Brotherhood 1 - Dark Lover
Chapter Fifteen
Butch picked up his handset and asked Dispatch to get someone over to the courtyard immediately to pick up the weapons and cash that were under his coat. As he drove, he kept one eye on the road and the other in the rearview mirror. The suspect stared back, a slight smile on his evil-looking face.
Jesus, the guy was huge. He took up most of the backseat, his head bent at an angle so it didn't smack the roof as they sped over potholes.
Butch couldn't wait to get him out of the damn car.
Less than five minutes later, he pulled off Trade Street and into the parking lot of the station, driving up as close to the back entrance as possible. He got out and opened the rear door.
“Let's play nice, shall we?” he said as he grabbed the guy's arm.
The man rose to his feet. Butch gave him a yank.
But the suspect stepped backward, away from the station.
“Wrong way.” Butch threw his anchor out, digging his heels into the pavement and pulling hard.
The suspect was inexorable. He just kept backing up, dragging Butch along with him.
“You think I won't shoot you?” Butch demanded as he reached for his gun.
And then it was all over.
Butch had never seen anyone move that fast. One second the guy had his arms behind his back; the next, the handcuffs were on the ground.
And with total economy of movement, Butch was disarmed, put in a blistering choke hold, and hauled into the shadows.
The darkness swallowed them. As Butch fought back, he realized he was in the thin alley between the station and the office building next door. It was only about five feet wide, but some sixty feet long. And it was unlit. With no windows.
When Butch was spun around and slammed into the bricks, what little breath he'd been able to steal got kicked out of his lungs in a rush. Inconceivably, he was lifted off the ground, the man holding him by the neck with only one hand.
“You should have stayed out of it, Officer,” the man said in a deep, accented growl. “You should have gone along on your way and let her come to me.”
Butch clawed at the iron hold. The massive hand locked around his throat was squeezing the life right out of him. He gagged, desperate for air. His vision went checkerboard, consciousness slipping out of his grasp.
He knew without a doubt that there'd be no walking away from this one. He was going to be carried out of the alley inside of a bag. Just like the man had promised.
A minute later he stopped resisting altogether, his arms dropping and hanging loose. He wanted to fight. He had the will to fight. But no longer the strength.
And as for death? He was okay with it. He was going to die in the line of duty, albeit like an idiot, because he hadn't asked for backup. Still, it was better and quicker than ending up in a hospital bed with some nasty, slow growing disease. And more honorable than shooting himself. Which was something Butch had contemplated once or twice before.
With his last lick of life, he forced his eyes to focus on the man's face. The expression staring back at him was one of total control.
The guy's done this before , Butch thought. And he's very comfortable with murder.
God, Beth.
What the hell would a man like this do to Beth?
Wrath felt the cop's body go limp. He was still alive, but barely.
The human's total lack of fear was remarkable. The cop had been pissed to get jumped, and he'd fought back admirably, but he'd never been scared. And now that the Fade was upon him, he was resigned to his death. Maybe almost relieved by it.
Damn . Wrath could imagine feeling the same way.
And it was a shame to kill someone who was able to die as a warrior would. Without fear or hesitation. Such males were few and far between, be they vampires or humans.
The cop's mouth started moving. He was trying to speak. Wrath leaned down.
“Don't… hurt… her.”
Wrath found himself answering, “I'm here to save her.”
“No!” A voice rang out down the alley.
Wrath turned his head. Beth was running toward them.
“Let him go!”
He loosened his grip on the cop's throat. He wasn't going to kill the guy in front of her. He needed her to trust him more than he wanted to help the cop meet his maker.
As Beth skidded