Bitter Black Kiss Read Online Free Page A

kept himself to the shadows to avoid being seen. “Does she have a roommate or boyfriend?”
    If it was the boyfriend, Nicole didn’t want to stick around. Not after what Amy said he’d done. “That can’t be the same guy as the wolf, right?”
    Molly scowled at her. “Let’s go!”
    She put the car into reverse and pulled out of the lot. There was a grocery store down the street with an island of payphones out front. She would call the police, but she had to do it anonymously. She couldn’t afford to have her name associated with the Lycan virus or werewolves.
    Not again.

Chapter Three
     
    Brody swung his legs up and rested his sneakers on the steel table. “What's this about, Vasquez? You know I didn’t do anything.”
    The detective peered at him over the top of a dog-eared folder. She tapped her bottom lip with the tip of a pen. “I don’t know that for sure. You got popped for breaking and entering a few months back, didn’t you?"
    "That was a mistake. Come on, Vasquez. Can’t you give your former partner the benefit of the doubt?"
    A twinkle lit her brown eyes. “The key word there is  former . You got fired, remember?”
    “Yeah, because some asshole screwed me over and framed my ass.” He brushed the hair out of his eyes.
    “They just didn’t know what to think of your methods. Plus your almost obsessive pursuit of the city’s most influential man didn’t help.”
    “I would’ve had proof if they’d just given me more time. I—”
    Vasquez held up a hand. “He’s squeaky clean. End of discussion.”
    “What about the drop off location I gave you? There was supposed to be a shipment last night.”
    She regarded him for a moment, her expression somewhere between pity and annoyance. “It was clean. You’d better play it low key for a while, Brody. The Chief isn’t going to be so forgiving next time you find yourself in a tight spot.”
    She had to be wrong. The shipment had arrived right on time. He was there, observing from the shadows. Only, the bust hadn’t gone down as he’d imagined. In fact, it hadn't gone down at all.
    “It was imported booze.” Vasquez’s dark eyes shifted toward him. Her expression was unreadable.
    “You checked every box?”
    She watched him for a reaction. “I’ve got to tell you, Brody, the department is getting tired of these wild theories. Chief wasn’t happy about sending extra men out to the pier in the first place. Then when nothing illegal turned up, he was pissed. The department’s tired of looking like a bunch of dumbasses.”
    He motioned for the folder. “Let me see what you guys have.”
    “You know I can’t do that.” Vasquez’s laugh grated his nerves. “Besides, this isn’t about him.”
    Brody cut his gaze around to her. “Then it’s about me.”
    “Maybe. Got a guilty conscience?”
    He glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. “Can we wrap this up? I have to be somewhere in thirty.”
    “Always want to get right to the point, don’t you? You knew Hank Alvarez, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah. He worked off Front Street and dealt a little of everything.”
    “You know he’s dead?”
    Brody nodded. “His mother called around four this morning. Right after you guys asked her to identify the body. I’d just gone to bed.”
    Vasquez made a face. “Be glad you missed it. It wasn’t pretty.”
    “Any ideas on who shot his face off?"
    “We thought you might be able to help.” She glanced up at him, her expression neutral.
    Brody glanced at the mirrored wall. Most people wouldn’t have heard the click of the door or the subtle rustle of fabric in the other room, but he did. “What? The department expects me to do their work for them? Am I going to be compensated for my time?”
    Vasquez held up a hand to bring a halt to the conversation. “Let’s not worry about compensation for now. Getting back to Alvarez though, the guy was paranoid, wasn’t he? He had security cameras all over the property. The funny thing about