JК
Incubus Dreams :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 530 из 605Itseemed like a wish we could all live with. They had sat the vampire in the chair with his hands cuffed through the rungs, again, just a delay, but if it went really wrong, a second's delay could save lives. I stared at the vamp’s face. His hair was darker than Avery’s, a brunette that some would have said was black if I hadn’t been standing in the room. His eyes were brown and dark. He was good looking in a standard haven’t-I-seen-a-hundred-faces-just-like-that-way, but that wasn’t what made me stare. I knew him. At first it was just a niggling in the back of my head, that his face was familiar, then suddenly it came full blown.
“You’re Jonah Cooper. I got interviewed about how I felt that one of my fellow vampire hunters had been slain by the vampires. What was that, nearly two years ago now, three?”
His look, which had been neutral, went to hostile. “Four.” He said that last word like it was a bad one.
“They’re legal now, Cooper, why didn’t you come out of the closet and tell people you didn’t die in that fire?”
He looked down, then up, and his eyes had gone dark, sparkling with anger and vampire powers. I leaned into him with a smile. I knew what smile I was giving him, it was the cold one that left my eyes dead. My gun was pressed, not too hard to his chest, just over his heart. “Or is it that you let, what was it, six policemen die in the fire?”
“Anita, what’s going on?” Zerbrowski asked.
I told him. I didn’t have to look up to know that Zerbrowski’s face wouldn’t be friendly. Nothing pisses off the cops like someone who kills one of their own. “How’d you survive, Cooper?” I asked.
He glared up at me. “You know how.”
“You sold them to the vampires you were hunting, didn’t you?”
He just looked at me, but he didn’t deny it. That was enough.
“He took money to betray cops?” Marconi asked.
“No,” I said, “not money.”
“No,” Cooper said, “not money.”
“What then?” Smith asked.
“Immortality,” I said, “right, Cooper?”
“Not just that.”
“What then?” I said.
“You’re the Master of the City’s human servant, you know what else.”
I blinked at him, not sure what to say, but I leaned back enough so that I wasn’t pressing a gun into his chest. I knew what it was like to finally be seduced by the thing you hunted. Mine just happened to be a more traditional seduction. Okay, at least I was still among the living.
“What does he mean?” Smith asked.
“You’re Jonah Cooper. I got interviewed about how I felt that one of my fellow vampire hunters had been slain by the vampires. What was that, nearly two years ago now, three?”
His look, which had been neutral, went to hostile. “Four.” He said that last word like it was a bad one.
“They’re legal now, Cooper, why didn’t you come out of the closet and tell people you didn’t die in that fire?”
He looked down, then up, and his eyes had gone dark, sparkling with anger and vampire powers. I leaned into him with a smile. I knew what smile I was giving him, it was the cold one that left my eyes dead. My gun was pressed, not too hard to his chest, just over his heart. “Or is it that you let, what was it, six policemen die in the fire?”
“Anita, what’s going on?” Zerbrowski asked.
I told him. I didn’t have to look up to know that Zerbrowski’s face wouldn’t be friendly. Nothing pisses off the cops like someone who kills one of their own. “How’d you survive, Cooper?” I asked.
He glared up at me. “You know how.”
“You sold them to the vampires you were hunting, didn’t you?”
He just looked at me, but he didn’t deny it. That was enough.
“He took money to betray cops?” Marconi asked.
“No,” I said, “not money.”
“No,” Cooper said, “not money.”
“What then?” Smith asked.
“Immortality,” I said, “right, Cooper?”
“Not just that.”
“What then?” I said.
“You’re the Master of the City’s human servant, you know what else.”
I blinked at him, not sure what to say, but I leaned back enough so that I wasn’t pressing a gun into his chest. I knew what it was like to finally be seduced by the thing you hunted. Mine just happened to be a more traditional seduction. Okay, at least I was still among the living.
“What does he mean?” Smith asked.