Page 22 of Art of the Hunt
Hunter winced and almost cupped his own balls.
A uniformed officer stepped up, holding a small silver key. Artemis lifted her arms, and he unlocked the cuffs. She stood and rubbed at her wrists, which Hunter could see were red.
He wanted to offer to massage them but refrained. Not the time, not the place, and he was beginning to think not the woman, despite his attraction. He was a cop, and cops didn’t date women who started bar fights.
“You’re free to go, ma’am,” the officer said, “although we’d appreciate it if you’d give us your contact info in case we have any more questions or need you to testify at a trial.”
Hunter swung around to face the cop. “What? She’s being released?”
The other guy looked down his nose at Hunter. “Who the hell are you?”
Hunter pulled out his badge.
“This isn’t your precinct,” the uniform pointed out.
“Yeah, I’m aware, thanks. I’m here…for her.” He nodded at Artemis.
“Why? What are you going to do with her?”
Christ, thirty seconds ago, she’d been under arrest. Now the guy was her protector? What was it with this woman?
“Take her home, apparently. There are no charges against her?”
The officer shrugged. “Looks like a pretty clear-cut case of self-defense to me. Plus, there’s another woman who’s fingering the two arrowed boys and claiming they’re drug dealers and were trying to force her to push their pills. She says this lovely young lady saved her.”
Artemis batted her lashes and offered the guy a blinding smile. Hunter gritted his teeth. No, he didnotwant that smile to be reserved for him and only him.
The officer touched his hat. “Pleasure meeting you, Artemis. Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”
He walked away, and Hunter wrapped his hand around Artemis’s bicep. “Come on, let’s go.”
She jerked her arm free. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Why not?”
“You think I’m guilty.”
Yeah, he did. Guilty of turning his life upside down. “No, I don’t.”
“You did. When you first arrived. I saw it in your eyes.” She narrowed hers, practically daring him to argue.
He sighed. “I did not think you were guilty. I figured you’d inadvertently gotten yourself into trouble, and I hoped I would be able to use my position on the force to get you out of it.”
The daggers in her gaze instantly morphed into a bright smile. “Oh, well, thank you. That’s a fair concern, truth be told. Although you should know, I rarely need help getting out of trouble. If worse came to worst, I could just disappear.”
He wanted to ask what she meant by disappear, but he was honestly afraid of the answer. Since she thought she was a god, she probably thought she had magical powers, too.
Why wasn’t he walking away now?
“Your chariot awaits,” he said instead of getting the hell away from her so he could figure out how to return his life to normal. It was time to quit wavering and speak to his boss about that promotion. Maybe getting off the streets wasn’t a bad thing. He’d be less likely to bump into people who believed they were deities.
She pointed at the row of motorcycles in front of the bar. “I rode my bike here.”
“Oh, right. Where do you live?” he asked abruptly.
“Mount Olympus.”
He narrowed his eyes.
