“Don’t say it,” he grumbled.
“I guess you hear it a lot then.”
“Every damned day. ‘Hey, aren’t you that guy from the Avengers?’ Yeah. All the time.” He cocked his head. “Though I do get a lot of action that way.”
“What was his name?”
“Jeremy Renner. I must have been the twin who was stolen.”
“Heh. What a kick. You should sign autographs.”
“I do if they’re on breasts.”
She tossed her jacket and purse over the back of her chair and grabbed her own cup of coffee. The sight of the cream and sugar made her want to cry. Ian would have teased her about how much she used.
“Tell me what’s going on, and don’t mind me typing while you talk. I’ve got a pressing issue to clear up while you report.”
Denton sat in the chair across from her and leaned on the desk. “A little over two hours ago, we got a missing infa—persons report. It was one of Ander’s newly turned. We found the body shortly after at the rear of Ander’s estate in an outbuilding meant for landscaping equipment. No sign of a ritual this time, but the body was in the same condition as the others. Whatever happened, the perp had no time to complete whatever his messed-up procedure is. Not sure what interrupted him tonight.”
Alice processed the release paperwork for Graham while mulling over Denton’s words. “Who reported the victim missing?”
“Ander. He had his subjugates monitoring the aftercare. Of course, that bastard, Kenji, didn’t care for that when he found out. As spoiled and whiny as he is, it’s surprising to know he’s one of the older adjuvants.”
“Spoiled and whiny? He didn’t come across that way when I met him.”
“I’m telling you, he was acting like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum.” He sat back and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Now here’s a kicker. I followed up with Otsana after I saw your message. Sorry about not getting back to you, by the way. Had some connectivity issues most of the night.”
“It’s all right. What did Otsana have to say? She actually talked to you?”
“Yes. No problems there. Now that I think about it, that was strange.” He rubbed his chin. “Turns out she wanted to tattle on Revenant.”
Alice hit her send button and sat back. “She knows Revenant’s location?”
“Not exactly at the moment, but she gave up Ander as the one who’s been housing him during daylight hours.”
Obviously Ander was a primary suspect, but some pieces weren’t fitting. Alice paced to her exterior window and checked the light outside. Still plenty of time left in the night. Maybe they could set something up to catch Revenant and get some answers from him.
Ander had a solid alibi for at least one of the murders, and he’d called in tonight’s murder before the body had even been discovered. Could he have done it to throw off suspicion? It could have been Revenant committing the murder the night Ander had been occupied, giving the Dominus a way to clear himself from the investigation. And did any of this have something to do with Ander’s ties to Chimera and the Slavers?
“I have some calls to make,” she said. She studied him a moment. His sandy hair was rumpled and his dark navy suit wrinkled and dusty. The man worked the day shift so he’d likely been at it over fifteen hours. “Go home and get some sleep. We’ll pick this up in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He sighed and stretched as he stood. “Ring me if anything more happens, though. I’m a light sleeper. Not like Campbell, that silly bastard. Never picked up his phone.”
“I wondered why you were solo tonight.”
“I blame old age. His, of course.” He grabbed his suit coat and lifted his cup. “I’ll just, uh, return this tomorrow.”
After he’d gone, she palmed her cell phone, smoothing over the buttons several times before hitting Ian’s speed-dial number. Adrenaline cranked on the shakes, but it was for nothing. The call went straight to voice mail. After his parting words, he deserved better than a recorded message from her. Guess she was on her own. Ander may not speak to her, despite her status with the VLO, but she had to give it a try. She scooped up her belongings and headed to her car.
When she arrived in Capitol Hill, she parked a block from Ander’s and made it half the distance before stopping short. What the hell was she doing? Brave she could be at times, but she wasn’t stupid. Interviewing Ander would require vampire representation. In the middle of dialing Ezra’s number, she caught sight of a familiar car across the street—the time machine.
She could barely bring herself to approach the vehicle. He probably wasn’t even in it. He’d be inside the mansion, getting in Ander’s face in his usual vigilante fashion. Maybe she’d leave him a note. Or not. She stopped a few yards away, indecision digging sharp claws into her. A moment later, the door opened and Ian unfolded his lanky body from the vehicle.
A man that tall and broad shouldn’t own cars that small. It had to be bad for the posture. She wanted to laugh at her inane inner dialogue, but her heart was too bruised yet hungry at the sight of him. He’d pushed up the sleeves of his dark red Henley, and even the sight of his bare forearms made her tingly.
“Ian—”
“We may as well go in. They already know we’re here, thanks to you.” He gestured toward the mansion. When she couldn’t force any words out, he leaned against the car and folded his arms, his expression guarded. “I decided not to turn myself in. If you want me under the gun, Alice, you’ll have to pull the trigger yourself.”
“No!” She shook her head vigorously. “I don’t. Want that, I mean.”
He straightened and took a step toward her. “Then what do you want? I can’t go back and change what I did.”
God, how could she answer him? She didn’t know what she wanted. “I know that. I shouldn’t have…” Doubted you? Is that what she meant to say? It wouldn’t be true. She couldn’t help that little part of herself with one foot in the past that questioned whether he’d had no other choice. And whether it mattered to him if he had. The way he’d kept it from her implied he didn’t want to know.
He pushed a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but I was lying to myself. No punishment from the Immortalis could be worse than believing I killed an innocent man. But the cases aren’t the same, and these are different killers. Should have told you that when I had the chance.” He stepped in front of her and cupped her face, directing her straying gaze to him. “I wasn’t wrong. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, fucked things up, especially with you. But I wasn’t wrong that time, Alice.”
There was something in his eyes, a small trace of shining hope she wanted to cling to. She wanted to cling to him, put her arms around him and accept the comfort he was so damned good at giving.
He let his arms drop away from her, the shine in his eyes dimming. “I’m a Tracker. I’ve been a Tracker most of my life. We kill in the line of duty. I’ve killed more than I can count, and it never gets easier. Never. Don’t take that fact lightly because I don’t. I remember every one of them. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing there was no other choice. If there had been another way, I would have found it. Trust me.” He took her hands, his long fingers firm around hers. “Trust me, Alice.”
Resisting him was impossible. Whether she held her doubts or not, she couldn’t deny the impulse to touch him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. A hesitation before returning her embrace said he’d noticed her lack of response.
If she started fresh with him like she yearned to do, would he keep going down the same road? After the resourceful and virtuous way he’d handled Graham’s situation, she might be willing to risk that. Maybe after all of this, he would trust her enough to open up so she could return that trust.
He mumbled words she couldn’t catch, but it sounded like, “At least it’s something.” With a deep breath, she absorbed the heady, masculine sandalwood scent of him and relaxed inside the circle of his arms. Ama
zing how intensely intoxicating a man’s scent could be, but that was how she felt when he was near. Drunk and fuzzy-headed.
“Ready to get this show on the road?” He reluctantly released his hold.
“I sure as fuck am.” Dec stood on the other side of the car staring a Death Star-worthy beam of angst at them. She hadn’t noticed him get out of the passenger’s side.
“Sounds like someone needs to get laid.” Ian motioned in his direction and then led the way toward Ander’s estate.
“I hit it more than you do.” Dec matched Ian’s long stride, and they made quite a delicious pair, one dark half and one light, as their pace ate up the sidewalk toward the entrance. She had to speed walk just to keep up.
“You must be loads of fun on a date,” Ian said. He didn’t crack a grin, but the humor was there in his voice.
“You finally got the balls to ask me out? I always had a suspicion about you.”
Alice kept her thoughts to herself, but she was in a bit of shock. She’d never heard Dec talk so much. He obviously had a close bond with Ian.
“It’s not a suspicion when I tell you to your face, and don’t think I didn’t notice all that eye contact. Anything more than three seconds is an eye-fucking.” Ian stopped at the door and gave Dec a shove. “Now stop flirting with me in front of my woman.”
My woman. The possessive words reverberated through her, sending an electrifying hum through all the right hidden places at the worst possible time. They were about to question one of the most powerful Dominorum of the Immortalis, and her mind went straight to shedding her panties and doing a hell of a lot more than eye-fucking Ian.
Her favorite caveman pressed the bell, and it seemed an eternity passed before a dour subjugate answered the door, a different man from when she’d first visited the mansion but cut from the same pattern. Ian gave him a rather disgusted frown and pushed past him into the foyer.
“Can I help you?” The affronted subjugate scrambled to block their path and made the mistake of grabbing Ian’s arm. “Stop right there.”
Ian rounded on him. “Is that the proper way to address a Tracker, mate?” The bright red flare of his eyes was plenty more than enough to make the human release him. He nearly growled as he flashed fang at the man. “Get Ander. Now.”
The subjugate scurried toward a stairway near the rear of the foyer. Dec took a step after him, but hesitated and turned to Ian. “We’re burning moonlight,” he said.
After a short wave from Ian, Dec loped after the subjugate and disappeared up the stairs.
“What was that about?” she asked. When he shot her a grin, her stomach flipped like a ride at the fair. It had to be a totally inappropriate thought, but she wanted to kiss the rims of his ears. They stuck out just the teeniest bit. So cute. He’d probably throttle her if he knew what she was thinking.
“For one,” he said, “we really are losing time here. But aside from that, it’s a Tracker thing, and it’s multipurpose. He’s gone to make sure they aren’t setting a trap or ambush, he’s doing something they won’t anticipate, and he’s splitting the target if they do intend to do something incredibly stupid.”
“All planned without speaking.”
“Could have used telepathy, but we don’t need it. I’ve partnered with Dec a long time.”
“That’s a good sign.”
He cocked his head. She loved it when he did that. Made her go all swoony. “Why do you say that?”
She tried to hide her smile, but he cupped her shoulders and wouldn’t let her turn away. Finally, she met his gaze. “It means you’re not afraid of commitment.”
His expression grew serious. “Alice—”
A shout from the stairway broke the moment, and Ian headed toward the commotion coming from the next floor up. What the hell was going on? That was Dec cursing as if it were his first language. She took a step to follow and then arms like steel bands came around her, jerking her roughly backward. At her scream, Ian whipped around and froze.
“Don’t even think about it, Killian.” Revenant’s deep voice rumbled against her back. “I’ll clean her like a fish.”
That’s when she felt the cold blade against her throat. She stiffened and fear stabbed into her as if the knife were already there. Her limbs going cold, she fought a bout of hyperventilation. Ian’s expression went blank, but he continued his forward movement, though very, very slowly.
“I mean it.” Rev pressed the knife just to the point of discomfort. Physical discomfort. Her emotional discomfort climbed off the charts. And she’d left her purse in her car. She had no way to defend herself, not that it would be smart to try.
“You can leave, Rev. Release her, and you can go free and clear.”
“I know better than that. You’ll only follow.” Revenant laughed a nasty, sickening kind of laugh. “But I have a solution for that.”
With no warning, the knife bit deep into her and slid across her throat. Agony like nothing she’d ever known roared through her, sending fire all the way to her toes. And then she choked around the fluid in her throat. Revenant dropped her and vanished from her narrowed realm of sensation. Her legs weakened.
No! It wasn’t fair.
God, she couldn’t die yet. Her eyes met Ian’s. In the moment it took to slump toward the floor, none of her doubts about him mattered. He’d been it for her since day two.
Chapter Twenty
Ian was at Alice’s side before she hit the floor. Cradling her gently, he pressed a trembling hand over her throat where the precious blood gushed out. He was screaming inside—screaming. Anguish carved a cavernous path in his chest while his breath squeezed from his lungs. She was dying, and he couldn’t do anything but helplessly watch it happen in front of him.
She struggled to move, to talk. Shaking violently, she clutched his hands at her throat. Blood bubbled from her lips. Her face was a mask of pain, but the sheer terror in her pale eyes ripped him to shreds.
“Shhhh.” His voice broke as he fought for composure, to keep her calm as he could and slow the rapid flow of blood between his fingers. “Easy, now. Don’t talk. You’ll be all right. You have to ‘cause you haven’t made me cookies yet.”
Tears welled in her eyes. So much fucking emotion in them. She loves me. The revelation rocked him nearly flat on his ass. God, he would do anything to keep her.
A pitiful moan escaped him. “Alice—”
Dec’s hands on his shoulders made him flinch, and when he glanced up, Ander and Kenji had arrived. He pinned Kenji with the stoniest glare he could muster.
“You have to turn her.”
Kenji crossed his arms and pouted. Pouted. He’d never seen anything like it. Fucking waster! Ian turned to Ander. He had one shot to make a case. Ander was the only one who could make Kenji save Alice. But nothing close to elegance ever came from Ian’s mouth, and he didn’t give a rat’s ass. He was desperate.
“You did this. You’re responsible.” His voice went low and ragged. “I will dog you until you die or you go off your nut. I’ll hunt down and destroy everything you love. And yes, I know about your loony sister.”
Ander appeared unmoved until Dec added his own vow. “I’ll help him do it. We all will.” The implication was obvious that the Trackers would jump in to target Ander. Ian knew they would do it. So did Ander. The Dominus grunted and signaled Kenji to comply. The adjuvant didn’t question, but knelt in prayer. He would have choked the fucker out for wasting time, but Alice’s soft whimpers and gurgling breaths pulled his focus back to her.
He kissed her forehead and then held her gaze with his. “I know you want to live. I know it. This is the only way. Okay?”
Her breath hitched, and she gave a jerky nod.
“I love you.” He stroked her cheek, ignoring the blood left behind on her ivory skin. “You hear me? I love you, turtle.”
Her hand tightened on his wrist, and her tears overflowed. A sharp cry came from her, and then her eyes closed and her body went slack.
&nbs
p; “Fucking hell, Kenji, get your ass over here.”
Kenji scowled but knelt next to Alice. “This illegal transformation is on you, Tracker.”
“Fine. Do it. Because I would die for her.”
A smirk appeared on Kenji’s face. “I’d love to grant that little wish.”
Kenji waited for Ian to move his hand, and at last, he bit deep into Alice’s artery. Ian couldn’t watch. He sat his ass on the floor facing away, hating the sounds coming from the transformation behind him. Every slurp and groan and growl urged him to rip the adjuvant off her. He nearly lost his mind when Alice’s weak cries joined in, but Dec kept a bracing hand on his shoulder and began talking. Ian couldn’t thank him enough for taking the lead because his head was completely out of the game.
“So Ander, my man, can you explain why you’re harboring a wanted Legion in your home?”
Ander’s eyes didn’t flicker or react in any way. “I had nothing to do with him being here.”
“We have an informant who claims you’ve been sheltering him during the daylight hours.”
Ander brushed a hand over his dark, close-cropped hair. “Your informant was misinformed.” Funny thing about Ander was you could never gauge the Dominus. He was always composed. Even a sword in his gut wouldn’t make him break a sweat. At the moment, he seemed outright apathetic, regardless of the traumatic events taking place in his foyer. Maybe a sign of his age.
“Then you won’t mind if I check out your surveillance video, will you?”
Ander said nothing, but headed toward a door off the side of the foyer. Dec started to follow, but glanced at him. Ian waved him on. It wouldn’t be long until daybreak, and Ian could manage alone. He hoped. The sounds behind him died down, but then Alice screamed. Kenji’s part was over. He jumped up and rushed to Alice. She’d curled up in a ball on the floor.
Kenji rose with a disgusted grimace. “He wanted her turned, but he said nothing about aftercare. I won’t do it.”
“And I don’t want you to touch her.” Ian snarled. “Ever again.”
“Ungrateful little bastard.” Kenji started to leave.
Bad Cop (Entangled Covet) Page 15
