THE HUNT

CHAPTER-FOUR

The dew hung wet and chilly in the fall morning air. There was a balance here in Dallas, He thought. Pain welcomed pleasure. Desires were complications. And in this realm that never slept, darkness was only beaten back by nothing less, than a sheer will.

In this apartment of mortar and glass, he could gaze at the people below. It pleased him to stand there, peering down at the humans, scurrying around, like filthy cockroaches, fifty stories below.

Did they have any idea of the horrors he could inflict upon them, should he choose? Did they know that he could exterminate every last pathetic human he came in contact with?

No matter how much they rushed, no matter how much they worked, the end came, just the same. For most, that is. He'd been human once, too. But, that was a long time ago.

His craving for power had pulsed through him, since the day he'd been yanked from his mother's arms. To labor in the Siberian diamond mines. And that ambition had been burned, even deeper, when he'd been compelled to fight his friends--to the death, to ensure his survival.

He'd been human then, but his ambition hadn't wavered with the change. If anything, his ambition had grown stronger.

Before, he'd been merely a man and a weak one at that. Now, he was immortal. He had the strength, the time, and patience. As a human, he would've needed several lifetimes to climb up from out of the decay, and into which he'd been thrust. As an immortal, he had all the time he needed. He was close now, to modify the face of humanity itself.

**~**

"Kate!" Lauren Reeser's heels clicked on the smooth tile floor. "Hold up a second."

Kate paused outside the homicide division of the Dallas police department, moving aside to avoid the flood of people spilling by the coffee machines.

"Come on," she said, as Lauren drew closer. "I've got files to pull and look at. If you want to chat, you need to walk fast."

"Kate, wait!" Passing Kate three anorexic printouts, "Wes, needs to see you."

She flipped through the pages, "What're these for?"

"Don't have a clue," she shrugged, "I was just told to give these papers, and tell you to meet Wes, in his office."

She moved down the hallway to Wes's office, knocked on his door, then stepped inside.

"I read your report on the Mackey homicide, this afternoon," he said, his voice level.

"Oh," she swallowed, noting how quickly her color had faded. True, last night, she hadn't been at her best, however, she wasn't about to let those two suits take over her investigation. Was he upset? Did Wes, think she should have handled herself more professionally, after all, she was a homicide detective, not Jacklin Kennedy?

"Lang, I'm pulling you off, the homicide team."

He was.
Her entire body went cold, most likely, the result of all the blood draining out of her.
"What? But--"

"You're being reassigned."

"No! I mean--" She felt the boiling sting of tears and hated herself for it. This was outrageous. One time--one lousy time--she wasn't fully on her game, and she was being severely punished for it? It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. It wasn't--

"Hell of a promotion,
actually," he said, smiling now. "Looks like you've been plucked from the obscure ranks of detective."

She stepped back, her body backtracking as much as her mind. "What. A promotion?"