Free The Supplicant by Michelle Marquis Page A

the road even faster than the first one. The new vehicle was a black stretch limo, an elegant car and not one usually seen on this side of the city. Out here, it was all beat-up Chevys and pickups.
    Sin let it roar past her before stomping on her gas pedal and taking off in pursuit. Her police radio chirped with transmissions from other officers updating dispatch on their various calls. Pushing the accelerator to the floor, Sin picked up her radio and called in the details of her pursuit.
    "Dispatch, this is Officer Miller. I'm in pursuit of two speeding vehicles. One is a grey Ford pickup and the other, a black Cadillac limousine. We are just passing the intersection of State Road Fifty and Fort Christmas Road," Sin said. "Be advised I need backup." As she narrowed the distance between her and the speeders, she noticed the Cadillac catching up to the pickup. Maybe they're drag racing .
    9

    The Supplicant
    by Michelle Marquis
    Sin's radio crackled to life as dispatch summoned her backup from all over the area. "All units, all units, officer needs assistance in the vicinity of State Road Fifty and Fort Christmas Road. Pursuit in progress of two speeding vehicles, one described as . . ."
    Sin ignored the rest of the transmission and focused on getting right behind the limo. Her lights were going, so she flipped on her siren too. She flinched as it screamed into the early morning quiet.
    The Cadillac's rear lights glowed brightly as its driver tapped the brakes preparing to stop. The pickup, however, situated in front of the black car, only sped up. It pulled away with astounding speed. The black limo abandoned its plan to slow down. Its big engine roared as it fell in behind the pickup again and pulled a good forty yards away in front of her.
    The white lines on the road blurred as Sin pushed her cruiser harder while trying desperately to catch up to the other cars. Up ahead, an intersection's light turned red, and Sin knew both cars were planning to run the light. A few cars passed through the light just before the pickup and the limo entered the intersection.
    Sin bit her lip and held her breath anticipating a crash at any moment.
    A silver Honda entered the intersection at the same time as the speeding vehicles and screeched to a halt, barely missing the pickup. But the near miss startled the pickup's driver. He overcorrected, lost complete control, and sent his vehicle into a violent tailspin.
    It took Sin only a second to realize she was in big trouble.
    10

    The Supplicant
    by Michelle Marquis
    The pickup's headlights flashed in her eyes, temporarily blinding her, and then there was a horrible crash. Sin's body was slammed around the squad car's interior despite her seatbelt. The airbag deployed, smashing into her chest and knocking the wind out of her lungs. The noise of the crash seemed to go on forever, and when the squad car finally stopped rolling, there was pain—horrible and consuming pain all over.
    Sin blinked and tasted blood in her mouth.
    Next, she tried to move, but her body just wouldn't obey her. The radio hissed to life, and then the dispatcher's voice called her, asking her to respond. Sin tried once again to move, willing her hand to reach out and grab the radio, but nothing worked.
    A handsome blond man with the most extraordinary silver eyes crouched and looked inside the mangled squad car. Even as foggy as she was, Sin could tell he was huge—tall and muscular with features that were very Germanic. The grim expression on his face told her just how badly injured she was.
    Sin summoned every ounce of energy she had to speak.
    Something burned and obscured her vision. It took a second to realize that her head was bleeding and the blood was running down her face. She blinked a trickle of gore out of her eye. "Please help me," she croaked.
    Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed, but Sin knew it was too late for her. She had suffered catastrophic injuries.
    There was no way she was going to make it.