Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Spoiled Dogs, Sleeping Belly Up - Warlord Colossus
The man attacking me just stops. His whole body locks up, still gripping me but not hurting me.
I shove back, reaching for my gun. It feels like it takes forever to yank out of my hip holster. I watch him as my arm comes into my view in agonizing slowness. Then it’s out and pointing at the huge man in front of me. I pant, “S-s-silent Hol-l-l-low P-p-olice.”
The man in front of me freezes. He’s huge and covered in tattoos, with a handsome face that most definitely does not scream killer. There’s another man here too, equally as handsome but with darker hair. And fuck, I recognize him. It’s Ronan Carter. The main suspect in our murder case.
“Get on the ground!” My voice is loud. Panicked, even. It echoes in the bathroom. “Back up!”
The man in front of me looks like he’s seen a ghost. Ronan is just looking at me with a thousand-yard stare that makes the hair on the ends of my arms stand up. He looks like he just killed someone. Like he’d do it again.
“Back up!” I scream again, and the man directly in front of me takes a small step back. I have to check the guy on the floor. Give him CPR. Help him.
“Get on the floor,” I demand, checking the body for a pulse while watching the others. Fuck, there’s no pulse. I try again. I can’t do CPR with one hand. And I have no way to secure the two of them. The blood rushes in my ears.
It takes me a second to realize that someone is laughing. I check the man under me, then look up. Ronan is leaning against the counter, laughing mostly to himself. The smile doesn’t reach his eyes though, and it widens when he sees me looking at him.
“You can’t shoot us.”
“Get on the g-g-ground!” My heart is racing so fast my chest hurts. How do I call for help? I need to call for help.
Ronan just shrugs. “We just found him like this. Not that I can blame whoever did it. This guy protects pedos.”
My hand is shaking, and I back up, getting to my feet and holding my gun with both hands. He knows just what to say. He was a cop. He knows.
“Get on the fucking ground.” Why won’t they listen to me? The one man still looks stricken, and Ronan? The look he’s giving me makes another chill race across my arms.
“You think you’re doing good? Being a cop?” Ronan grins at me. “Think you’re saving the world ?” He laughs again, and once again, his eyes seem so far off it’s like his body is working on autopilot.
I grind my teeth. I protect people. It’s what I do.
“These are the only ones you’re protecting.” Ronan motions at the ground. “You okay with protecting pedos?”
That triggers something deep in me. That’s not what I’m doing. Not at all.
“Get on the ground.” For some reason, this command comes out less potent. I know they aren’t going to listen. And then I’ll have to shoot them. But I can’t shoot them.
“You know, I used to be a cop too.” Ronan narrows his eyes. “So I’ll give you this one favor–” His voice drops, and I wait, pointing my gun at him; the bathroom is suddenly silent as I’m wrapped up in his hazel gaze. So many words pass back and forth without being spoken. He knows I could kill him right now. He also knows I can’t kill him right now. I can only kill people who are an immediate threat to those around them or to myself, and neither man is actively trying to hurt me. And I’m pretty sure the man on the floor is dead. I know they killed him, but I didn’t watch them kill him. I can’t kill either of them, or I’ll be tried for murder myself. I’m not in the role of judge. I’m just his lackey collecting the criminals.
I know Ronan knows this because I see it in his eyes. He’s been a cop before.
Suddenly, Ronan’s gaze softens. He looks at me for a long moment, and that distant stare is gone. It’s like I’m seeing the real him.
Then, Ronan’s gaze hardens again. “We’re leaving.”
I barely register this before Ronan leans down and grabs the body.
No. No, they can’t leave. “Get down!”
Ronan doesn’t listen to me. The other man gives my gun a wary look and steps in front of it so I can’t aim at Ronan.
“S-s-s,” my word is stuck in my mouth. It won’t come out. I can’t get it to come out . “S-s-stop.” My heart is racing so hard, and it’s like I’m paralyzed. I don’t know what to do. Do I shoot them? In the back as they leave? Can I shoot them?
Ronan looks back at me. “If you say anything, Logan will dig up every bit of dirt on you he can find. Personnel file, complaints, dropped cases, speeding tickets, everything .” He gives me a sad smile. “And if there isn’t anything, he’ll put something there. And then we’ll tell the world what a backwards, fucked up cop you are. How you’re just like the rest of the force: corrupt.” He gives a sad shake of the head. “It doesn’t matter if it’s true. It matters what the people believe. Just another cop on the Apex payroll. Who can trust a cop? Not the public.”
“I’m not–”
“We’ll be back.”
“S-s-s-” I try to issue the command, but it doesn’t come. I’m stuck, my body paralyzed while my brain screams stop, stop, stop .
So, instead of saying something, I make a split-second decision. I jump on Logan, intending to rip him to the ground and restrain him.
There’s a split second where I’m on Logan, then we’re hurtling to the floor. I hit the tile with a thump, pain cracking through my body. Then Logan’s big body is on top of me. I see him swinging toward my face, but I don’t have time to react. There’s a crack and then darkness.