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. You can t do this!Á Watch me, shit-packer.ÁThe door next to Braelan opened.MacShayne reached in and grabbed Braelan s shirt.Unforgiven151 Get the fuck off him!Á River yanked frantically at his cuffed hands.Nothing gave.He tried to fold his body around Braelan and hold him in place. You can thave him.You took Harry, you son of a bitch.You can t have him!ÁBraelan s eyes fluttered open.It was painful watching him try to smile. & love you, àillidh,Á he rasped. Remember, you promised.Á What? What the fuck did I promise?Á To live.Á Oh, God.Á He could barely breathe. You promised to hold me to it.So you can t die either.Braelan, I love you too.ÁThe door next to River opened, and Bennett clamped onto his upper arm. Get him the fuck out, Mac.These faggots are gonna make me puke.ÁBennett hauled him out and slammed him against the cruiser, pinning him in place.He was forced to watch as MacShayne dragged Braelan by one ankle across thecrumbling pavement and out into the clear.The reporter or whatever he wasdropped him and pulled his gun, then drove a foot into his side. Time to get up now, you nasty thing.On your knees.Á Check it out,Á Bennett said behind him with audible glee. I love watching him work.ÁIncredibly, Braelan moved.It took him an eternity, but he rose to his knees, head hanging in exhaustion.Strings of dark, sweat-soaked hair obscured his face. Stop this,Á River whispered. For God s sakes, Bennett.You re a cop.Á Not right now, cocksucker.I m off duty.ÁHe couldn t believe MacShayne would actually do it.He went right on believing that while the bastard circled Braelan to stand at his back, raised the gun and tookaim.This wasn t going to happen.They were fucking with him, trying to rattle him, and any minute they d load them both back in the cruiser and take them to thestation.They d spend the night in the pen.Trystan would bail them out in the morning.152S.W.VaughnHe still believed it for a few long seconds after the harsh blast of the gun, while the retort rumbled and echoed through the lot and faded into the distance.And then he knew nothing.* * *River didn t want to open his eyes.If he did, he d have to remember what had happened, what was still happening.He could forget this.He was good at forgetting.He d managed it with Harry, and he could do the same thing now.In fact, he d already forgotten the name.Braelan.A guttural, broken sob reached his ears.For one hopeful second he thought it was Braelan, and maybe there was still a way to save him.But then he realized that thesound had come from him.MacShayne had shot Braelan in the back a coward s execution.The reporter in cop s clothing had murdered the man he loved.Again.Or had he?MacShayne definitely shot him.But had he killed him? He tried to remember what Nix had said about cold iron and debilitating weapons.Not deadly.Humansneeded enough cold iron to finish them off.Harry had been part human, but Braelan was all Fae.Braelan was still alive.The instant the thought occurred, he knew it was true.It wasn t just a possibility or his heart s desperate need to have a little hope, a reason to survive whatever hewould face when he opened his eyes.He knew.He d never been more certain of anything in his life.He opened his eyes.And immediately wished he hadn t.There was light not much, but enough to make out his surroundings.He lay on his side, on a concrete floor covered with spider-web cracks and dark, splotchystains.His hands were still cuffed behind him and his shoulders screamed with the Unforgiven153strain.Bennett must ve brought him inside the building.From what he could make out, the place might have been a garage once.A steel pole that probably used tobe an auto lift stood between him and the wall he could see.There was an industrial sink against the wall, with the remains of a pegboard mounted above it.A fewobjects, too small to identify from his vantage point, hung from the pegboard.And then there was Bennett crouched in front of him, grinning.The light spread about five feet beyond the cop and tapered into deep shadows, suggesting a lot moreto the room back there.Bennett had something in his hand.It almost would ve been better if it was his gun but it was a knife.Whatever the bastard planned to do, it wouldn t be quick. You were my first,Á Bennett said. Did you know that? At least, you were supposed to be.But you didn t.Fucking.Die.Á He frowned at the knife, twirled it afew times. I cut you deep.You should ve bled to death, but oh, no.The faggot pulled through and survived to be tried and sentenced.Á The grin came back. You didn t die, but you did go to hell
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