Del paused outside the door to The Nook. She spied Raelin through the window and frowned. It had been a few days since her wife had woken after the nightmare, and she’d been deeply worried to wake up and find her sleeping in the living room. What worried Del more was the fact that it had started to become a habit, she’d woken up alone more often without Raelin and it was starting to wear on her.
She watched as Raelin bent over a box of books and lifted it onto the counter to sort. She looked tired, anxious, and worried, but Del wasn’t able to tell what was on the other woman’s mind because it seemed like her witch had started blocking her. She wasn’t sure what was wrong, but being unable to feel her witch was really starting to take its toll.
Sighing she opened the door and stepped in approaching the counter with a tired smile. Maybe she’d be able to get Raelin to open up today although she wasn’t holding her breath on it. “Hey,” the blonde offered, leaning against the counter facing her wife.
“Hi there Darlin’. How goes your day?” The witch smiled back at her wife who looked like she had a major headache coming around. “Would you like something for that?”
“If its peppermint, Jenny already gave me one,” Del replied. “It was quiet up until an hour ago. Amelia showed up at Jenny’s place. Kasey and I got the call for trespassing, breaking and entering. I swear I’ve never seen Kasey look as honestly scared as she did when she first got out of her truck in front of the house.”
“What is Amelia doing out? It’s only been like seven months! Weren’t they supposed to call Jenny and let her know? Or give her notice that she was up for parole? How’s Jenny doing?” Raelin knew that she was babbling on, but couldn’t stop herself. She continued to have nightmares about someone being in danger and the violence in them was escalating. She had started sleeping in the living room or the spare bedroom to save Del from waking up with her. The cleansing had done nothing to help and the cards were being down right cryptic and telling her nothing.
“She’s out on parole, probably for good behavior. Remember her sentence was reduced because of her testimony,” Del said lightly rubbing the scar on her forehead where it ached. It must be going to rain soon.
“Its fine, we got the deed out and proved once and for all that it was Jenny’s property and sent her on her way. She won’t pull anything to violate her parole. I left Kasey to have lunch with Jenny, and Kai will be there when Kasey isn’t. She’s fine. Angry as all hell, but otherwise fine.”
“What time is your shift over, Del?” Raelin quietly asked.
“Around five.” She watched her wife for a moment or two before she spoke up again. “Are you okay? You look tired and you slept in the spare room again,” Del asked quietly.
Looking away, the brunette picked up some books. “Yeah, I’m really restless for some reason, and I don’t want to disturb you. I usually get up and read or something. So, what can I fix you for dinner? I’m getting out of here soon. Evelyn will take over.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Del asked. She knew there was something Raelin wasn’t telling her, but she couldn’t help but try to close some of the distance she’d felt growing over the last few days.
Shaking her head, Raelin sighed. “I don’t know what it is exactly. I’ve tried everything that I can think of.” She passed a hand over her eyes. “I’m just so tired.”
Taking a quick look around Del saw that the store was currently empty and circled the counter to take Raelin’s hands in her own, holding them to her chest. “Then sleep in the bedroom, you always sleep better next to me,” she tried.
Taking one hand and caressing her wife’s face the witch knew that Del was trying her best to deal with the situation without actually knowing what the problem was. It pained Raelin to keep up her shields not to mention that it drained her almost constantly. “I’ll try tonight, but I can’t promise. Is that okay?”
Del swallowed the thick lump in her throat and pushed down the hurt that threatened to choke her trying to keep Raelin from sensing it knowing her own shields weren’t as strong as her wife’s. “Yeah, that’s fine Raelin. I need to get back to work, paperwork to do and all,” she answered, trying to sound like everything was okay.
Not caring who saw them Raelin leaned down and captured Del’s lips in a kiss trying to push through as much love and reassurance as she could. Wrapping her arms around the blonde’s waist she pulled her wife hard against her.
Del melted into the kiss clutching desperately at Raelin’s shoulders keeping as much contact between them as she could. She took it in, stocking up as much as she could.
Breaking the kiss only because she needed to breathe Raelin moved her mouth along Del’s jaw. “I love you Delaney. Please believe me.”
“I do Raelin, and you know I love you too,” Del murmured, her fingers running over the soft skin of Raelin’s neck and jaw.
The bell over the door jingled as a customer came in and Raelin took a step back from her wife. While people in the town knew that the two women were married she didn’t feel that it was right to flaunt it at every opportunity.
“So the paper was right,” the tall dark haired man whistled. “Do you really think its right for you to be guiding these children?” he asked, noticing how close the women had been standing together.
“I think that we are showing the children that everyone has the same rights as the next person,” Raelin replied back. Ever since the article had come out she had to put up with people like this or even worse with their innuendos. “I am not responsible for the day to day running of the Foundation. I simply provided them with a place for the children to get their life in order and get on the right track.”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Maxwell Collins. I was wondering if you’d be willing to provide an interview for me. My readers have been wondering about what you have to say for yourself,” he remarked with an air of superiority.
Del watched the scene carefully, she’d allow Raelin to handle things as she saw fit, for now. She had no problems dealing with trouble; she was in no mood for games today.
“Mr. Collins, would you mind telling me which publication that you work for?” Raelin inquired. She had learned pretty quickly to verify who she was talking to.
“Why certainly. I work for a local church newsletter mostly, but I also freelance for a larger publication. The Shepard’s Beacon? A monthly magazine based out of New Orleans,” he replied, his gaze shifting between the two women.
“Chief, would you mind verifying that for me real quick?” Raelin asked her wife. “If your credentials check out, I wouldn’t mind at all, Mr. Collins. One can’t be too careful.” The brunette turned back to the reporter.
“Let’s see your media badge, Mr. Collins?” Del asked holding her hand out. He rifled around his pocket a moment and pulled it out handing it over to the Chief. “You’ve got a lot of sway with the law around here it seems,” he grunted as Del looked it over.
“Well, Mr. Collins, I’m just going to make a phone call to your editor. I’m sure it won’t be a problem, since it says here you’ve been writing with them for ten years.” Del smiled sweetly pulling out her phone and asking the operator to connecter her to the right paper. “Just give me a second, Rae.”
“Mr. Collins I have no more sway with the law enforcement here than anyone else and you can check with any of the business owners here that you like. Many of them have called upon the Chief a number of times, and if she wasn’t here at this moment I still would be calling her to have you confirmed,” Raelin explained to him.
“Yes, and I just bet she’d coming running when you called now wouldn’t she?” he sneered.
Shaking her head, the witch disagreed. “No, she’d call the publisher from her office. She just happens to be here now.”
“Does that mean you rendezvous here often?” he asked leaning forward onto the counter. “You engage in improper behavior with the Chief often?”
Del finally got patched throu
gh to the publisher’s office and was put on hold until the editor was available. “I’m on hold Rae give me a few more minutes,” she called from where she’d wandered to take the phone call.
Raelin just smiled at the man. She knew what he was after and she wasn’t going to give it to him. “Would you care for a glass of iced tea, Mr. Collins? I’m sure that looking for a story can be hard work.”
“If you wouldn’t mind. Is that how you landed your Chief? Met up when she came into your store?” he asked, casting a nervous glance to the woman quickly becoming frustrated with waiting.
Walking over to the tea room side, Raelin poured the man a glass of ice tea and handed it to him as he had followed her over. Pointing to the condiments, she answered his question after a fashion. “I take it that you yourself don’t keep up with the news in the area, Mr. Collins. Our meeting has already been written about. You really need to keep better informed.”
“I see. Well, I wouldn’t mind hearing all about it straight from the source.” He really needed to get some dirt on this woman, or even the Chief. It would sell big to the tabloids and he was pretty hard up for cash. He hoped she’d spill before the Chief finished her phone call.
“Why don’t we just wait until the Chief finishes the phone call, that way if you wish you can interview us both if she has the time. Cookie?” Raelin offered. She knew the man’s game, and she was playing it by her own rules.
“No, I’m fine thanks. We reporters need to be in shape to keep up with our stories you see,” he said nervously hearing Delaney’s voice as she spoke with an editor.
Seeing the sharp green gaze turn his way he started to rise but was stopped when he felt the heavy hand of the Chief on his shoulder. “You know, its funny how you can work for someone for ten years and yet they don’t even know you exist. You think you’d remember if someone worked for you for that long, wouldn’t you, Raelin?” she asked her eyes never leaving the man in front of her.
“I think that I won’t forget Mr. Collins, and I’ve only known him for about ten minutes. I’m sorry sir, but there will be no interview today. You’re welcome to finish your tea though. It’s on the house.” Raelin smiled at the man.
“Come on, surely you have something to say in response to the accusations made against you? Besides, it’s seems like half of them are true. You seemed pretty cozy when I walked in here,” he said rising to his feet. He felt the hand on his shoulder squeeze dangerously and he gulped.
“Mr. Collins, I believe that I have answered all of the questions that I’m going to. You may finish your tea, but if you insist on continuing harassing me, I will kindly ask you to leave. Is there anything else?” Raelin patiently waited, knowing the man was quickly getting on Delaney’s last nerve.
“This isn’t harassment. I’m merely a concerned member of the public, worried about the people who are molding our kids and supposedly upholding the law. People are going to find out about what’s going on in this town sooner or later. I’m simply offering you the opportunity to strike out first,” he tried one last time.
Del scowled but knew she couldn’t remove anyone from private property unless it was requested by the owner.
“It’s just a few questions, you’ve given interviews before, and you certainly aren’t shy with your PDA. There are pictures of the two of you everywhere. Please?” he asked, putting on his most pathetic face. Perhaps he could appeal to the soft heart the Kingsley daughter was rumored to have. “I need the money this would get me, and I want nothing but to let everyone know your own side of the story.”
Del was all but frothing at the mouth at this point mentally begging Raelin to give her the word. Sometimes she wished her wife didn’t have so much patience.
Raelin closed her eyes and tried to picture a calm scene, but the lack of sleep and this man insistence to not take no for an answer was wearing on her patience. Clearing her throat she opened her eyes and tried once last time. “No, Mr. Collins, I will not give YOU an interview. You misrepresented yourself to us, and that does not lead to trust. If you dare to write anything about today, you will find yourself in a lawsuit so fast your head will spin. Now have a good day sir.”
“Please, you don’t understand, I’m going to lose my wife. How would you feel if you were going to lose Del here?” he said. He winced internally thinking that breaking out a nickname probably wasn’t a good idea, but he was pretty desperate.
Shaking her head, Raelin looked at her wife. “I gave him plenty of chances. Chief Delacroix, I would like this man arrested for trespassing and false representation. He has refused to leave the premises when requested and falsely represented himself as a reporter.”
Turning back to the man, she stated, “Never try to use my relationship to get a story. You wouldn’t like me mad, sir.”
“My pleasure, Ma’am. Sir, I’m afraid you’ll be coming with me. You aren’t under arrest, but you are going to be looking at a pretty penny for a trespassing fine. Raelin, I’ll need you to come in later to make a statement.” With that, Del grabbed the man by the arm and started to lead him out of the store.
As she started past Raelin the man made a lunge for her and Del whipped him around tossing him to the ground as he struggled against her. He threw his elbow back and caught Del in the nose before she eventually managed to gain control and cuff him. She reached up and wiped at the blood coming from her nose and growled in anger, her headache three times worse now that she’d been knocked in the head. “Damn it, you picked a shitty day to get pissy with me.”
Raelin ran to get a wet towel and brought it back to her wife. “Are you okay?” She waited until she had the man cuffed before handing it to the blonde.
“I’m fine; I don’t think it’s broken. Hell of a nose bleed though,” Del muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose and holding the towel to her face. “Didn’t help my headache none either.”
“You’re going to regret saying no,” he growled rolling over and kicking Del on the inside of her knee.
Growling the Chief replied with her own hit to the pressure point on the inside of his thigh cramping his muscles.
“Mr. Collins, stop before you do something that you regret.” Raelin reached out to still the man, but when she touched him it was like a shot of electricity went through her and she fell back against a counter gasping in pain.
Dropping the towel in her haste to get to her witch the blonde reached out to steady Raelin. “Are you okay?” She turned to the man on the floor who was grinning up at her. She reached down and grabbed him by the collar, ignoring the pain as the blood rushed to her head and throbbing nose when she bent over. “What the fuck did you do to her?”
Closing her eyes the witch tried to shake off the feeling that she had just received a warning of things to come. She tried to say something but her throat was too tight, so she shook her head instead.
“I didn’t do anything to her, I swear,” he said. “She touched me. I should charge her with assault.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Your ass is mine. You better hope this nose ain’t broken,” Del growled, dropping him back to the floor and standing straight again. She coughed when blood rand down the back of her throat and looked around for the towel she’d dropped.
Raelin picked up the towel and handed it to her wife keeping a watchful eye on the man. Clearing her throat, she quietly spoke so he couldn’t hear, “Check him out. There’s something more going on than he’s letting on.”
“You think so? What happened when you touched him? Did he hurt you?” Del asked worried.
“I got a shock. That’s all, but he’s hiding something. I don’t know what, but it’s bad.” Raelin shook her hand. It was still tingling.
“Okay, I’ll run a check on him and see what we can find out. You’ll need to stop by the station to write a report. I’m going to take him down and throw him in a cell,” Del said, wincing as she felt her nose.
Reaching out, Raelin gingerly touched her wife’s nose. “It’s not broken,” s
he pushed some magic at it and felt the bleeding stop and the swelling start to go down.
“Thank you,” Del said with a weak smile. “I might end up being a little later than five because of the paper work this ass has caused. If you want to drop by once Evelyn gets here, we can get your statement and then go home together.”
Del gave the man a little kick in warning when he started to stir again never even looking down at him.
Needing to touch her wife, the witch caressed her face for a moment. “I’ll call Evelyn and have her come in early. I’ll be over as soon as she gets here.”
“Okay. I’m going to head down now. Kasey is probably back by now and wondering what happened to me. I need to walk him up, so if you wouldn’t mind bringing the Jeep with you, I would appreciate it.”
“Okay, no problem.” Raelin watched as Del picked up the so called reporter and walked him out. Looking down at her hand, she was surprised to see that one of her nails had gone black. “Oh Goddess!”
~ Chapter 6 ~
Del stormed into the bullpen, anger pouring off her. All three heads of her deputies snapped her way, freezing when they saw the blood, bruised nose and furious face. The minute she crossed the threshold, she started yelling orders. “Michaels! Get out some blank reports and start processing this guy for assault, trespassing, and run a check for any priors and warrants. Douglas, get this piece of shit into an interrogation room and get a statement out of him. Spaulding, I want to see those statements from the trespassing, and breaking and entering on my desk in the next half hour. Am I understood?” Del roared.
No one moved, unused to seeing their boss so angry. “Don’t just stand there, move your asses.” They finally sprang into action and once Delaney had handed off the man to Douglas, she stormed into her office slamming the door behind her. She immediately pulled the curtains and turned off the lights grabbing a bottle of migraine pills from a desk drawer taking two to try and dull the intense throbbing behind her eyes and in her nose.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Intuition Page 16