Slasherazzi by Daniel A. Kaine Read Free Book Online Page A

head and exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry. I just get so caught up sometimes because I hate the thought of letting the bad guys get away.”
“And what about me? Do you want me to get away from you, too?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Okay, so how about we promise to always make time for each other? I’ll understand if it’s an emergency, like a body showing up, but I need to know our relationship is important to you.”
“It is,” I replied, meeting his gaze again. “From now on, I’ll keep my overtime to a minimum, and I won’t keep cancelling our dates.”
He smiled and leaned in to press his lips against mine for a quick, chaste kiss. The tang of his lemon chicken was left behind, along with a warm, fuzzy sensation that rose up from within my chest.
“Thanks for tonight,” I said, lifting my hand to stroke the back of his head. “We should have had this talk a long time ago.”
“Well, now that we got that out of the way…” Vince patted my knee, then quickly reached for the remote to turn the television back on. In the time we’d taken, the Buccaneers had caught up and managed to pull ahead by two points. “All right, we’re back in the game,” Vince cheered, raising one fist into the air.
I struggled to hold back a laugh, and Vince glared at me briefly before settling back down across my lap. “Yeah, looks like we are. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
Chapter Six
    Two nights passed with the whole of Tampa abuzz about the latest killing. With the pictures supplied to the local papers, the media had run amok with speculation and fearmongering. Police cars patrolled the streets well into the night, illuminating the darkness with their flashing blue and red lights.
    One in particular, an undercover car, had been driving around the same neighborhood for at least an hour before finally pulling in to a convenience store. The officer killed the engine before wandering inside. The arrogant bastard hadn’t even thought to lock the car doors. Too bad for him.
    I scanned the parking lot before creeping along the shadows to where he had parked and slowly opening the back door enough to climb in behind the driver’s seat. I brushed away the trash littering the place—empty packets of chips, soda cans, and other things—then crammed myself into the small floor space, my knees folded to my chest. With my black clothes, he wouldn’t see a thing until it was too late.
    The driver's side door clicked open, and my prey slumped down behind the wheel, placing a plastic bag on the passenger seat. The door snapped shut. Vibrations shook the car as the engine revved. I took the thin wire wrapped around one hand and began to loop it around the other, leaving enough slack between them to capture my victim.
    As the car moved forward, I rose quickly and slipped the wire around his neck, pulling it tight. He sputtered and choked, clawing at the line as his face turned red. His wide eyes caught mine in the rearview mirror, and I chuckled. A black mask hid my features from sight, only two small holes allowing me to watch in amusement as he fought for breath until there was only a harsh rasp escaping his throat. I loosened my hold just a little, and he drew in a long breath.
“Drive,” I ordered. “Go where I tell you, and you’ll make it out of this car alive. Do you understand?”
    He continued to stare at me in the mirror but didn’t answer. I pulled the wire tight, and his body jerked. “I asked you a question. Disobey me, and I might just forget that you need to breathe. Do you understand?”
    He nodded, and once again, I allowed him to breathe. “Who are you?”
    I shook my head. “Surely, you have more intelligence than to ask that of a masked man. Take a left out of here.” He did as I asked, stopping at a set of traffic lights moments later. “Straight ahead, then take the next right.”
    “Where are we going?” His hands shook against the steering wheel, and his eyes darted from side to side.
Beneath the black