jerked her arm away. “It’s how you’re doing it that I have a problem with.”
“I’ll need—”
“Whatever it is, my assistant will help you.” Without another glance, she slipped out the door.
Ian’s gut knotted with unsteady tension. Should he be pissed or perplexed? He was leaning toward sheer confusion. The last time he’d seen her, following the deaths of the Immortalis‘ ruling couple, she’d seemed blithe and cheerful, cracking jokes with the royal family’s subjugates, the human servants awaiting transformation. Guess he’d gotten the wrong impression. Alice had a temper. She was no pushover, and she apparently had no love for Legion Trackers.
He faced the room. A newly turned vic with the body taken away to a secluded place. On closer inspection, he noted the candle wax on the yellowing linoleum. Had the VLO team caught that? He inhaled deeply. The scent of several sources of blood hit his acute senses. Would the team have caught that? This was no case for humans.
The crime scene tugged at his memory, taunting him with its familiarity. No fucking way. The candle wax, the body moved and drained, the positioning—it all pointed to the Infancy Killer, but he’d put an end to that case nearly half a century before. This had to be an isolated incident. Someone could have had a personal problem with the victim. It could have been a hate crime against the Immortalis. Yeah, that had to be it. But no matter what he told himself, the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t go away. It told him there’d be another murder. Soon.
Chapter Three
By the time Alice reached the VLO building, her fighting mood still hadn’t lifted. The nerve of that man! He thought he could just step in and force his way into her case? And he’d been on the verge of assaulting another officer. Who knows how far he would have taken things before she’d interrupted? It burned going down even more that she had no option but to work with him. He’d been right about getting information from the Immortalis. Val had run into that problem enough with her investigation a few months before, even with Vice Director authority.
Truth was, if she hadn’t set eyes on the murdered boy, she would’ve given up the case without batting an eyelash. Boy. He wasn’t a boy, but he may as well have been. His smooth skin still shone with the luster of youth. The dark hair and pale eyes, not yet turned red from his transformation, sealed it for her. Jeff Ryan. He had a name, but he could have been her brother, Zach. When she’d glimpsed Jeff for the first time, the pain of Zach’s loss had pierced her as if it had happened anew. Her brother was still with her, though, such as it was. Whoever loved Jeff had lost him forever. Yes, he damn well deserved justice. So did Zach.
At least one aspect of working with Killian wouldn’t be tough. The man was instantly-melt-your-ice-cream, blazingly sexy and just as pleasurable to lay eyes on as when they’d first met. His slight Irish drawl only put him over the top of the one-to-ten scale. When he’d leaned in so close, it was all she could do not to offer herself like a wanton, X-rated version of a virgin sacrifice. She was woman enough to admit to nighttime fantasies of him in the interim months since they’d met—daytime ones as well with the battery-operated boyfriend she ironically named Richard. Too bad the man had acted like such a Richard, and not in a good way.
She stepped into the VLO’s main floor and wound her way around the austere cubicles. It truly wouldn’t kill the state’s bank accounts to make the place a little less like a sweatshop. Her frown deepened when she arrived at her desk to find someone sitting at it. Piper. That’s right. Alice had a real office now.
“Well, you got settled fast,” she told the too-comfortable, ever-tan girl at the desk. Alice had always envied Piper’s inherently golden skin and gorgeous highlights. Her friend wore her usual high-end fashion she could barely afford, a wraparound dress this time. A slight pull on a string might disrobe her. The temptation to give it a shot was overpowering. “And get your feet off my desk.”
Piper turned her head, but left her feet up. “Yup. That’ll happen. You don’t understand what it’s like walking around all day on spiky heels, Boss.”
“Don’t call me that.” Alice gave an unladylike snort. “What happened to the moral support I requested you for?”
“Ha, I didn’t hear anything about moral support.” Her friend cocked her head. “In fact, I don’t think I heard much after the pay-raise part. What has your thong in a twist?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Murder, I suppose.”
Wide amber eyes blinked at her. “Already? That was faster than it took to race my bazooms up here.”
“You’re funny. It’s been the longest seven hours of my life.” Alice dropped into the chair in front of her old desk. “He looked just like Zach.”
Her friend sat up, stiletto heels clicking against the floor, and then reached across the desk to grasp Alice’s hand. “I’m so sorry. What do you need me to do? I know you don’t li—”
“No, I don’t.” Sometimes she got sick of hearing from others how much she hated those other agencies. Even from Val and Piper. Was she that obvious about it? “Can you get the forensics team to forward their data as soon as it’s ready?”
“No problem.”
“And I had to call in whoever I could get earlier, but I’ll need homicide detectives. You know them all better than I do.”
“Working in Admin kind of gets me out there.”
It wouldn’t matter where Alice worked. She didn’t mingle with VLO agents, and her department had nothing to do with that.
“I need names before I call Glenn.” The VLO’s head director liked to pretend he was into everything going on around the organization. Yet the media didn’t pound on his door when things hit the wire. It had always been Val fielding those calls.
Alice sagged in her seat. One more task to look forward to. Maybe if she passed on enough information to Glenn, he’d handle it without too much inappropriate glee in front of the cameras. She suspected he’d received his position as a way to keep him from the governorship. Sounded like something Val’s dad would do.
“How well do you know the Trackers?”
Piper grinned. “Nope. I love you but not that much. The Immortalis make me nervous. All yours, sweetie.”
“You’re fired.”
As usual, Piper ignored her irrational behavior. “Oh, before you go.” Alice hadn’t moved from the chair. Huh, dismissed by my own mini-me. “When you call his lordship, the Director, he’ll need the recommendations for Graham’s disposition.”
She nearly choked on her surprise. Damn it, Val. There’d been plenty of time for that woman to make her recommendations. “Are you punking me?”
Piper propped her chin in her palm. “Fun day on the job?”
“I could kill Val right now. No wonder she cleared out so fast.” Alice didn’t blame her. No one wanted to be the one to push a death sentence on a former best friend. God, Alice would have to do it. Damn it all to hell. She didn’t want Graham to die, either.
The charges accused him of plotting with Kade’s mother, Domina Evangeline, to put an end to Kade. The Domina had convinced Graham to transform illegally. Alice highly doubted he’d been given knowledge of Evangeline’s intent to start a war between the Immortalis and the
humans, a war Val and Kade had thwarted. For the time being.
Graham was suffering in VLO detainment until an execution could be ordered. The stupid jerk was one of Alice’s best friends, her go-to guy for happy hour while commiserating over mutual bachelorhood. The charges against him were too unbelievable and completely out of character. He wouldn’t plot someone’s death in cold blood, and she couldn’t push the button on his execution. Could be beneficial that old agreements between the VLO and Immortalis were null and void. That would mean some homework. Maybe Val worked something into the new agreements that could save Graham’s miserable hide.
“Does he have a lawyer?” If anyone knew the gossip, it would be Piper.
“Don’t know. Want me to find out? I thought vampires didn’t get legal representation when the VLO has them.” She pushed away the files she’d been absently perusing to give Alice her full attention.
“I’m as clueless as you. If you look into that, I have some treaties to scour.”
“You’re gonna bail him out, aren’t you?” A wariness pervaded Piper’s tone.
“It was a thought.”
Her friend’s concerned frown was disheartening. “You know he’s not the same person, right?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I haven’t seen him in so long, I just don’t know.” She nibbled her lip. It didn’t matter really because the punishment didn’t fit his crime. He needed someone on his side more than ever, and he’d always been there for her. “He’s a good man. A good friend. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Oooookay. He’s too pretty to die anyway. Man, Val really stuck it to you, didn’t she?”
She sure as hell did. Alice stood and headed for her door. “I’m not answering that for fear of self-incrimination on a future murder.” Piper’s soft laughter followed as she shut herself into her new office.
Spreading out the agreements with the Immortalis, she tried to focus, but her mind wouldn’t stop obsessing over the scene at the abandoned house that evening.
Bad Cop (Entangled Covet) Page 2
