by Deanna Lee
Orland looked toward the soft pad and wet his lips. “Okay, then.” He folded his hands in front of him on the table and cleared his throat. “I got another place, deeper in the wetlands. He's there."
"It's not a registered holding."
"No. No.” Orland shook his head. “You can't even get to it using roads. He took the watercraft and left the van about an hour before you arrived."
"Weapons?"
"Standard hunting rifle, enough ammunition to hold you off for a few days if he gets dug in."
"Who's his next target?"
"Don't know. He took pictures and brought them home to me occasionally, but I never heard any names. Never saw pictures of the cop or that socialite he took the other night."
"He had pictures of Ms. James on his kill board in the shack, but not pictures of his last victim."
"He likes to keep the pictures of his current choice with him,” he murmured and sat back in his chair when he looked in Kyra's direction. Fury was pouring off her. A part of him knew that no matter what deal he'd made, prison wasn't going to be any easier for him. She'd make sure of it. “I can make you a map of his location."
"I'm sure one of my team is pulling a map so you can mark the location for us.” Kyra stood from the table and looked toward the viewing window. “Anything else?"
"He'll make every effort to get himself killed."
"Just like you, Orland, a quick and easy death isn't going to be an option for Aaron. Unless, of course, he takes the coward's way out and eats a bullet.” Kyra picked up her p-pc and the compu-pad that held the plea agreement. “If you're lucky, I'll never have another reason to be in the same room with you."
* * * *
She was perfect, wasn't she? Sweet, perfect Willa. I enjoyed her the most. She trusted so easily and so much. Her sacrifice means all the more to the mission. I am close now; all I have to do is wait for the right moment to bring you and Kyra together, and the mission will be complete.
I'm so glad you are pleased.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kyra hated the swamp. Being hip-deep in waters that had questionable amounts of pollution and a large number of alligators just made her itchy. Night had fallen, which she supposed was to their advantage. The fifty-man team she'd assembled for the takedown had spread out so they could approach the small cabin from every direction. Allowing his escape wasn't an option.
The radio she'd snapped onto her vest buzzed. “Yeah."
"All snipers are in position."
"Remember, no kill shots unless our options are zero.” Saying it filled her mouth with acid. She wanted Aaron Belton dead in a way that she doubted she'd ever recover from. The simple desire to kill him and make him hurt in the process made her doubt every year of service she'd given the NOPD.
"Understood."
She put the radio away and checked the position of the team she was leading. Ana was several feet away from her. She looked strong and ready for anything. A part of Kyra had wanted to leave her back at the station, not because she didn't trust her but because Ana was still sort of shiny and bright. Taking down a serial killer was going to rub all that off.
Her comm-u buzzed in her ear, and she manually activated the call to receive it. The computerized voice verbalized Desi Marcos's name and then made the connection. “You're his next target."
"Oh, really?” Kyra continued to move up the stream she was in and hopped up on a sandbar to survey their surroundings. “I'm a half a mile from his location."
"His diary is full of ravings about you and how you're the perfect host for the spirit of his mother."
"That's so damn sick.” Her hand went unwillingly to her gun.
"We could spend years analyzing his diary,” Desi continued. “Anyway, thought you might want to know. Depending on how this goes down, you might be able to use this against him."
"Thanks.” Kyra ended the call and looked at Ana, who had paused several feet from her. “The snipers have their visuals set up. We need to move faster."
"The secondary team is in position, and team six approaching from the north has the back of the structure secured. There is no obvious back door and no windows. He's going to have to come straight out at us."
"Perfect."
She jumped down off the sandbar and motioned Ana ahead of her. Giving her point had been a message of trust that she hoped the other woman understood. A flashlight bounced off her face, and she glanced to her right to where Liz Givens stood. The woman was silent and so very still that for a moment Kyra thought she might have come face-to-face with an alligator.
Following Liz's gaze, she saw Aaron's shack clearly visible just ahead of her. Ana had dropped back to her left just a foot in front of her and had her gun out. The time had come, and though it had only been days, it felt like months or years. She pulled her own weapon and moved up ahead of both women. The radio on her vest started to buzz gently against her as the members of the team moved into place. Jerking it free, she scanned the area.
"Anyone have a visual?"
"Sniper four reporting movement in the front room of the building. All reports indicate that there are four rooms to the structure. Heat sensors indicate there is only one individual in the building."
"Weapons?"
"Heat signatures indicate one hunting rifle, civil service configuration. He won't be shooting gel bullets, folks. Ready and willing to make holes."
The gel bullets used in hunting exploded on impact and would sedate a large animal in under a minute. A human hit with one would go down in seconds and be out for hours. Not deadly, but certainly debilitating in the short term.
"Orland's gun had been configured to take live ammo, as well,” Ana murmured. “What do you want to do?"
Kyra continued to move forward until she hit land. The dock had one watercraft tied off. “Someone disable that craft. We can't afford for him to get loose in the waterways."
"Already done, Inspector."
"First cop that lets this son of a bitch shoot them is getting their ass kicked.” Kyra clipped her radio back onto her vest.
Using hand signals, she let Ana and Liz know where she wanted them as she left the group and moved toward the shack. At least this one wasn't on stilts, she thought, as she moved quickly through the wooded area surrounding the structure.
Pressing herself up against the wall just four feet from the door, she nodded when Ana took an opposite position. The murmur of a vid-screen could be heard through the thin plank door. The both stilled, listening for signs of movement or an indication that he'd realized he was no longer alone.
Kyra rolled her head on her shoulders and tightened her grip on her gun. Moving to the door, she used the butt of her weapon to bang on the door. “NOPD! Open the door!"
Feet hit the floor inside the shack, and she stepped back from the door a little. “Aaron Belton, come out with your hands empty and visible, now!"
She jerked visibly at the audible crack of a twelve-gauge shotgun being primed. A banned weapon, one with no electronic heat signature. Just seconds passed before the gun fired. She moved, but shot from the weapon splintered the door, and pain ran down the length of her arm from her shoulder. Pain and fury mixed as she looked briefly at her flesh wound and then motioned Ana away with her weapon.
Ana shook her head, glanced once at Kyra's shoulder before she moved closer, and then turned to kick in the door. Aaron stood before them, dazed, his short blond hair disarranged. The shotgun was primed for another shot. He started to lift it.
"You can live or you can die,” Kyra said softly as she raised her gun and flipped on her laser sight. The blue laser light moved up the bridge of his nose to the center of his forehead. “Your choice."
"You're bleeding, Inspector."
"Yes,” she steadied her arm and met his gaze. “Would you like to join me in that activity?"
"I can't have you interfering in the plans I made. My mother needs me.” He took several steps back and stumbled briefly against the fold-up
chair that was sitting in front of the vid-screen. “You don't understand."
Kyra looked from his trembling hands and then to his face. “Your plans no longer matter, Aaron. Put down the weapon before you make me kill you."
"I can't!” he shouted as he looked wildly around the room, searching for escape.
"I have fifty cops outside, every one of them intent on not letting you get away. It won't happen. Even if you shoot one of us, the others will have plenty of time to put a bullet in your head before you can load the ancient piece of shit you have there."
He jerked the shotgun and centered it on Ana. “How much do you value your partner's life, Inspector?"
Kyra inclined her head, lowered the laser beam to his left shoulder, and fired. His body jerked on impact, and he stumbled backward, dropping the gun. Keeping her weapon on him, she moved forward and kicked the shotgun back toward Ana. “If you'd listened, you might have gotten out of this room without a hole in your body."
"Fuck you.” He backed away, holding his shoulder, blood gushing from the wound and through his fingers. “It wasn't supposed to be this way!"
"Turn around and face the wall, put your hands above your head, and keep them that way."
"My shoulder..."
"Don't make me kill you.” Their gazes locked. “You think I won't?"
"I have a mission."
"Turn around and put your hands on the wall.” She lowered her weapon and the laser beam danced off on his crotch. “A pretty boy like you won't be needing that in jail anyway."
He turned toward the wall, shaking, and lifted his hands to place them flat against the wall. “Aaron Belton, you are under arrest for homicide in the first degree, kidnapping, and sexual assault with the intent to murder. You have the right to remain silent during transportation.
"You have the right to be represented by an advocate during questioning. If you cannot afford representation, it will be provided at no cost to you. Any and all statements made during questioning will be recorded and used within the confines of your criminal trial. Failure to provide the truth will result in additional charges being filed against you. Do you understand these rights as they have been defined?"
Kyra fitted him with restraints carefully, tightening them to the point where he couldn't pull his wrists free, and then turned to Ana. “Signal that we're ready for water transport."
"Already done."
"This can't be happening,” Aaron whispered. A sob broke his voice, and he fell to his knees.
Kyra backed away from Aaron, holding her upper shoulder, and watched Ana pull him to his feet and lead him out the door. There was no thrill of victory, no rush of a job well done. She doubted there could ever be a victory in the face of so much wrong.
* * * *
Kyra winced, glaring at the medic briefly as she watched him apply antiseptic to her wound. “You sure I don't need to see a doctor?"
"You have several spots where buckshot from the weapon grazed your skin. Your nanobots are already working the injury. However, you can certainly be transported to emergency if you want to be a pansy about it."
She shook her head and glowered at him as he applied several bandages to the wounds. She looked around the scene. Aaron was already on his way to Police Plaza, while the rest of the team processed the shack and the land surrounding it. They'd found the burn site for the victim who had been delivered to Kyra in the jar, as well as another diary.
The medic pulled out a pressure syringe and injected what she hoped was a painkiller. “Thanks. If you're lucky, I'll forget about that pansy remark."
He grinned. “No problem. That will last you about six hours. I'll put a call in for a prescription to be delivered to your home address. No lifting with that arm for at least a day. Give it time to heal."
"So, I get to drive,” Ana announced as she appeared at her side. “We're also drawing straws to see who gets the privilege of kicking your ass."
Kyra lifted one eyebrow and snorted. “Not going to happen.” She pulled her keys out of her jeans. “But you can drive."
* * * *
Kyra threw open her door and looked on Alex with relief. “Hey."
He glared at her as he moved into the apartment and shut the door. “You were shot?"
She shrugged and motioned to her arm, currently covered in the silk of her robe. “Just a few grazes. The asshole fired a shotgun full of buckshot at me."
Alex followed behind her as she moved into the living room. “You know I may not get to say a whole lot about what you do, but when you get shot I would appreciate being informed that you aren't dead. I had to hear you were shot on the goddamn news, Inspector."
She sat down on the couch and stared at him. It was the first time, she realized, that she'd actually seen him furious. It hadn't occurred to her to contact him after the scene had been secured, not even when they'd run off a reporter who'd gotten in on the action. “It didn't seem like a big deal. What did the reporter on the news say?"
"That you'd been shot during the apprehension of a fugitive and that there was no word on your condition,” Alex ground out through clenched teeth. “You turned off your p-pc and your comm-u."
"Yeah.” She leaned back against the couch and rubbed her face.
"I won't tolerate a second seat in your life. I deserve more and so do you."
She pushed her hair back from her forehead and stared at him as he threw himself into a chair across from her. “Alex, it just didn't occur to me. Pardon me, but it's been a while since I've let myself get involved with a man like this. We've barely known each other a week, and to be frank, this hasn't been an average week for me. Next time, I'll do better."
"It's the next time that's got me fucked up,” Alex admitted. “It's not easy."
Kyra swallowed back a knot of dread. This was not the conversation she wanted to have with him. Was he going to bail on her? “I warned you. My life isn't a picnic, Alex. You knew that from the start."
"Knowing it on an intellectual level and having to deal with it on an emotional level are two entirely different things.” He met her gaze and sighed. “I spent the better part of my adult life surrounded by death and violence. I retired from the military to escape it."
"Now you find yourself tangled up with a murder cop.” She shook her head and laughed sadly. “Is this over for us?"
He jerked as if she'd struck him, and stood. “Hell, no. I'm nowhere near finished with this...” He waved his hand around between them. “Whatever the hell this is."
"Okay, then, we'll need to work out a deal. I'll try to be more considerate of you, and you'll try to remember that I'm really bad with relationships."
He laughed ruefully at that. “Okay."
"Still, I'll try to do better."
"Did I wake you?"
"Yeah.” She stood and smiled. “Want to nap with me?"
"Are you in any pain?
"No, the medic on the scene set me up with a painkiller."
* * * *
Kyra nodded breathlessly as Alex moved over her and slid between her legs. She lifted her hips up as he placed a soft kiss on her hip. “I'm really okay, you know."
"Hmmm.” He sank his teeth into the flesh of her inner thigh briefly and lifted his head to meet her gaze. “We've yet to establish that."
"I want you inside me."
"We'll get there."
His husky promise did nothing to soothe her. She moved under his hands and moaned when his mouth settled on her pussy. As much as she wanted him to fill her, the sweet glide of his tongue on her clit made asking for it again unbearable. Curling her fingers into the sheets beneath her, Kyra spread her legs wide and moved against his mouth.
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “You realize when you move like that, it drives me insane?"
She laughed and held out her hand for him. “Come here."
Alex moved upward and pressed the head of his cock against her entrance. She stiffened briefly and sighed with relief when her body relaxed a
nd gave in to the invasion of his cock. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she drew him down with her uninjured arm and groaned when he let his weight rest on her.
"Your arm is okay?"
She nodded at the question he whispered against her lips. “Yes, fine."
"I'm sorry I came over here all pissed off."
Kyra chuckled and bit down on her lip as he flexed his hips against her. “I should have called, or at least had someone call you."
"I should be letting you rest."
Tightening her legs around his waist, she glared at him. “Mr. Waters, I would suggest that you finish what you've started here, or there will be a reckoning in this bed."
"That's a tempting threat.” He thrust against her hard and moaned a little when her hips pushed up against his.
She lifted both arms to the headboard and wrapped her hands around the iron bars. “Harder."
"I never thought I'd find a demanding woman sexy."
She moaned and lifted up against him again. “Alex."
He responded with a deep thrust; they both sucked in air as he pulled back almost completely from her. Then he sank back into her welcome heat with a slow, deliberate thrust. Her knuckles went white around the bars of the headboard, and she thrust her hips up against him.
Soft moans and fierce demands blended with the intimate sounds of flesh smacking against flesh. Skin grew damp with sweat; hands bit into muscles to grip and to demand more.
Alex slipped one hand between them and thumbed her clit in time with the stroke of his cock. She whimpered beneath him, and her legs slid from his thrusting hips. Feet planted flat on the bed, she rose up against him and cried out with pleasure. Orgasm rushed against the heated flesh of her pussy and spread out over her hips. Her whole body clenched in response. The muscled walls of her pussy tightened around his cock and forced his orgasm in nearly the same instant.
He collapsed on top of her, breathing hard. With a soft groan, he rolled off of her and onto his back. “I've changed my mind. I don't think I can see you anymore."
"Oh, yeah?” Kyra rolled her head to look at his face.
"Yeah. Sex with you is going to be the death of me."