Bad Cop (Entangled Covet) (3 page)

Chapter Four

As dawn drew near, Killian itched to push it back from whence it came. There weren’t enough hours in the night. He rubbed his hands over his face, but the strain wouldn’t wipe away that easily.

It was strange to meet at Ezra’s industrial-style Pioneer Square loft instead of Kade’s posh penthouse at the Akkadian Towers. The leader of their ragtag group of covert, mercenary law enforcers had left them to their own governance to take his pregnant, soon-to-be-queen, Val, into safe seclusion at his estate in Glacier. Hell, Ian would have done the same, and he didn’t blame Kade for having clear priorities.

Where Kade had opted for a cleaner, more modern environ, Ezra’s loft was a massive open space of brick, heavy timber, and the leadlight windows lining the length of the outer wall. The sleeping area was on a dais, the massive, canopied sleeping enclosure framing a bed large enough for orgies, and knowing Ezra, probably used for them, too. Most of the floor space had been left as the original concrete.

“Have you fed?” Ezra’s rasp cut through Ian’s fatigue.

When Ian didn’t answer, Ezra’s pale red eyes zeroed in on him with laser intensity, one eyebrow kicked up higher than the other. Ian shrugged. He probably should have left when the rest of the team had. As old as he was, he still squirmed inside under his friend’s scrutiny. He damn well knew enough to see through the Nordic vampire’s happy-go-lucky facade. The
Dominus
was one of the oldest adjuvants and could probably take a head off someone with a fifty-yard stare. Then again, all adjuvants were something more, with abilities beyond other
Immortalis
, ones that made them the only vampires capable of turning humans or procreating.

“No time.”

Ezra cleared his throat prominently. “There’s time now.” He gestured toward the high-arched windows framed in weathered red and ash brick. Ian barely spared a glance.

“Got a nice place here.”

“Yep, and I’d like to enjoy it alone,” Ezra rasped, tipping his head toward the thick, oak doorway in a not-so-subtle gesture.

That got a laugh. “Well, that’s a first.” He stood with a groan. “You know, Kade would have worked us until the sun was on the horizon.”

“I lied.” Ezra cocked an eyebrow. “I have company on the way.”

Yeah, that was more like it, and it was Ian’s prompt to head out posthaste.

“Let me guess. Sonia? The gothy chick, right?”

“Among others. Care to join in? Might cheer you.”

“Not my thing, my friend.” He was at the door in a heartbeat. “I don’t have your obsession with all things human.”

His night had kicked off with a long-lost nightmare brought to life, and after raging like a Spartan at the abandoned house, he hadn’t cared to feed. Instead, he’d followed up with a steam-blowing round of rogue hunting. Rogue vampires weren’t much of a challenge. If they were dumb enough to abandon the big, happy
Immortalis
family, they were too dumb to hide from a well-seasoned Legion Tracker like himself. Hunting hadn’t done much to take the weight from his thoughts. Nothing could shake the prophetic disquiet eating him, and it wasn’t just the case.

Running into Alice had been a strange combination of arousing and maddening. Something about her had pulled his fuse.
Dangerous
. He needed that anger to ram down her wall of resistance.

Despite the temptation of her curves, she was a disaster waiting in the wings. The audacity of the woman, keeping a case that obviously belonged to the
Immortalis
. She’d been right that
technically
the case belonged to her, but Chrissake, sometimes common sense had to take precedence. Common sense and the greater good was the entire reason for his covert team’s existence. If they followed the letter of the law, the world might come to an end. Frustrating wench.

Ian had barely entered the south end of Belltown when he could have sworn… Yep, no doubt about it. Aforementioned wench dead ahead at his twelve. He couldn’t mistake that enticing sway of her ass encased in a second skin of a skirt. Shiny, black boots sheathed her calves and left a breathtaking expanse of slim, succulent thighs for him to dream about for weeks. What the hell was she doing out at the break of dawn?

He should’ve raced for the protection of his home, but that sway and that peachy flesh so close in front of him hypnotized his senses. The fading moon swelled nearly full, and her hair curling to the base of her spine was made of its light, the gloss reflecting that ethereal blue glow.

A pair of men stepped toward her from the shadows. They said something she obviously didn’t like. When they reached for her arm, he was a split second from ripping their limbs off when she sprayed something. Both men collapsed to the ground clawing at their eyes and screaming while she sauntered away as if nothing were out of place.

“Holy shit,” he murmured. She didn’t fuck around. He jogged up behind her. “Hey.”

Whipping around, she aimed a canister squarely at his…chest. The canister lifted to eye level before she recognized him and startled, her lips parting on a gasp.

“Are you haunting me already?” she asked. He fought back a laugh at the exasperation in her tone. “I said we’d work together on it. No need for creepy stalking.”

He couldn’t hold back. The laugh escaped as he raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender. “Don’t shoot.”

She eyed the canister as if she’d forgotten it was in her hand. “Oh.” Tucking it away in her purse, she turned the way she’d been heading and started walking. He kept pace beside her.

“I wasn’t stalking. Yet.” He glanced at her in time to catch a flash of her pretty smile. “I live in Belltown. Sort of.”

“Meaning?” Her eyes flickered over to him, punching into him midchest every time they did.

“Temporary housing when I’m working in town. I actually live in Graham.”

She stopped walking to stare outright. “I never would have guessed.”

Catching her hand, he tugged her forward again with a wary glance at the lightening sky. “Why so? Is it that hard to see me in cowboy boots?”

“No. Uhm…yes.” She studied their joined hands for several beats before carefully extricating hers.

“I’m a rural kind of guy.” He shook his head. “But I draw the line at the Stetson. It’s a baseball cap for me.”

“Now that, I can see.” Her laugh was sweetly melodic and appeared to take her by surprise. A giddy sensation skated along his nerves. “I’m right up here.” She gestured toward a fairly dilapidated apartment building, and her lingering smile took a wry turn. “I know. It’s not much, but it’s affordable. It even has a doorman.”

He followed her gaze. A fat, blue-haired cat with a sour expression, ears back and all, lounged at the top step leading into the building.

“He seems intimidating enough.”

“
She
is quite the guardian angel.”

He grinned again, his cheeks protesting the unaccustomed happy shit going on since he’d met her. “Speaking of guardian angel, you handled yourself pretty damn well back there.”

“No, I handled
them
. A girl has to defend herself.”

“That she does,” he said. An uncomfortable burning sensation spread over his skin, and his eyes again went to the sky. “Damn. I have to go.”

“Oh. Wait!” She stepped closer, and that kicked feeling struck his chest again. He rubbed at it absently through his T-shirt. “Can I meet you tonight?” She did her lip-biting thing again, making his mouth water. “I mean…about the case?”

“Of course. I’ll come to the VLO as soon as I’m able.”

“You’ll come to the VLO?” Her disbelief caught him off guard.

“Why not?” His brow furrowed. “I’ve been there plenty to work on rogue cases.”

A shake of her head sent a stray lock of hair over her eye. She tucked it behind her ear and then ignored it when it slid right back where it had been. His fingers tingled with the urge to run through the silk of it.

“I’ve just never seen you there.”

“So I would have caught your eye?” He couldn’t help teasing. The hazy, rising light revealed a deepening blush on her cheeks, which sent a ripple of pleasure through him.

She scoffed, but couldn’t meet his gaze. “Hardly.”

“I’m usually on the second floor with the investigators.” He had let her off the hook. What was wrong with him? Sun-addled. He had to be. And he’d best get the hell out of Dodge before he couldn’t drag himself home. As it was, he’d have to flash to make it to safety. “Tonight then.”

He waited for her acknowledgement before gathering his strength and running straight into the flash.
Ha
. What would she make of that? There one second and gone a blink later. Hopefully, no one would begrudge his lack of discretion. Flashing was never done in the presence of humans. They weren’t even supposed to know it was possible, though rumors abounded.

It felt good, the wind racing past his skin, the rush of speed. The buildings were a blur, people and cars mere blips visible through the protective membranes shielding his eyes. Snippets of early morning sound came and went as he passed in a gust of air. When he arrived at his doorstep, it took an effort to stop. His energy hit the floor. Not only did it take a lot out of a guy to flash, the sun sheeted lava over his flesh.

The pain had been worth spending time with Alice. His body hadn’t come this alive in ages, the long-forgotten sensations of desire suffusing his skin, his insides, and without a doubt, his cock. Once safely inside, he flopped onto his overstuffed couch, lacking the energy to make it to his bedroom. Blessed rest.

The rest part was a long time coming. With his mind—among other painfully hardened parts—no longer consumed by Alice, it turned unerringly to his most recent case. The similarities to the Infancy killings were much too close to keep chaos from whipping through his emotions.

He’d been so sure, so very sure.

Had he murdered the wrong man?

Chapter Five

Sitting at her kitchen table in a patch of rare, late-evening sunlight, Alice lingered over her coffee, idly tracing the worn grooves in the wood. She could get used to this being-on-salary thing. No pressure to race to the office. No worries over sleeping in. The whole morning had been one big, delicious sleep fest. Heaven on earth after working all night long. And Killian’s unexpected appearance had tucked her into bed but good.

He was something else, his personality so different from how she’d imagined. In spite of his initial anger and infuriatingly pushy way, his humor broke past the dark and broody moments. He smiled a lot, drawing her gaze even more than the ab-hugging T-shirt he’d worn. That was saying a lot. She’d been working too much to squeeze in quality sexy-times lately. Ogling had become her middle name, and he was more ogle-worthy than most. Given time, drooling would be next. And he was a country boy. Who would have guessed?

Any overprotective male would’ve given her crap about the altercation with the would-be harassers she’d run into, about how a lady shouldn’t take risks like that. Not him, although he’d walked her all the way to her building, even as the sun’s predawn presence had to have hit him hard. It didn’t strike her that his purpose was for her protection. He’d regarded her as if she were the only one under the moon that night. The appealing, boyish charm in his smile and his voice and his eyes made it unbelievably tough to stay angry with him.

She’d half convinced herself that, in her exhaustion, she’d imagined the whole exchange after he’d disappeared instantly, gone quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth. If she hadn’t heard from Val about the vampire ability to flash, she would vote for a trip to the loony bin. He had to be a very old vampire to have such a skill, and didn’t that just freak out her unnatural, albeit understandable, attraction to him?

With a sigh bordering on dreamy, Alice rose to put away her coffee cup, sending her table into a precarious wobble. Yet another item in desperate need of a replacement she couldn’t afford. Dingy apartment living was slowly choking the life out of her. She never invited friends over, a bit embarrassed by the stained and dated carpet, cracked linoleum, and old paneling on the walls. Her furniture was just as shabby, torn or chipped with duct tape and wood glue holding it all together.

All of her money went to Zach’s care, and she refused to stick him into a public facility just to have nicer furniture. Anxiety sufficiently roused, she reached for her cell and called the care home. Thankfully, the nurse on duty reported Zach’s condition hadn’t changed. They’d had to put him on a respirator the week before.

Her breath hitched as she hugged the phone to her chest. How much longer would his body hold out before it gave up completely? She needed to make time to visit him soon. He might not be aware of her presence, but it was a reassurance that he was still with her, still alive. Still had a chance to awaken.

His belongings sat untouched in the trunks she’d packed the day she’d moved out of their home six years ago. It felt like a violation of his privacy to go through them. She would have hated it if he went through her things, though that hadn’t stopped him much when they were younger.

The alarm on her cell phone blared, and she nearly dropped it. There was her bat signal. If only heading to the VLO didn’t feel like heading to the gallows, she might actually say she was enjoying her temporary position. Graham’s impending execution hung over her head and on top of that her imminent meet up with a hot, Irish vampire with just enough accent to kick her libido into overdrive.

The men twisted her in knots, though for very different reasons.

When she arrived at the VLO, Piper was closing up for the night.

“You’re here late. I thought you would’ve left hours ago.”

“Ha.” Piper was less than humored. “Wish you’d told me how much work you do around here. Human Resources must be nuts for threatening to fire you. It would be like firing three people.”

“Good to know someone sees my value.” She pointed to Piper’s breasts. “Use those, and it’ll cut your workload in half.”

“Unethical.”

“Noooo. Clever.” Alice sat at the edge of her old desk. “Anything happen I need to know about?”

“Just stuff for the casebook, more pictures, labs and stuff. I e-mailed you.” Piper’s smile took on a wicked edge. “Oh, and Glenn called. He wants his dignity back.”

“He had some to begin with?”

“He thinks so. Anyway, he’s ticked the media’s calling you instead of him.”

Sighing, Alice rose and headed toward her office. “Not my fault.” She ducked in to deposit her purse and then leaned back out to catch Piper. “Uhm, those calls—”

“Forwarded.” The woman had read her mind. As she stepped into the elevator, Piper talked over her shoulder. “I left you a prezzie.”

“Better not be bread crumbs,” Alice called as the doors slid shut. She glanced around the floor. Everyone was gone. The silence pressed on her. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on the floor alone at night, but it was the first time she’d been hit by the creepy factor. The creepiness would only get worse when the lights flickered off, as she knew they would. Damn motion sensors. Damn granola-eating Seattleites. Who were they to care about overindulgent energy consumption? She’d take the empty security offered by adequate lighting any day over having a social conscience.

With a shudder, she shut her door firmly, fighting the urge to lock it. She was only a little paranoid, not
that
paranoid. Her office felt too big and quiet, and the wide window overlooking the empty floor made her want to pull the blinds.
Don’t care to see the zombie attack coming
. A nervous laugh escaped at her ridiculous turn of thought.

Settling behind the computer, she focused on the e-mails Piper had sent while skimming the new VLO treaties. Multitasker—her new middle name. Engrossed as she was, she jumped when the lights finally went dark outside her office. The inky blackness beyond the glass swallowed all light, even the blinking computer indicators.

God, she needed a distraction. And coffee. She was jittery enough without adding more caffeine, but in her book, it was comfort food. The luxury of her own coffee mess and mini-fridge in the corner rang in a close second to her pay raise as a bonus. She’d started the precious liquid brewing and reached into the fridge for creamer when she encountered Piper’s present.
Oh, heavenly angel
. She’d have to get her mini-me a raise. She’d left a monster slice of caramel-apple cheesecake mounded high with whipped cream. Mmmmm. Who needed dinner when this covered all the important food groups?

After pouring her coffee, she added a generous helping of creamer and sugar and turned back to her desk. A mountainous figure stood in her doorway, framed in darkness. She shrieked and fumbled her coffee cup. When an alarmed Killian stepped into the light, she wrapped her arms around herself, her body quaking with rampant adrenaline.

“Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod.” She glared at him. He reached for her, but she slapped his hand away. “What’s wrong with you, sneaking up on a woman in a dark, empty building?”

The residual shock put a bite in her voice, but she was too shaken to care. While she waited for her heart rate to slow down, she knelt to clean up the coffee.

“Leave it.” He stepped closer. “I’ll get it.”

She ignored him, though her hands shook too much to be very effective at her task.

“Alice!” The sharp command got her attention. He crouched next to her and took her hands in his. Pulling her up, he folded his arms around her, tucking her firmly against his chest.
Warm
. So warm and solid. Her arms went around his waist. As he held her, her breaths slowed and deepened.

“You’re safe,” he said. “Sorry I scared you. I just walked in when you turned around. I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”

Killian’s exotic burr rumbled under her cheek. Being held like this—it’d been so damned long. God, this was entirely too enjoyable. She didn’t want to let go, the steady rise and fall of his chest soothing. And arousing. He smelled amazing, like sandalwood. Would it be bad to bury her nose against his throat? But she’d already made a big enough fool of herself. She lifted her head from the wall of firm muscle beneath it and had the closest view yet of the perfection of his face. Smooth, lean angles invited the stroke of her fingers, and his eyes had a luminous sparkle. But his eyebrows were drawn and a frown pulled at his lips. A stab of guilt struck her.

“I’m sorry, too. I—”

“It’s all right. Nothing to be sorry for.” His tone was tender, as if calming a wild creature, the low bedroom voice sending tingles along her skin. He stepped out of her embrace, and his arms dropped away from her slowly, as if against his will.

“The lights didn’t come on.” She glanced past him toward her office window.

“They wouldn’t.” He grinned, the boyish charm of his dimples fluttering her stomach. “I move too fast for the motion sensors.”

The pride in his expression made her laugh. “You’d make a great bank robber.”

He lifted an eyebrow, his lips pursing—
dear ever-loving god of panty melting
. “Never considered that. Want to be my manager? Live a life of crime and extravagance?”

“Sign me up. I could use the extravagance.” She motioned for him to sit as she took her spot behind the desk. Ah, she’d always wanted to do that. Being in charge was, well, a charge. He went to the coffeemaker first and poured her a new cup, retrieving creamer and adding sugar before handing it to her, and then knelt to wipe up the spill with a towel from the coffee stand.

“Thank you.” She eyed him skeptically and took a sip. And then another to convince herself she’d tasted it right the first time. “How’d you know?”

He touched his nose. “I have skills.” Laughing, he rose and took the chair across the desk from her, somehow managing to seem higher than her. “You take a little coffee with your cream and sugar.”

“It’s how I stay so sweet.” She’d never noticed a man roll his eyes before. It was adorable.

His gaze settled on her for a long moment or three, and then he shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “You have information on the case?”

Oh. “Yes. The boy’s name is—
was
—Jeff Ryan. He was turned under Ander’s authority. Are you familiar with him?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” He sagged against the back of the chair. “Wow. Ander? Couldn’t make this easy, huh?” His response struck at her Olympic-sized pool of underlying worry.

“My assistant couldn’t get a response from his people.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. Ander won’t play with the Trackers so there’s no way he would acknowledge attempts by the VLO.” He pulled a cell phone from his belt and glared at it. “I need Ptolomy or Kade, but I don’t have access to them right now.”

His agile fingers flipped the phone over and over. She couldn’t turn away from them. Attractive hands, strong, neat, with long, dexterous fingers. They’d be dark against her skin.
Snap out of it
. She had a murder to avenge, not a bad case of lust to sate.

“Who else is there?” she asked.

“Izel maybe, but I doubt he’d listen to even her.”

“Izel?”

He glanced up from his thoughts. “She’s our Legion Commander, and
I
wouldn’t think at her crossly. She could kick my lousy arse into last century.”

“Really.” Alice leaned forward, bracing her chin in her hand. Now, this was interesting.

He cocked one fair eyebrow. “Not gonna test the theory, so quit overworking that pretty head of yours.”

“I’d like to meet this woman. You know, swap trade secrets.”

He ignored her. “
Immortalis
are all about power, who has more. Ander’s near the top of the food chain. Only one other guy I know can get close. Ezra.” With that one name, he hit his speed dial. Within a minute, he’d explained the problem and had an answer. He stood as he clipped the cell phone back to his belt. “Right. Let’s be on our way then.”

“You did it?” She drew back into her seat.

“Ye of little faith.” He held that sexy hand to her. “You doubted me? I’m a Tracker, born and bred. Trackers have connections, and I’ve been around long enough to make a lot of ’em.”

He kept her hand in his all the way down to the lobby, which she didn’t mind on so many levels. The building was straight out of a slasher movie when it was empty. Plus his hand was surprisingly soft. When she saw his sleek, silver Aston Martin convertible parked half on the sidewalk in front of the building, she shot him a glare.

“Don’t you worry about tickets?”

He had the nerve to wink at her. “Told you. Connections. I have ways to get rid of those.”

Her stomach lurched. Of course he’d have ways. Had she forgotten so quickly how indiscriminate he was with his methods, how he’d threatened an officer and then her? She didn’t want to get in the car with him, but what choice did she have? If he had trouble seeking an audience, she’d have no chance at all. At least she could appreciate the car.

“You don’t have a driver?”

“I do, a perk of working with Kade, but I’d rather be in control.”

She bit back a retort and worried over the case instead. “Why would someone risk taking the victim from Capitol Hill to Fremont?”

“My guess, it was a bigger risk to stay on the estate. Needed some place to work where he wouldn’t be interrupted.”

“Or
she
.” Alice never ruled out the capacity for evil in females.

He glanced at her. “Or she.” As his attention turned to the traffic, his face took on a dark cast. “Whatever the reason, the perp needed time.”

“For what, though? Revenge?”

“Maybe.” His tone was clipped. Her eyes narrowed, but he didn’t notice. Something was missing here. He was hiding information. Two could play that game. He kept talking, but she’d lost the inclination to help him out. “Have you gotten any labs back?”

“Maybe.”

His face jerked her way, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Are we being childish now?”

“
We
are being fair. If we must work together, we had better work quid pro quo.”