Anatoly didn’t have the answers, and by the looks of it, neither did Maggie. With a frustrated sigh, she started to put up the borscht in frustrated silence. When she was finished, Maggie scooped up her bowl and began to eat again, though Anatoly could tell she was ruminating rather than enjoying the meal.
“What can I do? What is next step?” he finally ventured, hoping to make himself useful in some manner other than to stand there staring at her while she ate.
The detective let out a heavy sigh as she finished the last bite and set aside the bowl. “Our next step is going to be tracking the drugs. If I can find where they were obtained, maybe I can catch a break on who this bastard is…”
While Anatoly was also hopeful that they would soon catch Father Abrams’s killer, the thought evoked a pang of sorrow as well. It wasn’t that he didn’t want the case to end, but more that when it did, he knew he would never get to see Maggie again and that reality deeply saddened him.
Chapter Eleven
Three days had passed since then and Anatoly had gone to check on Maggie every day that she was on leave. She seemed to appreciate it, and he found the visits eased his mind as well. They spent hours talking, sharing stories about their respective pasts, and even laughing.
He was growing quite fond of Maggie’s laugh when it was carefree and bubbly. It was hard to imagine that the tightly wound detective could ever be bubbly, but he caught glimpses of her true nature when they were alone, and it warmed his undead heart.
Tonight was her first evening back on shift. They had met at the station, gotten clearance for Maggie to head out, and were now sitting in the new nondescript black sedan that she’d been issued.
“I still owe you a coffee,” Maggie was saying.
Anatoly reflexively wrinkled his nose at the thought of drinking coffee. As a vampire, there were many things he no longer partook in. Eating in general wasn’t enjoyable anymore and so he really only ate or drank as part of religious ceremonies. Otherwise, his diet consisted of the blood necessary for him to continue existing in this state.
“With respect, I will pass on coffee,” he answered. “But should you like my company, I would be happy to go with you to diner after bar closes.”
She nodded, her rich cocoa gaze never leaving the building in front of them. They’d been here for about an hour judging by the clock on the dash, and this was the first time she’d spoken to him. They had sat in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. It was a stark contrast to that first night when the quiet had been suffocating, at least for the priest.
“Oh, come on, at least let me buy you a donut,” she shot back. “You can’t do a ride along and not eat authentic police food.”
When he glanced over at her, she was smirking mischievously and the street lights outside made her eyes glow warmly. Maggie was beautiful in that moment, her hair spilling over her shoulder from the ponytail she’d tied it into and her plump lips twisted into an impish grin.
Anatoly couldn’t help but feel a spark of foreign emotion come to life in his chest. He tried to swallow it back down, recognizing it as inappropriate no matter how friendly they had become, but his traitorous flesh resisted his good sense. She still hadn’t looked at him, and for that he was thankful. He wasn’t sure what would become of him if she turned her deep, dark gaze on him right then…
The clack of Maggie’s car door opening drew Anatoly back to the moment and shattered his errant thoughts. There was a stern intensity about the detective as she bailed out of the driver’s seat and started making long strides toward the front of the bar.
“Pizdets!”
Anatoly had allowed himself to be distracted and now he was in danger of being left behind.
Throwing open his own door, the priest was out of the car and on the move in a matter of seconds. He followed the trail of her golden hair around the corner of the building and was just in time to see a skinny young man wearing baggy clothes spot Maggie coming and take off down the street away from her.
The detective let out a growled curse and shot off after him.
Anatoly hesitated for a moment, watching the direction the man was running and deciding he would serve better if he went around to get in front of the unwilling informant. He knew he could easily out pace him; he just didn’t want to be seen doing so, especially by Maggie.
Cutting through an alley and into the adjacent street, Anatoly put on a burst of speed, moving in a way that was unnatural for a mere human. He rarely had the chance to utilize his inhuman speed, but he had to admit, doing so now felt quite freeing.
He slowed, listening for the sound of running feet as he made his way stealthily through another alleyway. Anatoly heard a yowl of pain and jumped from the shadows, expecting the worst, but what he saw drew a chuckle from him.
Maggie had caught up to the unruly young man and tackled him to the asphalt with expert precision.
“Hey, Benny,” she growled, twisting the man’s right arm behind his back as her knee dug into his exposed spine. “It’s a nice night for a conversation, don’t you think?”
“Get off of me, bitch!” came the answer, to which she responded by adding a touch of pressure to the hold she had on him. “Fuck! What the fuck do you want, Boone?”
But Maggie wasn’t paying attention to him. She was staring up at Anatoly, seeming surprised to see him standing there. “You’re fast for a priest,” she commented, a hint of suspicion in her dark gaze. “How’d you get ahead of me?”
“I took shortcut.” The lie tasted like ash in his mouth, and he could tell that Maggie wasn’t fully buying it.
Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to help so blatantly, but he just hadn’t wanted the target to get away from her. Little had he known that Maggie had it well under control. It was yet another blunder.
“You’re running around with a fucking priest now?” Benny scoffed and then yelped as Maggie punished him for his smart comment by flexing her grip. “You fucking bitch! Ow!”
