Page 2 of Unbearable
“Man, you just got your ass handed to you by a woman,” he said, shaking his head. “That was epic. Not the first time though.”
“Fuck you,” the big man growled. “I think she ruptured my pancreas. I could be dying.”
“Of embarrassment maybe. She’d have to stab you to rupture your pancreas,” the smaller guy answered. “You’re such an idiot.”
“Shut up! Both of you,” Dover yelled over their squabbling. “You have five seconds to tell me who you are, or I’m rupturing both of your pancreases. You chose the wrong woman.”
She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out a wallet. Flipping it open, she showed them her badge.
“You thought she was a convicted felon?” Small guy started laughing again. “You were following a cop, dumbass. How did you not know she was a cop?”
Dover quickly patted the big man down for weapons before pulling the wallet out of his back pocket. Just for good measure, she slipped a pair of restraints onto his wrist.
“Sweetheart, the last woman that felt me up like that I married,” he mumbled with his face to the bricks.
She flipped open the wallet.
“Knox Monroe,” she read. “Chicago, Illinois. Forty-three years of age. Damn, are you really six foot seven?” She looked up at the other man. “Toss yours over too, pretty boy.”
“Memphis Prescott,” he said, fishing his wallet slowly out of his back pocket. He tossed it to the ground at her feet. “Minnesota. Not nearly as old and normal size.”
She checked his license, then slid both wallets into her pocket. “And,” she said, motioning for Memphis to keep talking. Knox started to push himself up, but she shoved him back down with her knee.
“And, we really do have a legitimate reason for tailing you,” Memphis began. “We have documentation, back in the car, that leads us to believe that…well, we think you might be our sister. Half sister if you want to get technical.”
She decided they must be high on something. She had one brother, and he was currently in his apartment. It wouldn’t hurt to get a little more information before calling patrol to pick them up.
“Look,” he continued. “We’re sorry to spring this on you. I suggested we set up a meeting, but he likes to do things his way. We think we’re related through a shared male donor.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What documentation?” she asked.
“DNA match. Background check,” Knox mumbled from the ground. “All legally obtained.”
“And how would you legally obtain my DNA?” She moved Knox into a seated position and waved for Memphis to join him. She debated restraining his arms also, but decided if he wasn’t a problem yet, he probably wouldn’t become one. Besides, she still had her gun.
“We have a brother-in-law who’s with the FBI. He has a program on his computer that alerts him to any possible matches that he shares with us,” Knox said. “We were following you because when he pulled up the information, there was a sealed juvenile arrest record associated with it. I wanted to see who you were before we made contact.”
“You didn’t tell me any of that,” Memphis answered.
“I didn’t tell you Flint called to tell me his mom is now dating Detective Moore either. So sue me,” Knox snarled.
“Really? That’s good, I think.”
“Did you know his name is Aaron?” Knox asked.
“No. How did we not know what the man’s first name was? Did you?” Memphis asked. “Seems like something we should have known. Well, I’m happy for them, anyway.”
“Do you always talk this much?” she asked, returning her gun to the holster. No one would blather on like that if they intended her harm. She didn’t think so anyway. She pulled out her knife and cut the restraints from Knox’s hands.
“He does,” Knox said, nodding at Memphis.
“Show me these DNA tests,” she said. Memphis pulled Knox off the ground. “And I’m not the one with the arrest record. That’s my brother. He’s also not a felon. He just boosted a car when he was a teenager.”
“There’s a brother?” Memphis asked. He met Knox’s eyes in confusion.
“A twin actually. I was on the way back to my office when I noticed you following me, but I think we should continue this with him,” she answered. “We should go back to your car and get this documentation. We can review it at his place. If what you claim is true, he’ll need to know too.” She motioned for them to start down the alley.
“Knee?” Memphis asked when Knox limped forward.