Maliki (Guardian Defenders Book 2)

by Kris Michaels

  "Doctor Blue, I can explain everything, but that guy in there is deadly. Please send whoever gets here first down there to secure him."

  "Why didn't you secure him when you were down there?" Mal stole a glance at Poet. Her curled form behind him terrified him, but he wasn't dropping his guard and allowing the bastard in front of him to kill them both.

  "I knocked his ass out! If you hadn't stopped us, I could have gotten Poet away from here and then brought back reinforcements." Watson shook his head.

  "Yeah, and where the hell would you have taken her?" He snarled the question at the bastard.

  "I wasn't looking for her, I was looking for him!"

  "Who is he?"

  "My half brother. He's sick, he was saying crazy shit. That's why I took vacation. I had to find him."

  "Your brother?"

  "Yes, damn it! Why was she here?"

  "I don't know, you tell me." Maliki could see the man's wildly frantic eyes; he didn't trust the bastard.

  "I was taking her to my radio in the car, for help. I couldn't carry her and reach my weapon if he woke up and came after us." He nodded his head to the holstered weapon on the belt of his jeans. "She had to be awake. She had to walk up from there. Come on man, you know me! We grew up together!"

  He stared at the crazed expression on the sheriff’s face. He shook his head slowly from side to side. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "My old man worked on your parents’ estate while I was in high school. You talked to me! You know me!"

  "I don't know you." Mal's gut lurched. He really couldn't remember the man, but it didn't matter; the bastard wasn't going anywhere.

  Maliki heard the vehicle racing up the drive. He held his gun on center mass of Watson's chest. Asher was out of the vehicle first. Mal held his weapon and shouted. "Downstairs! Another suspect."

  "On it!" Asher and another man sprinted to the house.

  "Handcuff this bastard!" Maliki bellowed.

  "I've got it, Doc. I'm approaching now." Carter Hopson came into his view and walked behind the sheriff. "Jim, I'm handcuffing you now."

  "I didn't do shit except get her the fuck out of there."

  Hopson grabbed his right hand and angled it behind his back. "If that's the case, we'll get it sorted, and you can fire my ass. Until that happens, I'm following Guardian's directions like the AG directed me to do."

  Mal holstered his weapon the second he heard the handcuffs click around Watson's wrists. He was beside Poet a heartbeat later.

  "Okay, babe. We got them." He pushed her hair away from her face. The huge hematoma above her temple worried him. The break to her arm was obvious. Thankfully, the bones hadn't penetrated the skin. "Talk to me, Poet."

  "Concussion. Nausea. Blurry vision. He broke my arm."

  "Yeah, I can see that.” The ambulance drove up, and he waved them over. "I want a backboard and collar, and we'll need an IV stat. Where is the nearest trauma center?"

  "Charlottesville."

  "Take us there."

  "Sir, that is out of our catchment area."

  Mal lifted his eyes from his examination. "I don't give a flying fuck. We are going to Charlottesville."

  "They'll fire our asses," the man mumbled as he removed the backboard and cervical collar from the gurney.

  "I promise you they won't." Jewell's voice rang from his pocket. The man's eyebrows lifted, and he shook his head, but got to work.

  They prepped Poet and rolled her onto the backboard after stabilizing her neck. The female EMT tugged the t-shirt she was wearing down and patted Poet's leg. "We'll get you onto the gurney and covered up, honey."

  Mal stood up as they secured her to the gurney for transport.

  Asher headed his way. "Doc, there's a guy downstairs. He's dead."

  "Dead? No! I didn't hit him that hard! He can't be dead!" Jim Watson howled, snapping their heads toward him. "He's my brother! God, no... please, no!"

  "And that was unexpected. I'm on it." Jewell's voice snapped both Asher and Maliki back from Watson's spectacle.

  "So who do you have in your pocket, Doc?"

  He took the phone from his shirt. "Jewell King, Asher Hudson."

  "Hi, Asher. Jared talks highly of you. I'm taking over this case as a favor to another brother, and man is he going to owe me for this one, because I'm busier than a supercomputer cracking an unsolvable problem. Forward me anything you need that hasn't been provided by my team. I'll get it to you ASAP along with the sheriff's genealogy as far back as the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. Mal, it was good to talk to you. I'll handle the EMTs' issues and take care of getting the billing sent to Guardian. Anyone need anything else? No? Good. Toodles."

  Mal stared at the phone and then glanced at Asher. "Was that all in one breath?"

  "Damn, I think so. That woman lives up to her reputation. Take care of your lady, give me a call when you can, and we'll get this settled."

  "Roger that." He jogged over to the ambulance and helped the team load the gurney into the back of the bus. He grabbed the handle and stepped up into the back of the ambulance and the driver closed him in the back with the female EMT. He took Poet's hand in his. It was cold, but her pulse was strong. "It's over, babe."

  She squeezed his hand a bit. "He said he killed them. Snuff films."

  "Who said that?"

  "The man in the mask."

  "Jim?"

  "I thought so. But... everything's blurry."

  "Yeah, you probably got a wicked concussion. When did that happen? This morning?"

  She squeezed his hand again. “Fought. Bit him hard, on the chest. Blood. Tasted blood.

  "Was it Jim?"

  "Mask."

  "Okay. We'll talk about it later."

  "You found me." She squeezed his hand again.

  "I did. I'd never stop looking for you."

  She smiled a bit, her eyes still shut. "You better watch it; you're going to fall for me."

  "Yeah, too late, I already have."

  She made a humming sound and the female EMT sniffed. He glanced up and the medic shifted her gaze to her clipboard, smiling.

  Chapter 18

  Maliki leaned against the hospital corridor wall and closed his eyes. Poet had undergone a CT scan to rule out any acute, life threatening, issues to her brain. Thankfully, there were no hematomas or edema that required emergency surgery. If her symptoms didn't abate soon, they would perform an MRI to make sure there weren’t micro-hemorrhages, or contusions. Her injured arm needed surgery, but it was stabilized, and they were waiting for a second orthopedic specialist to consult. The ER doc had directed a rape kit be completed and forensic technicians had scraped under her fingernails, gathering evidence. He'd witnessed the procedures many times, this time... he drew a deep breath and opened his eyes. Thankfully, Guardian had forwarded his certifications and license to the hospital. He'd been allowed to see her records, and the doctors and nurses briefed him on what was happening. The kit had come back negative, thank God.

  She was being transferred to a private room, and he'd taken the nurses’ advice and let them handle the transition. Still, he couldn't get the image of her on that stretcher, her body broken and bruised, out of his thoughts. The pain she’d endured… Her head injury had bled, but that wouldn't account for the condition of her fingernails. Her fingernails were broken and bloody. She’d fought with everything she had. The contusions and bruising, plus the shattered radius and ulna evidenced a horrific series of events. He'd called Asher, but he was interviewing Watson, and then Poet was wheeled to radiology. He followed her, his protective instinct overriding the probability that she'd be safe. What if he hadn't stopped by early? If he'd shown up at six instead of the middle of the afternoon? Would she still be alive?

  "Hey."

  Mal's eyes popped open, and he stood away from the wall. He was enfolded in a massive bear hug seconds later.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "Meh, it's a small up and down jaunt in a jet. We wa
nted to make sure you're okay." Jacob finally released him.

  "We?" He glanced around Jacob. "Holy Shit." Jade and Jared walked down the hall toward him. "What in the hell? Who's running the operation in D.C.?"

  "That's what I asked." Jade pushed Jacob out of the way and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a warm hug.

  While still being hugged by Jade, he reached and shook Jared's hand. "Seriously, why are you here?"

  Jade stepped back a bit and slugged him in the shoulder. "Because you’re family, stupid."

  "Ow. Damn." He rubbed his shoulder. "I don't think I want to be in your family. It’s rather abusive."

  "Ha ha. Stop being a wimp." She flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. "Joseph sent a mayday. You aren't answering your phone."

  "What?" He reached into his pocket and extracted his cell. "Fuck, its dead. I had Jewell on the line forever today. It must have drained the battery. Still… three of you?"

  "If we were in trouble, you'd come running? True?" Jade glanced up at him.

  "Absolutely, but I'm not in trouble, Poet was." He threw a confused glance from one to the other.

  "Uh huh. Well, I never took you for a slow one, Mal. We show up in force when our family or friends are in trouble. Your woman is in trouble. She qualifies as family." Jade shook her head as a slow smile spread across her face. "I wanna meet the woman who bagged you."

  "Bagged?" Mal blinked at her, and then at Jared and Jacob, both of whom wore identical shit eating grins.

  "Caught, tied up, enamored, fell in love with? Or is it still lust? Damn, where are the Double Ds when you need them?" She reached in her purse. "I'll call them and get more words."

  "Ah, no. I get it." He smiled at her and shook his head. "It's still new. It might not be what you’re insinuating."

  "New? Right. How long did it take you to fall in love with Tori?" She pointed at Jacob.

  "One airplane ride and one date." He shrugged. "She was it for me. I knew it the second she kissed me. Wasn't going to fight destiny."

  "And you, before all the bullshit with you and Christian, when did you fall for that man?" She pointed at Jared.

  "One night. I woke up with him in my arms, and I was a goner." Jared smiled and winked at him. "And all we did that night was sleep."

  "Nic wormed his way into my heart so fast it had to be a record, so don't drop that 'it's new' shit on us." She smiled up at him like a cat who'd not only found the cream but lapped all that shit up, too.

  "So, how is she doing?" Jared asked.

  "She's pretty banged up. A concussion, but the CT doesn't show any emergent issues. She'll have surgery to repair the arm the bastard broke. Do we know who he was?"

  "I'm having that information sent to me as soon as we get it confirmed. Do you think she'll be up to answering a few questions?" Jared nodded down the hall where Poet was being settled into her private room.

  "She's been given a very mild pain killer to take the edge off, but nothing that will interfere with the concussion protocols. They're bringing in a specialist for her break. The bastard shattered both her ulna and radius. She should be able to answer questions, but if we could limit them, I'd appreciate it."

  "Have you given your statement yet?"

  "No. I haven't even thought about the administrative end of the issue."

  "Jewell has typed up hers and attached an audio of the telephone call. I reviewed it on the way down. When did you realize Poet was in trouble?"

  "This afternoon. When I got to her apartment, her next-door neighbor was giving me a rash of shit for the early morning disturbance in Poet's apartment, only I hadn’t been there. She’d had a call out, and I don't stay in her apartment when she's not there. I opened the door to her apartment, and her place had been trashed. I had the neighbor call 911. The deputies responded and secured the scene for Asher and took a statement from Tillie.”

  “Tillie?” Jared interrupted.

  “The neighbor. Poet’s friend. I called Joseph, and he called Jewell. The rest is on the recording."

  "That is congruent with the rest of the information I'm getting. Shall we see if she can answer a few questions?" Jared nodded down the hall and fell into step with him as he moved to the room where Poet had been taken.

  He checked in with the nursing staff before he and the Kings entered the room. Poet opened her eyes and blinked several times before she saw the way Jade was holding onto his arm. She crooked her finger, and he started toward her.

  Poet lifted her hand stopping him. "No, her." Jade walked forward and stood by her bed. Poet nailed her with a stare. “He’s mine. Hands off."

  Jade threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, damn, Mal, I like this one." She patted Poet's arm. "Honey, I got my man. I don't want yours. My name's Jade DeMarco. That is my brother, Jacob King, and my other brother, Jared King. We work at Guardian. Jared is a cop like you. He'd like to ask you some questions. You okay with that?"

  Poet nodded. "Memory is fuzzy."

  Maliki moved up and took her hand. "That's to be expected." He swiped his thumb over her fingers, avoiding the IV catheter in the back of her hand.

  "Poet, may I record this?"

  "Sure."

  Jared held his phone and hit some buttons. "This is Jared King with Poet Campbell. Also in attendance are Jacob King, Jade DeMarco and Doctor Maliki Blue. Poet, I'd like to discuss the events of today. Can you tell me in your own words what happened?"

  She swallowed hard. "I was asleep."

  "In your apartment?" Jared asked.

  "Yes. Alone. Mal doesn't stay over when I get called out. He goes back to the inn. I got in late. I fell into bed. There was a light knock at the door. Early. It was still dark. I thought it was Mal. I stumbled to the door, and I didn't look through the peep hole. I unlocked it and opened the door. Someone pushed it into me and then came after me. We fought. He was fast and big. I got in some good punches. I kicked him in the balls. Hard. He shoved me off. I tried... I couldn't get to my room, for my gun. I fought him. He punched me in the jaw. I think I hit the wall." She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and drew a deep breath.

  "What happened then?"

  "I woke up in my patrol vehicle. I tried to get away, but I went black again. The next time I woke up, I was in the basement of that house."

  "Do you know who it was who took you?"

  "I thought it was Jim."

  "Jim?" Jared prodded.

  "Jim Watson, the sheriff. When he leaned down in front of me, his blue eyes. I've been looking at those eyes for years. I could have sworn it was him."

  "What happened then?"

  "He beat me. Kicked me. My head again. I passed out. He lifted me up, hit me repeatedly. I don't know how long. He tased me. I lost consciousness again."

  "How was your arm broken?"

  “He tied me up on boards attached to the wall in the basement. I noticed the camera. I thought he was recording it. He said he was streaming it. That he got paid well for snuff films. I think that was why the other women were killed. Umm... he asked what I said to Guardian."

  Jared nodded. "So you never saw his face?"

  Poet closed her eyes for a moment. "No, he wore a black mask. Ski mask. Knit. I saw his eyes. Blue eyes. Voice sounded like Jim... sometimes. Sometimes it was high pitched and different."

  "How did you get away?"

  "Jim, he woke me up and was desperate to get me moving. Told me the man would come to and we needed to leave."

  "Did you believe him?"

  "There was a man on the floor, wearing a black mask."

  "The clothes, were they the same?"

  "Yeah. Jeans, denim shirt. Boots?" Her brow drilled down and furrowed. "There's something about the boots." She closed her eyes. "Something about the boots."

  Jade interjected, "He kicked you with them?"

  "Yeah." She opened her eyes, the furrow still tightly drawn.

  Jared cleared his throat before he asked, "If you were asked to identify your assailant as James Watson
with certainty, could you?"

  She opened her eyes and stared at Maliki before a tear pushed clear of one eye and trailed down her cheek. She slowly turned toward Jared and spoke one simple word. "No."

  "All right. We'll let you rest now. Don't worry, we're still on this case." Jared clicked his phone off and nodded to the door. Jacob and Jade walked from the room, but Maliki remained. Jared lifted an eyebrow in question.

  "I'll be right there. Give me a couple minutes?"

  "Take your time." Jared smiled at Poet and headed from the room.

  Another tear slipped down her cheek. He reached up and wiped the trail away.

  "I can't be sure."

  He leaned down and kissed her nose softly and then swiped a soft kiss across her lips, avoiding the massive bruising on her face. He spoke quietly, "It doesn't matter. We'll get to the bottom of it. I promise."

  "Who was the other man?"

  "I don't know. I've been with you. I haven't been briefed."

  She squeezed his hand. "You need to find out. You need to work this. I don't know them. I know you. I know you. Please, I can't... I'm..." Her eyes held his. The desperation in her plea gutted him.

  Mal pushed her dark auburn hair from her eyes. "You're safe. I promise."

  "Am I? With him out there?"

  "One of them is dead, the other is in custody. They're contained."

  "For how long? If I can't identify Watson, how long until he's cleared? I swear they were his eyes, but that voice wasn't..." She squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. I'm not making sense."

  "You're making perfect sense. Do you want me to contact your mom and dad?"

  "No. No, they don't need to get involved in this. I'll call her later, after."

  A nurse stepped into the room.

  "I'm going to let her do her job. I'm not going far." She squeezed his hand again, and he lifted it carefully to his lips. "Rest."

  He walked from the room, finding Jacob waiting for him. "Jared and Jade have headed down to the administrative wing to borrow a conference room."

  "You didn't need to come. I appreciate it, however––" Mal stopped talking when a Charlottesville police officer slid into place by Poet's door.