Bad Cop (Entangled Covet) (4 page)

He shifted in his seat. Nervous? More than likely, the shady bastard. “How would I know the killer’s motivation when you’re the one holding the evidence?”

“I don’t know. How would you?”

He scowled at her as they waited at a stoplight. “Frustrating wench.”

A spark of humor in his eyes tempered his expression, the tiny laugh lines around his mouth deepening irresistibly.
How ungodly handsome
. She fought a smile, her lips twitching at the corners. “Shady McGrady.”

“That’s McCready to you.” His answering smile wiggled the rest of the way past her ire. Why was it so damned hard to stay mad at him?

“Don’t hide things from me, Mr. McCready.”
Please, don’t hide them
.

After parking in front of the behemoth Ander called a home, he turned to her.

“It’s Ian. Even my father never went by McCready.” He brushed a lazy path along her cheek and tucked a stray lock of hair from her face. As much as her nerve endings begged her to lean into that touch, she pulled away. “And I promise, if I knew something, I would tell you.”

She wasn’t so sure of that, but there was no reason for her to withhold information. “There was candle wax surrounding the body and several different samples of blood we haven’t identified yet. I’m not sure we can. It’s all vampire blood, which is, as always, a complete mystery. No fibers identified.”

“Not much to go on.”

“No, it’s not, but it seems ritualistic, and there had to have been more than one person there. What kind of vampire ritual involves murder of a newly turned?”

He sat back, his jaw clenching sporadically. “I don’t know.”

Liar

He recognized what she’d described. Before she could confront him, he swung the door open and shot out of the car. She might have slammed the car door a little, not that he noticed. Following slightly behind Ian, she glared an imaginary hole in the middle of his broad shoulders. If it took holding him under UV lights in an interrogation cell, she was going to have answers from him. Tonight.

Chapter Six

Fucking hell. Ian was losing his damned mind. It wasn’t that Alice shared anything he hadn’t already observed from the crime scene. But fucking hell. He had reliable proof of a conscience now. It could stop gnawing his bones any time. The Infancy Killer was dead and gone. He’d made sure of it. There had to be a copycat. Or maybe the guy had disciples who were stepping into his shoes. But why wait so long to start up again? The Infancy case had closed nearly fifty years ago.

As they passed the meticulous hedges and headed toward the entry archway, he had no time to ponder the problem. Ander’s extravagant mansion lit up from every casement window. The electric bill had to be higher than most people made in a month. Red brick cladding and white trim covered the exterior of the Tudor-style structure right up to the steep roof and around the gabled bay. He’d take his humble rambler ranch house over this waste of perfectly good funds any day.

The door swung wide, and a short, thin subjugate with a prominent brow greeted them and led the way into the household. The human wasn’t only short in stature, but his attitude followed along the same lines. Ian couldn’t help comparing the subjugate to his own. His human servants were always friendly and respectful, and he expected no less, regardless how far away the prospect of their impending transformation. Perhaps it made a difference that Ian lived out in the boonies, surrounded by trees rather than brick and mortar and gas fumes. Then again, maybe anyone who had to serve Ander while they awaited transformation would share the same bad attitude affliction. Ander had always been a pompous, power-hungry ass.

Speaking of which, the ass was nowhere to be seen when they entered the den. Instead, another
Immortalis
Dominus
rose to welcome them, if you could call the vampire’s frown welcoming.

Ian spoke before the
Dominus
could. “Kenji. It’s been a while. Can’t say I missed you in the meantime.”

Kenji’s lip curled. “If I’d known Ezra was sending you, Tracker, I wouldn’t have hung around to waste my night.”

“No cussing in front of the lady. She hates the T-word.” He guided Alice closer to his side, admiring her somewhat bemused expression as he introduced her. “Kenji, this is Alice Capshaw, current Vice Director of the VLO. Alice, Kenji here is a
Dominus
adjuvant and apparently one of Ander’s roadies.”

The tall Asian vampire’s eyes flared brighter, but he held his tongue. Surprising. The guy had always been too hotheaded to seem like the Ancient he was. He hadn’t changed much over the years, his face still a little too long and a little too lean, but he had added a sparse goatee and an extra foot of hair. Apparently, he’d also taken to wearing designer suits. Last time he’d shown his face, he’d gotten a few mouthfuls of Ian’s fists.

He glanced toward Alice, but otherwise ignored her. Ian fought the urge to feed the guy more fist. It brought some satisfaction that Ian was a giant in comparison.

“I’ve been informed of your request,
Tracker
, but there is nothing to tell. The human was not my subjugate, but my assignment to transform. I did my adjuvant duty—turned the human, completed the aftercare, and left him in his quarters. By the end of the night, his door was lifted from the hinges, and he was missing. No witnesses on the estate to the occurrence. For all we know, he went rogue.”

“And you didn’t report it?” Alice asked, her frown matching Kenji’s. “He could have been deranged.”

Kenji did nothing more than pass his gaze over the top of her head, as if she weren’t even worthy of eye contact. “As I said, the aftercare was complete, and he was not my subjugate.”

Alice was about to blow a gasket. Not good. He nudged her with an elbow, and then the evil eyes were all for him. Dandy.

He cleared his throat and turned back to Kenji. “Any blood in his quarters?”

“None.” Kenji affected a mien of boredom.

“I want to see Ander’s transformation facilities.”

“He won’t allow it.”

“You have something to hide?” Ian asked.

“Not to hide, but to protect. Something called privacy. I doubt you’ve ever heard of it. You’ll have to get orders from the
Rex
to get into our facilities. Oh, right. There is no
Rex
.” Kenji’s slimy smirk begged readjustment. Ian took a small step forward, but Alice hooked her arm through his.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll be back then with that order.”

Ian gawped at her. “What? Are you fucking insa—”

“I think we’re done here, right?” The sparks shooting from her gorgeous crystal-gray eyes burned into him. Damn, she was sexy when mad. Now that she had his attention, he was gawping for a whole other reason.

“Right.” Probably a good thing they were leaving. His focus flew out the window the second his eyes met hers, and that strange pain hit him center-chest again. Without another word to Kenji, he strode from the room with Alice close behind. The pissy subjugate led the way back to the front door and closed it forcefully behind them.

Ian held the car door for Alice, but it sure as hell didn’t win him brownie points if her expression was an indication. He eyed the house, a plan hatching at the back of his mind as he walked slowly around the rear of the car. Not that he minded being cooped up in a little space with a wild tiger, one he wanted digging her nails into his back, but he was just too wired.

Alice lit into him the second he settled into his seat. “What were you going to do, assault him?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” he said. She was taking the horrified thing too far. The arrogant ass Kenji needed to be put in his place.

“You’re a cop, Ian. You enforce the law, not act like a hormonal Neanderthal. Take the high road. Ever heard of that?”

Heard of what? Shit, it was hard to think past his name on her lips. “Yeah. Gotcha. High road.”

She muttered something unintelligible under her breath, but he was sure it wasn’t flattering. He could now add
touchy
to the list of words to describe Alice Capshaw. Locking his eyes on her, he started the car. She was glaring out her side window, her folded arms enhancing the cleavage just visible in the V of her sweater. It was monumentally difficult to drag his eyes away, but it stood to reason she wasn’t in the mood to appreciate his attention on the cookie jar, much less his hands.

“Put your seat belt on.” She hadn’t even peeked at him.

“As if a car accident could kill me.” He paused. “Unless I got decapitated. Could lose a limb or two, I guess. Or bleed out or maybe have an aneurism and end up in a permanent coma.”

Her sharp gasp cut off his sarcastic diatribe. Fists clenching the arms of her sweater, she turned to him, a too-bright sheen in her eyes.

“Alice…”

“Please, Ian,” she whispered.

He slid the seat belt home without hesitation. “Alice, I’m sorry I’m such a dick. I get like that when people tell me what to do. Don’t mean to. It just comes out, and then I feel like crap.”

“Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Heck, yeah. Tells me I ought to be neutered.”

She ducked her head and her shoulders shook. Dammit. How many times was he going to upset her before this case was over? He reached for her, but she slapped his hand. She leaned back in her seat, fighting like hell against a grin. She fought her laugh so hard, she snorted a little, delicate snort.

“Now you’re laughing?” He tried to be annoyed, but after the pain escaping her guard a minute earlier, he couldn’t drum up enthusiasm for it. She glowed with a sun-like radiance when she let go like this. “You’re giggling like a teenager. Are you bipolar?”

“No, damn you. I hate you.” Her laughter calmed, and she took a few deep breaths. “Whew, stressed. I needed that.”

Ian eased the car away from the curb, making a right at the first intersection. It felt good, much too good, to draw a genuine laugh from her.
Melancholy
. That’s what he’d seen in her, a perpetual shadow in every expression, cloaking a bubbly personality underneath. “You hate me, huh?”

“Don’t feel bad. I hate everyone.”

“Emo.”

“Hick.”

He laughed as he took another right turn at the next intersection.

Alice bolted upright in her seat. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing? Investigating.”

“By driving in circles?”

“I’m looking for something. Should be right…” He ducked his head down to peer at the line of houses along the street. “Here.”

“What exactly is here?”

“You.” He leaped out of the car and jogged around to her window. “You’re here. Right here, not moving from this car.”

She grabbed his hand before he could make an escape. “Ian!”

“There’s no way in hell we’re going to get an order anytime soon to search Ander’s place. These bastards damn well know something about how that kid disappeared from his room, and I intend to find out what that something is. I bet the kid’s blood is in there.”

“No, Ian, don’t you dare. I really will hate you.” His hand slipped from hers, and she grabbed frantically after it. “No!”

Her vehement whispers faded into the background as he melted into the darkness, his senses on alert. The rear of Ander’s estate wasn’t guarded well, but neither was the front. In fact, it was kind of odd how easily they’d gotten in. There was no access gate. Anyone could pull up in front of the house. Ander had a sizeable backyard with a couple of outbuildings.

Ian deemed the larger a good bet to hold the transformation facility. It was a no-brainer, the only one big enough to accommodate such a facility. Most adjuvants would simply use a room in their house, but he’d already pegged Ander as the snooty type who wouldn’t want the infants in the same building.

The fence was wood, and in Seattle, or pretty much anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, wood fencing needed regular maintenance. Without it, the fence ended up with a bad case of rot. Lucky for Ian, Ander’s groundskeepers were as proficient as machete-wielding monkeys. He pulled two of the boards soundlessly from a shaded corner of the fence, giving him space large enough to slide through.

He crept to the nearest wall, the back of the structure. There were windows, but they were small, high, and covered by horizontal metal slats. Even at his height, he would need a leg up to get a peek at the lay of the land. Maybe the side would have better options.

A quick recon around the corner from the main house showed him he was alone and free to snoop. Bingo. The windows were larger and lower. He’d half expected to find the place empty, but instead got a good view of Ander and Kenji. The adjuvant had his back turned, but Ander appeared cheesed off enough to eat the head off him. Ian couldn’t make out more than their muffled voices.

“Are you crazy?”

Ian nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled on Alice. “What the fuck are you doing out here? I told you to stay in the car.”

“Why? So I can be an accomplice to breaking and entering?”

“Would you keep it down? You want to get caught?” He pulled her back toward the rear of the building.

“Maybe
you
should.” She nearly snarled at him.

“Now who’s crazy?” A beat later, his inner thoughts decided to purge themselves. “Holy fuck, you’re hot when you’re pissed off.”

“What?” Her eyes flew open wide. He only had a moment to wonder if she’d been flattered or offended. His little outburst cost them their invisibility. A shout came from the steps behind the main house and another from much too close around the front of the transformation facility. If Ander came after them, they’d be over. Just like that. There was no way in hell he could take on a
Dominus
of Ander’s caliber. Kenji wouldn’t be much easier.

He pushed Alice ahead of him toward the opening in the fence. She’d squeezed through with him close behind when gunshots hit the wood next to his face, sending shards like shrapnel into his skin. Then a cement truck hit him square in the back, stabbing him with a red-hot spike charged with lightning.
Goddamn
. The pain was so intense, he could do nothing more than grunt. The shots kept coming, and Alice screamed his name, her body crouched low to the ground and her arms covering her head. Like that would stop a bullet. If they hit her…

His car was too far away. Pushing the rest of the way through the fence, his mind went hazy with agony. He gripped both of Alice’s arms and lifted her to her feet, blocking her with his body. Another spike stabbed into his back, and then the world dimmed. He was as good as dead.

They would kill Alice. And it was his fault.