Before the Dawn(61)

"Stay the hell away from me, man!" Spittle flew from his mouth. "Get away!"

Tucker raised a brow. "Calm down."

But the blond wasn't calming down. At Tucker's voice, he gave a yell and he...he launched right at Tucker.

Tucker just stood there, letting the guy come at him. At the last moment, he twisted his body so that the blond missed him totally. Then Tucker spun around and grabbed the kid's arms, jerking him back. Tucker wrapped one hand around the blond's throat and held him, effortlessly. "That's the second time you've attacked a federal agent, buddy. You must really want to spend the rest of your life in a cell." He let him go, putting his hands on his hips as he studied the younger fellow.

Anthony was silent as he shut the door to the interrogation room and watched the other men.

"No!" the blond yelled. "This isn't happening." He yanked up his hands and pressed his fingers to his eyes. He nearly jabbed his fingertips into his eye sockets. "Just scaring you. Just scaring you!"

"Who wanted you to scare him?" Anthony asked. His voice was calm and cool. Easy. "Tell me, and we can help you out."

The blond stilled.

"We know your name, Rowan," Anthony continued. "Rowan Jacobs. You came up in our database. Seems you've had a few brushes with the law. Some small-time thefts, a drug possession...but you were a kid back then. According to the files I have, you turned eighteen two months ago." He whistled. "That means trouble for you, Rowan. Big trouble."

Rowan shook his head. "No. No!"

Tucker stepped toward him. "You said someone paid you. That's the man I want, Rowan. Tell me what he looked like. Talk to me, and I'll help you." 

Rowan retreated until his back was pressed to the one-way glass.

"That kid is terrified," Bowen murmured.

Dawn couldn't take her gaze off the scene before her.

"B-blue eyes," Rowan stuttered suddenly. "Big, over six feet. Strong." His words came in rapid fire succession. "Dark hair."

Tucker's stare hardened on him. "Going to need a whole hell of a lot more than that, kid. You just described-"

"Him," Bowen said as his voice sharpened. "The kid's half-ass description could be Tucker."

"-about a million people," Tucker snapped at the same time. "So you're going to have to get real specific, real quick-"

Rowan whirled to face the mirror. "He sees you."

He was staring straight at Dawn.

"He sees you," he said again and Rowan slammed his head into the mirror. Once, twice, and the mirror cracked beneath the impact of his blows. Dawn let out a horrified gasp as she saw the blood trickling over the glass. Blood poured down Rowan's face, but he pulled back, seemingly about to slam his head forward once more.

"Stop!" Dawn yelled.

Tucker had leaped forward. He grabbed Rowan.

"Medic!" Anthony was yelling. He'd yanked open the door to the interrogation room. "We need a medic in here!"

Dawn and Bowen ran out of the observation room. They rushed inside the interrogation room, crowding close to Tucker.

The kid was unconscious, the rough trembles of his body stilled. He barely seemed to be breathing. Blood poured from the gashes in his forehead.

"What in the fuck was that?" Bowen bent next to the fallen man.

Tucker looked up at Dawn. She stood there, heart racing, as more uniformed officers filled the room.

He sees you.

* * *

TUCKER EASED OUT a low breath and opened the door at the police station. The door led to a small conference room-and to Dawn. She stood up when he entered the room, worry flashing on her face.

Get your shit together, man. Do it now.

"We knew he was high... The kid is messed up. Rowan is being kept under medical supervision now." Because the guy had split his head wide-open. "We're not going to get anything from him for a while."

He moved closer to her. He could see the cut on her lower lip. The bruise on her cheek. The scrapes on her hands. Those marks pissed him off. They'd happened on his watch. He should have-

"I didn't tell you everything."

He stopped in front of her.

Her long lashes lifted and her gaze locked with his.

"I didn't tell you all the things he...he said to me in the alley."

He had to touch her. Carefully, the back of his hand slid over her cheek. That bruise didn't belong there. She should never have been-

Dawn caught his hand. "I didn't tell you everything that Jason said back then, either, and I...I didn't tell you everything that the man in the ski mask said today."

Shock pulsed through him.


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