Chapter One

 

DEAN MARSHALL savored the rare morning when he got to linger in bed instead of having to be out the door before the sun rose. Especially mornings like this, with the sun streaming through the window and with his partner, Andrei Cuza, curled against his back. Andrei’s calf had slid between Dean’s legs sometime in the night, as usual, and his hand splayed against Dean’s stomach. Dean smiled sleepily and let his eyes drift shut again as he burrowed back into the warmth of Andrei’s body. Now this was the only way to wake up right. He drank in the sun on his face, the scent of fresh brewed coffee in the air, and the feel of Andrei stirring behind him.

Breath brushed the nape of his neck followed by a kiss to his shoulder. The hand on Dean’s stomach shifted and long fingers stroked his skin. “Morning, iubito,” Andrei said in a sleep-husky voice that made desire stir Dean’s blood. He loved the dark timbre of his tone, the quiet manner he had that made people listen without him ever having to raise his voice.

“Hey, babe,” Dean murmured back, turning his head to graze his lips along Andrei’s stubbled jaw. As he shifted, cool cotton sheets caressed his skin, and he longed for Andrei’s hands to do the same. “Tell me you don’t have anywhere you have to be in the next hour.”

“I have a pile of paperwork waiting for me on my desk.” Andrei smiled, his dark eyes lighting up with teasing. “She’s a cruel, demanding mistress.”

“Leaving me naked in bed for paperwork is a cardinal sin.” Dean’s breath caught as Andrei slid his hand lower between Dean’s thighs to cup his morning wood. He reached behind him and burrowed his fingers into Andrei’s thick hair. “Stay and play with me, Andrei.”

“You make it sound like I have any chance of resisting you. We both know the truth about that,” Andrei replied, trailing his lips down Dean’s neck to linger at his pulse. “Besides, I’m not the one with an oh-so-important meeting in DC today.”

Dean cursed and his eyes flew open as he untangled himself from Andrei’s embrace to lean over to check the time on his cell phone.

Andrei started chuckling. “You should’ve seen the look of horror that crossed your face.”

“Ass, you knew I didn’t oversleep.” Dean whacked him with a pillow and leveled an accusing glare at him.

Andrei, the sheet tangled around his waist and a gold crucifix gleaming against his bare chest, seemed unbothered as he grinned back at Dean. “It’s so much fun to fuck with you. I rarely get the chance. Think of it as retaliation for all those times you messed with me on the big days.” Andrei took Dean’s hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the knuckles before turning Dean’s hand around to kiss the inside of his wrist as well. The look in Andrei’s smoky, dark brown eyes turned warm and seductive as he continued to rain kisses along Dean’s arm.

Dean fought a smile and tried to hold on to his glare, but the teasing lift of Andrei’s lips beat him. He grinned and sank back into Andrei’s arms, determined to relax instead of triple-checking and making sure he had everything for his proposal ready before heading out. He already knew he had it together, and obsessing would only get him all worked up for nothing. Dean wanted to lose himself in the taste and feel of Andrei as they moved together.

“And you call me evil. I didn’t think retaliation was your style.”

Andrei’s black hair lay in a tumbled mess from sleep, and the sun highlighted his swarthy skin that he got from his Romani blood. He looked more rugged than beautiful, with his too-strong nose that bore a kink from being broken more than once, and his chiseled jaw, which had a cleft that gave him a rough-hewn appearance. Dean thought that those features were what made him so very sexy. Andrei’s smile widened into a devilish grin as he tugged Dean on top of him. “You do have your moments.”

Dean brushed his lips along Andrei’s jaw again, savoring the familiar sensation of Andrei’s long, lean body beneath him. After all of these years, it didn’t get old. The hot rush of teenage hormones had settled somewhat, and he found the familiarity between them to be a comfort. Dean knew every inch of him, knew how to drive him crazy in slow degrees. If anything, he wanted Andrei more now than when they’d first fallen for each other.

Their tongues tangled in a slow, lazy kiss, and Dean sighed in pleasure as Andrei ran his hands over him in a lingering sweep from his shoulders down to the backs of his thighs. It was easy to dismiss his excitement over the possibilities later on that day in favor of making love to Andrei. He wrapped his arms around Dean, holding him closer as he broke the kiss and bared his neck.

Dean chuckled and nuzzled Andrei’s throat. “Now where’s that spot?” he murmured, as Andrei’s breath caught.

“Tease.” Andrei thrust his fingers into Dean’s hair, guiding his mouth to that place on Andrei’s throat that made him shiver. “Oh yeah, right there,” Andrei whispered and shifted restlessly under Dean as he traced the spot—just behind and below his ear toward the nape of his neck—with his tongue before giving it a gentle bite.

“I think I could get you to agree to anything if I lingered here long enough.” Dean nibbled again with teeth and lips interspersed with tiny licks as Andrei’s cock came to life against him.

“Good thing for me you have a short attention span.” Andrei danced his fingertips over the small of Dean’s back, making him shiver and arch. “And I know your own spots.”

Dean grabbed Andrei’s wrists, mock growling as they wrestled, kicking the tangled sheets and blankets onto the floor. His cock throbbed, filling him with a welcome ache as they rubbed against each other during their bout. Dean was stronger, even if Andrei was taller by a good few inches. A nice side effect from working out on a daily basis at the gym he owned, and he needed all the advantage he could get.

Andrei got one of his hands free, and Dean squawked, loosening his grip as Andrei went for the pressure point on the inside of his elbow, making his arm tingle. “Sneaky bastard.”

“You started it.” Andrei snickered as he wrapped his arms around Dean again and pulled him down. There was nothing he liked more than feeling Andrei’s naked skin all along his body. “And I’m finishing it. Stop playing around and kiss me.”

 

 

ANDREI’S heart flipped when Dean’s hazel eyes darkened as he lowered his head. Dean still had the power to do that to him, to make him weak inside with need, to make him forget all the ugliness outside their home, because with him Andrei had a security that he hadn’t felt anywhere else. He sank into the kiss, arching against Dean’s cock throbbing between his thighs. He wanted more of that, needed to feel it throbbing inside of him.

Heat rose and Andrei slid one leg up to hook over Dean’s hip as the kiss broke. He rocked his hips up, sighing in pleasure as Dean’s cock nestled against his ass. “I think I like you, maybe just a bit.”

Dean chuckled at the old running joke between them and reached over for the lube they’d tossed onto the stand last night. “You still won’t let me live that down.”

“You’d be crushed if I did.” Andrei had understood Dean’s response when he’d first told his best friend how he’d felt about him in college. Dean hadn’t been at all prepared for his feelings, and the uncertain expression on his face, the worry there, had told Andrei all he needed to know. He’d taken a step back, given Dean the space he needed to figure things out. And his patience had finally won what he’d wanted since he’d first seen that handsome boy who’d befriended him after Andrei had been abandoned. And when Dean had been ready, those words, those stumbling, awkward words, had been the sweetest he had heard in a long time.

“I love you,” Dean murmured, his slick cock pushing at Andrei’s entrance as his lips brushed Andrei’s own. “I always have, even if I made you wait for me.”

Andrei’s breath caught at the familiar sensation of Dean sinking into him. Hard and hot and slick, he filled that aching emptiness inside Andrei. “I know, I was just teasing.”

He slid his legs high around Dean, groaning as Dean began rocking his hips in a slow, sensual pace that stoked the fire hotter bit by bit. Their gentle murmurs and soft sounds of passion mingled in the morning air as the urgency built. Andrei’s heart beat faster, and he lifted up to meet each thrust with a moan.

Sweat darkened Dean’s hair at the temples, dulling the golden highlights. Andrei slid his fingers into Dean’s short hair and drew him down again. Andrei wasn’t always the best at expressing how he felt, and he was far more comfortable with just showing him. So he kissed Dean, letting hands and exploring tongue do the speaking for him. Somehow, Dean always heard him anyway.

Dean thrust his hips faster, driving away everything but Andrei’s need to come and to feel Dean do the same. Andrei dragged his mouth down to Dean’s throat with a rough groan as he gave him a gentle bite. “Almost there.” He slid his hands down to Dean’s ass, feeling the flex of muscle with every thrust, and it brought him that much closer.

Dean slipped his hand between their stomachs and began stroking Andrei’s cock. “Let’s see what I can do to get you all the way there.”

It didn’t take much, not with the electricity they generated together. Andrei felt the sizzle in his blood and tasted the heat on Dean’s lips as their breath mingled. He came, clenching hard around Dean’s cock so he wouldn’t miss one moment of it throbbing inside of him with his partner’s orgasm.

Dean groaned, kissing him hard, stealing his breath as they ground together until the last ripples faded from their bodies. Andrei panted, pressing his forehead against Dean’s for a moment before letting his head fall back onto the pillow. “Now that’s the way I like to wake up. None of this already out the door and at the gym for a 6:00 a.m. class bullshit, trying to disturb my rest.”

“Oh really?” Mock outrage crossed Dean’s face as he grabbed Andrei’s wrists again and pinned them to the mattress. “What about the not coming home till two bullshit and looking for a little action? Hmmm, what do you have to say about that?”

Andrei jerked his arms free and rolled them both over so Dean lay under him. “I think that as two men who own their own businesses, we really need to coordinate better.”

“Good point.” Dean leaned up and stole a quick kiss. “So less midnight stakeouts for you, and I let Zack take over some of the morning classes like he’s been wanting to. Deal?”

Andrei liked the sound of that. Quite frankly he was tired of the whole spying on cheating spouses game. It never ended well, and the ugliness of it all could be downright depressing at times. It was no wonder that when he returned home, he wanted to be as close to Dean as he could. To remind himself that not all relationships were like that. If Dean wanted out, he’d tell Andrei so to his face, not go around behind his back.

“Deal.”

“Damn,” Dean sighed, dropping his head back on the pillow. “Do I really want to split my time between DC and Baltimore? What was I thinking?”

Andrei eased onto his side, amused by the worried expression on Dean’s face. Dean rarely let nerves get the best of him. He stroked Dean’s stomach, watching the play of emotion in his hazel eyes. “I mean seriously,” Dean continued. “Why did I decide it was a good idea to brand myself out and try to open a second gym? I’m a personal trainer, not a businessman.”

“You’re worrying about it too much. I’m the brooder, not you.” Andrei laid his head down on Dean’s shoulder before he gave in to the smile that threatened. “Besides, I know why you did it. You just can’t sit still or ignore an opportunity as it goes by.”

“Stop laughing at me.” Dean poked him in the ribs. “This is serious.”

“You’re going to do fine.” Andrei lifted his head and gave him a warm smile. “You’ve proven you can run a successful business and have the paperwork and statements to back it up. Just turn on your charm and let all your hard work speak for itself.”

“That easy, huh?” Dean cast Andrei a skeptical glance. “Just brazen my way through the presentation?”

“Don’t you do that with everything?” Andrei teased as he dropped a kiss on his lips and then rose from the bed. As much as he would love to linger, he had to check his e-mail and get moving. “Trust me, you will kick ass and win them over. Relax.”

 

 

“I THINK you’re getting me and you confused. I don’t brazen or charm my way through anything,” Dean called, ogling Andrei’s naked, tight ass as he walked away. It was a nice distraction from the presentation awaiting him later on in the day.

Andrei snickered and cast him a “yeah right” glance over his shoulder. “Keep telling yourself that, Marshall.”

Once the view of that lean, muscled ass disappeared, Dean’s nerves over the rest of the day returned. The idea of talking figures, spreadsheets, and accounting with bank execs made him sweat worse than he did when marathon training.

Several minutes later, Dean heard the sound of the shower running. He contemplated trying to catch a bit more sleep or horning in on Andrei’s shower with the offer of a back wash. The scent of coffee tantalized him as well, luring him toward the kitchen instead.

Dean tugged on a pair of track pants and paused in the bathroom long enough to pull back the curtain and land a satisfying, wet smack on Andrei’s ass. He danced out of the way laughing as Andrei spun with an indignant squawk to take a retaliatory swipe at him. “Ever vigilant! Dude, after all these years you’d think you’d have learned. Be happy I didn’t toss in cold water this time.”

Andrei jerked the shower curtain closed again. “You should be happy I’ve got too much shampoo in my hair to chase you down and beat your ass.”

Dean snickered and paused at the mirror to run a comb over his cropped hair. “Got me shaking there, babe. Seriously, I’m terrified.”

He was on his second cup of coffee and contemplating breakfast when Andrei came into the kitchen in jeans and a T-shirt, his hair lying in wet tangles about his face. Andrei needed a haircut. He was getting shaggy, and he hadn’t shaved as he usually did, though the stubble that still covered his cheeks and jaw was rather sexy.

Dean frowned as Andrei laid his ankle holster and pistol on the counter. “I thought you said you had paperwork to do.” Andrei rarely took a gun out on routine investigations. That he had picked this particular gun and holster told Dean that Andrei planned on going into a dangerous place instead of dealing with a possibly touchy, angry spouse, insurance scam, or reluctant witness.

“I always have paperwork to do. It’s vile and never-ending.” Andrei poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped it straight black. It made Dean shudder; he had to have lots of cream, lots of sugar. Any other way was downright gross. “However, I’ve got to go into West Baltimore today. A lead came in on that missing teenager.”

Dean knew he shouldn’t worry. Andrei had been taking care of himself since he was fifteen, rarely letting anyone help him. Still, he hated it when Andrei went among the crack houses with the drug dealers, spaced out addicts, and prostitutes. It didn’t take much for something to get ugly. Like trying to pull a kid out of there who didn’t want to be found or who had someone with a vested interest in seeing that the kid stayed put.

“You heading over there now?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to risk the trail going cold again, and the lead is solid. If you call my cell and I don’t answer, then it’s ’cause I’m still in the middle of it all.” Andrei propped his foot on the chair and strapped the holster at his ankle, then slipped the gun in place and checked to make sure it was secure.

As much as Dean didn’t like the sight of him with a gun, he couldn’t deny the satisfaction Andrei got out of solving cases that reunited kids with their families over the other bullshit. So even though he worried, he never said a word against him going. Andrei could not look away from a kid in trouble, and it would be unfair of Dean to ask him to, no matter how dangerous the case or how nonexistent the backup.

“You look like a hood rat, babe.”

Andrei glanced over at him and gave Dean a toothy grin. “Nice to know I’ll blend right in.”

“It’s giving me all kinds of ideas. Can I use your handcuffs on you later? I could be the upstanding guy making a citizen’s arrest.”

“You’ve got to get them away from me first.” Andrei’s gaze heated as he raked his eyes over Dean, making his pulse skip a beat. “And if you lose, oh buddy, I’m going to be doing the interrogating, not you.”

“Oooh, a wrestling match.” Dean pulled the carton of egg whites from the fridge and raised his brow as Andrei grabbed his wallet and keys. “Hey, what about breakfast? I’m cooking.”

“I’d love to take you up on that, but the timing on this may be critical.” Andrei looked around the counter and swiped an apple. “See, I’m all set. It’s even healthy, no Pop Tarts this morning.”

Dean gave up with a shake of his head. Trying to get a real meal into Andrei was an exercise in frustration sometimes. “Go out and save the day, mister hotshot private detective,” he said, smiling at him. “Again, ’cause you’re like that.”

“You have this image of heroism and me in your head that just doesn’t exist, iubito.” Andrei paused, a faint line appearing between his brows. “I spy on cheating spouses for the most part.”

“Yeah and then there are the days like this. I think these are the days you live for.” Dean slid his hand around the nape of Andrei’s neck and drew him in for a kiss. “I’ll call you later after I’ve won over the bank execs with my enthusiasm and charm.”

“You’d better.” Andrei smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go on, get out of here. Be careful, okay?” Dean said, allowing that small part of his concern to show.

“I promise, Dean. I’m not going to let anything happen to me.”

 

 

“JUSTIN, I’m telling you, dozens of kids are being held captive here,” Andrei said urgently into his cell phone as he crouched on the rooftop near the fire escape. There wasn’t one bit of shade to shelter him from the August sun that beat down on him. Combine that with the heat trapped in the hardened tar on the roof and it felt like he could bathe in his own sweat, and the humidity made it a struggle for every breath taken.

He kept one wary eye on the access door, prepared to duck behind the dying AC unit if it opened. “I haven’t spotted that many guys running the operation, but still more than I can handle.” After the tip he’d gotten this morning, he’d expected one guy holding at the most two kids, Marco being one of them. One pervert, not a fucking gang of them.

“Are you out of your mind?” Detective Justin Mansle roared at him from the other end of the line. “The chief is going to have my ass this time if you escalate things. Just stay put and let us handle it, okay? We’re on our way.”

“Hurry up, will you? I’m not joking when I say these kids are in immediate danger.” Andrei hung up the phone before Justin continued to rail at him. He scanned the other nearby rooftops, most of them just as derelict as this one, covered in graffiti, with broken and boarded up windows. He caught a quick glimpse of a young girl in a cheerful red-and-yellow sundress. She lifted her hand in a wave and disappeared.

Andrei forced his thoughts back to the problem at hand, away from that brief vision and the familiar prickle of guilt tinged with bittersweet. He should stay put, just like Justin had ordered. Only, he had wasted enough time already. If those creeps noticed that some of the kids were missing already, things would get nasty real quick. It wasn’t like he could’ve left them behind after finding them locked up in that room. There were some things that shouldn’t be stomached.

“Justin had better fucking hurry,” he muttered under his breath. It wouldn’t take long for the girls’ hiding place to become intolerable in this heat.

Andrei’s heart pounded from adrenaline as he made his way back through the abandoned, boarded-up flophouse right in the heart of the worst of what Baltimore had to offer. He blinked at the sudden dimness as the access door shut behind him, and he savored the relief from the sun before the stuffiness of the air inside made its presence known. So much for that AC unit.

Dean would have a heart attack if he knew the stunt Andrei was pulling. It had been sheer luck that let him get up the fire escape in the first place, but now the lookout had returned to the alley, and Andrei would never be able to get the kids out that way unseen. He’d just have to figure out another way in the time he had left to him before the cops arrived.

He encountered no one on the stairwell and narrowly escaped another lookout as he emerged onto the next level. The creak of footsteps on the rotting boards alerted him, and Andrei slipped into an empty room. He waited for the sound of footsteps to pass before coming up behind him and catching the guy in a choke hold.

Andrei squeezed as the man clawed at his arm and kicked his shins. The jackass mustn’t have noticed that those girls were missing, or the alarm would’ve been raised. But just the thought of what might’ve happened if he’d looked into the girls’ empty room made Andrei’s blood run cold.

The man went limp, and Andrei listened intently to see if the sounds of the scuffle alerted anyone before dragging him back into the room. He left the man handcuffed and gagged with his own shirt. Crude, but he had little time for finesse.

Andrei could feel time slipping away from him with every beat of his heart. “Stupid, stupid, stupid….” He’d gotten lucky this time. Another encounter like that and he could escalate the whole situation. He should’ve listened to Justin and remained on the roof or in that room on the empty top floor where he’d stashed the girls.

Only, once again, the thought of what might happen to the remaining kids when the assholes realized they were being raided wouldn’t let Andrei stay still. They’d been through enough horror. They didn’t need to lose their lives at the moment of rescue. Men like these didn’t leave witnesses behind.

The next door down from where he’d found the girls was locked as well, but it was cheap and it didn’t take Andrei long to pop that one open either. Eight faces turned toward him with expressions ranging from terror to masks of stony indifference. The youngest of the boys couldn’t have been more than seven. Unlike the girls, each one of them had been shackled to one of several beds stuffed into the room with them, but like them, their eyes were glazed from drugs.

Hot fury rose up in Andrei’s throat again as they all drew back as if a living monster had entered the room. In their eyes, one probably had. The scent of fear lay heavy in the sweat that appeared on their faces and in the quick pants of their breaths. Bile rose in the back of Andrei’s throat. Hopefully, that rush of fear and adrenaline would help burn off the effects of the drugs. It had seemed to work some with the girls.

“The police are on their way,” Andrei whispered, shutting the door behind him again and twisting the lock. “I’m going to get you free, but you have to remain very quiet. We don’t want anyone to come looking, and it’s going to take some time to get those cuffs off of everyone.”

“Bullshit,” the oldest one hissed, his indifference giving way to anger as he positioned his body between Andrei and the two others on the bed with him. “You’re just going to drag us off someplace different. How do we know we can trust you?”

Andrei held up a soothing hand and met the young man’s gaze. He recognized that face. His cap of dark curls had been cut short and his eyes were far older than in the picture Andrei had, but this was who he’d been looking for. “Because you’re Marco Orsini. Your parents hired me to find you.”

For a second hope came alive in Marco’s face, and then he looked away, his cheeks flushing in shame. “I can’t go home.”

“I wanna go home,” another voice piped up.

“I’m working on that,” Andrei said, bringing his finger to his lips and looking around at each expectant face. “But I need you all to keep quiet, okay?”

Seven heads bobbed and Marco bit his lip. Andrei crossed over to him, careful not to crowd him when the young man stiffened and pulled back. “Let’s concentrate on getting out of here first, then we’ll worry about the rest.”

Marco looked up at him, searching Andrei’s face, and then he nodded.

“Good. Now how many more rooms are there like this? Do you know?”

“No, not for sure,” Marco whispered. “At least four rooms, I think. They lock us up in the rooms up here and use the rooms downstairs for—for other things.”

Andrei clenched his jaw until his teeth ground together. Marco didn’t have to say what he already knew. He would have to recount it enough to the police and the courts innumerable times before he could finally start to put those memories behind him. He pulled out his handcuff keys and popped open the shackle around Marco’s wrist. “Help the others stay calm and quiet while I work. Keep the beds between you and the door.”

While Andrei was unlocking the last cuff, alarmed shouts rang up from downstairs. A chill gripped his stomach as the kids cried out in fear. “What happened? Why are they yelling? Are they gonna hurt us?”

“They’re freaking out because the police are here,” Andrei hastened to reassure them before the boys panicked. “Just stay quiet.”

He drew his gun and got between the kids and the door, praying that the bastards would be too busy scrambling to get away from the cops to worry about their victims. Then he bit back a curse as footsteps pounded up the stairs. No such luck, when they needed all the luck they could get. The reek of gasoline wafted under the door, and Andrei cursed under his breath. Rage and horror hit his blood with another punch of adrenaline.

Andrei turned to the kids and pointed at Marco with an intent stare. “Marco, when I yell run, you grab those kids and haul ass up the back stairs to the roof.”

“What about the others?” Marco asked, his expression sick with anxiety.

“You let me worry about the others. Your concern is the boys with you. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Marco grabbed the hands of the two youngest, his eyes huge as he gave Andrei a look that begged him not to leave them.

Andrei steeled himself against that expression and shoved his gun back in the holster. He didn’t have time to give them the reassurance they needed. He barreled out into the hallway, his heart in his throat. Two men whirled around, and the one closest to Andrei dropped his gas can and jumped back. “Who the fuck?”

Andrei leapt forward, punched the guy in the nose, and shoved him into the other man, tangling them together. “There’s more up here,” the bastard roared, trying to shove the other guy off of him to come at Andrei.

The other gas can dropped, spilling onto its side, and Andrei bent to right it before the entire hallway became saturated. A kick caught him hard in the thigh, buckling his leg and making him stumble into the wall.

“Light ’em up, dammit. Hurry!”

Andrei spun around with a snarl, yanked the gun from the man’s waist, and whipped it across the fucker’s cheek as the man reached for his pocket. He went down with a howl of pain, right in the biggest puddle of gasoline, his clothes soaking up the liquid. “Light them up and you get yourself, asshole. Go ahead.”

He spun again, kicking the door closest to him open as startled shrieks rose from within. More girls. Good, they were unbound. “Run!”

“Stop them.” The other thug crashed into him, knocking them both into the wall. “They’re getting away, dammit!”

Andrei doubled over, gasping as his breath rushed out from the knee to his stomach. The gun clattered to the floor, followed by the more welcome sound of rushing bare feet heading toward the back stairs. Fuck, how many more doors were there? How many kids trapped? Just one spark was all those bastards needed, and the ones still locked up would be lost.

He wouldn’t let that happen.

Other hands grabbed him, yanked him around. “Ya broke my nose,” the guy snarled and then punched Andrei in the face. “Go get the brats. Make sure none of them can talk. I’ll take care of this one.”

“Some help would be appreciated, Justin,” Andrei shouted, barreling the both of them into the wall. A section of it crumbled as they exchanged blows, and Andrei barely registered the pain of them under the urgency of the situation. Andrei jabbed his elbow into the other man’s face twice, hard, and then kicked him for good measure as the thug went down. Andrei turned and pitched him down the stairs, scattering the police coming up.

“Freeze,” one of them called out, raising a gun.

“Don’t shoot, can’t you smell the gas?” Andrei dropped back out of sight before the cop decided he was one of the perverts. “There might still be some kids locked up on this level.” With that he bolted toward the backstairs after the other guy.

Hurry, hurry, hurry. He couldn’t let Marco and the other kids face that thug alone.

The perv turned around at the top of the stairs, a kicking and screaming girl in his arms. “Stop right there or I break her neck.”

“You hurt her and I swear I will punt you off the fucking roof before the cops can save you from me,” Andrei snarled.

The guy’s face paled as Andrei advanced up the stairs, his hands out to each side. “Stay right there.”

“You will scream the whole way down before your brains spatter on the asphalt,” Andrei promised, staring him down.

“I want my mom,” the girl sobbed, tears streaking down her terrified face as she continued to fight.

“You’re not a cop?”

Andrei shook his head as the guy stumbled back from a kick to his shin. “No, so you’d better believe I’d do it and think it’s more than worth the jail time if you die screaming.”

The guy must’ve seen the truth in Andrei’s face, because he set the girl down, and she ran up the stairs wailing as Andrei breathed a sigh of relief.

“Everybody on your knees, now.” Andrei froze at the steel-cold voice behind him, and his skin prickled. He had no idea how many guns were trained on him, but even one was one too many.

He lifted his hands higher and slowly sank down on his knees, putting his hands on the back of his head. The bastard at the top of the stairs fell to his knees too. Police pounded up toward him as more hands grabbed Andrei and wrenched his arms behind his back to cuff him tightly. “Easy, I’m the guy who called you. Get Detective Mansle. He can ID me.”

His gun was yanked out of its holster. “Do you have a permit for a concealed weapon?” a deep bass rumbled in his ear.

Andrei looked over his shoulder to glare at Justin. “You know I do. Now will you get these cuffs off me?”

“Hell no, not yet.” Justin dragged Andrei up by his arm, his dark brown face tight with anger. “You almost killed that guy you tossed down the stairs, and you threatened another right in front of half the squad.”

“I was just trying to get him away from those gasoline-soaked doors before his desperation to get rid of the evidence overcame self-preservation. Same with the other, I had to scare him into letting her go. I wasn’t trying to kill anyone.” Not that Andrei would mourn if either fucker had broken their necks. “There’s a locked room on the top floor with a bunch of girls barricaded inside. I told them not to let anyone in unless they identified themselves as you. So why don’t you go fetch them before they suffocate in this heat?”

“What part of stay put did you not understand? See this is exactly why you got kicked out of the academy. You don’t follow directions for shit.” Justin pushed him up the stairs toward the roof, not bothering to take the cuffs off. He really was pissed this time.

“No, I got kicked out for decking the jackass in charge,” Andrei retorted as they emerged on the top floor. He jerked his chin toward a room at the end of the hall. “They’re in there.”

“You wouldn’t have decked him if you’d listened to me in the first place.”

Andrei dug in his heels and turned to look his friend in the eyes. “If I’d listened this time, I’d be telling Marco’s parents, hey, I found your son, but he’s dead, so sorry. They were going to burn them alive, Justin, and you wouldn’t have gotten up the stairs in time. Not to save them all.”

Justin sighed and unlocked the cuffs. “Don’t leave the scene until I give the okay. I will lock your ass up this time if you don’t listen. So stop pushing your fucking luck, ’cause I’m itching for a reason to arrest you and let you cool your heels in lockup for a day or two.”