Page 2 of Leif

I could have told him it’s a crime to threaten an officer. But something told me that the criminal in the back seat had little to no regard for the law…obviously. Why waste my breath?

“Maybe you’re just a mute. Are you autistic?” He arched an eyebrow. “Retarded, maybe?”

What a delightful human being.

Still, I knew he was trying to annoy me. It’s a common tactic. I’d had people beg me to let them go, threaten my life if I delivered them, or even make jokes about me, my partner, my size, whatever.

I kept my eyes on the road and exhaled as the trees on either side of the road closed in a bit too much for comfort. The shoulder disappeared, and everything narrowed as the trees pressed right up to the edges of concrete.

Trimmed branches jutted toward the white line, and I prayed that no trucker would come along right now, because being sandwiched between a trucker and the trees might be a bit much for me. I’d never made this drive in the dark like this, and I internally swore I never would again. Especially not alone except for a loudmouthed idiot in the back seat.

The trees opened up as quickly as they closed in, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You look good when you exhale. And you’ve got me all locked up.” He held up his cuffed hands. “How about you stop this car, and you get on your knees and—”

I tapped the brakes, and he slid forward on the seat before catching himself, the panic in his eyes warming something deep in me. A smile tugged the corners of my lips as I focused on the road. The vehicle behind me had fallen further behind, and a sense that everything would be fine washed over me.

“You’re a bitch. I’ll remember that.” His glare filled the rearview, but I shrugged it off. Sure, he was dangerous, but he was back there, cuffed, and I was behind the wheel with a gun on my hip.

My gaze swept the road, and the trees flying by as my high beams lit up both sides of the road. Something flashed off to the right and hit the car, like we’d collided with another vehicle. The wheel ripped right out of my hands as the whole dash came at me. I reached out as if I could stop the crushing by simply holding back the destroyed plastic as the whole world upended.

The sickening sensation of rolling over and over filled my throat with bile, and the deafening screech of metal protesting as it crunched in on itself screamed in my ears. As the world closed in tight like I was being locked in a metal box being crushed by monster truck, I struggled to breathe.

We hit something, and the destroyed shell of the car violently pitched to a stop. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out the extent of my injuries. My hands traveled up the wheel as my eyes glanced up at the crushed ceiling mere inches from my head. The sensation of hanging warned me we were upside down, and I bit back a scream as the car rocked back and came to a rest.

I breathed out. I was still alive. Still in control of my faculties.

I turned my head and saw my prisoner lying on the ceiling in the back seat. The mesh between us was gaping open and twisted uselessly. Unable to turn far enough to see if he was even breathing, I said a quick prayer.

Every mental process reverted to the training I’d received, and the whole situation slipped into focus.

I needed to get out. I needed to radio for help. I needed to assess the damage. I needed to see if my prisoner was still alive.

I was fairly certain we’d hit a deer. The brown flash I’d seen bouncing out of the woods had to have been a deer.

My dash computer was crushed beyond use, but I’d been being followed by someone. Maybe they’d stop and call 911. As if in answer, I heard the crunch of tires on gravel. Help would be here soon enough when someone called in to report a crashed squad car.

I glanced at the passenger seat as a sound startled me.

The white airbag had deployed and quickly deflated. I glanced at the steering wheel, ice water running through my veins. The whole front end was much closer than it should have been.

It was dangerously close.

“Please don’t,” I whispered.

A loudcrack!filled the air.

Everything went black.

2

Leif

“Dude, you died. Are you sure you’re up to working again so soon?” Blaze dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder. I glanced from him to Wrath’s right-hand man, Ruin. I hated the threesome of purebloods. The bastards thought they were better than everyone else.

Ruin’s green eyes locked on me as he went totally still. I noticed he was wound tight.

“I’m fine.”

---