“Don’t resist.”
She struggled harder. “Leave me alone. You guys are brutalizing me. I’m going to file a complaint.”
“Please do. Our dash cam will show you’ve been given several chances to cooperate.”
At that point, she flipped around and ran across the highway, causing cars to stop and blow their horns. Luca gave chase. He eventually had to tackle her to keep her from crossing the line into oncoming traffic. Once he had her on the ground, he was able to cuff the other wrist.
Shit. I have to learn to get the handcuffs out faster—but not too fast. There were a lot of things he could do quicker and better than a human, but he couldn’t give away his paranormal abilities. He had superhuman strength and speed, but a cop wouldn’t let it go if they witnessed something out of the ordinary. And he’d be in so much trouble with the paranormal community if he let humans know what he really was.
Joe joined him and the two of them lifted her to her feet. She immediately started kicking and screaming. They had to half lead and half drag her across the road, back to their cruiser.
“You see?” She was yelling at the cars that had stopped. “You see the brutality? I want witness statements. I want you all to call the Boston police commissioner and tell him what you’ve seen.”
Luca and Joe were beyond reasoning with her at this point. Joe just opened the back door of the cruiser and told her to get in.
“I don’t want to. Make me.”
Luca shook his head. What the fuck do we do now? Fold her in half and put her in there like a quesadilla?
Apparently, pushing on her head and shoving her into the back seat, then grappling with those long legs and spiky heels was the only option.
“Knock it off, lady. Kicking a police officer with shoes like that is a felony in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Joe shouted.
“Ha! I don’t believe you.”
“We can add it to the charges if that will convince you.”
As soon as she had been stuffed into the seat and seat-belted securely, Luca slammed the door shut and joined Joe in the front seat. “Holy shit. That is one determined woman,” he muttered.
“Yup. This one’s feisty.”
As a car pulled around them, the passenger rolled down his window and yelled out, “It took two of you to arrest a girl. Pussies!” Then he and the driver laughed and drove off.
Wonderful. Adolescent humor. Just what we needed.
“I have to pee,” said Priscilla from the back seat.
“We’ll be at the station in a few minutes,” Joe replied, glancing up at the rearview mirror, then he turned to Luca. “Officer Fierro, would you be good enough to read our collar her rights?”
“Crap,” he muttered. With all the distractions, he’d forgotten about the damn Miranda rights. What a rookie mistake. “You have the right to remain silent.”
Priscilla began singing. “Silent night, holy night…”
Luca tried raising his voice to be heard over her, but that only made her sing louder.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Then he joined in and sang her her rights to the tune of the famous Christmas carol. “You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, one will be appointed. If you decide to answer questions now, you have the right to stop until you talk to an attorney…”
“All right! All right!” she yelled. “Just stop. Your voice is worse than mine.”
“Great.” He finished the speech in a normal voice. “So, do you understand your rights as I’ve explained them to you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?”
“No. Not until I pee first. I’m apt to wet your back seat if I don’t get to a bathroom soon.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Joe muttered. He had Luca call the station and inform them of the arrest and where the tow truck could find her car.
