“Deploying ten units now.”
I’m racing down empty streets—I had Alfie hack the city’s traffic lights and shut down all east and westbound traffic to clear my route to Inara—but there’s a matte black Lykan on my tail.One of the identical blond twins from Inferno is behind the wheel, the skull mask covering the lower half of his face mocking me.
I let the Lykan pull level with me and then drop back.I’m in an armored car not unlike the one Inara used to get away from me, and I’ve paid good money for it to be as strong as a tank and fast as a sports car.
The Lykan tries to slow with me as I ram its back wheel at the precise angle required to make it spin out.The hit makes the sports car swerve out of control, smashing into a truck parked alongside the road.I accelerate around the crash and then wrench my car to the right, ducking down an alleyway to try to lose my tail completely.
“Alfie, I need you to clear an alternate route.”
“Rerouting traffic patterns.”
A black Jeep is waiting for me at the other end, blocking the exit.The second blond twin is behind the wheel.I order the computer into tank mode and smash into it, pushing it out of my way.
I shoot past the ruined Jeep and race up the road, only for a set of motorcycles to surround me.These riders also have grinning skull masks under their black helmets.I don’t need to see their hands to know they all wear a Fraternitas ring.
Fucking St.James—always interfering.As soon as I have Inara safe and the Bondage Killer in the ground, I’m going to turn my focus to ruining him.He loves money, so I’ll bankrupt him first.
“Hamish calling,” Alfie informs me.I order it to answer and as soon as the call’s connected, I snap, “What have you done?”I know he’s behind Inara’s escape from the Manor.
“I did my duty,” Hamish says so stiffly.“To you and to the detective.”
“You betrayed me.”
“I’ve been more than supportive of your illegal nocturnal activities.I’ll even allow that some lives should be snuffed out for the cause of justice, but I will not be party to imprisoning a young woman in our home.”
“My home.You will pack your bags?—”
“Undoubtedly, I will.But may I remind you that we have the same aim: to keep Detective Ramos alive and stop the Bondage Killer.”The chill in his voice could freeze over hell.“You do not have time to throw a tantrum.”
My brain shorts out.I’m so angry, I don’t know what to say.
“Really, Rex, what would your parents think?”
And now my chest is seizing with pangs of guilt despite myself.I was just in the hall, looking at their smiling faces and realizing they’d disapprove of me.
When Hamish decides to pull out the big guns, he does not hold back.
“You dare?—”
“I’m sending a team to the duplex.”He changes the subject.“The killer has been there.”
The air leaves my lungs.“What?How did this happen?The place was under surveillance.”I’m angry at Hamish and St.James, so it feels good to direct my anger somewhere fruitful.
“There’s something wrong with the security equipment.Some sort of glitch.I’m working to override it.”
“I tried to pull up the feed from the cameras earlier, and they seemed to be offline.That’s why I deployed drones.Are you telling me the Bondage Killer was on my property and all my tech failed to detect him?”
“It seems so,” Hamish sounds preoccupied, and I can hear the computers chiming in the background.
A cop car slides in behind me, sirens wailing.I accelerate to lose him.I do not want the cops involved in this.A news helicopter is circling overhead, which means my stunt will be all over the stations.
Sure enough, Hamish says, “I’m getting traffic reports from New Rome.Are you currently involved in a high-speed chase on Central Avenue?”
“Yes,” I grind out.
“Far be it from me to criticize, but is this the best time to pull resources away from the BK manhunt?”
“That sounds a lot like criticism, Hamish.”More cops are on my ass, but there’s a tow truck ahead with its ramp down and nothing loaded on the metal bed.
