The Jackass’s gaze roved over my petite form and he snorted in disbelief. “You’re going to arrest me? All by yourself, buttercup?”
Buttercup? “I am.”
“I can always teleport away.”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but you can’t teleport the car, now can you?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
Boys and their toys. An instant later, I felt his mind hit my mental shields and bounce off. I bared my teeth in a predatory smile. “I’m adding assaulting a police officer to your charges.”
The Jackass gave me a gotcha smile. “Zarek thought your people were hiding something. You’re psychic and I’m placing you under arrest.”
“Nice try, but I’m also a shaman and according to our treaty, you can’t touch me.”
His eyes narrowed. “That cloudburst was you, wasn’t it?”
“Me?” I admired the bright turquoise sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. “The weather can be funny out here. You should have put the top up.”
“It’s broken,” he admitted testily.
“Place your hands on the hood of your car,” I ordered, taking out my cuffs.
“You aren’t arresting me,” Jackass snapped.
I smiled brightly. “Yes, I am.”
With a snarl, the Jackass reached for me.
I hit him with my freeze ray. I knew it was a bad idea, but he needed to be taught a lesson.
His eyes widened in shock and he struggled to move.
“You were warned.” Pulling out my modified stun gun, I zapped him and watched the big, bad warlord crash to the ground.
“You’re going to regret this,” Jackass growled in my head.
Probably. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If I were you, I’d shut the hell up.”
“How are you going to get me in your patrol car?”
“Watch and learn.” I linked with Uncle Jesse. “I need a car towed at milepost 260.”
“Five minutes out,” Uncle Jesse answered.
I cuffed the Jackass and patted his face. “Don’t go anywhere.”
A killing rage simmered in his amber eyes.
I opened the back door to my patrol car.
“I won’t fit.”
Hmmm. He was a big dude, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Getting my small anti-gravity sled out of the trunk, I slid it under his body and lifted him up.
“I’m telling you I won’t fit.
“Oopsy-daisy.” I dumped him headfirst into the backseat of my patrol car. He landed face down on the floorboard and his legs were bent at an awkward angle. “See. You fit.”
“Paybacks are a bitch.”
“Keep it up and I’ll add threatening a police officer to your charges.”
Uncle Jesse pulled up in his old tow truck, leaned out the driver’s window and whistled. “Nice car.”
“It has a little water damage,” I said, shutting the car door.
“You’re paying for the repairs, female,” Jackass stated.
“The name’s Officer Tsosie and I think not. Do you have any hard, cold evidence that I made it rain in your car?”
“Fuck.”
“Didn’t think so.” I walked over to the Mustang and started a vehicle inventory. Jackass had one small suitcase, a bottle of water and a bag of chocolate kisses. A guy who liked chocolate couldn’t be all bad. Could he? Vicious curses erupted from the backseat of my patrol car. Then again.
I hit the jackpot when I opened the trunk. There were several laser rifles, pistols, knives and one deadly looking sword. “Tsk. Tsk. Did you know laser rifles are illegal on Navajo Nation land?”
“No.”
“Ignorance of the law is no excuse. I’ll be adding misconduct involving weapons to your charges.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
I remembered all the times the Coletti had treated us poorly. “Immensely.”
Uncle Jesse hooked up the Mustang and the tow boom lifted the front tires off the pavement.
“There are a bunch of laser weapons in the back. I need you to tow the Mustang to the station first.”
Uncle Jesse saluted me and drove off.
I was a bit surprised to see the Jackass upright in the backseat. A snicker escaped me. His knees were crammed under his chin. “Try anything funny and I’ll hit you with my freeze ray again.” I buckled up.
“Yes, ma’am.” The words were full of venom.
The poor baby wasn’t used to having his ass handed to him. I put the car in gear and glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Gotta admit I’m shocked you haven’t contacted your buddies at Central Command to come rescue you.”
“I’m a warlord. I don’t need rescuing.”
“Okey-dokey.” The warlord didn’t say another word until we reached the police station and he noticed four big Navajo officers waiting by the rear door.
“Backup?” He sneered.
“I’m a shaman and I don’t need help controlling you.” I parked my patrol car.
“Never underestimate a warlord.”
I shot back, “You underestimated a shaman and it landed you in jail.” I got out and opened the back door. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. What’s it gonna be?”
The Jackass’s eyes burned with the promise of retaliation as he got out of the car.
Power roiled across the parking lot. “The easy way.”
Oh hell. This couldn’t be good. General Saul Jones, the commander of Central Command’s western sector and Zarek’s liaison on Earth, stood next to my father.
Even in his seventies, my father was a powerful man, but General Jones was downright scary. The General had the eyes of a predator and wore his thick gray hair in a military cut. Instead of a spiffy uniform he had on black Coletti battle armor and literally bristled with weapons.
“Take his cuffs off, CeeCee,” my father commanded.
“But…”
“Do it.”
The fact that my father was wearing his ceremonial black velveteen shirt, silver concho belt and shaman turquoise jewelry gave me pause. Something was seriously wrong. “Yes, sir.” I unlocked his cuffs and stepped back.
The Jackass rubbed his wrists. “She’s psychic. They’ve been lying to us for years.”
“I’m a police officer who also happens to be a shaman, and the wuss hates the fact that a woman kicked his ass.”
“You didn’t beat me.” The Jackass moved toward me.
General Jones stepped in front of him. “Stand down,
