Seventh Seal - Jacquelyn Faye Page 0,55

I was responsible for his actions. I needed to make it right if I was ever going to get rid of the guilt. It even came before a shower. Which was saying a lot since my hair was caked with blood. "Stop by the station a minute. I want to check on Chief."

"He wanted to be there when you got out, but he had to haul that dick down to the jail."

"I know. I'm not mad!" I laughed and held up my hands defensively. "I want to know what he's going to do to Materos."

"Charge him for attempted murder?"

"He can't. Then he'd have to explain me walking around. The new DA is a thousand times better than the last one, but still. No."

"Well, he can't let him go. The fucker shot you, Dot. He deserves??

"To die? No. I'm going to talk to him. I'll figure something out."

"You're going to scare him?"

"He's already afraid. I think that's what's driving him insane. And making him go to such great lengths to make our lives miserable."

"Then there's nothing left."

"There's always other options, Jimmy. Pull over."

He sighed and parked by the bookstore. "Want us to go with you?"

"No." I softened my response with a smile and a kiss.

"I get one of those, too. Right?" Dennis' head appeared between he seats.

He was just too damn cute. "Of course. Even bigger than the one I gave Jimmy." I put my hand on his cheek and held him steady while I locked my lips to his.

"Hey! How come he gets a bigger kiss?"

"He didn't try and stop me from talking to Materos." I stuck my tongue out at him and slipped out of the truck.

I opened the station door and Marcus turned around from the copy machine and dropped the stack of paper in his hands. "Holy fuck."

"What'sa matter, Marcus?"

"What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?"

"A mere flesh wound. Bullet grazed me," I lied with a grin. "Chief in?"

"The back," he answered and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. Marcus could only stare at me with his mouth hanging open. As I reached for the knob, he finally found his words. "Glad you're okay."

"You and me both." I smiled and pulled the door open.

Chief was sitting at his desk, head in his hands, when I finally made it to his office. When he heard me, he looked up and sighed. "Thank the Lady."

"Missed you, too."

He got up, walked around the desk, and threw his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. The non-bloody side. "Thank the goddess for your vampiric healing??

I let it go at that. "You keep thanking her like that and she might show up," I chided softly.

"Why are you here?" He pulled back and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Came to talk to Materos."

"No. No way in hell."

"I'm not going to hurt him, jackass."

"That's not what I'm afraid of. If you wanted him dead, Yuki wouldn't have stopped us," he answered thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just think she knew how you felt and was acting as you while you were??ut."

"Probably. So, can I see him?"

He wanted to say no. I could feel it. I could see it on his face. But he didn't. "Fine. But not alone."

"Of course not." I motioned toward the holding area.

Chief grabbed his ginormous ring of keys off his desk and led the way. Unable to stop myself, I frowned at the all too familiar setting and my butt puckered at my memory of the last time I was in there. When he moved out of the way, the look on Materos' face was pure terror as he finally let his eyes focus on me.

"No. No no no no nooooooooo. You can't be!"

"Alive? Sorry to disappoint you. Though, you shouldn't be. I just saved you from a lifetime of orange jumpsuits and an eternally sore anus." I grinned at him through the bars. "Why'd you shoot me, Materos?"

"Because you are the spawn of Satan!"

I sighed and shook my head. He was loony tunes. You could see it in his eyes. Getting attacked by vampires and shooting me had been the last straw. He was gone and there was no reasoning with him whatsoever. "Let him out, Chief."

"What?"

"Look at him. He's literally insane." I motioned toward his cell.

"Well, I can't let him go! He shot you!"

"And what are you going to tell the DA? That he missed? You know this can't go to court."

Apparently Chief hadn't been thinking about it at all. I saw the little lightbulb go off in