“Don’t move,” I tell him as the woman screams and steps away. “Arms up.”
Hank complies, slowly placing the drugs on the coffee table in front of him. He raises his hands and scowls, glancing around the room to most likely map out his escape.
“You know you missed your court date a couple of weeks ago?” I ask, relaxing my stance. “You’ve been ignoring your PO.”
“My phone got turned off,” he replies weakly.
“The phones don’t work at the Riveria Motel?”
He grins slowly as if he finally realizes I’ve been following him.
“Well, you violated the bail conditions, so I gotta take you in.” I keep my gun pointed at him while grabbing my handcuffs. “Stand up slowly.”
Hank blinks, then pushes off the sofa to stand. I walk toward him, lowering my weapon so I can place the cuffs on his wrist. In a split second, he takes off toward the back of the house, and seconds later, I’m chasing him.
Goddammit. So fucking close.
Why do they think running is going to help their case?
I follow him through the kitchen and out the back door. Hank runs through the backyard, and he’s slow as hell as he tries to maneuver around the trees and between houses. Quickly catching up to him, I crash all my weight into him, and we land on the ground together. Hank releases a sharp breath and yelps when his chest collides with the concrete.
“You really thought you’d get away, Hank?” I smart off, putting my knee on his back as I grab one of his wrists and get one cuff locked. “I was a linebacker in college, and you’re not sober. Bad move, dude.” I grab his other arm and snap on the other.
“Fuck you,” he spits, thrashing wildly underneath me.
“You ain’t really my type, Hank.” Visions of Maddie flash in my mind, but I blink them away. Now is definitely not the time to think about her gorgeous face and body. “And if you don’t stop moving, I’m gonna have to use physical force.”
He looks over his shoulder and sneers. “Isn’t that what you’re doing now?”
I slowly reveal a smirk, shaking my head at this clueless asshole before clicking them tighter. “This is just foreplay, baby. Wait till I get you in the back of my truck. Then the real fun begins.” I grin to myself that I’ve finally caught this douchebag.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I chuckle darkly as I push off him and stand. “You ain’t the first to ask, Hank. Trust me.”
“Whatever,” he mutters, resting his cheek on the ground. “Just take me in.”
“Oh, thanks for the permission. So glad we’re finally on the same page now. You could’ve saved me three days if you’d just been at your last known address.” I bend down and pull him to his feet.
“Got evicted,” he tells me.
Gripping his arm, I lead us back to the house. “That’s what happens when you don’t pay the bills, man. Don’t you think it’s time you got your life together? Bumming off bitches ain’t cute at thirty-five.”
He snorts, stumbling as he walks. “And who made you Dr. Phil? Easy for you to say. I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon like you.”
I whip my head at him and scowl. “That excuse make you feel better for your shitty choices? I read your file and all the charges…” The moment we get to my truck, I push his face into the window. “I see you like to hit women. I saw the one you were with this morning, lookin’ like you smacked her around a bit. Is that what gets your dick hard?”
Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I squeeze.
“What the hell?” He strains to get out of my grip. “You can’t assault me for no reason.”
“Yeah?” I ask with amusement. “And who are they gonna believe?”
“Fuck off, asshole.”
I push his face harder into the glass. “See, I have a real issue with woman-beaters. A coward like yourself used to hit one of my best friends, and he got a bullet to the head.” I don’t tell him I didn’t put it there, but that’s a moot point. “Then his dipshit brother tried to hurt her and ended up with a bullet to the leg before he died. So don’t push my fucking limits.”
“What do you want?” he hisses, and his breath catches.
“You’re gonna get in my truck, sit quietly like a nice little boy, and let me take you to jail without a fight. If you try anything, I won’t think twice about tasing your ass. Got it?”
Hank grunts, jerking in my grip. “Yeah, got it,” he mumbles.
I lean in. “What was that? Couldn’t hear you.”
He clears his throat, shooting murderous daggers at me. “I said, got it.”
I pat his shoulder with a wide smile. “Good boy, Hank.” I pull him by his shirt, open the door, then help him get in and buckle up. “Gonna zip-tie your ankles so you don’t try to kick my window or me. Put them together.”