Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton and the Berkley
Publishing Group do not authorize this author. All characters that you
recognize belong to Laurell K. Hamilton except for the ones created by the
people in this group. This is solely for entertainment purposes.
Rating: MAJOR NC-17 HERE, SORRY!!!! >__<
Author’s Note: I would like to take this time to thank my beta for being so patient with me. Also without whom I would be lost and nothing would ever get done. Thanks also need to go to my cheering section that wouldn’t let me give up on this story even if that had been my inclination. You guys are the best! Now without further ado on with the show….
It was hot, so hot. I could feel the sweat trickling down between my shoulder blades. Tossing and turning I wondered if I’d remembered to turn the air conditioner on. I flipped the covers off of me and immediately felt better as the cool air was finally able to reach my bare skin.
Bare skin! That thought brought me to full wakefulness. My eyes popped open. I cast an apprehensive glance over my shoulder, and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, as Jamil continued to sleep. Or at least he appeared to be sleeping. I crawled slowly and carefully to the edge of the bed.
I sat there trying to figure out how I’d ended up without any clothes. I remembered changing in the bathroom before coming to bed. Casting another glance over at the still sleeping figure that looked suspiciously like he was posing, his hair was trailing down the right side of his body. His left arm was propped behind his head, while his right hand was curled slightly, low against his abdomen. I watched him a moment longer before forcing my gaze to something, anything, else in the room.
I caught my own reflection in the mirror. My eyes were wide. There was a faint blush on my cheeks. My breathing was a little too rapid to be anything other than embarrassed shock. Why should I be nervous, I kept asking myself. Because there is a naked man in your bed, my brain screamed.
This was true but I’d been in bed with other naked men. Why was this so different? Because you hardly know him, my brain screamed again. I dropped my gaze from the mirror and stared at my toes while I tried to get my breathing, and the rest of me, under control. It had been a long time since I’d been with anyone. After I’d broken up with Diego I’d been single for a while, a long while. Not wanting to think about that because it hurt too much, I tried to blank out everything but my feet on the pale beige carpeting. The longer I stared at my toes the more I saw about them. They were in dire need of a pedicure. The paint on them was chipped. In some places large amounts of polish was missing. It’s funny what your mind will do to help distract you.
The sound of rustling sheets snapped my gaze back to the mirror. Jamil had rolled to his side his right arm searching the bed where I should have been and wasn’t. It didn’t take long for him to come awake. It was like one minute he was sleeping, the next he was alert and aware. His eyes met mine in the mirror and he smiled.
I wanted to be savvy, sophisticated, and be able to return the smile. I tried. It didn’t work though it was more like a bearing of teeth. I couldn’t help the blush that was slowly working its way up my neck and face. Jamil’s chuckle didn’t lessen my embarrassment. It intensified it. I was in danger of burning a hole in the very spot I was sitting.
“And I thought I was going to be the one that was awkward this morning,” his deep voice sounded loud in the small room.
Trying to put into words what I felt was hard. I didn’t want to come off as sounding like some naïve schoolgirl, but some things never change no matter how much we want them to. I watched myself in the mirror a moment before I shifted my eyes to his. “It’s just that I don’t understand how I ended up naked. I remember putting on my pj’s and yet,” I waved my hand at my reflection as I let the statement fall off.
His dark brown eyes were serious and concerned. “How much do you know about being what you are?”
Shrugging my shoulders I said, “Just what I’ve read.”
He looked surprised. “I didn’t know they taught that in the academy.”
Too late I realized my mistake. I hadn’t been talking about my officer’s training. Then I felt my brow wrinkle as a thought occurred to me. “How did you know I was a cop? I didn’t tell you, and I seriously doubt that Anita would volunteer that kind of information.”
He shrugged one graceful shoulder. “I have my sources.”
Arching an eyebrow at him I crossed my arms over my chest. “Wanna share them with me?”
Jamil flashed me a brilliant smile and folded his hands on the bed, “No, can’t say that I do.”
The warning growl erupted from my throat as I turned to look at him properly. I was getting angry and I couldn’t have said why. He hadn’t done anything and yet I felt this overwhelming hatred. It wasn’t like me at all. I do not hate anything. Dislike yes, but hardly ever do I use such a strong word like hate. In that moment, I hated him.
His expression and demeanor never changed and yet it changed dramatically. His face was the contrast. His expression was still the same. It was the look in his dark eyes however that let you know there was a point and he was going to make it. “Now getting angry isn’t going to help anything, especially not this close to a full moon. The angrier you get the easier it’s going to be to lose your grip on your humanity and shift.”
I snorted but couldn’t seem to get a handle on this unreasonable anger. My voice was still mine and yet it was a touch deeper with an undeniable growl to it. “Tell me something I don’t know Sköll, like how to stop it.”
Nonchalantly he flipped back the covers and it surprised me to see he was still wearing the pajama bottoms I’d given him last night. He raised his hands like he was going to caress my skin and yet he never touched me. Although to say that he didn’t touch me wasn’t right either. It was similar to when you’d shut off a television and you could hold your hand up to feel the static electricity. Now imagine that kind of feeling dancing over your skin. It was unnerving as hell and at the same time a very pleasurable experience.
He drew his hands back slowly and gave me a long calculating look. The silence stretched between us and my anger grew in direction proportion to his silence. When my patience was at its breaking point he finally spoke. “Very strange,” his voice was soft as if he was speaking more to himself then to me. “Unusual to find any kind of power in one so new. Yet there is no denying it.”
My upper lip was curled into a sneer. That was real helpful. Why didn’t he read tea leaves while he was at it? Could he be any more vague? The more I questioned myself the more my rage built. I could feel my skin begin to tingle almost as if it was really dry. It felt too tight. I curled my hands into fists as the first tremors of something much larger, much more destructive, began to take shape.
Jamil’s head snapped up and he met my eyes. His lips moved but if there were words I never heard them. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my veins, with the steady rhythm of my heart acting as a base beat. The room brightened dramatically, and the colors intensified. I could see everything with unbelievable clarity. It was then I knew I was in trouble. I’d worked myself up into a fine rage and that had opened the door for the beast that lived inside me to take control.
Not knowing what to do only increased my anger and fed the rapidly approaching change. Jamil’s hand on my cheek shocked and soothed me. His lips were moving but I still couldn’t understand a thing. There was a strange expression on his face. I didn’t have the time or inclination to decipher it. Something needed to happen and happen now if I was going to avoid shifting right here on my bed.
His lips brushed across mine. The play of energy danced across my skin raising goose bumps and making things low in my body clench with need. No! I would not do this. There had to be another way. He ran his hands down my arms then turned them to lightly rake my skin with his nails. I gasped. I couldn’t help it. The body does have its needs and Jamil was appealing to every one of them right now.
Even as much as my body craved it my mind was fighting it. The more I fought the stronger the spasms got. Roughly he grabbed a hand full of my hair and forced my head back. He stared down at me for so long that I thought he too was having second thoughts about this plan of action.
His mouth came down hard on mine. This wasn’t a gentle tentative kiss given to a first time lover. It was hot and demanding, a purely dominating kiss. His tongue invaded my mouth questing and conquering. No matter what the mind said the body was clearly enjoying this. Using my hair he pulled me up the length of his body. The sensation of silk gliding along my body followed by the almost feverish feel of Jamil’s skin was indescribable.
I groaned into his mouth and he swallowed it. His fingers that had been splayed dug into my back. Of their own volition my arms wrapped around his neck my fingers playing lightly over his scalp. His hands traveled down my body before seizing my thighs and pulling me roughly against him. The feel of him hard and ready pressed against me was almost my undoing. Rocking against him only teased and enflamed us.
We rolled over on the bed without ever breaking the kiss. I ended up flat on my back with him wedged firmly between my thighs. He pulled back reluctantly and stared down at me. Leaning up I tried to recapture his mouth but he stayed out of reach. He flashed me a purely masculine smile before slowly lowering his head.
I whimpered before I could stop myself. He nibbled at my lower lip. This time when his tongue slid over my bottom lip I opened to him without hesitation. It never even occurred to me to protest. My entire being was on fire. Everywhere he touched sent shockwaves of pleasure straight to the heart of me.
Writhing against him only served to further excite me. He kissed, nipped, and licked his way to my neck. His tongue caressed the shell of my ear. His breath feathered across the sensitive skin of my throat. He nosed the pulse point on my neck causing my body to tighten even more. I bit my lip to keep from mewling. The feel of his tongue sweeping over that particular spot was more than I could bear. My teeth grazed his shoulder taking playful nips of his skin.
There was a cocoon of energy surrounding us. I could actually see the colors of our auras and I had a brief moment when I wonder if Jamil could see it as well. My attention was distracted as the colors began to take shape. His aura, for lack of a better word, formed the rough shape of a wolf in a beautiful orangey-gold. A simple turn of my head and I was able to see my own aura. I stared transfixed by the sight before my eyes. My aura was in the basic shape of a large cat, but that’s not what caused the frisson of fear to chase down my spine. What disturbed me was the fact that it was a dark blue almost black. I didn’t know much about metaphysical stuff but that couldn’t be good. Neither could the fact that it looked as if my aura was going to take a chunk out of Jamil’s.
Panicking I shoved him away from me and scrambled off the bed. I hit the floor hard and continued to backpedal. I couldn’t do this. I just couldn’t! My progress was halted when I’d back myself into the corner between my dresser and the wall. I held my hands out in front of me as if to ward him off. The smell of my fear was choking.
When he turned those amber colored eyes on me I knew that there was nobody home I could reason with. First I’d been afraid of shifting in my own home. Now I was in danger of being eaten in it. I didn’t want to die, not like this. If I had to die let it be in the line of duty protecting those who couldn’t defend themselves.
It was then I noticed that I was no longer trying to fight a losing battle. In the rising tide of fear my beast had been pushed back. I don’t mean that I was out of the woods yet. I could still feel it lurking under the surface waiting for another chance. How many more days did I have until my first shift? One? Two? It’s hard to remember especially when the days seem to blur together.
A growl from the bed reminded me this was not over yet. I remained perfectly still and tried to think of nothing. Hoping that if I could get him to calm down then we could still walk away from this none the worse for wear. He flowed off the bed in a cloud of his own otherworldly power. It lent him a curious air of danger and sexuality. The kind of thing most women wish for but seldom get. I was no different. He had my undivided attention.
Any other man who was crawling on his hands and knees would have looked ridiculous or dumb or both. Jamil was neither. He was sex personified. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes praying for strength I didn’t feel. I could feel the heat from his body and knew that he wasn’t more than a couple of feet from me. Cautiously I opened my eyes. He seemed to be thinking about how to best extract me from my hidey-hole. Then without reason he sat back on his haunches and just stared at me. I didn’t know what to make of that.
My eyes slid to the left. The bedroom door was at the end of the dresser about three feet. The logical part of me knew there was no way I could reach the door before he caught me. The frightened and panicked side said to try. Running would only excite him further, the logical side said in a last ditch attempt to make me stay where I was. He’s only two feet away from you; he will catch you, it screamed.
Inching out slowly to gauge his reaction, he never moved. Encouraged I moved another couple of inches. His entire body vibrated but still he didn’t make a move toward me. Again my eyes slid to the left towards the door. I came up into a crouch that ordinarily would have been uncomfortable but strangely wasn’t.
This time when my eyes moved to the door Jamil’s eyes followed. His head snapped around to pin me to the spot. His upper lip peeled back from his teeth and a low warning growl issued from his throat. I couldn’t help the responding growl that erupted from me.
I was starting to get angry again. That was not good; that was so not good! As if waiting for the opening my beast jumped at that chance to unleash its rage and fury upon the nearest target. My skin was on fire. It itched and tingled. It felt much too tight. My nostrils flared slightly. My lips pulled back from my teeth as my beast caught the scent of wolf in our territory!
It didn’t seem to matter that I’d asked him to stay, knowing what he was. All that mattered in that moment was that he was invading my turf. I, we, would not stand for such a thing. The usurper needed to know his place. With my beast this close to the surface I could see things that I’d have missed, like the fact that Jamil was waging his own battle. He was fighting desire and anger. I wouldn’t have said that anger had a scent but I couldn’t deny what my nose was telling me.
A low threatening growl came from my throat as I uncurled from my crouch. He mirrored me. I’d give him one last chance to back down and leave. If he didn’t I would not be held accountable for my actions. He planted his feet and snarled in response. Oh goodie, he was going to do this the hard way.
Before the first blow was ever landed this wall of pure energy hit me. It knocked the wind right out of me. I struggled to breathe as Jamil stalked over to where I stood in a sort of paralyzed state. If he thought he’d subdued me he was in for a rude awakening. I dipped my left shoulder, a sure sign that’s the direction a blow was coming from. When he moved to block that side I hit him with my right using everything I had. It was enough to knock him back and gain me some freedom to move.
Spinning to face him, I could feel the blood running through my veins. God this was such a rush, I thought. That’s when the first fine tremor began to wrack my body. Oh no! In the heat of the moment I’d forgotten what I was trying so hard not to do. My stomach twisted violently and there was a moment when I expected to see last night’s dinner make its reappearance. Thankfully it didn’t but that was the least of my worries.
My legs gave out and I crumpled to the floor; a pain unlike any other assaulted me. My spine bowed and a low cry of agony escaped my lips. Looking down at my hands where they clutched the carpeting I saw the skin ripple. I knew I was in deep shit. I prayed to whoever was listening, begging them not to let this happen now or ever. The pain was so intense that I was sure that I had to be dying.
Tears blurred my vision as I struggled to hang on to my humanity, my human form. Dimly I was aware of Jamil but it didn’t seem to matter. Nothing seemed to matter except the blinding misery that wracked my body. A burning line started at my lower back and moved steadily along my spine. It seemed to travel down my arms and cover the hands fisting the pale carpet.
I seemed to be stalled out somewhere between heaven and hell. The change was close enough that I should have felt the bones breaking and reknitting themselves while the rest of me sprouted fur. It seemed I was in a sort of limbo. Again I begged any deity listening to help me, to stop this torment. It seemed someone was listening.
Slowly I became aware of a warm cloud of energy enveloping me, chasing back the pain and agony of only moments ago. Blinking my eyes to clear the tears I raised my head and saw Jamil. He was a sight to behold. The red silk pajama bottoms set off his ebony skin to perfection. I didn’t need a mirror to know my eyes begged him to end the suffering.
He knelt in front of me pushing the hair from in front of my eyes. It was strange. Until he’d touched my hair I hadn’t even noticed it. His palm cupped my chin turning my eyes up to his. When he spoke his voice was soft and noncommittal, as if he didn’t care either way. “Choose Luna. This isn’t going to last long. You’re not lukoi.” He said it like I was supposed to know what he was talking about.
I stared at him blankly before I felt heat rushing to my face. Dimly I wondered if that’s why Anita had sent him over. Was she aware that something like this might happen? Either way I’m not sure it really mattered. I was not going to shift and spend at the very least eight hours as a leopard. Morality sometimes has to take a backseat to practicality.
Rolling my eyes back up to meet his I could feel the tears coming again. “Please,” I sobbed. “Help me.”
Jamil let out a shuddering breath. Slowly, cautiously, he moved toward me seemingly to gauge my reaction to his nearness. When I didn’t lash out at him he moved closer still. The heat from his body scalded my skin. I closed my eyes and bit my lower lip. He hadn’t even touched me and my body quivered with anticipation.
When his lips kissed the middle of my back and it was all I could do not to groan. His hands slid up my sides then he cupped my breast. The air hissed out of me. That one small touch was enough to make my body beg for more. I rocked back against him and was only partially surprised to find that he was nude as well.
His lips scorched a path up my back to my neck. His teeth nipped the pulse point causing me to moan and fist the carpeting even tighter. When Jamil moved between my legs the realization of what we were about to do made me panic anew. I couldn’t do this no matter what it would cost me. As soon as I started to move away he grabbed a handful of hair and used it to turn me to look at him.
His eyes were drowning deep and full of something indescribable. His gaze had a weight and power to it nothing like Jean-Claude’s but something damn close. Jamil’s smile held all sorts of wicked promises. His free hand raked the soft skin of my stomach causing fear and a strange sort of excitement to chase down my spine.
Using my hair he hauled me flush against him. The feel of skin on skin after so long was thrilling even if the circumstances weren’t desirable. He moved his hand slowly down my body pausing only slightly before he touched my core. I arched against his hand and laid my head back on his shoulder. His fingers teased me, bringing me almost to orgasm before backing off again.
This time when he opened my legs I didn’t try to get away. At that moment if he had been a drug he was my heroin. I couldn’t get enough of him. He slid his length along my opening and I cried out in impatience. Of their own volition my fingers dug into his thighs, urging him on.
He continued to tease me though. I was writhing and groaning, pleading with my body if not my voice to end this frustration. He bent us forward and my arms shot out to keep me from falling on my face. He finally released my hair and his hands trailed down my sides to firmly grasp my hips. That contact alone had me growling.
I moved against him begging that he end this. A sharp stinging blow to my overly sensitive posterior brought a gasp from me. I stilled instantly, or at least tried to. He drew back and I tried to follow but I was rewarded with another smack to my bottom. I yelped in surprise rather than pain.
Jamil positioned himself at my opening. The feel of him so tantalizingly close and yet so far away was too much. It was all I could do not to push back against him. We’d already established who was dominant and who was submissive. He moved with agonizing slowness. First just sawing into me with the head. It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.
My hands fisted the carpeting to keep from earning another whack to my rear. Jamil pulled back again and I thought that he was going to leave me like this. He lunged forward and fully sheathed himself inside me. I screamed in sheer ecstasy. He set a grueling rhythm that I met. I matched him stroke for stroke, and still I wanted more.
He leaned over my body, his arms just behind mine, his fingers covering and interlacing with mine. Our pace never slowed and there was this indescribable energy surrounding us, flowing through us. It was amazing, thrilling, and a tad bit frightening. The shining edge of climax was right before me, but suddenly I had this unreasonable fear. Again I thought I shouldn’t be doing this. This would bring on the change, my brain screamed frantically at me.
Jamil’s voice rasped in my ear, “It’s okay. I’ve got you, Luna.”
That was enough. I let go. I could feel my beast come to the surface, the room brightened dramatically. Sounds, smells, and feelings were enhanced to such a level that it was almost unbearable. I turned my head and feasted on Jamil’s mouth, tongue, and lips. Still it wasn’t enough.
Without meaning to I bit down hard on Jamil’s lip, drawing blood. The smell of it alone would have sent me into a frenzy, but the fact that he was still pounding inside me was too much. I bucked against him screaming my release. He wasn’t too far behind me. In the midst of my climax I could feel him stiffen. He grunted before he collapsed on top of me.
The added weight was too much for me. We fell to the floor relearning how to breathe. I don’t know how long we lay there still intertwined. To be honest I’m not sure I cared. It had been much too long since I’d been so thoroughly satisfied. I think I would have been content to stay that way for the remainder of the day.
However that was not to be. Jamil recovered first. He propped himself up on an elbow and stared down at me. The smug smile on his face was irritating but not enough to make me angry. I don’t think anything could have made me angry at that point. He pushed the hair back away from my face, before kissing the corner of my mouth.
I smiled shyly at him, despite what we’d just done. He leaned down, kissed my nose then rolled off me. I turned to watch him walk over to the pajama bottoms I gave him last night. Good lord, I thought, he really is something. Without turning around Jamil said, “If you don’t get dressed you’re never going to be able to leave.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I replied as he turned to look at me.
“Only this time I won’t be so gentle,” he said calmly.
My eyes widen, “That was gentle,” I asked. He had to be joking. If that was gentle I was Elizabeth Taylor. The look in his eyes however told a different story. My God, I thought, he’s serious. Without another word I went for my closet pulling out my black satin robe and putting it on. Tying it, I turned to face my dresser.
I pulled out everything I would need. As I was setting out my clothes for the day, Jamil spoke, “So is this the way you always entertain company that stays the night?”
Shaking my head I dropped my gaze down to the matching bra and panty set I held in my hands. They would have to do. I couldn’t stay in the room another minute. Holding on to as much dignity as I could I said stiffly, “Excuse me, but I do need to get ready for work.”
I retreated to the bathroom quickly shutting and locking the door. I turned on the shower before I let the tears come. How could he do that? I did not sleep around. I wasn’t one of Anita’s cats. Then I thought about that and gave a self-depreciating laugh. Of course I was. That’s why Anita had sent him here. Not just to check up on me, but to help with any “problems” that might arise.
Disregarding those thought I stepped into the stinging spray and let the water wash over me. Today, unlike most, I took my time in the shower. I guess I was hoping that Jamil would take the hint and leave. I even went so far as to dry off and lotion up. I tried to see if he was still in the apartment, but I was too new at this. I couldn’t tell if he was or if it was the remnants of his smell lingering.
Bracing myself I opened the door. Looking left and right, there wasn’t any sign of him. That didn’t meant that he wasn’t still there, just that I couldn’t see him. I went to my bedroom and he wasn’t there either. Saying a prayer that he’d taken the hint and hit the road I got dressed.
Looking at myself in the mirror I smiled appreciatively. The white sleeveless cowl neck sweater set off the black pants and matching jacket to perfection. Not to mention, the jacket laid over the shoulder rig and gun without being obvious. Slipping on a pair of sensible heels I turned to look at the bed. Frowning at it, I remembered Jamil’s cruel comment. Was he really an insensitive jerk? Had he been trying to make a joke and I’d just taken it badly, very badly.
Well it didn’t really matter now did it? He was gone and I’d never know. I stalked down the short hallway and stopped short. There in my kitchen was Jamil wearing the same clothes he had been last night. He was holding a glass of pineapple juice. On the counter in front of him was a Pepsi and a half a bagel; he’d even gone so far as to put cream cheese on it.
I looked from the offerings to him and back again trying to figure out what the hell was going on here. He nudged the bagel and Pepsi in my direction. I took them hesitantly. He heaved a sigh. “Luna, we need to talk.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, about what,” I asked before taking a drink of the cold soda.
He set the glass of juice down with an audible thunk. His face set, “About this morning.”
“Oh, no. I don’t think so buddy. I’m in no mood to hear more insults hurled at me. Thank you very much,” I said caustically. I took a grateful bite of the bagel.
Jamil pursed his lips. An angry frown marred his handsome features. “Damn it! That’s not what I meant. It’s just that I don’t usually,” he stopped, waving his hand in front of him.
“Do this,” I supplied around a mouthful of food.
“Yes,” he snapped.
“Well join the club. Neither do I. And for your information, I do not make a habit of sleeping with people I just met,” he was staring at me. “Look,” I said before drawing a deep breath. I did not want to be having this conversation but I was trying to remain calm. “I know the reputation that Anita’s cats have. So please spare me the rig-a-ma-roll. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Anita sent you here because she wanted to make sure I wouldn’t freak out and eat my neighbors. But any other ideas you had were just that, your own!”
I set the bagel down on the counter no longer in the mood for food. His face was curiously impassive. He folded his arms across his chest looking every inch the Sköll now. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. His eyes bored into mine. “Listen to me. I don’t care what you think you know. You’re in over your head and it would be a good idea to get some help before you or someone you know gets hurt.”
My face settled into that bored mask I used to hide my emotions. “Thanks for the warning. Now if you don’t mind I have a job to go to and you’re making me late,” I swept a hand in the direction of the door. Hoping against hope he would take the hint just freaking leave.
He strode past me. “Just so you know, this isn’t over,” he said on his way out the door.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered to the now empty apartment. Going to the hall closet I pulled out my long wool coat and set it with my purse. Deciding that I had better eat something I put the bagel on a napkin next to the soda and took them both over to the coffee table.
Today I made sure that my badge was around my neck before putting on my coat and picking up my breakfast. I headed out to my truck after making sure that my place was secure. Lighting a cigarette as I fired up the engine I waited for ole Igor to warm up. I parked around back like I had yesterday. Grabbing my purse and what was left of the bagel I headed into the building.
Again that same sense of foreboding came over me. I was really beginning to hate that doorway. There was no one at the duty sergeant’s desk, which was odd, but not enough to arouse suspicion. Continuing on up to the next floor I paused by the coffee machine to grab a cup and doctor it to my taste. I quietly went to my desk not bothering with early morning pleasantries. My co-workers would soon learn to leave me alone until after my first cup of java.
I pulled out the case files to go over them yet again. Hoping something would just jump out at me and I would find something the others had missed. The crime scene photos showed the devastation pretty clearly. The bodies were badly beaten. In some cases they had to use dental records to find a person’s identity. It was enough to turn your stomach or in my case, as vulgar as it sound, hungry.
Finishing off the last of the bagel I frowned when I realized I didn’t have anything else. I opened my purse and withdrew a couple dollars. Going to what passed for a break room I bought some Twinkies and a Pepsi from the vending machines. On the way back to my desk I noticed something I hadn’t before. Through out the room were little rubber duckies. Nothing overt, it could just be kids sending good luck charms with their parents to work. Somehow I doubted it especially when I noticed a pair of kissing ducks on my desk. I knew they hadn’t been there when I’d gone on my food run.
I didn’t ignore them, the duckies; I patted their heads smiled and took my seat again. It seemed Zerbrowski had just found a new target. I was it. It could always be worse I supposed. Rudy walked up with a Donald Duck coffee cup holding it out to me. I showed him the paper cup, “Got my own thanks.”
He laughed a deep rich sound in the squad room. “No, silly it’s for you.”
Embarrassed I took the proffered mug. “Sorry, didn’t know you weren’t offering me coffee.” Transferring the brew from one cup to another I thanked him.
“Don’t thank me. It was all Zerbrowski’s idea,” he said good-naturedly.
“Why does that not surprise me,” I asked with amusement.
“Probably because there’s one in every squad?”
I nodded in agreement while taking a sip of my coffee. My eyes came to rest on the photos still spread across my desk. Reality set in. If we didn’t figure out this pattern, if there was a pattern, soon then someone was going to be hurt very badly before they died.
A frown pulled my eyebrows together. I nudged the pictures with my cup before turning to look at him. “I get the feeling we’re missing something here.”
“Motive,” Rudy offered.
I shook my head. “No, that might not be very obvious, especially if we’re dealing with some sort of nut job. Do we, or did we, have a profiler take a look at this?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but they couldn’t agree.”
“They,” I asked.
“Yeah, we had a couple sent all the way up from Quantico. One said that we were dealing with multiple killers slash attackers. The other said it was a lone individual.”
“Well that was helpful,” I stated sarcastically.
“Tell me about it.”
Turning again to the photos on my desk. “I have to say Rudy, that I think we’re dealing with multiple people here.”
It was his turn to frown. “Why do you say that?”
“Well I’m going to point out something that was probably fairly obvious to the rest of you,” I paused, as Rudy nodded, “First of all there is no discrimination between male and female. Secondly there is just too much damage done to these people for it to have been just one person. I don’t see how one person could inflict that kind of damage on another unless it was done in the heat of the moment. But that doesn’t explain five vics.”
He folded his arms across his chest nodding. “That’s what he thought as well. So where does that leave us?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Hell if I know. There’s something here that we’re missing Rudy, I can feel it.” I knew that I wouldn’t have to explain it to him. He was a cop too. There were just some things that defied logic. One of those things was gut instinct. You couldn’t reason with it, you couldn’t talk to it, you just knew.
Setting the mug on the desk I reordered the pictures. I went in reverse chronological order, then mixing and matching. Still nothing. Sighing I leaned back in my chair. I read and reread the reports and still the feeling persisted. We were missing something. I was sure of it. I did something I hadn’t done in quite a while; I prayed for answer. Apparently someone was listening.
Dolph strode out of his office barking orders to nearby officers. He turned his gaze towards Rudy and I. “Bastion, Lopez saddle up. We’ve got a live one.”
“Is it bad,” my partner asked.
“You could say that. We’ve got a red ball,” Storr said with his usual explanation. The entire room quieted instantly. No one wants to hear there’s a red ball. That can only mean one thing. There’s a body waiting for the meat wagon. The whole demeanor of the squad changed. Everyone began working furiously. We had two that had survived but they weren’t out of the woods yet. That meant that we had seven victims and five of them were dead. It didn’t make for a comfortable work environment.
Grabbing my coat and purse I strode out of the squad room following Rudy. The entire way to the car I kept hoping that it wasn’t that bad. Dear God, please don’t let this be worse then Day’s scene. Sirens blared and three cars rolled out to the newest and freshest scene yet. You know some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed.