[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

would find that arousing? Peter s one of those fuckers who thinks that an addict can t have
any morals. I slept with him to get a fix once, but that doesn t mean I m okay with him and
his buddies beating the shit out of some guy down in the demon cages. Lanna suddenly
lifted her hand to her mouth as if she feared that she would be sick.  There was so much
blood& 
James could easily imagine how much blood there might be.
 But he was alive? James asked.
Lanna nodded. She took a slow breath and then went on in a hushed whisper.  But not
for long. Peter told me that they re going to throw him in with a scylla demon, like it s
something to be proud of. God, if you could have seen the man, James. He was handsome and
about my age. He was barely standing, but he kept fighting them, jerking and trying to get
up. They hit him with a shock-volt gun so many times& You probably don t believe me, but
I swear it s --
 I believe you. James cut her off. He didn t know that he could stand to hear what else
they had done to Moran.
Lanna stared at James for a moment, searching his face for something. James didn t
know what she saw in his expression, but Lanna suddenly looked relieved.
 I know you and Tony are tight, but this place& this whole blood sport thing is fucked
up. It s not worth the venom. It s not worth Tony s money, if that s why you keep coming
with him. And I m over it, you know. I m sick, and I m out of here for good. You tell Tony
I m serious this time.
She started to turn, but James caught her hands.
 What about the man? James demanded in a whisper.  Where is he now?
234 Ginn Hale
Lanna blinked at James for a moment. Clearly she had expected a different reaction
from him.
 He s down in one of the demon cages, Lanna whispered.
 We have to get him out, James told her.
 What? Lanna s brows shot up.  No! I have to leave.
She tried to pull away, but James held her hands tightly and tugged her up against his
chest.
A few of the other guest looked their way, but James just smiled at them and kept his
grip on Lanna. Most people were familiar with Lanna and Tony s constant quarrels.
Attention slid off them.
 I m not asking, Lanna, James told her quietly.  You re going to help me get him out.
Lanna glared at James and opened her mouth but then said nothing. A look of
realization came over her as she studied James s face.
 You know him, Lanna whispered.
James nodded. Knowing him didn t even begin to cover the full extent of it.
 I need you to get me into that surveillance room where Peter showed you the demon
cages, James said.
 They ve got guns. Lanna s narrow face went pallid. Her hands felt like ice in his grip.
 Let s just call the cops. They ll come and take care of it.
 There s no reception anywhere near this estate. We would have to make the call from
a landline in one of the surveillance rooms. James knew his tone was too harsh. He tried to
sound more reasonable.  If you don t do anything, you ll be an accessory to murder. Come
on, don t let this Peter asshole be right about you. You re a good person, Lanna. Help me save
this guy.
In all honesty, James had no idea how right Peter was about Lanna s morality. He
hardly knew Lanna beyond the stories Tony had told him. But the fact that she had been so
Hell Cop: Touching Sparks 235
revolted by the idea of murder gave him hope. It also made him briefly re-think his
assumption that Lanna had dragged Tony to these tournaments. Maybe it had gone the other
way.
 All right. Lanna clenched her eyes closed as if it hurt her to agree.  But I m out of
here as soon as we make the call.
 Just get me in and you can go, James agreed. Lanna snatched a glass of champagne
from a silver tray and drank a little. James watched her, thinking.
 Are you still taking Sedirest to get to sleep? James asked.
 Yes. So what? Lanna frowned at him.
 It would be really useful if you had a loaded injection pen on you.
Lanna s defensive expression melted into understanding. She fished a short, silver
cylinder from her little gold purse and handed it to James. At another gathering the
transaction might have drawn attention, but here green vials of venom passed openly from
hand to hand, and stylishly personalized injection pens were everywhere in sight. If
anything, he and Lanna fit in all the more now.
 How heavy is this Peter guy? James asked.
 250, 270, but it s a lot of fat, Lanna supplied and then took another glass of
champagne. She smiled at a man across the room, but didn t go to him.
James calibrated the dose on the pen and cocked back the spring-loaded needle for a
fast injection. Then he carefully tucked the pen into Moran s jacket pocket.
 Let s go.
He followed Lanna through the plain white door and up the concrete stairs. An armed
security guard stood at the top of the steps.
 Peter wanted to talk to my friend, Lanna told the bored-looking guard. James smiled
and tried not to seem nervous. His eyes slid to the holstered gun at the man s belt. He looked
quickly away. Lanna just smiled in an inviting manner, and the guard allowed them past.
236 Ginn Hale
Peter worked in D-7, one of four small surveillance rooms along a hall on the second
floor. He monitored the loading dock and the dungeon, and when requested, fed the images
to Mrs. Sunday s office screens. According to Lanna, he was bored and regularly lured pretty
young women up to him with offers of cheap venom and exotic views.
At the door, James met Peter. He was heavyset, well into his forties, with a drooping
gray mustache and a uniform that didn t hide his beer gut. He wore a gun at his hip but held
a bag of potato chips in his hand. As James trailed Lanna into the small room, he scowled.
On the far wall, ten screens flickered different images. Demons paced their cages. One
camera showed an empty loading bay. A phone and a handheld video game lay on a table in
the corner. Naked cartoon girls writhed on the video game screen.
 Thought you weren t feeling good? Peter studied Lanna s smiling face and seemed to
like what he saw. He tossed the bag of chips to the table.
 A little bubbly cleared my headache right up. Lanna raised her champagne glass and
drained it. She set her empty glass down beside the bag of chips.
When Peter glanced to James his expression grew slightly contemptuous.  You re
Tony, right? Lanna told me about you.
 Yeah? Nothing too bad, I hope. James scanned the screens for any sign of Moran and
thought he caught a glimpse. A long body sprawled in the shadows of a cage. He quickly
returned his attention to Peter. They shook hands. Peter s fingers were greasy, and he
squeezed James s hand far too hard.
 Well, I m not really interested in a three-way with another guy. Girls are more my
thing. Peter s mustache didn t hide his sneer.
James couldn t help a nervous laugh. What the hell had Lanna told this guy?
 To each his own, James replied as gamely as he could. He needed this bastard out of
the way so that he could use that phone, and more importantly, to find Moran.
Hell Cop: Touching Sparks 237
 Tony has a proposition for you, Lanna leaned up against Peter.  A different
proposition. Isn t that right, honey? Lanna gave James a hard, quick glance, but he had no
idea what she meant by it.
 Yeah, James stalled.  But I& You probably aren t interested&  He pushed his hands
into his pockets and gripped the injection pen. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]