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My heart thumped hard as I cautiously peered out from behind the pile of rubbish and into the alley. I saw a shape on the ground, curled on his side. In the darkness, I couldn't tell if it was the thief or Denny.
I got up slowly just in case the shooter was still around and waiting for another unsuspecting victim. Luck appeared to finally be on my side, and no shots rang out. Walking towards the groaning figure my heart sank, it was Denny.
I rushed to his side and gently touched his shoulder, I needed to see the wound, but common sense dictated that I didn't move him. Gunshots were horrible at any given time but for all I knew he had rolled into it and plugged the hole.
I didn't want him to die. Please, Lord, don't let him die.
Out of habit, I ducked just in case my prayer was considered sacrilege and the Almighty decided to smite me after all. Nothing happened, and Denny's groaning increased in volume.
"Denny, who shot you?"
Asking him if he was okay would be dumb. And if he were to lose consciousness, I needed to hurry and get the info to stop the dumbass that did this.
"The guy we were watching." He whispered, between clenched teeth.
I nodded and brought out my phone, a flash of guilt for not doing so earlier passed through me. I dialed emergency services.
"What's your emergency?" A rather cheerful voice on the other end asked after two rings.
"My friend's shot and we are in the alleyway between Rochester and West Streets, the closest one to the corner of West Street."
"An ambulance is on the way to your location."
I didn't give the person on the other end the opportunity to ask me anything and hung up. A very long, tense few minutes followed while I waited to hear the sirens.
My instinct to flee the scene remained strong after all this time. Even though Denny getting shot wasn't directly my fault. Of course, it was my fault; I should have kept track of Viv's thief. I'd become too easily distracted lately.
The paramedics arrived and got down to business immediately, an awe-inspiring sight. One turned to me and spoke quickly.
"How many times was he shot?"
"Only once that I'm aware of."
He nodded and together with his partner they turned Denny onto his back and found the gunshot wound right away. The welling pool of blood made it painfully obvious.
But with swift, deft movements, they tore open his shirt and applied pressure to the gaping hole. I blanched, it was horrifying to see so much blood coming out of a loved one.
Much sooner than I thought possible they had him on the stretcher and into the ambulance. They were getting ready to leave, and I hurried back to my car. I would follow the ambulance to the hospital.
My stake had ended. If the thief had any common sense, he would be long gone and wouldn't come back here. And since he was talented enough to steal nanotechnology I assumed he would be far away by now. But, maybe he was clumsy and left me plenty of clues to follow.
The ambulance sped past me lighting up the night, their lights more a sickly hue than blazing victory. I shook my head; I assumed the worst. Denny would be okay, and they would save him.
I should have said no. To both of them. But when Denny couldn't convince, me he asked Asher to work his magic. He found me in my bedroom, a place he hardly ever entered.
My imagination ran wild, as always. The bed was big and spacious, and we were alone. Denny had left in a huff after failing to convince me. To Viv, no doubt. The warehouse had descended into peace.
Relatively, speaking. I felt many things with Asher around, but peace not necessarily being one of them. As it was, he found me reading in bed.
He quirked an eyebrow and leant in my doorway seductively. Before I clamped down on the thoughts swarming through my head, my body flooded with hormones.
Whispering, to my brain, how sweet it would be to give in, to invite him into my bed and life.
"I'm ready whenever you are Baby."
I swear he purred, but the situation increasingly compromised my higher brain function. With much effort, I pushed off of the bed and retreated to my dresser.
Jewelry and perfume bottles were in need of rearranging. I had let things get into a terrible state lately and now seemed to be a particularly good time to deal with it.
He even moved like a cat when he wanted to, because I didn't hear him sneak up behind me. The heat he radiated enveloped me and further degraded my mental state.
How easy it would have been to lean back into him, to feel his body pressed against my own. Heat travelled down my spine and curled pleasantly around my body to settle midway.
One touch and I would be lost.
"I will always find you and bring you back. You know that don't you?" He whispered, perilously close.
"Promises, promises."
I shrugged and tried to remain calm. Not much chance of that. But the heat receded, and I could finally breathe again. With a shuddering sigh, I turned and almost lost it. Instead of leaving he retreated to the bed and now reclined on it. Like a king.
My brain finally gave in, curled up into a small ball and left my body to its own devices. And that was when the bastard struck.
Instead of throwing me on the bed and having his wicked way with me he slowly stretched to show off the excellent set of muscles the deception filter displayed. I might have been drooling at the time because my memory is a bit fuzzy here.
I do remember that he climbed off my bed and walked over and leant down and I closed my eyes. Instead of the kiss I was sure to receive he whispered something.
"Yes, yes anything. Anything you want."
"Thank you."
And with an insulting pat on my bottom he left the room. Still dazed and under the influence of my lust, I felt confused by the sudden departure.
Once I was firmly outside his alien mojo, his request came back to me. I grabbed the book still lying open on my bed and hurled it out the door towards his retreating back.
He laughed and briefly waved before disappearing down the stairs. I stomped around and kicked at the furniture.
The bastard seduced me into taking Denny along for the stakeout. And as much as I blamed Asher, I blamed myself more. I should have stayed strong and ignored my bloody hormones.