Page 55 of The Huntress
“I wouldn’t know.” She grinned, unrepentant. “What? You couldn’t wait for me to get home?”
“Home,” he whispered, awed at how much emotion that one word invoked within him. He stole another kiss from her. “I had no intention of having you here, against this wall, in this filthy place. Things got out of control,” he said before stepping away from her and lowering the shroud.
“What the hell?” Barrows growled in surprise.
Gabe nodded in greeting, acknowledging that their sudden appearance had startled the man. “Keeping her safe, even when she’s on duty.”
“I wasn’t in any danger,” Callie said in passing.
“My heart demands I protect you,” he said as he faded into the shadows, merging his form with the darkness. “I’ll collect you in two hours. She’s yours to guard until then, Barrows.”
Gabe levitated off, knowing he’d stunned her partner again with his ability to manipulate air. Flying was a standard vampire gift, one easy to master. She would learn to do so after her conversion. By now, she should be enjoying a few enhancements—sight, strength, scent, speed. Why hadn’t she mentioned them to him yet?
Hovering meters above her, he hesitated, unable to leave her, not until she was a full vamp. She endured Barrows’s chastisements with gracious ease. He loved that about her, the way she brought humor to every situation. Not that she couldn’t be serious when called for.
“Dispatch, we’ve got a few dead criminals. Want to send over the coroner?” She spoke into her smartwatch.
“Again, Devereaux?”
“Yup. These bastards have a death wish. They keep posing in front of my gun. What’s a girl to do?” She chuckled before rattling off the address.
“On duty?” Barrows muttered again as soon as she ended the call.
“Yup, the best ever. Hadn’t planned it though.”
“On duty,” her partner grumbled.
“When did you get so old, Mike? Rumor has it you’ve bent an officer or two over the water cooler.”
“Lies.” He grinned. “Under the circumstance, I have the right to complain. I didn’t see a thing.”
“There’s the problem, you old pervert.”
“It would’ve made for a good beer story.” Barrows shrugged. “I have to live through your sexual exploits, partner.”
“That’s anew,and you know it.” She chuckled as she retrieved the discarded crate.
She carried it back to her police vehicle and stored it in the trunk, strapping it down for safety reasons, Gabe assumed. He couldn’t pick up ticking, but then again, bombs were more sophisticated now. A sniff revealed no chemical compounds inside.
“Why aren’t you chasing after Anna McCarthy in payroll? She’s been throwing you those come-get-it looks for ages.”
“Anna is a good woman. She deserves a better man than me.”
“That’s bullshit. Stop making excuses, Mike, go get the gal.”
“I’ve my hands full with your sassy ass,” he said as he squeezed into the driver’s seat.
“Still making excuses.” Callie climbed in on the passenger side.
They sat in the car in silence and waited for the coroner. As soon as the ambulance pulled up, she jumped out of the car and strode toward the driver. “I got two perps gunned down by my own hands, boys. They left a box behind. I’ll have the squad test it first before I send the contents to the lab. I doubt it’s an incendiary device the way the perps were shaking it.”
“Roger that, Devereaux.”
“Need me to stick around?” she asked the coroner as she leaped aside to let them scurry past her.
“Nope. Send your report over when you’re done. I’ll add my findings to yours. Oh, and Devereaux, no more shooting tonight. I have a breakfast date with the missus.”
“Roger that, Doc.”
