Page 70 of Blood Bearon
He shook his head, muttering to himself in the darkness ahead. “Why are you so stubborn?” he asked at last. “You’re strong and feisty, but—and I don’t mean this condescendingly—but you’re a human. We’re not. You would hold no shame for sitting out this fight.”
Rachel looked away as he paused in his walking and turned. Her flashlight lit up his entire face.
“I can’t,” she said softly, hoping he would let it drop. “You’re not going to do this alone.”
“You could die.”
“Then I’ll die!” she snapped angrily, eyes blazing as she stared him down, challenging Khove to do something about it.
“What happened to you?” he asked softly. “In your past. Something drives you, I can see it. You hide it well, and you’ve learned not to let it affect you day to day, but it’s there. Deep down inside, I can tell. What is it, Rach?”
She shook her head, hating the way she relaxed every time he called her that. It just felt sorightrolling off his lips. Like it was meant to be said the way he said it.
“My last partner,” she said quietly, pointing the beam of light down. “I told you he died.”
“Yes.” Khove said nothing more.
“I didn’t tell you how he died. Or whose fault it was.”
Khove looked at her sharply.
“It was mine,” she admitted. “It was my fault.”
“What happened?” Khove asked, taking a small step closer to her.
Rachel didn’t back away, she was too busy wrapped up in her memories to even notice.
“We went to arrest a suspect. The rich kid I told you about. He had the entire place under surveillance. Knew we were coming and where we were the moment we set foot inside. We cleared the rooms, us and two other pairs of officers. One by one, we eliminated his hiding spots.”
Khove came closer, but she was just reliving that fateful afternoon, seeing it flash by behind her eyes. “We were down to one last set of rooms. I went in second. We cleared it out, and I left the room. Vince stayed, and that’s when the kid opened fire through the wall. Automatic assault rifle. Full blast.”
Khove’s eyes closed in understanding. Even a police officer in tactical gear wouldn’t stand a chance against such an attack.
“I should have been in there,” she whispered. “I should have seen the signs of a hidden door. I’d pronounced that room clear, Khove. He died because I didn’t do my job.”
Strong arms closed around her. Rachel tried to beat them off, to push him away, but Khove was stronger than her. He ignored it and held her tight, saying nothing, just holding her. Rachel eventually gave up. A few tears fell, but she’d done her crying already. Now all that weighed upon her was the guilt.
“Don’t you see?” she whispered eventually. “That’s why I can’t let you do this on your own. You’re the first partner I’ve had since then. If you don’t…if something bad happens to you? Khove, I’d…” Rachel couldn’t finish the sentence.
“I’m not Vince,” he said quietly. “This isn’t the city. I understand your fears, but Rach, you have to understand, this is different. Very different. I’m not even completely human.”
“I know,” she said. “I know. But I can’t let you go alone. Okay? I just…I can’t.”
Khove squeezed her tight. “Alright. But if I tell you to get out, you get out, okay? No hesitations, no protests, nothing. Got it?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, let’s get going then. We wouldn’t want to miss our appointment.”
They split apart and Rachel followed Khove along the tunnel, until they reached another ladder. They went up, until they reached a blank wall. Khove pushed with one massive arm and the wall slid to the right, revealing some sort of storage locker.
“I’d expected this to lead into a room,” she admitted. “If it’s for smuggling prostitutes or drugs.”
Khove looked at her, wounded. “It’s not for that at all. We’re not criminals, Rach.”
“You have a secret tunnel leading from an animal clinic to a hotel. Whatelseam I supposed to think it’s for?”
“I don’t know. But consider maybe it goes from the hotel to the animal clinic instead.” He closed the hidden door behind them and gestured for her to follow, clearly not interested in elaborating any further.
