I swung open the front door when I reached it, and my spine straightened immediately at the sight of two police officers. I didn’t recognize them and that only made me more on edge. They were both young, both with buzz cuts and sneers on their faces, and clearly not wanting to be here.
“Hi Tweedledee, Tweedledick. How can I be of assistance?” I showed them my teeth, not quite grinning.
The one on the right had dark brown hair and a scar on his chin, and if I had to guess, I would assume it came from someone he arrested because he had the type of face I wanted to hit. All smug and superior. “We’re here on behalf of Commissioner Johnston.”
I tensed. Motherfucker. “And?” I asked sweetly. “What can we do for Commissioner Dick?”
The cop on the left—dirty blond with really bushy eyebrows—huffed at me. “You should have more respect for the commissioner.”
“I’m not the one who has to suck his dick.”
There was a shuffle behind me, and some of the tenseness dissipated now that I had PD at my back where he belonged. He’d always been there to defend me, and I trusted him with my life.
Dirty blond glared and pointed a finger at me. “You’re scum. You pollute this city.”
“Strong thoughts for a man with a little brain and an even littler prick.” I grinned wider, a sense of pleasure slithering through me at the knowledge I was irritating at least one of them. The brunet clearly had more control because his smugness didn’t dwindle.
Dirty blond laughed, and I glanced down at his name tag.Hooker. Usually, the cops in New Gothenburg only wore their badge numbers. I wasn’t sure if he was new or just overly confident. Oh, the jokes made themselves.
“Is your last name Hooker because your mom was one?” I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek.
PD chuckled. “Or his mom needed to find a rent boy to knock her up because nobody else wanted to get on top of her.”
“Oooh.” I laughed and turned to PD, and we fist-bumped.
Hooker mock chuckled and turned to the other cop.Lawrence, his name tag said. Huh, this one was confident, too.
“The dirty bikers have jokes,” Hooker said.
Lawrence shrugged. “Maybe we should remind them who’s in charge of this city.”
“Who, you?” I snorted. “Kid, you aren’t even in charge of changing your own diapers. What are you? Three years old?”
PD laughed harder. “I’d say they’re still sucking on their mommy’s titties.”
“Probably the only tits they’ve seen,” I replied.
We glanced at each other and grinned.
“You think you’re funny?” Hooker shot forward and slammed an arm into my chest, shoving me.
I gasped, the attack hitting me in my already agony-filled ribs. The yell I let out would’ve been embarrassing if I wasn’t in so much pain. I crashed into the wall, one of Hooker’s arms pressed against my windpipe while his other hand drove into my chest.
“Let him go! He’s injured. You’re fucking hurting him.” PD’s angry voice filled my ears, but all I could focus on was the fiery torture that lit up my insides. “You fucking assholes! Let me go, you bastard!”
“Still funny?” Hooker snarled. “Let’s see how much you laugh now.” He shoved me harder, and my entire body screamed in pain, but maybe I was doing the screaming, too. I wasn’t entirely sure. Everything grew hazy and no amount of pain meds could help with how I was feeling. I’d never felt such excruciating pain in my life.
“Motherfucker!”
Through half-lidded eyes, I watched as PD struggled against Lawrence’s hold—at some point he’d managed to get PD’s arm behind his back—and he spun to drive his fist into Lawrence’s jaw.
Lawrence fell backward onto the ground, releasing PD, who grasped Hooker by the back of the shirt and yanked him away. I grunted at the sudden freedom, sliding down the wall as the ability to breathe was nothing more than fire in my lungs. When my ass met the floor, I watched as PD slammed Hooker against the door and punched him across the jaw. I wanted to tell PD to stop because I couldn’t handle him going to prison, but I was in too much agony to do more than let out harsh gasps.
My vision blurred and my world tipped upside down, but I managed to stay conscious despite my body fighting to lose it. Ireached out for PD, but the two cops forced him on the floor with his arms behind his back.
“St—op,” I tried to say, but it came out garbled.
“You’re pathetic.” Hooker spat at me, the glob of saliva landing on my arm as they dragged PD back to his feet.
