I lazily strum on my guitar and watch the clock. I make my first pass by McKenzie’s at ten. Her lights are on, so I don’t park since I don’t want to risk her seeing my truck. I wait until one to stop by again. Her lights are out so I park. The pizza place is closed so I park more behind them then the Critter Haven and Spa to play it safe. I also pick the spot farthest from any of the light posts in the lot.
A storm passed by after dinner and pushed off most of the humidity. I kill my engine and with the windows down, the inside of my cab is comfortable. Zeus curls up next to me and starts to snooze. Being this close to her somehow relaxes me. I settle in and let my mind wander as I stare up at her place.
It hasn’t escaped me that meeting McKenzie has jumpstarted my participation in the actual living part of life. Before her, I was content to exist. I was breathing every day, but not much else.
That moment, when she stood frozen on the other side of a glass door and I watched her swallow her fear. Her strength then made it clear to me how weak I was in comparison.
Granted, once she’s my woman, I’ll tan her ass if she ever opens a door in the middle of the night to someone who isn’t me, wearing nothing but a short robe. She gets a free pass since it was me that time.
I shift in my seat picturing her in that robe. Christ, that woman is a walking, talking wet dream. The pleasant images in my mind are interrupted when a Benz pulls into the lot behind the Critter Haven and Spa. I’ve seen both Alec and Rachel’s cars and neither of them have a Benz.
There’s a chance it could be a pet owner with an emergency; but given the fact the light on the sign is off in the front and whoever this is has parked in the back causes my nerves to flare. Sensing my distress, Zeus goes from out to focused on me in seconds flat.
“Hey, Buddy.” I keep my eyes on the Benz, but slide my hand over Zeus’ head to reassure him.
The Benz is parked but the engine is still on. From where I’m parked, I can’t see the driver well enough to describe him as anything other than male. If this guy had a sick pet, he would have gotten out by now. When he turns off his lights, but leaves the engine going, I rest my hand on the door handle. I’m waiting to make a move. Who knows, maybe this guy is meeting someone here. As long as he stays in that Benz, we’re cool.
Zeus whimpers next to me and I turn my head to look at him in an attempt to calm him down. He inches closer to me, and nuzzles his face into my neck. With the windows down, I don’t miss the sound of the Benz’s door opening. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions, but nothing about this is sitting right with me. The guy gets out of the car, and he’s carrying something, a small bag or a blanket.
The moment he starts walking toward the back of the Critter Haven and Spa, I reach for my cell and dial 911. Maybe I’ll look like an ass if there’s a legit reason this guy is here, and there’s a 100% chance it will weird McKenzie out to know I watch her place while she’s sleeping, but I don’t give a fuck right now.
I give the operator the address and let her know there’s a suspicious man behind the Critter Haven and Spa. My heart starts hammering in my chest as I watch him approach the back door. If he knocks on the door, maybe she knows him. He could be family paying an expected visit in the middle of the night while her lights are all off. I’m still on the line with the 911 operator when I see him kick open the door.
Fuck.
I’m out of my truck and on the move, Zeus right behind me. I don’t even waste the time to shut my door behind him as I take off across the parking lot, my phone still to my ear. I tell the operator what I witnessed and let her know I’m going after him. She tries to tell me to stay in my vehicle because a unit is already on the way. McKenzie is up there, so that isn’t happening. I ignore her and end the call.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” I roar once I reach the kicked open door.
It does not escape me that this motherfucker kicked it hard enough to splinter the doorframe and render the dead bolt useless. The scream I hear from the top of the stairs makes my heart stop. I don’t pause and take the stairs two at a time I’m at the top when I also hear the sound of a siren.
I don’t have time to wait for them. The sounds of a struggle are what have me charging straight into her room. Her bedside light is on. I can only assume she heard the door get kicked in downstairs and turned it on. It’s the first time I can actually see the man who’s broken into her place. He’s big; but I had at least two inches on him.
Problem is he’s holding McKenzie by the neck in front of him. She’s wearing nothing but a pair of panties. A sheet she must have tried to cover herself with at her feet. She clearly dropped it to try to pull his hand from her neck. I can take him, but I need to get her away from him first. I hesitate, Zeus doesn’t. He launches himself at both of them, skirting McKenzie to bite into the intruder’s leg.
He cries out in pain, and releases McKenzie. Instead of running from him, she turns and starts to grapple with him for something as he howls and tries to kick off Zeus.
That was when I saw the gun.
All hesitation leaves me. I need to get McKenzie and Zeus as far away from that motherfucker as possible.
I grab McKenzie by the waist and pull her backward shouting, “run,” as I face him.
Without McKenzie to fight him for his gun, he jerks his hand in the direction of Zeus. I grab his arm and wrench it upward jumping at the sound of a blast going wide.
He tries to punch me with his free hand, but I only have eyes for my dog.
“Zeus, go to McKenzie.”
Mouth full of leg he looks up at me before following my command. The sounds of sirens are coming from all around now.
I tighten my grip on his arm, keeping his gun pointed upward, and look down at his leg. The khaki pants he wore are ripped to hell and covered in blood where Zeus bit him.
I hear voices coming from the bottom of the stairs and glance behind me to see if McKenzie and Zeus are still in her apartment or down meeting the responding officers.
I’m about to call out to her, ask her to put Zeus in her bathroom so he doesn’t freak them out when I feel it, a burn in my gut.
I gulp and turn my head back to the man in front of me.
“She’s mine,” he whispers, then smiles at me as he pushes the knife in deeper.
Fuck.
“I’ve answered all of your questions. Please, I’d like to go to the hospital.”
The officer who took my statement walks away, and I look at Rachel and Alec before dropping my head in my hands.
“I can’t believe this happened.”
Rachel rubs her hand up and down my back while Zeus pushes his head into my lap.
“Thank God, Mitch was here.”
I lift my head, setting both of my hands on Zeus’ head. “I still don’t know how he knew.”
“Miss Hale.”
I turn my head as the officer approaches.
“You’re free to go.”
“Thank you.”
We all stand and I turn toward Alec. “Are you sure?”
He nods, taking the leash we borrowed from the Critter Haven and Spa supplies for Zeus from me. He then dips his head to kiss Rachel before he turns, leading a whining Zeus to his car.
Rachel links her arm through mine and leads me to the passenger side of my Jeep.
“They took Mitch to Rex, right?”
I slide into my seat and numbly pull my seatbelt across my body and click it in.
Once she’s in the car, I respond, “Yes, that’s the hospital the paramedic said they were taking him to.”
She starts the car and pulls out.
“There was a lot of blood,” I say for no reason.
After the ambulance left, an officer took me up to my room so I could change. My room, the place that with Mitch’s help I had just made mine looked like a crime scene . . . because it was a crime scene, I remind myself.
Rachel reaches out and puts her hand on my knee. “He’s going to be okay.”
&nbs
p; “Tyler stabbed him.”
I shake my head trying to erase the memory of Tyler trying to drag me out of my room.
“I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up.”
When Rachel’s grip on my knee tightens, I realize I’m shaking and hug myself in an attempt to stop.
It was all so insane though. Mitch bursting into my apartment the way he had and pulling me away from Tyler. If he hadn’t shown, Tyler would have me somewhere right now. Instead of that, Tyler is out there somewhere and Mitch is in the hospital. The police had arrived right as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
When he pulled me away and told me to run, I listened, only pausing long enough to grab my robe before I took off toward the policeman. I directed them up the stairs and grabbed Zeus by his collar to keep him out of their way. Zeus was freaking, but I somehow got him calm enough to lock him in the play yard room. I’ll never forget his howls.
Next thing I knew, officers were running back down the stairs, and out around the front of the building saying they were in pursuit and shouting for an ambulance. That’s when I ran up the stairs and saw Mitch, covered in blood, a police officer holding one of my bath towels to his stomach to try to stop the bleeding.
He was unconscious. I called Rachel and Alec to see if Alec could watch Zeus and if Rachel would go with me to the hospital. The only reason I didn’t ride with Mitch in the ambulance was that I didn’t want to leave Zeus alone. He calmed down once I got a leash on him and brought him outside, but I could tell he was looking for Mitch.
Tyler escaped through a window in my living room before the police could get him. They believe he jumped onto the top of the overhang of the front door and slid down its column to make his getaway. Since all of the responding officers were coming up the back stairway there was no one at the front of the building to stop him.
The police took my statement while we waited for Alec and Rachel to show; and it only took a couple of minutes after that for them to tell me I could go. Now all I can picture is all that blood.
“Drive faster,” I whisper.
Rachel doesn’t reply; she just does what I ask. When we get there, she drops me off at the emergency entrance. There’s an older woman behind the desk.
“My friend Mitch Brooks was taken here.”
I learned his last name from the policeman who questioned me, how he knew, I’m not sure.
“We can only release patient information to family members,” she replies, coolly.
“I’m his sister,” Rachel shouts, after jogging up to stand next to me.
My mouth drops as I turn to look at her. She reaches out and squeezes my hand, and I press my lips together and nod.
The woman behind the desk looks her up and down before shrugging and replying, “Have a seat. Someone will be out to see you soon.”
Rachel pulls me toward some seats in the corner of the waiting room. They’re not too close to the admittance desk, but still have a good view of it and the doors leading to the emergency rooms behind it.
“Why did you say that?” I whisper hiss, once we sit down.
She lifts her shoulders, “They wouldn’t have talked to us otherwise.”
“Is it against the law?”
Her eyes widen briefly before she takes a deep breath. “I don’t know. If it is, promise to bail me out?”
I hit her arm. “You are nuts.”
She grins and, for the first time since Tyler came charging into my room, I smile.
It doesn’t last long though, when my mind drifts to Mitch.
“He better be okay.”
Rachel nods and pulls out her phone. I watch as she texts Alec to let him know we are here and to ask after Zeus. She holds up her phone for me to see when he responds that he’s back at their house; but Zeus is freaked, and nothing he’s tried is calming him down.
“Poor puppy,” she sighs.
“Please text him back that I am so sorry.”
Alec is not only the best guy friend I’ve ever had, he’s also basically, supporting Rachel and me until the Critter Haven and Spa opens. He’s been doing this by working crazy shifts.
“Hush,” Rachel mutters, shaking her head.
“Is he supposed to work today?” I ask, ignoring her.
She cringes and I cover my face with my hands. He’s going to be dead on his feet because he’d never call in sick.
I lower my hands when Rachel starts patting my leg and stands. There’s a hospital employee walking over to us. I gulp and on unsteady legs stand as well.
“You are the family of Mitchell Brooks?” The middle-aged man in scrubs asked.
Mitchell?
Rachel grasps my hand and squeezes it. “Yes, I’m his sister and this is his girlfriend.”
He spares me a glance before focusing on her.
“Your brother was unconscious on arrival and taken directly to surgery. We will not have additional information until his procedure is complete. We—“
Rachel interrupts him, “Is he going to be okay?”
He takes her interruption in stride.
“His blood loss prior to arrival was significant but his vitals were strong. We are optimistic as to his recovery. As soon as he is out of surgery, someone will update you as to his condition.”
We both nod and watch as he walks away and back through the door leading to the emergency rooms.
I sink into my seat, mumbling, “Significant blood loss.”
“He’s going to be okay,” Rachel replies, giving my hand another squeeze then continues, “I still can’t get over him being there.”
She looks at me, her eyes wide. “How could he have known you were in danger?”
I shake my head, wondering the same thing.
She drops my hand and clenches her fists. “Fucking Tyler. God, I hate him. I want to find him and kill him, and then bring him back to life, so I can kill him again.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” I manage to say.
“He’s going to be okay.”
“Tyler stabbed him. I didn’t even know he had a knife; all I saw was the gun.”
I look at her, shaking my head, my nose tingling, my eyes wet. “He came after me with a knife and a gun. Do you think he was going to try to kill me?”
Her arms wrap around me and pull me toward her. The armrest between us digs uncomfortably into my side but I ignore it.
“I don’t know, honey. I don’t know,” Rachel murmurs.
The tears I’ve held at bay spill over and down my cheeks. She might not, but I do. Why else would he break into my place the way he did. I have no love lost for him; but I never imagined, especially considering how much he seemed to hate me, he’d do something like this to me.
Rachel releases me to lift my chin and then wipe the tears from my face.
“He’s going to be okay,” she repeats.
I nod, hoping she’s right.
Sitting here, in this emergency room, I make a promise to myself. Somehow, someway, I’m going to make this up to him.
There’s a decent chance that after last night, he’ll never want to see me again. He’ll need to get over that though.
I sit back in my chair and give Rachel a shaky smile. I’m not sure how long we waited when the same middle-aged man in scrubs comes back out the door and approaches us. His face gives away no clues as we stand to meet him.
Thankfully, he doesn’t make us wait.
“The surgery was successful. He is now in recovery.”
“Can we see him?” Rachel asks.
He nods, “Please follow me.”
We follow him, but not through the door that he walked through. Instead, he turns left at the admittance desk and down a hallway that intersects with another hallway and a set of elevators. He turns right down the hall and uses his employee badge to open a set of double doors. From there, he takes us to the third doorway on the left.
There’re two beds, the nearer one empty and a sleeping Mitch in the farth
er one. I hurry to his side and lift his hand to my chest. It could be the lighting, but he looks scarily pale.
Rachel moves to the other side of his bed, setting her hand on his shoulder and raising her eyes to the hospital employee. “When will he wake?”
“Anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour, but he’ll be groggy. The anesthesiologist will be checking in on him for the next two hours.”
Rachel nods, and he excuses himself. A nurse carrying a plastic bag and a prosthetic leg enters the room a moment after he’s left.
“Hello, ladies. I’m Sherrie. Here are Mr. Brook’s things. They removed his leg in the emergency room to make him more comfortable.”
She passes me the plastic bag and leg. I glance back at Rachel briefly, my eyes wide, before taking them.
As his fake girlfriend and sister, we clearly should know he only has one leg. I take a step back then walk around Sherrie to the back corner of the room and set the bag and his leg on a chair.
“Have the police talked to you yet?” she asks as she checks the bags hooked to his IV.
I gulp and move to stand next to Rachel. “Not since we got here.”
She nods. “They’ll want to talk to him when he wakes up so don’t be surprised when they show.”
We both nod and she leaves.
The moment she’s gone, we both look down at his leg, as in singular, as in there was only one there.
“Did you know?” Rachel asks.
I shake my head, surprised neither of us noticed when we walked in. I had been focused on his face, and I can only assume the same for Rachel.
Rachel tilts her head. “I wonder what it looks like.”
I lift my finger and point at her. “Don’t you dare look.”
She lifts both of her hands, palms out. “I won’t.”
I look back down at him, the scary beautiful man who saved me. It’s so strange to think I only learned his full name tonight, and I didn’t even learn it from him.
“Who are you?” I ask, not surprised when he doesn’t answer.
An hour later, he blinks open his eyes and lifts his head.
“Mitch,” I whisper.
I’ve stayed on the right side of his bed, holding his right hand, after his nurse left since his IV’s are attached to his left hand. Rachel hurries from the room to tell his nurse he’s waking up.
Chasing Daylight Page 9