Broken
AUTHOR: Trace
*Disclaimer,yadda,yadda,yadda in the Prologue.
Chapter Five:
The lobby of the building was crawling with
cops.
Jordan got that look in his eyes like he was
going to bolt.
"Don't even think it," I said.
Jordan looked at me and went three shades
paler before turning to the
assembled policemen. "I...I give up. Don't shoot," he
said, his voice
cracking with fear.
Dolph walked over to me. "Are you okay,Anita?"
I nodded. "Just need a little first aid
and I'll be as good as new."
Dolph looked at my left leg,still bleeding.
"What happened?"
"He shot my snow-globe. Glass caught me,"
I answered.
Dolph nodded. "There's an ambulance
outside. Is anyone up there alive?"
"I don't know. I doubt it," I said,
anger coming back in a hot rush.
Three officers led Jordan D'Ubervilles past me
in handcuffs.
"You have the right to remain silent. You
have the right to an
attorney,if you cannot afford one..." the voice faded as
they exited the
building.
"Murder One, Attempted murder..."Dolph's
face was bland.
I grinned. "Assault on a Federal Marshall,can't
forget that one," I said.
Three months ago, vampire executioners had
been given Federal
status,complete with badges. It cut down on the red tape when we
had to chase
a vamp cross-country.
Used to be, we had to get a warrant of
execution from every state wen
entered, and by the time we got the go ahead, the vamp had
crossed into
another state and we had to start all over again.
Now,I could flash a badge and yell 'Charge!'.
Amazing what Federal status
will get done.
People who would normally fight each other for
the right to kick me off
their turf were required by law to pave the way for me when I was
chasing a
vamp. Same went for other preternatural cases. I got to be the
monster expert
and boss the local, and occasionally even state cops, around. It
was great.
You'd be surprised how much faster things got done.
Dolph smiled at me. "Yeah. Just because
you're a Fed now, don't forget
where you came from,Anita."
It took me a second to realize that Dolph was
making a joke.
"Ooh,Blake. You're not your usual
pristine self," a voice called out.
I almost groaned. I knew that voice anywhere.
"Your wife let you out of
the house like that,Zerbrowski?" I said, getting a good look
at his brown
suit and bright yellow shirt and red tie.
Zerbrowski grinned. "Naw,she wasn't home.
Her sister took her shopping."
I grinned. "Lucky her. She escaped
blindness."
"Ooh,cruel,Blake, very cruel,"
Zerbrowski said, putting a hand to his
chest.
"Okay, I have to admit, it's an
improvement over little choo choos."
"Will you two cut it out? You're worse
than a bunch of kids," Dolph
barked at us.
Zerbrowski and I grinned at him. "Spoil
sport," I said.
Dolph tried to glare, but ended up laughing
and walking off.
"Hey,Blake. You just gonna stand there
and bleed, or are you gonna get
that leg looked at?"
I shrugged. "Doesn't hurt anymore. I can
take care of it at home."
Zerbrowski shook his head. "Uh-uh,Blake.
Get your cute ass over to the
ambulance and get that taken care of."
"Giving me orders now,Zerbrowski?"I
teased.
"You can be tough when we're working a
case,Anita. Get your ass to that
ambulance before I throw you over my shoulder and take you,"
he said.
I glared at him.He grinned. "Now,Blake."
Fine. I went outside and to the ambulance,grumbling
the whole way.
I heard soft,silky laughter and realized Jean-Claude
was still with me.
Oops.
I turned to glare at him."What's so damn
funny?"
"I have seen you face Master vampires,
charging shape-shifters, gunmen
and the Council themselves, and you have just been outmaneuvered
by a common
police officer," Jean-Claude said,still chuckling.
I *really* wanted to smack him. I think he
knew it too, because he moved
out of reach.
I might've chased him down, but the EMT's
started fussing over me.
One of them used needle nose pliers to try to
pull the glass out. Mostly
he was just digging around and pissing me off.
"Oh,for Christ's sake! Let *me* do it!"
I snapped.
The EMT looked like he might cry when I took
the pliers from him.
I looked at the pliers then at the EMT. "You're
kidding,right?" The end
of the pliers was bigger than the hole in my thigh. Jeez.
I looked at the other EMT and smiled sweetly.
"Could you please get me
some hemostats?"
She nodded and reached into her kit and handed
me a pair, still in their
wrapping.
"Thanks." It took less than ten
seconds for me to get that shard of glass
out, and I didn't have to poke at it either.
The EMTs wrapped the wound with gauze and that
was that.
I stood up,testing my leg,and Jean-Claude had
to keep me from falling. It
wasn't the injury.
A gurney was rolled past with John Burke on it.
An EMT was straddling his waist and pumping on
his chest.
"Come on, breathe!" he snapped.
I didn't want to see this. I didn't want to
watch someone I worked with
die.
They wheeled Mary out next and I sagged
against Jean-Claude.
"Get me out of here," I choked out.
Jean-Claude tightened his arm around my waist
and pulled me away from the
slaughterhouse that had been my workplace.