Kane eyed her warily. “How do you know about that?”
Taylor once again picked up her phone and clicked some buttons. Showing him the screen, he witnessed a video of himself shaking the idiot and then knocking him out cold. Feeling ashamed and not knowing why, Kane stood up and paced.
“It’s gone viral,” Taylor commented. “That means people all over the world are seeing that.”
“Shit.” He wondered if the elders who exiled him to the south, and the humans, had also seen it. “Those people were filming it with their phones.”
“Yup.”
“I am in so much trouble.”
Taylor frowned. “No, you’re not. You were justified in hitting the guy. You saved that woman from abuse.”
“Maybe not with your police,” Kane replied, “but with certain—others. I’m not supposed to be making viral videos of myself.”
“Well, there’s another video of you I saw.”
Pausing, Kane stared. “What else am I doing to make a spectacle of myself?”
“Crushing a man’s hand.”
“Oh, that.” He ran his hands through his hair. “He tried to hit me and would have done unspeakable things to you. Is that viral, too?”
“No, that was on the surveillance cameras at the bar,” Taylor said. “I wanted to know what happened that night. You never said anyone tried to hit you.”
“Does it matter?”
“Most men don’t have the muscle strength to break another man’s bones in his fist.”
“So, I’m strong, big deal.”
“I think you’re very special, Kane.”
“You wouldn’t if—”
“If what?”
Kane shook his head, knowing he had already done and said too much. “Never mind. Just know I’m not at all special.”
“I won’t argue over it, but you are.”
Worrying about how badly he had messed up among these humans, Kane absently wondered if his friends had also gotten themselves tangled with them as badly as he had. Though the elders wouldn’t agree, Kane blamed the mess on not knowing enough about these people he was sent to live among.
A knock came at the door. Without thinking, he went to open it.
Two men in uniforms with guns and badges stood there, eyeing him with surprise.
“Oh, right,” Kane said lamely. “Come in. Taylor’s right here.”
He stepped aside to permit them to enter the room, thinking it was awful crowded with these big men inside. Taylor stood up to shake their hands while Kane stood off to the side.
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Harrison,” said the big man. “This is Officer Adams.”
“I’m Taylor Brookstone,” she answered. “This is Kane, my friend. I sort of went to him for help after, you know.”
The police nodded to him politely as he leaned against the wall, then they turned back to Taylor. “Please tell us what happened, Ms. Brookstone.”
Kane listened as Taylor told them exactly what had happened in the house—Craig’s drunken state, pulling the knife, threatening to harm her twin girls.”
“And where are the girls?” Harrison asked.
“In that room, sleeping.”
Adams went to the door and peeked in, then nodded. “Did you at any time threaten Craig with the switchblade?”
“Never. But I had his Taser. When Craig went to grab Lila, I hit him with it. I expected him to try something, and he did.”
“So, he made an effort to harm your daughter?”
“Yes. I couldn’t let him touch my girls. He was going to kill us all.”
While the three of them spoke, Kane watched the men’s body language and listened to their voices. While they were difficult to read, he did not believe these men would protect Craig rather than Taylor. At least he hoped he was right about them.
At long last, they seemed satisfied with what Taylor told them. “Thank you, Ms. Brookstone,” Harrison said, shaking her hand again. “Give us your number so we can reach you. Will you be staying here at the hotel?”
“I think so.”
She gave him her phone number and he wrote it down. “Now we’ll present this to the district attorney, but I don’t have much doubt he’ll issue an arrest warrant for Craig Westerman.”
“And he’s suspended during the investigation into his excessive force,” Taylor added. “Will he be fired?”
“I can’t say,” he answered. “But he’s not making many friends with his behavior.”
Taylor crossed her arms over her breasts. “If you guys arrest him, will you let me know?”
“We sure will. Now you take care of yourself and those little girls.”
Harrison smiled in a friendly way, nodded again to Kane, then the two of them left the room. Kane studied the relief he saw on Taylor’s expression and asked, “They believed you?”
Taylor dragged her hands over her face. “Yeah, they did. I think they knew exactly what happened before they even came here.”
“They knew Craig was lying when he told them you attacked him?”
“Yeah. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.” She suddenly grinned. “To have a pair of cops who never liked Craig be the ones to investigate this is like winning the lottery.”
“He’s told you about them?”
“Oh, yeah. He bitched about them to me all the time. Damn, I feel so much better.”
“Good. Perhaps now you can be free of him.”
Taylor smiled, and it lit up her entire face. Kane thought she was beautiful before, but that smile had him falling in love.
“To be free of him,” she murmured. “Can you imagine?”
Chapter Thirteen
The shrill buzzing of his phone woke him. Muzzy, his head spinning, Craig rolled over, grimacing, and picked up his cell from the coffee table. Squinting, he read Cliff’s name. He clicked it and held the phone to his ear. “Yo.”
“Hey, brother.” Cliff’s loud voice made Craig wince. “I shouldn’t be calling to tell you this, so if you say I did, I’ll deny it.”
“Say what?” Craig lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes. He liked Cliff, but sometimes the guy could try the patience of a saint.
“There’s an arrest warrant with your name on it.”
Craig’s eyes snapped open. “There’s a what?”
“Did you attack Taylor again, man?”
“She tried to kill me.”
Cliff was silent for so long, Craig thought he had lost the connection. He looked at the phone’s screen, but he hadn’t lost the signal. “You there, man?”
“Look.” Cliff’s voice had hardened. “I’ve been your friend. I’m risking my job in calling you. Don’t fucking lie to me.”
“I’m not.”
A headache thumped over his eyes, and Craig rubbed his forehead, feeling sick. Cliff had stood by him for a long time, and if Craig lost his friendship, well, he could say goodbye to all the other officers who had supported him as well. Shit, they lied for him, and now he lied to his best friend.
“Harrison and Adams have a shit load on you, pal,” Cliff snapped. “Fingerprints that spell out Taylor’s story as the truth. I don’t even know why I bothered to call and give you a heads up. She said you threatened to kill her kids.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Uh-huh. Your best chance at avoiding jail is to turn yourself in. Get a good lawyer and do yourself a big favor—leave Taylor the fuck alone.”
“You’re right, bro.”
“Are you gonna surrender?”
“I don’t know.”
“Harrison and Adams, have you in their sights, and they ain’t messing around. They’re gunning for you, and at last, I’m understanding why.”
The phone clicked, and this time, the connection was lost. Cliff hung up on him. Tossing the phone back onto the table, Craig slowly sat up. With a freshly printed arrest warrant, Harrison and Adams were most likely on their way to his house, complete with backup. Hell, they probably have a SWAT team standi
ng by.
He needed to get out of the house, pronto.
Standing up, his head spinning from too much Scotch, his belly threatening to heave, Craig grabbed his phone again. Stuffing it into his pocket, he grabbed his car keys and headed for the door. He didn’t bother to lock it, as Harrison would enjoy a no-knock entry warrant and would most likely bust it down, anyway.
Almost feeling Harrison’s breath on his neck, Craig got into his car and started the engine. He backed out of the driveway, keeping an eye out for cruisers, and drove as fast as he dared out of his neighborhood. He took side streets in order to dodge any units that may have been dispatched to assist in his arrest, then entered a heavily trafficked avenue.
Pulling over at a convenience store, Craig pulled his phone from his pocket. Tapping the app, he had installed on it, he gazed at the red blip that informed him exactly where Taylor’s minivan was. And where it was, she would not be far away. The dot on the detailed map put her at the Oaks Hotel on South Oaks Street.
Grinning to himself, Craig put the phone away, and reached over to flip open the glove box. He had left behind his service weapon in his haste to leave, but he always carried another in his car. After checking the gun’s loads, Craig shoved it into the waistband of his jeans and covered the butt with his shirt.
Driving away, he headed to South Oaks, pleased that he had placed the tracking device on her vehicle. Just in case she ever ran. Now he would teach her a lesson. What happens to bitches who kick him in the nuts and have arrest warrants issued for him. She should never have reported him.
His car was fairly well known to his brother officers; thus, he kept a wary look out for patrol units. Though he didn’t see any, he drove off the main drag and meandered along less busy streets in the hopes no cops were sitting in their cruisers at speed traps.
About thirty minutes later, Craig drove into the parking lot of the Oaks Hotel. He didn’t spot the van until he passed behind the building. “Gotcha,” he muttered and headed around to the front of the hotel.
Parking, making sure his gun wasn’t visible, Craig went into the lobby. The clerk behind the desk was a plain-faced young woman who watched him expectantly. He gave her his most charming grin and leaned on the counter’s top as though admiring her.
“Can I leave a message for one of your guests?” he asked.
“Certainly, sir. Who is the guest?”
“Taylor Brookstone.”
The clerk typed into her computer. “We have no one registered under that name.”
His grin faltered. “I’m sure she’s here. Pretty redheaded lady with two little twins?”
“I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have that name, and I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
Craig straightened. “Okay, well, thanks.”
Leaving the lobby, feeling certain she must have checked in under a false name, he got into his car again. Driving slowly out of the lot, he went across the street to park in an inconspicuous area. He had a clear view of the hotel and its lot. Taylor would have to eat and feed the girls, so when she drove out, he planned to follow.
And when he found his chance.
“Kapow,” he whispered.
Dusk had stolen in by the time Craig saw the Honda minivan roll from out of the back of the hotel and drive toward the street. Taylor turned left into traffic, and he followed, slipping in behind another car to hide as she drove sedately along. He kept tabs on her, even though he could find her again with his phone app if he happened to lose her.
That proved to not be necessary, as she didn’t go very far. Taylor pulled the van into the parking lot of a local pizza place and parked. Slowing his car, Craig halted at the curb, where he had a clear view of the Honda as Taylor got out to open the rear doors.
She wasn’t the only one who exited the Honda.
A huge blonde dude opened the passenger door and stepped to the pavement. Stunned into immobility for long moments, Craig stared as the guy helped unbuckle Megan and Lila from their car seats with a very strange familiarity.
Then, like a happy little family, Taylor and the dude each took a twin by the hand and walked into the restaurant.
“She’s been cheating on me.”
His rage, flaming red, rose to consume him. “She has been fucking another guy all along.”
Grabbing his gun, Craig opened the car’s door and got out. He would stroll in there and shoot all four of them, blast them into bloody bits. Then run, get in the car before anyone had time to get a good look at him, as the other pizza diners would be hiding under their tables. Then he’d be gone, on his way to Canada.
He took three strides toward the entrance when Craig realized the madness of his plan. These days, nearly everyone carried guns, openly or concealed. If he started shooting, so might someone else. At him.
Maybe it's best to take them when they come out. Or maybe follow them back to the hotel, blast them from the car. Then there’d be no witnesses. Retreating to his sedan, Craig got back in and set the gun on the console. His fury set his headache to thumping harder as he imagined Taylor screwing this guy behind his back.
“You’ll pay for this, bitch,” he muttered, caressing his gun with his fingertips. “How dare you sucker me.”
As he waited, his rage only intensifying, thinking of how Taylor had played him, how she planned to get him suspended, then arrested. Oh, but he would show her. His only regret was that he could not take his time with her. Even if he shot the guy first, then the girls, he felt it too risky to torment her before he stopped her clock.
Too many witnesses who might be armed and more dangerous than Craig.
A long hour and a half later, Craig fuming over how many pizzas they must be devouring, Taylor and her fuckbuddy finally emerged from the restaurant. They carried the twins, small heads resting on shoulders, and the Honda beeped as the remote unlock button was triggered. Craig started his car in preparation to follow.
I’m going to confront her. Not shoot from a damn distance. I want to see her terror when she sees me kill her precious babies.
Certain that she would head back to the hotel, Craig continued to follow, mentally laying out his plans. He would shoot the dude first, then listen to Taylor scream as he killed her daughters. Then, he’d stare into her eyes before he put a bullet between them.
Laughing to himself, Craig saw with satisfaction that she did indeed return to the hotel. No doubt, she wanted the kids in bed and asleep before crawling into bed with that asshole. Craig cut his lights and cruised into the parking lot behind her as she drove to the rear of the lot.
Parking in the shadows where the lights failed to reach, Craig picked up his gun and unlocked the safety. The weapon in his hand, he strolled along the side of the building and peered around the corner. Sure enough, Taylor and the dude unbuckled the twins from their safety seats.
They had no idea he was there.
Striding openly, the gun at his side, Craig’s heart raced with anticipation at seeing her terror, hearing her screams for mercy, begging him not to hurt her little ones. He zeroed in on the big dude, lifting the gun, aiming, his finger on the trigger.
“No, Craig!”
Taylor’s sudden shriek distracted him a split second before he pulled the trigger. The gun bucked in his hand, and the guy visibly jumped. A wound, not a clean kill. Craig aimed again for center mass when Taylor’s nightmare suddenly became his.
The guy wasn’t there. Taylor and the twins were knocked to the ground by a huge creature from fairy tales. Monstrous, a pale shadow in the darkness, it stood over their forms on the pavement. Then it gave a long, low, reptilian hiss.
Craig froze, stunned, as huge wings unfolded from the thing’s back, and the big muzzle opened to reveal teeth the length of his hand. Pale blue eyes blazed down at him from at least fifteen feet above him.
“Holy God.”
Craig managed those two words before recovering himself and realizing he needed to shoot it. Holding his semi-automatic in both hands in the s
hooter’s stance, he aimed for its big head. He could hardly miss at that range.
A whip of flame lashed from the creature’s opened jaws, striking his hands and the gun within them. Craig screamed in agony as his flesh crisped as though he had stuck them in a crematorium. His weapon dropped to the asphalt.
Lifting his hands to his face, he saw his skin red, forming blisters right before his eyes. Then the thing stalked toward him, its long tail slashing back and forth like a furious cat’s. It meant to kill him then and there, he knew it. Bending, he grabbed his gun, then yelped in pain. It felt hotter than a live coal. Using his shirt for protection, still feeling terrible heat radiating from it, he tried to shoot the creature again.
There was no trigger, no trigger guard; the barrel drooped as though it was soft rubber, like something from a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
Another long, evil hiss escaped the monster’s jaws.
Craig bolted for his car, not daring to look back lest he trip and fall.
If that happened, he was a late-night snack.
It hurt like hell to use his hands to start the car and put it in drive, keeping them on the steering wheel as the tires screamed in protest. Only when he was on the street and speeding away did he feel safe.
“Holy God,” he said again, sweat sliding down his face, sticking his shirt to his chest and back. “What was that thing?”
His reason returned as his pain increased. Craig knew he needed a hospital and an excuse as to how he burned his hands. Without being able to return home, he also needed a place to stay. Maybe a hotel. He barked a laugh at the irony of it.
Christ in heaven, what the hell was that thing? He glanced again at the melted remains of the gun and knew he had gotten lucky to have not been killed.
Chapter Fourteen
Shrieking with fear, Megan and Lila sat on the asphalt of the hotel parking lot as Taylor fought her own terror and panic. Rising as far as her knees, she stared in shock as Craig lifted his gun again, tried to point it, then ran, vanishing into the darkness. A moment later, a car roared away, driving into the street to also disappear.
Dragon Fever: Limited Edition Holiday Romance Boxset Page 59