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Bloody Bones :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 81 из 272But I had to know if he'd follow me into thosewoods. I had to know if I could depend on him. If he stayed this scared, I couldn't.
"What happened?" I asked. Maybe talking about it right now was the wrong thing to do, but ignoring it wasn't working very well.
He shook his head. "Headquarters says you're in charge, Ms. Blake. Fine, I'll do what I'm told. But I don't have to answer personal questions."
It was too much trouble to shrug out of the overall, and I really didn't want my arms trapped. I undid one button on my blouse and spread the cloth.
"What are you doing?"
"How good's your night vision?"
"Why?"
"Can you see the scar?"
"What are you talking about?" He sounded suspicious. Suspicious that I was crazy, maybe.
My night vision would have picked it up, but most people don't have my eyes. "Give me your hand."
"Why?"
"I am about to give you a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Just give me your damn hand."
He did, sort of hesitatingly, glancing back at the waiting men.
His hand was cold to the touch. He was one scared puppy. I traced his large, blunt fingers along my collarbone. The moment he touched the scar tissue, his hand jerked like he'd had an electric shock. I pulled my hand away, and he traced the scar again on his own.
He took his hand back, slowly, rubbing his fingers together like he was remembering the feel of my skin. "What did that?"
"Same thing that did your neck. A vampire that wasn't neat with its food."
"Jesus," he said.
"Yeah," I said. I rebuttoned my blouse. "Tell me what happened, Wallace. Please."
He looked at me for a moment longer, then nodded. "Harry, my partner, and me, we got a call that someone had found a body with its throat torn out." He made the words very bland, ordinary, but I knew he was seeing it in his head. Watching it all happen again behind his eyeballs.
"It was a construction site. Just us in the middle of the place with our flashlights. There was a sound like wind whistling, and something hit Harry. He went down with a man on top of him. He screamed, and I had my gun out. I fired into the man's back. I hit him solid three, four times. He turned on me and his face was bloody. I didn't have time to wonder why, 'cause he jumped me. I emptied my gun into him before I hit the ground."
He took a deep breath, big hands twisting back and forth on the flashlight. He was looking off into the trees, too, but not for vampires, or at least not for this one.
"He ripped my jacket and shirt like they were paper. I tried to fight him, but. .
"What happened?" I asked. Maybe talking about it right now was the wrong thing to do, but ignoring it wasn't working very well.
He shook his head. "Headquarters says you're in charge, Ms. Blake. Fine, I'll do what I'm told. But I don't have to answer personal questions."
It was too much trouble to shrug out of the overall, and I really didn't want my arms trapped. I undid one button on my blouse and spread the cloth.
"What are you doing?"
"How good's your night vision?"
"Why?"
"Can you see the scar?"
"What are you talking about?" He sounded suspicious. Suspicious that I was crazy, maybe.
My night vision would have picked it up, but most people don't have my eyes. "Give me your hand."
"Why?"
"I am about to give you a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Just give me your damn hand."
He did, sort of hesitatingly, glancing back at the waiting men.
His hand was cold to the touch. He was one scared puppy. I traced his large, blunt fingers along my collarbone. The moment he touched the scar tissue, his hand jerked like he'd had an electric shock. I pulled my hand away, and he traced the scar again on his own.
He took his hand back, slowly, rubbing his fingers together like he was remembering the feel of my skin. "What did that?"
"Same thing that did your neck. A vampire that wasn't neat with its food."
"Jesus," he said.
"Yeah," I said. I rebuttoned my blouse. "Tell me what happened, Wallace. Please."
He looked at me for a moment longer, then nodded. "Harry, my partner, and me, we got a call that someone had found a body with its throat torn out." He made the words very bland, ordinary, but I knew he was seeing it in his head. Watching it all happen again behind his eyeballs.
"It was a construction site. Just us in the middle of the place with our flashlights. There was a sound like wind whistling, and something hit Harry. He went down with a man on top of him. He screamed, and I had my gun out. I fired into the man's back. I hit him solid three, four times. He turned on me and his face was bloody. I didn't have time to wonder why, 'cause he jumped me. I emptied my gun into him before I hit the ground."
He took a deep breath, big hands twisting back and forth on the flashlight. He was looking off into the trees, too, but not for vampires, or at least not for this one.
"He ripped my jacket and shirt like they were paper. I tried to fight him, but. .