Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 82282 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82282 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Only after a good minute of no return fire, I started to get worried.
I was one single person in the fucking dark, and there could be who knows how many just lying in wait for me to make my move. Which I knew I had to do.
Flipping the flashlight on my gun, I poked my head around the door only to be met with a face full of shotgun.
A discarded shotgun, luckily.
Whomever had had it had dropped it on a table just inside the door and took off.
I heard scuffling noises coming from the back room, but held my position. Some sixth sense told me they were going around the house, so I gave an order for Radar to stay, and Kosher to go. When Kosher went, Radar and I went into the house.
I knew immediately that something was dead in the house, and had been for quite some time.
Snarling from outside the house had me tensing, but I cleared the rest of the rooms, glad to find every one of them empty of any furniture for any suspects to hide under or behind.
When I finally came into the kitchen, the concentrated smell of rot seemed to permeate the room, but what had my attention was the growling snarling barks coming from Kosher.
I found him on the side of the house, in between the backyard and the front.
“Kosher. Heel.”
Kosher sat, even though he hadn’t been touching the suspect even a little bit. Only barking and snarling to get the suspect to stay put and not move.
What surprised me was the size of the suspect.
Oh, and that the suspect was a little fuckin’ kid.
“Hands up where I can see them.” I said authoritatively.
The young girl whimpered and raised her hands until they were stretched out above the grass above her.
Dropping down to one knee in the grass, I cuffed her hands behind her back and urged her to her feet, walking her beside the house and out into the front yard to find three police cruisers and one unmarked, Loki, running up the front walk with their weapons drawn.
“House is clear.” I called out.
All the guns went into my direction until I called out, “It’s me, Trance.”
Relieved sighs came from the four men as I came out further, both of the dogs flanking me.
“What happened?” Officer Torsos asked.
Officer Torsos was in our gang division and worked with the neighborhood kids to reduce crime. He’d been on the force for nearly twenty years now, and he had a way with kids. Which would come in handy right about now.
“I don’t know yet, other than this little shit right here shot at me through the door instead of just introducing herself nicely.” I growled.
One of the other officers pulled a light kit out of the back of his cruiser and set it up while I sat the young girl on the hood of my car.
“Why’d you shoot?” I asked bluntly.
“You said you were the police.” She said simply.
My eyes raised skyward, and I willed calmness into my body as I tried not to explode at the obviously frightened young girl.
“Why are you in an abandoned house?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“Jesus Christ.” I snapped.
“How about you go for a walk. I’ll ask her some more questions.” Officer Torsos offered.
An offer that I took him up on to go back into the house, Loki following at my heels.
“This is like deja-fucking-vu.” Loki supplied helpfully.
“Don’t I fucking know it?” I concurred.
“Something dead inside.” Loki said as soon as we crossed the threshold into the house.
Turning my radio back on, I contacted dispatch. “Dispatch, this is unit 5-2. Can you contact the electric company and have them turn the grid on for this house?”
“10-4.” The dispatcher acknowledged.
“That should be a good hour.” Loki laughed humorlessly.
I silently agreed. It would be a while.
Turns out, it was one long fucking night.
“So while we have the free time, how about you tell me about Paul Russo and what you were able to get on him.” I demanded, turning my attention to him.
Loki sat down on his squad car and stared up at the sky.
“Not much, to be honest. He claims the whole thing was consensual. He said they had them when he was still with her. Has one hell of a lawyer and a shit load of money, too. We have to get a statement from Viddy within the next couple of days. She’ll have to file a report from her end before we can officially charge him.”
“Fuck,” I exhaled.
I really didn’t want her to know he had a camera on her. She’d feel violated and dirty, and she was anything but.
“The guy’s a real piece of work. He needs to go down just on the principle of the matter. If he were to be anyone else, he’d have done some time for breaking and entering. His daddy’s a hotshot criminal attorney. Mom’s a psychiatrist. Their son has been beyond spoiled.”
“Well, his luck is about to run the fuck out.” I promised.
***
Viddy
I woke when a warm body slid into my bed behind me.
I didn’t jump, though.
I knew exactly who it was. Trance.
I’d know the smell of him anywhere.
“You’re late.” I mused tiredly.
“Long shift.” He agreed.
“Glad you’re home.”
“Me too, cupcake. Me too.”
Chapter 10
Never fuck with a woman whose aim is better than her temper.
-Tips on living in the South
Viddy
I’d flipped the coffee pot on, and just started scanning the newspaper when a heading in bold on the front page caught my eye.
‘BPD K-9 Officer finds missing teen unharmed
I scanned the article, and started reading about the young girl who’d been missing for nearly a week, shooting at an officer. My officer.
I started to shiver.
According to the article, Trance had responded to prank calls coming from a residence. When he’d knocked on the door, the young girl, terrified of the man who’d killed her mother, shot through the door at Trance.
Luckily, Trance had been uninjured.
Luckily.
What the fuck? Wouldn’t that be something you’d tell your...the girl you stayed the night with? Were fucking?
At least, I would think Trance would want to know if it happened to me.