Page 25 of Mystic Justice (The Other Detective #2)

Krieg slid me a sidelong look and pulled into a Drive-Thru McDonalds.

‘What do you want?’ he asked. Confused, I blinked at him.

He didn’t quite sigh, but the pause before he spoke again carried the weight of exasperation.

His words came out clipped, his voice a touch too sharp.

‘Inspector, unless I’m mistaken the only sustenance you’ve had all day is a can of Dr Pepper this morning. ’

I opened my mouth to argue and closed it as I realised he was right. I was operating on empty and food was a good idea. ‘I’ll have a chicken wrap and fries, please. Maybe a Coke.’ That was a poor substitute for Dr Pepper but it would do in a pinch.

Krieg pulled up and reeled off an order that made my eyes bulge. ‘You hungry, big guy?’ I asked.

‘Starving.’ He looked at me and the heat in his eyes made me think we were no longer talking food.

We stopped at the next window and loaded the car up with greasy food that would hit the spot now and be the cause of regret later.

Krieg parked the car and dug into his box of chicken nuggets; he’d ordered sixty and some burgers, too.

He broke one of the nuggets in half, set it down to cool, then continued to devour the rest at impressive speed.

I dunked my salty chips into the ketchup and devoured them. Man, salty fries were the best.

Once the broken nugget was cool, Krieg offered it to Loki, who gave a happy warble. He flew around the inside of car with excitement before settling on the dashboard with his nugget pieces. Krieg broke up more nuggets to cool for him.

Loki hopped in the way that he did when he was speaking, though he didn’t say anything.

Krieg was looking affectionately at the bird, then his lips twitched a little.

They were having a silent mental conversation.

I couldn’t decide if I was pleased they were getting on or hurt that I wasn’t included.

Pleased, I thought firmly. I wasn’t a teenage girl to sulk about being left out.

I was just tired, that was all. Tired and stressed.

I looked around for my drink to distract me from my malaise but I couldn’t see it. ‘Did you grab me a Coke?’ It might well have been lost amid his huge order.

‘Didn’t order you one,’ he said. He lifted up the centre console – which now appeared to contain a mini fridge – pulled out a can of Dr Pepper and passed it to me.

I closed my eyes: the sudden sting in them was surely because I was tired. ‘You’re a god amongst men,’ I breathed as I opened my eyes and the cold can.

A smile tugged at his lips. ‘Wait until I get you into bed.’

‘You’re confident. I don’t know whether that bodes well or whether you’ve just been with women who are expert at faking.’

He gave me a flat, unfriendly look. ‘Inspector, I’m going to make you scream.’

‘Yes, but will it be in frustration because you can’t get me there?’

The look of genuine shock on his face made me grin. When he recovered, he retorted, ‘I will get you there even if my jaw locks up. I’m going to ruin you for all other men.’

‘Big words.’ I arched an eyebrow. ‘You sure you’re not confusing ambition with ability?’

‘You’re the one who called me a god!’

‘Mm. I hope you’re not one of those gods who needs constant praise and doesn’t deliver miracles.’

His eyes glittered. ‘I perform miracles with my tongue. Ask nicely and I’ll prove it.’

I sighed. ‘If only.’ I tapped my watch. ‘We’re on the clock. When you’ve finished devouring five whole chickens, we’re needed at Botany.’ I paused. ‘Hey, you bought me dinner – does this count as our second date?’

‘You’re counting lunch at the Panoramic as our first?’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘No. By my count this is date five.’

‘Five?’

‘Two dinners at your mum’s house, food in Gluttony, lunch at Panoramic and now McDonalds.’ He grimaced. ‘The latter isn’t ideal, but it works at a pinch.’

‘Five dates? And I haven’t even put out. I’m really making you work for it.’

All the humour slid from his face. ‘I’m not afraid of hard work, Inspector. But you and I aren’t getting physical until you’re all in.’

‘I am all in!’ I protested.

‘No you’re not. Not quite. You’re still getting over Radcliffe being a prick to you and you’re protecting your heart. You know our chemistry will be off the charts, but that logical brain of yours isn’t sure yet if I’m worth the hassle I’ll bring to you, the complication I’ll be in your life.’

My eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t tell me what I think. I’m all in! I even argued with my boss about dating you.’ The words slipped out.

A slow smile tugged across his handsome face. ‘Did you now?’

‘I did.’

‘I appreciate that.’ He reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. ‘Do you remember what I said I wanted from my mate?’

‘You said she had to be strong, have her own sense of morality and be willing to kill for you.’

He nodded. ‘That’s right. Well-remembered, Inspector.’

‘I’m pretty sure I remember every word you’ve ever spoken to me.’ He knew how to leave an impression; I didn’t want to admit how often I’d replayed his words as I lay alone in my bed.

‘Do you, now? Then I’ll have to choose them with greater care. You’re certainly strong and undoubtedly moral – if you weren’t, you’d constantly use your powers to slip into people’s minds.’

‘It’s tempting, especially on a case like this,’ I admitted. ‘But I promised my parents I wouldn’t. If I bumble around in people’s minds, one day I’ll slip up and Mum will end up in Wraithmore prison for failing to register me.’

He nodded. ‘It’s a concern, but you can’t shy away from who you are. You’re powerful, strong. You’re moral.’ He paused. ‘But you wouldn’t kill for me. Not yet.’ There was no censorship in his tone, just quiet certainty.

The annoying thing was that he was probably right. Despite my role as Judge, Jury and Executioner, I never dealt death lightly. Never. ‘Would you kill for me?’ I asked curiously. ‘Even now?’

He didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes. If anyone harmed you, I’d rip off their heads with my bare hands.’

‘If anyone hurt me, I’d kill them myself,’ I groused.

He smiled. ‘I know.’

I took a long sip of Dr Pepper. Would I kill for him? If he were attacked, I’d certainly defend him but could I – would I – kill someone in cold blood for him? No. That wasn’t who I was. If he required that, then maybe we were done before we even got started. And that just sucked.

‘I kill for justice,’ I said finally. ‘Nothing else.’

‘Justice is lucky to have you on her side. One day you might be on mine.’ He said it lightly yet somehow his words weighed on me.

Krieg had devoured an ungodly amount of food. He chucked the empty packaging into a bin next to the car and started the engine to take us to Botany.

I ate my wrap and thought about death and killing.