LUST (A STEPBROTHER ROMANCE)

“Ten-four, car nineteen,” dispatch replied in that even tone of voice they all had down to a science. “Can you see his condition, K?”

“Negative, but he’s alive. K.”

I could see Nathan moving in the back seat, but I had no idea why. They could’ve just killed him at the safe house. My heart thudded so hard I was sure it would crack my ribs. “I need backup, K.”

“Sending units. What’s your position, K?”

“Headed southbound. Just passed mile marker one-twelve approaching the mid-town exit. K.”

Please don’t turn, please don’t turn, I prayed. If they got off there, it’d put us in the traffic-heavy streets filled with civilians, and dispatch would order me to back off.

But they probably knew that, which was exactly why they swerved at the last second and barreled straight down the exit ramp into the warehouse district.

Motherfuckers!

I cut off at least three other cars crossing lanes to follow and narrowly missed clipping the exit sign as I took the same path. Kimball’s cruiser was nosing past the truck stopped at the light, and I took the shoulder to get behind him, hoping to cut him off before he blew the intersection.

“Suspects took the mid-town exit. Car nineteen still in pursuit, K.”

“Halt pursuit, car nineteen,” dispatch predictably ordered. “Civilian concentration is too high, K.”

I shook my head, hot tears burning the corners of my eyes. Goddammit, they weren’t going to walk away from this. Not again.

Peter Wallace had killed enough people. I wasn’t going to let him add Nathan to that list.

“Negative, dispatch. Car nineteen still in pursuit. We’re eastbound on Fontaine Boulevard. Requesting backup, K.”

The dispatcher sounded a little rattled now, as though they weren’t sure how to respond to resistance. “Car nineteen, halt pursuit—”

“Negative,” I repeated. “Send backup, K.”

And then, lowering the volume down to a dull chatter, I watched as Kimball’s cruiser surged into the intersection and followed suit.

It was harder for both our cars to maneuver here. Sure, they’d slowed me down, but they weren’t faring much better. Fontaine was busy this time of day, and traffic tended to bottleneck up ahead at the Carthage intersection. The only advantage either of us had was that we were in police cruisers, and the lights and sirens were enough to convince most cars to move out of the way.

“C’mon!” I shouted at a teenage girl who froze when she saw my lights. She hesitated, trying to figure out which way to go. “Get the fuck out of the way!”

Up ahead, Kimball’s car was making steady progress toward the red light. It wasn’t going to stop. I was going to have to take more drastic measures.

I rammed the front of the girl’s car, pushing her aside as she screamed and dropped her hands from the wheel. I’d barely dented her bumper, but the way she acted, you’d think I’d driven her off a cliff. I shook my head and made eye contact with her as I passed, letting her know that she was a fucking idiot as I made my way through the sea of other cars smart enough to part for a police vehicle.

Kimball—or whoever was driving—wasn’t making any use of the turn signals. When they changed course suddenly on Carthage Avenue, taking out a fire hydrant as they jumped the curb onto the sidewalk, I almost side-swiped a delivery truck trying to follow them.

Jesus, I thought, watching bystanders scramble to avoid the cruiser hurtling down the sidewalk to bypass the traffic. This was bad. Really bad. And I was going to need a miracle to keep up.

“Southbound on Carthage, K,” I yelled into the radio as I weaved through the cars desperately trying to get out of my way. It wasn’t easy, given how narrow the lanes were.

“10-4, car nineteen. Chopper inbound. Please halt pursuit, K,” dispatch answered. I could hear the tension and pleading in the operator’s tone now, but I still had no intention of listening.

I wasn’t going to let Nathan die. And that was exactly what would happen if I gave up and let them take him away.

I should’ve never left you, I thought as I kept my eyes on the figure in the backseat of Kimball’s cruiser. There was no doubt in my mind that it was Nathan. I thought of how terrified he must be. I’m so sorry.

I’d let him down, just like I’d done to Jenny. I had turned my back on him when he had needed me the most, all because I didn’t want to admit the truth about myself. Even after all this time, I couldn’t embrace my feelings for him. I’d loved and desired that man since the first time I laid eyes on him… But this wasn’t over. Like Nathan had said, I couldn’t change the past, but I could sure as hell alter the future.

Another idiot driver pulled over the wrong way, but this time it happened in front of Kimball’s cruiser. It gave me just enough time to catch up, and soon I was bumper-to-bumper with the renegade cop car ahead of me.

I tried to remember the training I’d received as a traffic cop. I needed to get him off the road, and fast. But how the hell was I supposed to do that with so many other cars in the way?

Backup hadn’t arrived. There was no one to throw down any stop sticks, no one to help me herd the cruiser out of traffic or cut it off. I was utterly alone, and unless I could get ahead of them somehow, I was screwed.

Then I realized where we were, and where they were headed. He was trying to outrun me into the warehouse district, where no doubt the Pad

dies were waiting. If I let them make a right here, they’d be well on their way.

But if I pushed them left…

I whipped into the right lane, then back hard to the left, slamming into the side of Kimball’s cruiser and pushing him through the intersection. With oncoming traffic headed right at us, he had no choice but to turn left toward the bridge instead of right toward the warehouses. I was right behind them, already unfastening my holster as I laid eyes on what I was hoping for.

The bridge was up. A transport vessel not unlike the ones Wallace had used to ship his girls was passing through toward the open ocean. There was no escape except back the way they’d came, and there was no way I was letting them get through me.

Kimball’s cruiser skidded to a halt. I turned my own car sideways, blocking him from making a U-turn and coming back around. Then I exited my vehicle and took aim at the driver, the supposed rookie I’d seen exiting the station. Kimball was nowhere to be seen.

I pushed any thoughts about what had happened to him out of my mind as I lowered my finger onto the trigger. “Out!” I screamed so loud I thought I’d ruptured my throat. “Out of the car! Now!”

The perp unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. This was too easy…

“Hands up!” I ordered, approaching him around the front of my car. “Do it now!”

He obeyed, falling to his knees before I’d even told him to. He must’ve known the drill.

“Lock your hands behind your head and put your face on the ground!” I barked, getting closer to my target. He was helpless and prone, both of which were good things. He couldn’t have been anything more than a lackey for the real threat, but thankfully, they were back the other way waiting on a delivery that would never come.

I looked up when Nathan opened the back door. I saw him peek around, his eyes wide, his face pale.