Page 9 of Cat and Mouse

She pats me down, her hands brushing over my clothes. I lean in, my voice a low murmur. "Lower. You might find something you like."

She glares at me. "Don't push your luck."

"It's illegal to point a gun at a civilian," I say, still smirking.

"Really? Tell me all about morality, Moretti, while a body lies in a cold morgue tonight…"

"Which morgue?"

She huffs. She's an adorable little thing.

"You're under arrest," she snaps, pulling out her cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent—"

I grab her wrist and twist, making her gasp. She tries to pull back, but I yank her close, the gun now in my hand. Her eyes widen, and she kicks out, hitting my shin. I barely flinch.

"Feisty," I murmur, twisting her arm behind her back. She struggles, but I overpower her easily, pushing her against the wall.

"You're the prettiest little thing, aren't you?" I whisper.

She's furious, her eyes blazing. "You won't get away with this."

"Oh, but I already have." I cup her cheek, tracing the cut on her eyebrow. She flinches, and I notice her green eyes, bright with anger. I lean in, inhaling the scent of her cherry lip gloss.

"What happened here?" I ask, brushing the cut gently.

"Don't touch me," she snaps. "I'll break every bone in your body."

I laugh softly. "Occhi verdi…gorgeous eyes." I trace her collarbone, watching her shiver. "You're fuckingfeisty."

"Fuck you!"

"Detective 101: Always ask for IDs. If you had, you'd have known I wasn't a coroner last night, and you wouldn't have called me Moretti tonight."

Realization hits her, and she asks, "Are you the Phantom?"

I laugh. "If I were, you'd be dead, right?"

"Is this where you promise to kill me?" she spits out.

"Nope." I kiss her cheek and toss her gun aside. I do the same thing with the keys I find in her pocket. "Maybe if nice guys ask you out for drinks, you should say yes sometimes."

I secure her wrists with her own cuffs, watching the fury blaze in her eyes as she struggles. "You won't get away with this," she hisses, venom in her voice.

I lean in close, my lips almost brushing her ear. "Oh, but I already have," I murmur, savoring the anger radiating off her. "You're in way over your head, detective."

She tries to jerk away, but I hold her firm. "Next time, do your homework. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"You're not as untouchable as you think, Moretti," she spits out, defiance flashing in her green eyes.

I chuckle, stepping back and letting her feel the cold metal of the cuffs dig into her wrists. "If you're going to play with the big boys, better bring a warrant next time. And make sure the name on it is right."

I take one last lingering look at her, enjoying the sight of her restrained and helpless. Then I turn and walk away, leaving her there, seething with rage and humiliation.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" she yells after me.

I don't even bother turning around. "We'll see about that," I say, my voice carrying back to her. With a final smirk, I walk downstairs. I'll just walk straight out of that door.

She'll never catch me.

---