This one is kinda fast paced to say the least. Thank you to all my readers (especially those who review I love them lol) ok so enjoy…
P.S the next installment will come very soon
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TALA POV
"We've searched the entire house and nothing! Maybe they have a different dumping ground," Kevin fumed. I could have saved them the time. What criminal with so much as half a brain would keep their victims bodies at their house?
"Or maybe they're not our guys," An anonymous man added. I glared at the man with an unwavering gaze. The geniuses I have to work with.
"You want to know where the other bodies are. Give me five seconds with Garrett," I cracked my knuckles after this statement and enjoyed watching the group shift nervously. Obviously they had all been well briefed on my record.
"We don't want him dead Tala," Kevin whispered. I smirked to myself.
"A suspect dies on my watch onetime and I never live it down," I exhale, throwing my hands in the air. "Besides you owe me," I hiss, pointing to the clearly forming purple and black bruise across my eye and cheek.
"I don't know…" he hesitated, eyes flashing from face to face.
"Kevin!" I growled, now indicating the notable gash along my throat. He couldn't see it, the paramedics had bandaged it but it did the trick just the same.
"Fine…fine." He caved. I turned from him abruptly, flinging open the oak door and running down to the ambulance.
"Wait!" I called as they turned on the sirens. One of the ambulances had already taken off down the frozen street and I began to freak out when the wheels on the second began to spin. "Wait!" I demanded again. This time the lights shut off and the passenger paramedic stepped out. He was a buff looking black male that reminded me a surprising amount of Angel. "I've been given permission to…question the suspects here instead of at the hospital since it has been discovered their wounds aren't fatal."
"But ma'am are you sure that's smart? We still haven't cleared you medically. You could still have a concussion, and you've lost a considerable amount of blood." My neck stung like hell and the side of my face heart but I've had worse, it's not like Ian cut my jugular or anything.
"Ah don't worry about me man. Thing One and Thing Two over there hit like wannabe Back Street Boys," I promised with a wink. He smiled and reluctantly opened the back of the ambulance. He smiled like Angel too.
A dull pang struck my heart as I thought about Jack's adopted brother. Angel was one thing but I refused to let myself think about Bobby. Rather than Jack, Bobby had been the closet person to me in Detroit. He's probably the one person left in the world who really knows who I am. Maybe I've postponed revealing myself to Paul because I was scared. I didn't have much of a choice now. I'd have to tell Paul everything; even the parts that I was ashamed of. I wonder if, despite the imprint he can leave me. I wouldn't want someone with my broken past; why would he?
"Don't sedate him," the paramedic ordered in a hard voice. One of the police officers inside shrugged and the doctor dropped the raised needle. As I peered over the pale faced woman I saw that the remaining brother was Garrett. His face looked awful, a puffy mess of dried blood and bruises. His nose was broken and they thought his cheek bone might be as well.
"Could you all clear out? I need to question the douche bag—I mean suspect," I said my voice full of authority. One by one those capable of walking disappeared from the van.
"Good luck," The doctor whispered as she jumped from the vehicle and smiled at me. I grinned and nodded in her direction. When the police officer grudgingly stepped down I mounted the steps.
"Hey Garrett," I murmured casually, sitting beside him. A muffled whimper escaped his lips but this just made me smirk. "My name is Tala Z—Wesleyan." I had almost given him my name before witness protection. That would have been a fiasco. "I work for the FBI and I have a few questions for you." My voice was sweet and high, completely unlike the one I had used while punching in his face.
"Huh…" he groaned, trying to lift his hand and grab his nose but finding it impossible since he was handcuffed to the bed.
"Where are the bodies of the eighteen other women you and your brother slaughtered?" My voice was still pleasant, but now the undertone held nothing but rage. Garrett huffed and rolled his eyes.
"I plead the fifth," I don't know how he managed to make himself sound smug while his nose was bandaged like that but he succeeded.
"Oh naturally," I flattened my clenching fist and forced myself to focus.
"Hey Garrett I don't know where you grew up but I lived in Detroit for a huge chunk of my life. Do you know what that means?" Maybe it wasn't a HUGE chunk of my life but four years is long enough. I waited for the agonizingly slow shake of his head before I continued. "Well that means I have the emotional range of a fish and if I wanted to create an accident right now that resulted in your death I would never find any remorse." Gradually my sugary voice had disappeared, only to be replaced by a firm cold tone that even I was afraid of. Garrett's eyes flashed back and forth but his lips stayed tightly closed. I heaved a sigh and watched as a small fly circled his head and then landed smack dab in the center of his bound nose.
"Oh you have something on your nose," I giggled. His bouncing eyes flashed with fear as I raised my hand. I brought it down with such force I heard another crack. When his mouth opened to let out a scream I clamped my free hand over his lips. "Now listen here you sick fuck; I think you should reconsider that plea before I have you pleading for your life. Got it?" He nodded his head vigorously and I slowly lowered my hand from his mouth.
"The broken down junk yard behind the bookstore; about ten miles from here," he gasped out before a fresh stream of blood reached his lips.
"Now was that so hard?" I asked innocently; wiping of the blood that had gotten on my hand away. I stood up without any further discussion and exited the vehicle.
"Did you get the information? What happened?" Kevin demanded as soon as my feet hit the pavement.
"You know the book store about ten miles from here?"
"No I don't live here," he explained impatiently.
"Fine then give me your keys." He hesitated only a second before throwing me his car key.
~*~
PAUL POV:
"It's so freaking cold in here," Jared complained as I stormed through my house in search of new clothes. I couldn't make myself look at Embry as he trailed in after me.
"Then wait outside I told Embry." I could literally feel spasms of pain shooting through my heart as my mind looked frantically for a distraction. I couldn't think of Tala now.
~*~
TALA POV:
"Oh my God," I muttered feebly. The second I stepped foot behind the bookstore I knew that the number of woman killed had been sorely underestimated. A rancid smell reached my nose. "Kev I think I found it," I whispered as he rounded the corner. I heard his sharp intake of breath as I started to breathe through my mouth. "I have to get out of here," I croaked as the crime scene investigator brushed away a pile of gravel to reveal the face of a beautiful young woman with flowing brown hair.
"Can I leave now?" I said louder.
"Um…yes do you need a ride?" he sounded just as eager to leave as I was so I nodded.
"Nice car," I said in a defeated voice, climbing into his jeep. He just grunted in response.
"Where do you live?"
"Just take me back to the strip club. I need to get my car." I took his silence as consent as he made his way carefully down the frozen streets.
"You really helped us out today. I'm sorry about the delay in rescue." He murmured stiffly.
"If this is your idea of small talk I have to request, for the sake of others, that you never do it again," I cringed. My eyes focused once again out the window as I prepared my speech for Paul mentally.
"Sorry," he chuckled.
'Paul I'm so sorry. I know that seeing me in that …situation musty have been unnerving at best and though I can't explain now please just know I did it for a really good reason. I never mean to hurt you and I never will again if you can just please find it in your heart to forgive me.' As I practiced this in my head again I began to realize just how shifty it sounded. Of course I would hurt him again thats what we do. We hurt each other, we battle heart break and we end up in each other's arms. But this was a really huge fuck up on my part. I just hoped it wasn't big enough to break us up. I can't live without him.
"We're here," Kevin announced. The ay he said it suggested that this wasn't the first time he'd tried to talk to me. I guess I'd just zoned out.
"Right thanks. I'll be in touch if you need me," I promised in a small voice as I hopped out of the car. Cold wind whipped around me and forced my hair to fly in every direction. I pulled the ill fitting clothes tighter around my body as I fumbled with the car keys in my hand. The sign announcing "Nude, Nude, Nude" had been shut off and the parking lot was pitch black. Good thing I'd taken down the biggest threat to this area a few hours ago.