“I don’t think I have any fight left in me today. But I do like to do a bit of light sparring at my gym. If you’re still in town in a couple of days, I’d love to have you train with me. Maybe I could show you some moves.”

“I’d like that, but don’t be surprised if I pull out a few moves of my own.”

“By the way,” Gabi said, “I thought the giant destroyed your speaking device. Were they able to repair it?”

“No, I always carry a spare in my luggage. The officers were kind enough to retrieve it for me.”

“Well, that’s—”

The door opened and a tall man in his mid-thirties stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him. He had stylish black glasses and window’s peaks that climbed halfway up his scalp. He gave the ladies a small smile and nod, and with sloth-like movements, he rolled over one of the desk chairs. He wore a typical blue police uniform complete with a gun, flashlight, extra magazines, and other pouches dangling from a utility belt. Although, Gabi got the impression that this officer was more adept with colored pencils than the gun on his belt, and probably hadn’t used the weapon for anything but show since his qualification tests.

In a thick Canadian accent, the man said, “Hello there. I’m Officer Stine, and I’m a sketch artist. I’d like to work with all three of you at once to come up with a drawing of the two assailants that you can all agree on, which may take a little while, but will be a tremendous help to the investigation.”

Officer Stine reached into a black canvas bag he had placed beside his chair and retrieved his sketch pad.

“So, we’re going to start with—”

In a blur of completely unexpected movement, the blonde woman with the scarred neck shot from her seat, grabbed Officer Stine by the temples, and twisted with a sickening snap and crunch.

Chapter 67

After hearing back that the manager was not wearing a watch, Burke shot to his feet and, iPad in hand, left the comm center with no explanation. No warning.

Nic sat dumbfounded for a moment, but Carter followed right behind Burke, and so Nic stood and followed Carter. He felt like he was hunting with a bloodhound that had caught a scent, and all he could do was hold tight to the leash and enjoy the ride.

Burke was already halfway to the GoBox building by the time Nic rounded the comm center. As he followed, he tried to keep his eyes on Carter’s back and away from the cordoned-off section of blacktop where the rookie had died. He wondered if they had been too hard on the big, dumb kid. Hell, they had even forgot Strom’s birthday, which never happened among their brotherhood.

Burke pushed past the SWAT officer guarding the GoBox entrance, who was trying to keep any unauthorized personnel from contaminating the scene. The officer must have seen him and Carter coming because he made no attempt to stop the young doctor.