"Shut up! For fuck's sake, stop talking. Jeez, you've got a mouth on you." He stepped toward me, his fists clenched, a vein bulging in his throat. He looked like a snarling, snapping bulldog, ready to bite my head off if I so much as opened my mouth.
My skin prickled and my knees felt loose and weak. I wanted to take a step away but there was nowhere to go. The backs of my legs were up against the toilet.
Don't show him you're afraid, a little voice told me. I gulped back the sour taste of fear and tossed my hair in a show of bravado. And I mean show. Inside, I was quaking. Grimes was a suspected rapist for Christ sake! One look at his cold, merciless eyes, and I knew he'd committed horrible things.
"I think I'll go now," I said. I tried to move past him but he rested a hand on the door frame, blocking the exit.
"I said, shut up. Don't you listen either?" He shook his head. "Women. Dumb and rude. Someone should teach you all a lesson."
Bad, bad choice of words. I mean, how can any twenty-first century girl let that slide by? "If anyone needs to be taught a lesson, it's you. You're ignorant," I poked him in the shoulder, "disrespectful," poke, "obnoxious," poke, "and a misogynist. I can't stand you. You contaminate the air with your stinking presence, you denigrate the human race by pretending to be a part of it, and you give decent men a bad name." I was on a roll, not thinking before I spoke. Not thinking at all really. Maybe it was stupid to bad mouth a man like Grimes, but I had to get it out of my system. It felt soooo good. Anger flowed out with the words. "I don't know what Roberta sees in you. In fact, I don't know why anybody, man or woman, would give you the time of day."
A twisted grin spread slowly over his face. "You want to know what women see in me?" He grabbed my hand and shoved it into his crotch. He was hard under his jeans.
I snatched my hand away and wiped my palm on the towel hanging beside the sink.
"Now you see?" he sneered. "They all wanna get to know the beast."
"Beast?" I sniggered. "I've had bigger bugs crawl up my leg."
He huffed as if my comment meant nothing but I got the feeling by the way his smile vanished that the beast had gone into hibernation. He eyed me up and down and blurted out "huh" along with a laugh when his gaze reached my size B chest. Like I gave a fuck what he thought. I'd never had any complaints about them.
"And I've had juicier fucks." He grabbed my arm and jerked me to him. "But you'll have to do." I yelped, as much from the sharp pain shooting down my arm as from his threat.
Despite what he'd said, I didn't think I was in any danger. It was broad daylight and anyone could walk in at any moment. He wouldn't try anything. He wouldn't—
He did.
He shoved me back against the wall. My head slammed on the tiles. My vision blurred. Stunned, disoriented and shaking uncontrollably, I was at his mercy.
And I already knew he had none of that commodity.
Chapter 15
Grimes descended on me like a vicious animal, ripping my shirt and crushing my body against the tiles. My shoulder blades and butt ground into the wall so hard I expected to leave an impression. I winced and pushed back, but I might as well have been a grain of sand fighting against the tide.
Then he tried to kiss me. Sickened, I jerked my head from side to side to avoid his stinking breath and slippery lips. I balled my fists and pounded him. I kicked out but he didn't stop.
"Get off me!" I screamed. "Get off, get off!" I clawed at his throat with my nails, tried to knee him in the groin, stamp his foot, anything to stop the horrible slathering of his tongue on my neck and avoid the hard stub of his dick against my hip.
But he kept going.
Shaking, blinded by tears, I could do nothing. Useless. Weak. Pathetic. Pain rippled down my spine as he forced me harder into the tiles and pressed himself against my chest so I could barely breathe. Panic rose and consumed me, hampering my lungs further.
Get him off me, I pleaded silently.
But beneath the fear was a more profound and powerful emotion—frustration. I was as frustrated as I was afraid. To say I hated being in that situation, hated being at someone else's mercy and powerless, was an understatement. It was that frustration that made me fight on harder to regain some control.
Somewhere, deep inside, I found a strength and courage that had never been tapped. And I let it flow.
As his hand reached up under my bra and grasped my breast, I saw an opening and went for it. I bit down on his exposed throat, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh. I tasted blood.
"Fuck!" he roared. The hand let go and flew to his neck. "You bit me, you bitch! What are you, a fucking vampire?"
I saw the hand coming and I tried to dodge it but my reactions were sluggish. The back-handed slap hit me square on the cheek. I stumbled but he propped me up roughly against the wall with his elbow. The room spun and my cheek stung like it was on fire but thankfully I didn't cry.
I was way too angry to cry.
No one, no one, had ever hit Cat Sinclair. Not even my parents put me over their knee as a child. Deep in the pit of my stomach, something uncoiled, wound its way up and burst free in the form of my fist. My punch connected with his jaw. I don't think I hurt him but the surprise was enough to knock him off balance.
When he steadied himself, his glare left nothing open to interpretation.
You're in for it now, Cat.
But I wasn't. The confrontation could have ended in any number of gory ways if divine intervention hadn't interrupted in the form of Scarface. The rough, gruff cop had probably never been considered divine before, but to me, he was heavenly.
He stood in the doorway to the bathroom, a deep frown on his forehead. "What's going on here?"
I slipped past Grimes and ran to Scarface. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be a brave twenty-first century woman so I straightened and refrained from hiding behind him. Besides, as far as Grimes knew, Scarface was his buddy, not an undercover cop. I wasn't supposed to even know him.
But if they were meant to be buddies, Scarface wasn't showing any leniency towards Grimes at that moment. He took one look at me—I'm sure a red blotch in the shape of a hand print decorated my cheek—and one look at Grimes and must have figured it out. His face contorted into something fierce and primal. He reached out and grabbed Grimes by the throat.
"I said," he hissed, "what's going on here?"
"Nothing," Grimes protested in a gargled voice. He tried to pry Scarface's hands away but couldn't. Slowly, he sank to his knees and looked up at his tormentor through bulging eyes that pleaded for mercy. "You're choking me," he squeaked.
"Good."
For a moment, I thought Scarface might kill him right in front of me. I would have told him to stop but Grimes' face turned a pretty shade of purple. Besides, I knew Scarface wouldn't kill him.
Okay, I wasn't sure, but I was almost, kind of, nearly certain.
Suddenly Scarface let go and Grimes collapsed onto the floor like a doll, clutching his throat and sucking in air.
"What was that for?" he croaked when his face had softened to a milder shade of crimson.
"What's with you, you fucker?" Scarface turned away from Grimes and shut his eyes as he let out a measured breath. After a moment, apparently composed again, he turned back to Grimes, still on the floor. "Anyone could have walked in here. A cop, for Christ's sake."
Grimes stood carefully and stretched his neck from side to side. He kept Scarface in his line of sight as he turned on the tap and splashed his face.
"I would have let you have a piece of her after." He sounded like a nerdy schoolboy trying to get in with the cool kids.
Scarface looked to me, his face blank. "She's not my type."
"Mine either but hey, I like to try something different once in a while."
I could sense Scarface tense even though his body appeared to remain as relaxed as ever. Go, he mouthed to me.
No problem. I left in a hurry. I could hear Grimes asking Scarface, "So what can I do for you?
" as if he were a customer and nothing had happened.
I ran to my car and jumped in, fumbling to start the engine. It wasn't until I got back to Gina's that I burst into tears. Huge, body-shuddering sobs.
I showered, scrubbing until my skin burned. It took a long time and an entire bar of soap and all the hot water, but finally the tears stopped and I felt normal again.
Almost normal. Still shaking, I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down with all the chocolate I could find. When Gina arrived home, my cup was empty and I'd eaten three chocolate bars and a jumbo packet of M&M's.
She threw her bag on the couch and spotted the wrappers on the coffee table. "Bad day?"
"You could say that."
She put an arm around my shoulders. "Want to talk about it?"
I hesitated then shook my head. I didn't want a lecture, or her pity. I just wanted to forget the whole awful experience. Besides, nothing had actually happened. He gave you a fright, that's all. Next time, I'd be more careful, more alert.
No, there'd be no next time. I'd had enough of Barry Grimes.
My phone rang and I checked the display before answering. Scarface. "You okay?" he asked, concern edging his voice.
"I'm fine. Thanks." Thanks for calling to see if I was okay. Thanks for saving my ass.
"Did you report him?"
"No." It was a thought I'd already grappled with. "He's a suspect. I want him out of jail for now so you can get him on a bigger charge."
A long pause. "So you want to tell me why you were there?"
"Not particularly."
"Wrong answer, Cat."
I sighed, suddenly weary of all the testosterone in my life. As if Will wasn't enough, I had to contend with Scarface too. Suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe, as if I were in a small room and the walls closing in.
In theory, I knew they were only thinking of my safety, but in practice I'd had it up to here with the lectures and the paternal attitudes. I guess that made me something of a selfish bitch. Is there a twelve-step program for that?
"Unless you've got something constructive to tell me about this case, I don't want to hear it," I said. "Okay? I don't want to hear your lectures, I don't want to hear that I should stay away from Grimes, and I don't want to hear that I'm going about this all wrong. This is my case, my life and I'm going to do things my way, even if you think they're the wrong way. Got it?"
"Cat—"
"And another thing." I stabbed my finger into the air to get my point across, even though he couldn't see. "I should be able to go about my business of interrogating people without bodily injury. It's my goddamn right. Why don't you save your lectures for Grimes because he's the one who needs them, not me."
Silence from the other end, then he said, "I get the picture," and hung up.
It felt like a victory. I'd gotten through to one man in my life. Now all I had to do was get through Will's skull, which I had a suspicion was thicker than Scarface's.
I returned the phone to my bag and turned round. Gina looked at me through narrowed eyes, her mouth a grim line. "A lecture from me is out of the question too, I suppose."
I gave her a smile. "At least your lectures aren't full of chest-beating."
"And they come with chocolate."
"I've eaten all the chocolate," I said, looking wistfully at the empty wrappers.
She stood and headed for her bedroom. "I have a secret stash. For emergencies."
"This definitely qualifies as an emergency. I've had the day from Hell, I'm arguing with both the men in my life and I don't know what to do next."
She emerged carrying two Dove bars and handed one to me. "Why don't you ask Will what he'd do? Or Carl if you don't want to speak to Will?"
"It's not that I don't want to speak to him," I said, unwrapping the bar. "It's the attitude he gets when I do speak to him. Like he's…superior."
"Cat, he's not like that. He cares about you. He's worried you'll land in trouble." She looked at me through lowered lashes. "So am I. Someone is trying to kill you, you know."
Death I could cope with. Will telling me what to do I wasn't so sure about. "And I appreciate your concern, but short of locking me inside the apartment, what can be done?"
"You'll be fine at the office and here with me. We won't open the door to anyone. It's just when you're alone… Maybe we can go to work together."
"And put you in danger?" I shook my head. "No way."
"Two are better than one."
"Not when that one couldn't run to save herself in spiky heels and is afraid of damaging her manicure."
She sniffed. "My heels are lethal weapons, and these nails," she waggled them at me, "can cause a lot of damage to eyeballs. Believe me, I know. I poked myself this morning when applying mascara."
I laughed till I choked on the chocolate. "Seriously, Gina, I don't want to live like that. And besides, what about when I'm out investigating?"
She chewed thoughtfully and I knew I wouldn't like what she was about to say. So I got in first. "No. Nuh-uh. I'm not giving up the case."
She sighed. "So that puts us back where we started. You being extra careful and Will nagging you."
That about summed it up. We dropped the conversation and watched TV. Or I watched TV while Gina cooked. She was a brilliant cook and I didn't want to cramp her style.
About nine, Will called. "Hey," he said softly. "How's things?"
I didn't think he'd be asking if he'd heard about my little altercation with Grimes. "Pretty quiet."
"Gina there?"
"Yes."
"Want to come over here then?" His voice sounded thick and sexy. No prizes for guessing what was on his agenda for the evening.
"Not tonight. I'm tired." It wasn't a lie.
"Oh. Okay." He cleared his throat. "Um, so you coming into the office tomorrow?"
"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?"
"I, ah, don't know. I'll see you then."
I frowned at the receiver when he hung up. "That was a weird conversation," I said to Gina.
"Why? Did he yell at you?"
"No. That's why it was weird. He was…nice."
"Cat, he is nice. You're a lucky woman to have a man like Will want you so bad."
"I know I'm lucky," I said, meaning it. "And I like him, I really do. It's just that sometimes there's something about him that I can't quite put my finger on."
"He's like your father."
"My dad? Nuh-uh, no way." But even as I said it, I knew she had a point. Will was a control freak, just like Dad. And then there was the age difference.
Oh, Christ, Freud would have a field day analyzing my relationship with Will.
"He’s a good man too," Gina said. "He wouldn’t let you down."
She sounded flat, as if life had weighed her down and squashed her into the ground. She'd never sounded flat before.
I put my arm around her and gave her a hug. "You'll find someone," I said. "And when you do, he'll be perfect. Handsome, tall, kind, honest, loyal, with several functioning brain cells." It was a joke we shared about her exes. When comparing them one night, we concluded that the ones who hadn't had the sense knocked out of them from contact sports, weren't born with much sense in the first place. "I mean, you can't be this gorgeous for nothing."
She leaned her head against mine. "Thanks, Cat. I know you're right. And really, I don't mind being single. It's definitely easier. I get to watch what I want on TV and I don't have to pretend to like what he likes. It's just that…" She sighed. "I really liked the nerd. I thought we had some kind of future."
I hugged her but said nothing. Words would have sounded hollow. We watched TV together like an old married couple, curled up side by side, our shoes discarded on the floor near the couch. We stayed like that until bedtime. As usual, I slept on the couch. It took me a while to fall asleep because I kept thinking, what if Scarface had never turned up?
Eventually I must have nodded off. I slept fitfully. I dreamed that I was being crushed, and th
at something covered my mouth, stealing my breath.
"Don't say a word or I'll kill you."
What the fuck? My eyes flew open and I tried to scream but a hand covered my mouth and a knee dug into my chest. I fought against the shadow holding me down but he was too big. Too strong.
"Do you hear me?" he whispered hoarsely. It was too dark to see him clearly. I could only make out his large silhouette and I was pretty sure he wore a ski mask.
I nodded, panic making my movements jerky. My heart beat so loudly it felt like it would jump out of my rib cage. I tried squirming out from under him but it was useless and only made his knee grind harder into my chest. I closed my eyes as pain threatened to overtake my consciousness. Maybe my shallow, labored breathing made him ease off. Whatever it was, the pressure lessened and my wits returned.
"Give me the key," he hissed.
"Huh?" I mumbled into his palm.
"The key. And the number. I know you have them so don't give me any bullshit."
I nodded and indicated my covered mouth.
"Yell and you're dead. So is your friend," he said.
I gulped. I didn't want Gina dragged into it. "It's in my bag," I whispered, pointing to the table.
While his gaze followed my finger, I reached down and grabbed Gina's shoe. I aimed for his head but he saw it coming at the last moment and moved. The shoes connected with his upper arm, ripped a hole in his black T-shirt and sank into the soft flesh with a sickening squelch.
"Fuck!" he roared, clutching his arm.
The yell brought Gina racing out of her bedroom. "Cat? Was that you?"
"Get back into your room!" I shouted. But it didn't matter. The intruder was long gone through the window.
Gina switched on the light but neither of us moved. We both stared open mouthed after him.
"Do you think he's gone?" she finally asked, running her hands up and down her arms.
"I think so." I pulled the blanket up to my chin, trying to get warm. I couldn't stop shivering.
She sat beside me and hugged her knees. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I think I got him."
"In the nuts?"
"No, the shoulder."
Rebel Without A Clue Page 20