Read Bad Cop (Entangled Covet) for Free Online

predawn presence had to have hit him hard. It didn’t strike her that his purpose was for her protection. He’d regarded her as if she were the only one under the moon that night. The appealing, boyish charm in his smile and his voice and his eyes made it unbelievably tough to stay angry with him.
    She’d half convinced herself that, in her exhaustion, she’d imagined the whole exchange after he’d disappeared instantly, gone quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth. If she hadn’t heard from Val about the vampire ability to flash, she would vote for a trip to the loony bin. He had to be a very old vampire to have such a skill, and didn’t that just freak out her unnatural, albeit understandable, attraction to him?
    With a sigh bordering on dreamy, Alice rose to put away her coffee cup, sending her table into a precarious wobble. Yet another item in desperate need of a replacement she couldn’t afford. Dingy apartment living was slowly choking the life out of her. She never invited friends over, a bit embarrassed by the stained and dated carpet, cracked linoleum, and old paneling on the walls. Her furniture was just as shabby, torn or chipped with duct tape and wood glue holding it all together.
    All of her money went to Zach’s care, and she refused to stick him into a public facility just to have nicer furniture. Anxiety sufficiently roused, she reached for her cell and called the care home. Thankfully, the nurse on duty reported Zach’s condition hadn’t changed. They’d had to put him on a respirator the week before.
    Her breath hitched as she hugged the phone to her chest. How much longer would his body hold out before it gave up completely? She needed to make time to visit him soon. He might not be aware of her presence, but it was a reassurance that he was still with her, still alive. Still had a chance to awaken.
    His belongings sat untouched in the trunks she’d packed the day she’d moved out of their home six years ago. It felt like a violation of his privacy to go through them. She would have hated it if he went through her things, though that hadn’t stopped him much when they were younger.
    The alarm on her cell phone blared, and she nearly dropped it. There was her bat signal. If only heading to the VLO didn’t feel like heading to the gallows, she might actually say she was enjoying her temporary position. Graham’s impending execution hung over her head and on top of that her imminent meet up with a hot, Irish vampire with just enough accent to kick her libido into overdrive.
    The men twisted her in knots, though for very different reasons.
    When she arrived at the VLO, Piper was closing up for the night.
    “You’re here late. I thought you would’ve left hours ago.”
    “Ha.” Piper was less than humored. “Wish you’d told me how much work you do around here. Human Resources must be nuts for threatening to fire you. It would be like firing three people.”
    “Good to know someone sees my value.” She pointed to Piper’s breasts. “Use those, and it’ll cut your workload in half.”
    “Unethical.”
    “Noooo. Clever.” Alice sat at the edge of her old desk. “Anything happen I need to know about?”
    “Just stuff for the casebook, more pictures, labs and stuff. I e-mailed you.” Piper’s smile took on a wicked edge. “Oh, and Glenn called. He wants his dignity back.”
    “He had some to begin with?”
    “He thinks so. Anyway, he’s ticked the media’s calling you instead of him.”
    Sighing, Alice rose and headed toward her office. “Not my fault.” She ducked in to deposit her purse and then leaned back out to catch Piper. “Uhm, those calls—”
    “Forwarded.” The woman had read her mind. As she stepped into the elevator, Piper talked over her shoulder. “I left you a prezzie.”
    “Better not be bread crumbs,” Alice called as the doors slid shut. She glanced around the floor. Everyone was gone. The silence pressed on her. It wasn’t the first time