There were no doubts in Lucas’s mind.Nothoughts, either.Just emotions and excitement.His body waspulsing as he pinned Mark against the wall and it was the mostnatural thing in the world to grab the back of Mark’s head and pulltheir mouths together.Lucas’s kiss was fierce, teeth and tongueand hard lips claiming and dominating the man before him.He wasn’tfighting anymore, but he was still feral.
It only lasted a few moments before some partof Lucas’s brain kicked back into gear.What the hell was he doing?He jerked his head away and they stared at each other again.Mark’seyes were wide, his body rigid with shock.Lucas couldn’t breatheproperly as the enormity of his transgression sank onto his chestand began to squeeze.
The knock on the door was like an explosion,knocking Lucas away from Mark.The voice was almost as loud as theknock.“Mr.Webber?It’s Constable Parker—can you open the door,please?”
Parker.One of the cops from that firstnight, outside the bar.Lucas’s excitement shifted from wildtriumph to something much different.He wanted to fight again, ormaybe to run away.There must be a fire escape somewhere.He didn’thave to face this.
“Your parole,” Mark said in a hushed voice.He was clearly just realizing the situation.“You’re out pastcurfew.And…fighting?Would they call it fighting?”
“They’ll probably call it assault,” Lucassaid.The excitement was draining away.
“You saved me.”
“I hit first.”
“Because you needed the surprise!There werethree of them!”
It was nice to know that Mark understoodthat.He didn’t think Lucas was just a goon looking for trouble.But it wasn’t something the police were likely to appreciate.
The voice came through the door again, evenlouder this time.“Mr.Webber?Police—please open the door.”
Mark looked wildly around the apartment.“Youcould go in the bedroom.Stay in there until they leave!They don’thave to know who helped me.”
Mark’s agitation had a strangely calmingeffect on Lucas.Of course Mark would want to help.That was whathe did.Who he was.But of course Lucas couldn’t let him.Lucas hadmade his choices and he’d accept the consequences, without doinganything that would entangle Mark in a cover-up or make him somesort of accessory to Lucas’s parole violations.He took a deepbreath and shook his head.“No.It’s okay.”
Mark looked doubtful but when the hammeringstarted on the door again, he responded to Lucas’s nod and pulledthe door open.“Constable Parker,” he said.“Come in.”
ChapterThirty-Four
It all happened more slowly than Mark hadanticipated.After the panic outdoors and the sudden passion withinhe’d somehow expected the police intervention to be more dramatic.Instead, Constable Parker had trudged through his inquiries,nodding patiently but without understanding as Mark had given hisstatement about Lucas’s heroics.
It was all so prosaic that Mark started tofeel foolish about his instinct to help Lucas hide.There had beenno need for that.Lucas must think he was insane, or at leastmelodramatic.Mark looked over to where Lucas was slouched on thesofa, staring impassively at the ceiling as if bored by theproceedings.It was hard to reconcile this sullen creature with theman who had fought so savagely outside, or kissed sopassionately…but Mark couldn’t think about that.It was tooconfusing, and he needed to keep his head clear until thissituation was resolved.“So everything’s okay, now,” he told theconstable.“But I’m worried that it took you so long to get here.Iwas told there would be a patrol paying extra attention to thebuilding as a precaution, but it turns out that even when you weredirectly called to come, it took you a quarter of an hour?”
The constable snorted, the first expressionof emotion he’d made since he arrived.“We have other priorities,Mr.Webber.We don’t have the resources to provide you with privatesecurity.”
“So Lucas was right to come over,” Mark said,pressing his advantage.“He knew you were stretched too thin and heneeded to help out.”
The constable looked scornfully in Lucas’sdirection, but didn’t respond directly to Mark.Instead he stoodand flipped the cover of his notebook shut.“Mr.Cain,” he said,his voice too loud for the small space.“I’d like to ask you somemore questions.I think it would be best if you came down to thestation with me.”
“Is he under arrest?”Mark asked quickly.“Does he need a lawyer?”
Parker squinted in Mark’s direction, thenturned back to Lucas.“Mr.Cain, we can go through all that if youwant.But it would be simpler if you just came with me and answereda few questions.”
“About what?He’s told you everything!”Markwasn’t sure what he was doing, but it felt wrong to sit back andlet Lucas get in trouble.
The constable’s squint was fiercer this time.“Mr.Webber, please.Let me handle this.”
“He saved me,” Mark said.It wasn’t really anargument, but it seemed important.
“But he won’t tell us how he knew the attackwas about to happen, and he won’t tell us who was involved.”Theconstable shook his head.“Combined with the parole violations?Heneeds to come to the station.”
“He said it was an anonymous call!”Markdidn’t want to think about the constable’s words.The men in thealley had clearly recognized Lucas, and he’d seemed familiar withthem as well.But for some reason he hadn’t given their names tothe police.What did that mean?It wasn’t quite as confusing as thekiss, but it certainly wasn’t as clear as Mark would haveliked.
“Sure it was,” the constable agreed snidely.He jerked his chin at Lucas.“Ready to go?”
Lucas stood slowly.He hadn’t looked Mark inthe eyes since the constable had arrived and he still didn’t.Andhe didn’t look directly at Parker, either, just started for thedoor.
“You’re forgetting something,” the constablesaid, and there was a gleeful edge to his voice that made Markrealize there was a new undercurrent in the room.
