Page 22 of So Twisted

“Bite me!”

She probably should stop trying to reason with him.

She looked ahead and found an opportunity in forty yards. The drainage ditch ended at a road bridge, and the tunnel where the water drained was too small for people to crawl through. She called to Turk, “Go on ahead! Cut him off up there!”

Turk followed her point and put on a burst of speed. It always amazed Faith how fast he was. And they thought he was too old to chase suspects anymore!

Better hope this one doesn’t get away, or Turk might not find him again.

Faith hated that little cynical voice of doubt in her head. His sense of smell was fine. It was one damned test.

In any case, this suspect didn’t get away. Turk was waiting for him at the top of the bridge. Alex skidded to a halt and turned around, eyes huge.

He gritted his teeth and rushed Faith, but once more, Turk outran him, leaping into the ditch and jumping in between Faithand Alex. Alex skidded to a halt and stamped his foot. The movement was so absurd and immature that Faith had to laugh.

“Hands above your head!” she shouted. “Obey my commands, or I will have my K9 make you obey!”

“Oh, go to Hell,” Alex said miserably.

He complied, though, and Faith was able to handcuff him without any trouble.

“You’re in so much trouble,” Alex told her. “My lawyer will sue you until you have to beg for work at an ice cream shop.”

“Can’t wait to meet him.”

“It’s a girl, dipshit.”

“My bad,” she said drily.

She hauled Alex to his feet and led him back to the bridge. Michael waited there, having arrived while she handcuffed Alex.

“My partner’s going to help you up,” she told him. “You’re going to behave, or Turk will take you to the ground. Please understand that the only reason he hasn’t bit you yet is that I haven’t ordered him to.”

Alex sniffed. “Whatever.”

She rolled her eyes and passed him to Michael. Alex was tall but thin, and the six-foot-two, two-hundred-ten-pound Michael had no trouble hauling him up to the road. Turk hopped up and watched Alex while Michael helped Faith to the top.

“All right,” Michael said, panting. “Let’s see what the trust-fund terror has to say for himself.”

Alex rolled his eyes at Michael and muttered something under his breath.

“Same to you, buddy.”

They pulled Alex to his feet, and Faith called Cuthbert. "Suspect in custody."

“On my way. Good work, agents.”

“Thank you, Detective.”

She hung up and turned to Alex. “Okay, kid. Let’s take a ride.”

Alex didn’t say anything as they drove to the station, but the mounting fear on his face gave Faith hope that they could put a swift end to this mystery.

And to any doubt that Turk was as effective now as he ever was.

CHAPTER NINE

Alex lost a lot of his bravado by the time they shackled him to a table and sat across from him. Faith got the impression that he wasn’t used to being in a police station. Despite his history of extreme behavior, this was the first time he had actually been arrested.

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