“I just like to keep to myself.”
He looked down at the steering wheel, running his hand around the circumference. “That's a damn shame. Because you're terrific. You really are.” He cleared his throat as if he'd made himself feel uncomfortable.
Sheepish. Good lord, Hard-ass was actually sheepish.
On impulse, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You're pretty fantastic yourself.”
“Yeah. I know.” He shot her his trademark mocking grin. “Now get your butt inside that building. It's late.”
Butch watched as Beth crossed in front of his headlights, her hair flowing over her shoulders.
She was the real deal, he thought. A genuinely good woman.
And man, she knew exactly what his drill was. That look of sadness in her eyes just now meant she saw the early grave that was waiting for him.
So it was just as well there was no chemistry for her. Otherwise he might try to talk her into falling in love with him just so he didn't go to hell all by his lonesome.
He put the car in gear, but kept his foot on the brake as she went up the steps to the front lobby. She had her hand on the door and was shooting him a wave when something moved in the shadows beside the building.
He flipped the engine back into park.
There was a man dressed in black heading around to the rear.
Butch got out of the car and jogged silently across the side lawn.
Black Dagger Brotherhood 1 - Dark Lover
Chapter Fourteen
Wrath's sole focus was getting to Beth. So it wasn't until he was halfway across the courtyard that he heard the human behind him.
“Police! Halt!”
And then there was that all-too-familiar sound of a gun being cocked at him.
“Let me see your hands!”
Wrath caught the man's scent and smiled. Lust had been replaced with aggression, and the fighting urge was as strong as the sexual one had been. The guy was full of juice tonight.
“I said, halt and hands!”
Wrath stopped and reached into his jacket for one of the stars. Cop or not, he was going to drop the human, put a nice little slice through his artery.
But then Beth threw open the slider.
He smelled her instantly, and wouldn't you know it, he got a hard-on.
“Hands!”
“What's going on?” Beth demanded.
“Get back in the house,” the human barked. “Hands, asshole! Or I'll put a window in the back of your skull.”
By this time the cop was no more than ten feet away and closing fast. Wrath lifted his palms. He wasn't about to kill in front of Beth. Besides, that gun was going to be at point-blank range in another three seconds. And not even he could survive a hit that tight.
“O'Neal—”
“Beth, get the fuck out of here!”
A heavy hand clamped down on Wrath's shoulder. He let the cop push him against the building.
“You want to tell me what you're doing waltzing around this place?” the human ordered.
“Out for a walk,” Wrath said. “And you?”
The cop grabbed one and then the other of Wrath's arms and pulled them back. The cuffs went on quickly. The guy was an old pro with the metal.
Wrath looked over at Beth. From what he could tell, she had her arms linked tightly across her chest. Fear thickened the air around her, turning it into a blanket that covered her from head to foot.
Isn't this going well , he thought. She was scared to death of him again.
“Do not look at her,” the cop said, pushing Wrath's face toward the wall. “What's your name?”
“Wrath,” Beth answered. “He told me it was Wrath.”
The human actually snarled at her. “Do you have a hearing problem, sweetheart? Get out of here.”
“I want to know who he is, too.”
“I'll phone in a fucking report tomorrow morning, how's that?”
Wrath growled. He couldn't deny that getting her inside was a damn good idea. But he did not appreciate the way the cop was talking to her.
The human reached inside Wrath's jacket and started pulling out weapons. Three throwing stars, a switchblade, a handgun, a length of chain.
“Jesus Christ,” the cop muttered as he dropped the steel links on the ground with the rest of the load. “You got some ID? Or wasn't there enough room in here for a wallet, considering you're carrying about thirty pounds of concealed weapons?”
When the cop found a thick wad of cash, he cursed again. “Am I going to find drugs, too, or have you sold out for tonight?”
Wrath allowed himself to be spun around and slammed back against the bricks. While his