Page 1 of Into These Eyes
Chapter 1
Darryl Kirk’s night keeps going from bad to worse. First, his mother had scolded him for failing to shave before leaving home. Then, three hours into his night-shift, he’d grabbed a Quarter-pounder meal from Macca’s, only to have the freaking gherkin shoot out from between the buns. Of course it’d landed on his pristine security shirt, leaving behind a fabulous smear of tomato sauce and beef patty juices.Brilliant.
After devouring the traitorous burger, he skilfully extracts a single fry from its warm home. Long and lean, and with a golden tan, he slips the crisp potato past his lips, enjoying the sensation of the grains of salt gradually dissolving in the grease between his thumb and forefinger.
When he glances at the dashboard clock, he groans.
After wiping his fingers on his dark slacks, he starts the cheap four-cylinder shit-box provided by the security company and drives through the Sharman Grove Estate entrance. Cruising around the rabbit-warren of peaceful suburban streets, he passes McMansion after McMansion, all displaying strictly enforced manicured lawns and hedges.
For the millionth time, he wonders if patrolling a community that’s about as dangerous as heaven will ever see him fulfil his dream of becoming a cop.
As he takes a bend on a street like all the others, his headlights sweep across a parked car, and illuminate a startling scene behind its bumper.
Darryl stomps on the brakes, not quite believing his eyes.
On the nature-strip, a woman lies sprawled on her back, a teenage boy kneeling over her. He’s gripping the handle of something protruding from the woman’s chest while he strangles her with his other hand.
The teenager’s head snaps up. Squinting, he freezes in Darryl’s headlights.
Then, like a movie unpaused, the kid bolts, leaving the object imbedded in the woman’s chest.
Darryl flattens the accelerator. Tyres screech as he hunches over the wheel, heart pounding, knuckles white.
The kid’s head snaps side to side, looking for an escape route. Darryl can’t go after him on foot, not when he has a gut full of burger, fries and a chocolate shake. Besides, the kid seems to run like the fucking wind.
But hecan’tlose him. This is the chance he’s been waiting for. The chance to be more than just a security guard. The chance to be ahero.
Forcing the shit-box to mount the kerb, Darryl speeds along the footpath in hot pursuit.
The terrified kid glances over his shoulder. And trips on the only piece of footpath in disrepair, going down like a sack of spuds.
Darryl stomps on the brakes, losing all control as the car sails into a sideways skid on the nature-strip. For a horrifying moment, he thinks he’s about to run over the kid . Then the car comes to a jolting stop.
High on adrenalin, Darryl scrabbles with his seatbelt and flings open the door as the kid clambers to his feet.
With a speed he never knew he possessed, Darryl lunges, tackling the kid. They both go down, breath exploding as they hit the footpath.
Beneath him, the kid wheezes as Darryl grins with victory, pries a set of cuffs from his utility belt and snaps one onto the boy’s wrist.
“No!” the kid gasps. “It’s not … what you … think.”
Darryl scoffs at the clichéd words. Leaning his weight on the perp to hold him in place, he extracts his radio from his utility belt.
“Please,” the kid sobs.
Darryl grins. This night just went from dismal to fucking festive.
He presses the talk button on his radio. “Home base, come in. Over.”
Brief static, then, “Home base. What’s up, Darryl?”
“I’ve got a woman down, possibly stabbed. Location, halfway along Sacramento Place. I have the perp in custody. Repeat, I have the perp in custody. Over.”
“Are you shitting me, Darryl?”
A moment of fury shoots through him. “One hundred percent serious, Mr. Johnston. I need an ambulance and police assistance immediately. Over.”
Pressing more weight against the struggling teen, he waits.
