Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 26 - Most Wanted

There are no good girls gone wrong -- just bad girls found out. 

-Mae West 

"Get up."

Jared's voice broke through Leah's dreams, accompanied by a sharp jab in her side. She growled and swatted him away. Last night had been surprisingly pleasant. She'd floated through harmless memories of Seth and Danny without a single mention of death or the Mors Mortis Device and she didn't feel particularly inclined to wake up just yet.

"Get up. Now."

The tension in Jared's voice was surprising enough to make Leah squint one eye open. The sight she met was not ideal. Jared was standing in front of her, his hands on his head as three policemen pointed guns at his chest. He'd obviously been in the process of shoving his sleeping bag away when their company had arrived, as it lay beside him, sprawling out of its case haphazardly. Leah twisted around and glanced behind her to find four more police officers there.

She blinked.

"Get out of the sleeping bag and stand up slowly." The middle of the officers in front of them said in a clear, even voice. "If you make a wrong move we will shoot you."

Leah swallowed and did as she was instructed, following Jared's lead and putting her hands on her head once she was upright. She'd had enough run ins with the police at Narra to know the drill. She'd only ever been caught for petty crimes though, and the officers had treated her like the nuisance she was. This was different. None of the officers looked like they'd hesitate to shoot if she tried to get away.

What an unfortunate morning to sleep in.

"Is this a no camping zone or something?" Jared asked cooly.

Leah was standing close enough that she could feel the tension radiating off him as he narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, actually, it is," the police officer in the middle answered.

Jared raised an eyebrow and glanced around at the six others surrounding them. "I didn't realise it was taken so seriously."

The police officer smirked and decided to ignore this. He looked to be in his late twenties, and Leah could practically feel the testosterone rushing off him and clashing with Jared's. "A warrant for your arrest has been issued for the murder of Matthew Easton. Anything you say can, and will, be use against you."

Leah shot Jared an accusatory glare, but he didn't seem to notice, instead his face morphed into an intimidating scowl that Leah recognised from their first few run-ins. It spoke of arrogance and power, and made Leah's heart kick with residue fear.

"Let me tell you how this is going to go," Jared said, his voice dangerously calm. "If you know what's good for you, you're going to leave and pretend you never saw us. If you don't, you'll be waking up in a few days wishing you had."

The main police officer glanced behind Leah and Jared, and nodded. There was the distinctive click as several safety catches were removed.

"Well done," Leah muttered. "You've successfully pissed him off."

Jared's eyes met hers and she could see his intentions as clear as day. This wasn't a fight he was planning to lose. His head did a minuscule jerk to the side and Leah understood the words he couldn't say.

Run.

Leah's muscle coiled with tension as Jared turned back to the officer and sighed.

"That was an unfortunate decision."

The police officer only had time to open his mouth to reply, before Jared burst into action. Despite spending the last two weeks with him, Leah still underestimated how fast he could move. He launched away from her, rolled forward and pulled his gun from his pants. Within the blink of an eye, there was a bullet in the police officer's skull, his reflexes too slow to retaliate.