“Shit,” I muttered just as the guard chasing me grabbed my arm and twisted it behind me. He stuck the barrel of his weapon into the small of my back as the other guard approached.
“What the hell are you doing? No fuckin’ cops are allowed here, especially not without an escort.”
“Well, this was important, and I didn’t have time to wait.”
“And look where that got you.” They searched me, finding my car keys, my deteriorating wallet, and the temp card that definitely wasn’t mine. They held on to me, taking the card and tearing it up before leading me to the elevator. One of them put a hand on the radio attached to his shoulder and spoke into it as the other made sure I couldn’t pull another fast one on them. They both wore polymer protection vests, two-way cordless radios, and what looked like crowd-control batons with electric pads for frying Automatics. Most precincts likely wouldn’t see that kind of tech for another decade. These security guards were carrying more advanced stuff than me or anyone on the Force.
The guard on his radio turned back to me. “No warrant?”
“No, of course not. Why the fuck would a cop need a warrant to get into GE?”
“Because unlike you cops, we’re doing actual work here. What were you looking for in that office?”
“None of your goddamn business.”
A firm punch to my jaw knocked my orientation out of whack. When my eyes refocused a few moments later, I realized that I was on the floor. I felt blood start running down my face after the guard yanked me back up.
“Try again, copper.”
“Fine, I needed an Automatic’s information. I didn’t get into the damn computer, though. Happy?”
He turned away from me and began to speak on his radio again.
The one who was holding me seemed far quieter, and I decided to press my luck.
“You reach in my back pocket and we can forget this ever happened. Just look behind you for a few minutes when we get to the ground floor.” I moved my fingers enough to pull the tip of a twenty out of my pants pocket, but the guard looked away. They must have loved their jobs if they weren’t willing to take a bribe.
“Got a name, copper?”
“Nope. I didn’t get one from my parents. Still trying to decide what to call myself.”
The second punch hurt much more, but I had to smile. The fact that they were using violence meant either that I was getting under their skin, or that this kind of thing had happened recently. And I knew for a fact that no contract cop was brave enough to even step on GE’s lawn.
The security boy took my badge and looked it over, turned his back to me, and radioed in the information. The radio handler on the other side soon responded, stating that the number on my badge wasn’t in circulation. I should have waited to get that fresh badge from Robins.
We finally reached the main foyer, where the receptionist refrained from looking at us as the guards dragged me toward the front door roughly enough to make me an example to any ne’er-do-wells in the foyer. I looked down to see spots of blood falling from my mouth and dotting the floor behind me — that would piss off some bigwigs. The situation sucked, but even little silver linings made things more bearable.
Outside, the sidewalk and lawn were devoid of human life. They threw me onto the grass — which was colder than I was expecting. I opened my eyes and saw that snow was beginning to fall. That was why the Plate was moving tonight. Most of the snow would be converted to water for the Upper City, but some would be filtered through the Plate with fans to alleviate pressure. The falling snowflakes and chill helped comfort my wounds.
I looked over to see a tow truck hooking up my car. Before I could get up to make my way over, the truck had driven off with it. Security must have found out it was mine and called for it to be impounded. Just my luck. And fuck me if that tow truck wasn’t the fastest one in the city.
I flopped back on the grass, looking up at the Plate and the tiny snowflakes falling onto my face. I wanted to scream in frustration. The cold made my jaw feel somewhat better, though the humiliation had done little for my self-esteem. I was surprised that I had even gotten so far as to pull the Red-eye’s numbers. This would be a story to share with the boys next poker night, right after I got my car back.
I was pulled out of my self-loathing by a shadow appearing over me, its blue eyes staring down at me. “Hello, Detective Roche.”
I pushed myself up from the thick grass to see the Blue-eye from Robins’s office standing there. It gestured to the police cruiser that was parked at the side of the street. Well, damn, it could drive. More than I could say for Toby.
“I am here to take you home.”
CHAPTER 5
CEILING FANS HAD A WAY OF CALMING ME. The swift, fluid movement was like a ticking clock, mesmerizing. I realized I’d been staring at this one for quite some time since waking up. I felt around with my hands for a few seconds and came to the conclusion that I was on a couch. My couch. I looked down to see the same button-down shirt and wrinkled, stained black slacks I’d been wearing during my meeting with the grass. I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten home. The bleeding in my mouth had subsided, and dried blood clogged my nose and covered my face. My shoes were still on my feet, and I’d tracked dirt along the carpet and onto the couch. “Shit!”
Something stirred to my left. I
