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Before his fight with the cop

"All right, baby Coe "Baby, the other looked sweet, but now you " He let out a howling sound, staring at the elegant length of her neck "I’ely determined voice as well "I don’t think so--you vicious brute" He’d been feeling powerful Incredibly strong, powerful

But she was strong as well

And faster

Before he could move, she’d plucked up the bone saw

She was so fast, indeed, that he was pitched into the true darkness of hellfire and damnation even as he realized just what she er took his ti his way to the maternity ward

No one noticed a nervousroom

He drank coffee, watched cable news He wished he knew the killer who ruled the news Now, there was a ood wo, just before dawn, he slipped into ahis head and hair, and half tying a h the hospital, acknowledging the few nurses and aides who greeted him in the hall with a return wave

At one of the nurses’ stations, he helped hihttiain

As he’d suspected, there was only one guard on Callie’s door by that ti dark-haired dude, ainst the wall; he was dozing

Rutger walked briskly toward Callie’s door--finding her roo at a different nurses’ station

Then again, the plainclothes cop--still obviously a cop-- was a dead giveaway as well

"Hello, Doctor," the cop said, standing to greet him

What luck He could pin the cop with the sedative so easily now

"Hello, there How’sthe cop His hand in his pocket, he fingered the needle and syringe, drawing it out and holding it against his side

"Seeood to have you out here!" Rutger beae, and jabbed it into the cop’s arainst the wall, fell to his rear, his head bowed over

Rutger stepped over hiht He had to work fast Didn’t knohen so by Close the door first Then get a gag around Callie’s ht alert soently picked up one wrist, and then the other, tying theical tape he had pilfered froe

Callie was so sedated, she didn’t awaken at first He pulled a sock fro her As he stuffed it into her mouth, he slapped her cheeks

It was time for her to wake up

She did Her eyes widened like saucers She tried to screa the sock more deeply into her mouth She was powerless, and terrified He pulled his knife out, s at her "Yeah, baby I’ to kill you I’ to make you wish you were dead"

Her eyes closed; to his vast disainst the bed in a dead faint

"No way!" he ain Let’s see how she’d sleep if he slashed her right in the face!

A cold suddenly settled over hied to turn

The cop was behind him

Couldn’t be! He’d knocked the da pleasantly

"Doc, now, is that any way to treat a patient?" the cop deer muttered, but he still felt the cold "You should have stayed passed out, because now I’!" The cop ser Now I’er saw the hands descending upon his shoulders He was lifted, drawn forward Just as if he weighed nohis uy was going for his daed to screale His vein was instantly, expertly punctured

He was unconscious in a matter of seconds

The rooer was drained Dry The "cop" let hi sense of panic, reer was in the roo on the gag, trying desperately to get soer was on the floor A cop was in the room with her, seated across from her, in the visitor’s chair

The cop belched, then drew a hand to his lips, looking slightly eed Rutger with a toe He plucked hi hi doll

Then, with a powerful er’s head froain, Callie passed out cold

The cop took a step toward her

He was riding again, his horse’s hooves pounding the earth, spraying dirt over the length of the field

Abattlefield