behind bars on the more provable charges of drug dealing. The bust made her reputation in law enforcement circles. Regrettably, after the Idaho incident she was well known in more seamy circles as well.
Mick’s eyes flamed menacingly as he and Bobo closed in on either side of her. In the last couple of minutes the energy in the group had changed. Annika felt a warning flicker streak up her back. There were now more than a dozen tweakers surrounding them, snarling softly like a pack of feral dogs. Knowing that Baker was somewhere in the crowd, and that most of the would-be attackers were shit-faced, Annika swallowed her fear and faced the ringleaders with a practiced nonchalance.
“That won’t be necessary, guys. I just wanted to introduce myself. Make your acquaintance.”
Mick growled, “Don’t think for a minute, bitch that we don’t know who you are. Nope, Loo-ten-ent Ah-nee-ka Neel-son, you’re a favorite of ours. We got a whole chat room devoted to you. You should see what photoshop can do to that bitchin’ body of yours, blondie. We got pictures of you gittin’ it on with five to ten guys at a time. Your momma would be scandalized and your daddy would be reachin’ for his shotgun.”
Annika leveled him an icy smile.
“Guess it’s lucky for you that I have neither a mother nor a father. And boys, I don’t scandalize easy.”
“Unluckily for you gentlemen, I do . As does my partner. And I’m scandalized that you ignorant-assed cowards would not only insult an officer of the law but one of my officers.”
Annika turned and was more than a little relieved to see Nate and Sam striding through the crowd toward her, their still-running squad car angled haphazardly at the curb. No doubt, they’d seen the crowd and heard the exchange. Annika didn’t know who looked more fierce, Nate or Sam. But if she was forced to choose, it would be Sam. Accustomed to his quiet, distinguished demeanor she saw for the first time the fabled special operative that her internet research had uncovered. He looked downright scary.
Nate’s blazing eyes scanned the cowering group. In a voice as hard as it was dangerous, he said, “You got ten seconds to get your sorry asses as far away as you can run.”
As the wide-eyed wasters backed away, he added, “And boys? I see you within a hundred yards of this development or I ever hear you threaten one of my officers again, be they male or female, you can plan on spending the next three months at St. Cloud. From what I hear the ‘residents’ there enjoy eco-nuts as much as they do perverts who fuck little kids. And trust me, it won’t be ‘fry daddy’ those guys’ll be shoving up your ass. After a week or two, your own momma won’t recognize you. Now git!”
As the gang scattered like a flock of frightened mallards on opening day of hunting season, Nate turned toward Annika, his eyes narrowed and his mouth drawn in a hard thin line. To her surprise he looked past her, to Sgt. Baker who was standing off to the side.
Closing in on the white-faced officer, Nate growled, “You wanna tell me, Sergeant Baker, why you were standing twenty feet away from your fellow officer who was surrounded by a dozen fried crack-heads threatening to rape her?”
Baker went from white to red in a matter of seconds. Stepping back from Nate’s fierce glare, he stammered, “She… she seemed like she had it under control… If… they’d tried to hurt her, I woulda—”
“Would have what, Sergeant? Done your duty? Come to the aid of a fellow officer? Stepped up like a goddamn man? Called for back-up like any rookie would have known to do?”
Nate shook his head, his voice tight with strain.
“Get the hell into my squad.”
He whirled on Annika. “And you. You get in the one you and Baker came in. Sam’ll drive you back to the station. The four of us are going to have a conversation about what went down here.”
Annika managed to grab a shaky breath. Locking her arms across her
Mick’s eyes flamed menacingly as he and Bobo closed in on either side of her. In the last couple of minutes the energy in the group had changed. Annika felt a warning flicker streak up her back. There were now more than a dozen tweakers surrounding them, snarling softly like a pack of feral dogs. Knowing that Baker was somewhere in the crowd, and that most of the would-be attackers were shit-faced, Annika swallowed her fear and faced the ringleaders with a practiced nonchalance.
“That won’t be necessary, guys. I just wanted to introduce myself. Make your acquaintance.”
Mick growled, “Don’t think for a minute, bitch that we don’t know who you are. Nope, Loo-ten-ent Ah-nee-ka Neel-son, you’re a favorite of ours. We got a whole chat room devoted to you. You should see what photoshop can do to that bitchin’ body of yours, blondie. We got pictures of you gittin’ it on with five to ten guys at a time. Your momma would be scandalized and your daddy would be reachin’ for his shotgun.”
Annika leveled him an icy smile.
“Guess it’s lucky for you that I have neither a mother nor a father. And boys, I don’t scandalize easy.”
“Unluckily for you gentlemen, I do . As does my partner. And I’m scandalized that you ignorant-assed cowards would not only insult an officer of the law but one of my officers.”
Annika turned and was more than a little relieved to see Nate and Sam striding through the crowd toward her, their still-running squad car angled haphazardly at the curb. No doubt, they’d seen the crowd and heard the exchange. Annika didn’t know who looked more fierce, Nate or Sam. But if she was forced to choose, it would be Sam. Accustomed to his quiet, distinguished demeanor she saw for the first time the fabled special operative that her internet research had uncovered. He looked downright scary.
Nate’s blazing eyes scanned the cowering group. In a voice as hard as it was dangerous, he said, “You got ten seconds to get your sorry asses as far away as you can run.”
As the wide-eyed wasters backed away, he added, “And boys? I see you within a hundred yards of this development or I ever hear you threaten one of my officers again, be they male or female, you can plan on spending the next three months at St. Cloud. From what I hear the ‘residents’ there enjoy eco-nuts as much as they do perverts who fuck little kids. And trust me, it won’t be ‘fry daddy’ those guys’ll be shoving up your ass. After a week or two, your own momma won’t recognize you. Now git!”
As the gang scattered like a flock of frightened mallards on opening day of hunting season, Nate turned toward Annika, his eyes narrowed and his mouth drawn in a hard thin line. To her surprise he looked past her, to Sgt. Baker who was standing off to the side.
Closing in on the white-faced officer, Nate growled, “You wanna tell me, Sergeant Baker, why you were standing twenty feet away from your fellow officer who was surrounded by a dozen fried crack-heads threatening to rape her?”
Baker went from white to red in a matter of seconds. Stepping back from Nate’s fierce glare, he stammered, “She… she seemed like she had it under control… If… they’d tried to hurt her, I woulda—”
“Would have what, Sergeant? Done your duty? Come to the aid of a fellow officer? Stepped up like a goddamn man? Called for back-up like any rookie would have known to do?”
Nate shook his head, his voice tight with strain.
“Get the hell into my squad.”
He whirled on Annika. “And you. You get in the one you and Baker came in. Sam’ll drive you back to the station. The four of us are going to have a conversation about what went down here.”
Annika managed to grab a shaky breath. Locking her arms across her
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