Page 16 of Locked In Ice

Derek who wasnotholding a phone to record this scene.Seriously?Seriously?

Royce tried to shove Derek to the side.Derek shoved back, and Royce lost his footing.Down, down he went with a scream.Or maybe he screamed because when he landed in the dirty alley, Derek immediately kicked Royce in the side.When Royce rolled to try and avoid another kick, Derek just plowed his sneaker into Royce’s dick.

“All of this effort and he’s not filming?”She stomped away from Lane.“Derek, what the hell?”

Derek froze.He looked up at her.Then pointed.Behind her.To the right.

She spun around and saw the small security camera perched just beyond the back door.A wide smile flew across her face.“Derek, I love you right now.”

“Convinced the owner we needed new security,” Derek rumbled.

She could have kissed him.Instead, she grabbed him and hauled him away from a now crying and moaning Royce.Not like she wanted video footage that could be used against Derek.Ophelia hauled out her phone and called one of the detectives she’d met earlier that day.

“Detective O’Brien?”Shay O’Brien.A female detective who’d seemed pretty no-nonsense and down to earth.“This is Ophelia Raine.No, I’m not actually calling about Thomas Bass.”

Royce let out a long moan.

“Got another guy for you to lock up.How fast do you think you can get to Pyro?Yep.The club.Wonderful.I’ll be in the back alley waiting for you.Oh?What’s this about?You need more details?”She rolled her eyes.“Fine.Royce Nicholson.A man who has been drugging and attacking women in the area.Got a glass with his fingerprints on it, a drug stillinthe glass.”At least, she had it if Derek had bagged the drink as she’d instructed.“And oh, yes, I have a full confession that was just caught on a security camera.Plus, of course, I can give you my wonderful witness testimony.Basically, I’ve got everything tied up in a big, red bow for you.”

Lane closed in on her.

“See you soon,” Ophelia promised the detective before ending the call.She kept her eyes on Lane as he stared down at Royce.Ophelia could feel the tension pouring from him.“We need to make sure Royce is subdued.”

“I can knock his ass out,” Derek offered.

Lane nodded.“I can, too.”

“Or…” Since a camera was watching, and they werenotthe bad guys.“We can cuff him.”She dug into her purse.She’d had it on her the whole time.A black cross-body that held a few necessities inside.Like…

A taser.

Her phone.

She put the phone back in the bag.

A gun.

And…

Ophelia took out a pair of handcuffs.

Lane’s brows rose.

“I never leave home without a pair,” she told him.

“I’ll remember that.”

Ophelia beamed at him.“See?I’m teaching you fabulous things already.You’re going to love training with me.”

His shoulders squared.They’d already been pretty square, but he thrust them back and squared them up even more.“I’m sure the experience is going to be unforgettable.”

That was certainly one way to look at things.She caught his hand and slapped the cuffs in his palm.Ophelia ignored the heat that surged between them.There would be a time and place to address that heat.In the back of a dirty alley, with a twisted freak of a perp on the ground?Notthe place.“Cuff him, partner.”

***

“You’re in the room beside mine,” Lane growled.

Ophelia sent him a sunny smile.

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