December Frost (A Southern Romance Monthly)

by CJ Hockenberry

  Betrayer.

  He'd just stood up when the door burst open and Cecelia Inzmann, dressed in her short jacket, jeans and boots, stepped in. They both stopped and stared at the other.

  Thomas wasn't sure what to do. If he covered his erection, it would just look stupid. But standing there, bare ass naked with a hard dick sticking up, had to look even more…ridiculous.

  And once he laid his eyes on her, he became even more aroused. Then he noticed something in her hair. White specs that were disappearing. "Sn-snow?" He pointed at her with his free hand.

  But Cecelia wasn't looking at his hand. And he liked the slow smile that curled her mouth to the side. He put his hand on his hip. "You could knock."

  "And you could…hang a towel…" she didn't finish because she blushed a profuse red, turned and left the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

  Thomas stood beside his bed and sighed. "Women."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Cecelia stood outside the bedroom, her back pressed against the door, her eyes closed, breathing heavily, trying to suppress the heat rising from her thighs. How…was it possible…someone could be that good looking? Even naked?

  Wasn't possible. She'd have to wait for the other shoe to drop. There had to be something wrong.

  "Got a good look, did ya?"

  She jumped at Deb's voice. Her best friend came out of the spare with her coat in her hand. Cecelia cleared her throat. "It's…snowing."

  "I told it would. So…what's the word?"

  "Not sure yet." She stepped out from the door and glanced back at it.

  "I mean with the case? Do they still think he's this Phantom?"

  "No… well yeah but not really." She waved at Deb in a dismissive manner. "Just come downstairs with me. We need to go find his car."

  "Not without me!" he shouted through the door.

  Cecelia shot the door another hateful look and then stomped back down the stairs. She be-lined it to the kitchen and retrieved a Coke from the fridge. One twist, a swallow, and then a satisfying burp.

  "That's attractive."

  Cecelia held the soda out to Deb who took it and sipped it. "The Captain doesn't know we're here. And as long as the database photo doesn't show him as him, no one should show up here."

  Deb leaned her head to the right. "What?"

  "What what?"

  "What else?"

  "They found the bullet that went through Thomas, and they found his hand prints smeared in blood down the duct leading out of the lockup. The gun that shot both of them was left at the scene. And we have Maddox's gun here."

  Deb waited.

  "It's all kind of a mess right now. I think the Captain agrees with me that someone came in that lock up and shot the two of them. What confused them was why Maddox's gun was fired and why it wasn't there."

  "Did you tell them?"

  "Didn't have too. One of your team showed up in record time and pointed out the larger caliber bullets were fired from a prone position. So either Maddox fired it from the floor—"

  "Or I did."

  Both of them turned to see Thomas step into the kitchen. Cecelia felt her breath catch. He looked drawn and pale. Dark circles hung under his eyes and he had to hold himself up by bracing against the sink.

  He was the sexiest thing she'd seen in years. Even sexier than last night. Because now the glamour of the event was gone, and what was before her was Thomas Carr. Who ever he was.

  "You took the sling off!" Deb put her hands on her hips. The Coke tilted at a precarious angle.

  Cecelia took the Coke and set it on the counter.

  "I couldn't do anything with my arm all bound up. And besides," he put his left hand on his shoulder. "You did such a fine job on the wound."

  "You're also pumped full of pain killers right now, Stretch." Deb smirked. "Once they wear off, you're going to feel a whole lot of ow."

  Thomas smiled. My god…what a smile! Cecelia crossed her legs and hoped her jeans weren't light enough in color to show any dark, wet patches. It would be hard to blame it on the snow. Which was now falling outside the window at an alarming rate.

  "Why didn't the two of you turn me in?" He looked from Deb to Cecelia.

  She felt trapped in his gaze. Get a grip, Inzmann. "I uh…listened to what you said." So she told him about the profile, the information, and decided to check the house. "When your key worked then I knew I had the right place and then I found your pictures."

  "Great detective work, detective."

  "It's what I do."

  "Well I helped." Deb reached over and grabbed the Coke. "So now we go find his car?"

  "We're going to need to," Cecelia said. "The only piece of evidence we have is whatever Maddox says when he wakes up. He's under police protection in the hospital. And the mask's on its way to your lab." She pointed to Deb.

  "Maybe I need to get down there and handle that myself. If this person breathed on it, I should be able to get DNA. What we'll need is something to compare it to."

  Thomas leaned heavily on the sink. "I know I hit him, so there should be blood there other than mine or Maddox's. That's what you compare it too."

  "Good." Deb looked between the two of them. "You two going to be okay?"

  Cecelia tore her eyes off of Thomas and looked out the window. "I hate snow. And I hate driving in it. If it gets any worse, we're going to end up stranded."

  "Well, I've got a Hummer in the back."

  Both women looked at him. "You have a Hummer?" Cecelia bit her lower lip, remembering her view of his…hummer.

  "Yeah. It's kind of conspicuous so that's why I rented the car."

  "So you catch international thieves?" Deb said before she headed to the door.

  "Yeah. I do."

  "How are you able to do that?" Deb continued asking as all three of them went to the front door.

  "Easy," he opened the door for her and smiled. "Because I used to be one."

  And there was the other shoe.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The snow wasn't so much the problem hindering them from getting to his rental car, but the traffic. "It's like everyone's freaking out," he muttered from his seat in the passenger's side of the Hummer. Cecelia had insisted she drive. And given his present situation, and the sudden pulls and twinges of pain that made it through the pain killers now and then…yeah it was a good idea.

  She also seemed to know where she was going without the GPS.

  "Yeah well…" she said as she honked at a car just sitting at a green light. The snow was piling up now and sticking to everything, including the truck. "Tell me…if you flew into Atlanta, why do you have a house here?"

  "Oh I have a house in three cities. And I was born here. That's my mom's home. I bought it and put it in my name when she had a heart attack a few years back. I didn't want it tied up in probate if she died. And this way, she's not responsible for it anymore." He glanced over at her.

  Cecelia had a weird look on her face. "You have a houses in three cities?"

  "Yes. What's wrong?"

  She laughed. "Nothing I just…wow…are you rich?"

  "I make do." He sensed this was an uncomfortable subject for her. Thomas knew what the average cop made on a yearly basis. He wondered if she was having financial troubles.

  "You buy them from stolen money?"

  "No. I bought them with hard earned money. Really, Detective, I haven't been a thief for five years."

  This time she glanced at him as she turned right. They were closer to the rental. Just another block. "Five years. How old are you?"

  "Why Detective, you know it's not polite to ask a man his age."

  She smirked and rolled her eyes. He loved it when she did that. The expression brought out her personality.

  Fun. When it wasn't glaring at him.

  "There's the parking lot," he pointed to the AAA Parking lot and Cecelia turned right into it. The lot was cleaned out, except for a dark SUV parked near the front, with a boot on its tire.

 
She parked the Hummer along side it and held up her hand. "Just wait here."

  "It's been booted. I doubt the Phantom's been here."

  Cecelia looked through the back windshield. "I'm about to find out."

  Thomas turned to see a guy in a thick jacket, baseball cap and jeans jogging toward her. He was shouting something as the snow went sideways. Geez. He couldn't remember ever seeing this kind of snow in the South.

  She flashed him her badge and then pointed at the car. They talked and Thomas took that opportunity to open his glove compartment and check his gun. It was still there, along with a magazine. He reached under the seat and put his hand on the brick of cash he'd stashed there as well.

  Cecelia got back in the Hummer. "Okay…he says he's been here since eight this morning. And the guy he relieved said the car's been here since last night and no one's come near it, except the towing company to put the boot on. So, I don't think your Phantom knows it's here."

  Thomas stared at the car. "I would be pretty surprised if he didn't. He knew everything else. He knew I was watching him case the High, so he had to know what car I was driving."

  "You wanna look inside or not?"

  "I wanna get a bomb squad, but that's not a good idea at the moment." He looked at Cecelia. "Hey, what are you supposed to be doing right now, other than ferrying me around? I'm sure your Captain wants me back in custody."

  "Yeah he does. I'm supposed to be out looking for you." She pulled his keys from the pocket of her jacket and picked out the SUV key. "Let's find out if it's got a boom in it." She pointed the fob at the car and pressed the unlock button.

  The lights flickered. It chirped. But it didn't blow up.

  "That doesn't mean anything." Thomas watched her get out and after a few seconds he got out as well. Only when his feet hit the pavement he suffered a nice bout of dizzy and almost went down on his knees.

  Cecelia was at his side and shoved her shoulder under his arm as he grabbed for her and the side mirror bracket. "Hey…maybe you need to stay in the car."

  "No…no. I need to show you where the stuff's at. And if you get blown up, I don't think I could live with myself unless I went with you." He looked to his left into her eyes and was immediately stuck there. They were the color of the sky just before night fell. The most incredible shade of blue he'd ever seen. He wanted to reach out and touch her lips again, only this time he wanted to press his own to them.

  "Thomas?"

  He blinked. He was on his feet again and the snow was collecting on her hair. Her nose was red and he had to fight not to take her into his arms right then. "Sorry. I guess I sort of zoned out."

  "I think it's the meds. So…you stay here and I'll go get—"

  "No no. I'm fine. Let's get this done."

  He followed her to the passenger's side of the car and watched as she opened the door and paused.

  No boom. That was good.

  The wind increased and the snow felt like little needles stinging his skin. He squinted and held up his left hand to shield his face. "The laptop's in the trunk. The tablet is under the passenger's seat."

  He nearly lost it again when Cecelia bent forward, exposing her perfect rear end to him as she reached her hand under the seat. Thomas couldn't move as she pulled the tablet out and bumped his thigh with her right cheek. His body immediately reacted and he took a step back.

  Luckily, she didn't seem to notice how flushed he was. But he could feel the heat.

  She pointed the fob at the trunk and pressed a button. It kicked up and she handed him the tablet before she pushed the trunk lid up and grabbed he briefcase. It was the only thing in the trunk. She motioned for them to get back to the car.

  Thomas had just rounded the back of the car as Cecelia slammed the trunk shut when a bullet whizzed just past his head and struck the trunk hood.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "Get down!" Cecelia had been expecting something, given what happened at the precinct. She'd told Captain D that as well after letting him know Carr was with her. It was his idea to get to the car, but they both believed having the man in the open would lure the Phantom out.

  But getting him killed wasn't in her master plan. Uh uh. She fully planned on having his body any way she could once the proper moment arrived—preferably after they caught the thief.

  The parking lot attendant wasn't visible. She hoped he took shelter as well when the first shot rang out.

  A second one pinged off the back bumper. The shooter had a good line of site, but wasn't a good shot. She figured if it was the Phantom—a sniper he was not. Which was good for both their sakes.

  It was time to get into the Hummer. The snow was picking up which made it hard for her to get a pinpoint on where the bullets were coming from. But since they were targeting the bumper… "Thomas!" he was on the other side of the car and yelled out. "Go around the front of the car. Keep low. And get in the Hummer."

  "Okay!"

  She watched his shadow under the car as it moved around and finally got into the passenger's side. Sandwiched between the two cars, Cecelia figured she was less of a target. But she would be in the open if she went around the Hummer to the driver's door.

  After shoving her gun back into her jeans, she jerked the passenger door open again and started climbing in on top of Thomas. "Sorry…just suck it in."

  He made a small noise as she knocked his wounded shoulder. Then her left hand slipped on his thigh and came down on his crotch—

  She paused in both awe and shock. It was one thing to see his manhood from a distance, but to have her hand on it instantly aroused her. And this was not the right time!

  "Uh…Detective…that's not the drive shaft."

  Oh! She wanted to smack that smug look right off his face. Cecelia made sure she wasn't careful as she finished her climb over to the driver's side. A few more shots struck the back of the Hummer, then the back window. It cracked but didn't shatter as she cranked it and threw it into reverse. The snow was sideways again and the entire street area was blanketed in white.

  "Keep your head low," she told Thomas as she sped out of the parking lot and turned left down a side street away from where she though the shooter was. She kept an eye on the rear view mirror to see if anyone came after them. But it was so hard to see in the snow.

  Abruptly she hit an area where the power was out and had to hit the breaks before she rammed a pile of cars who already missed the darkened lights. She put the Hummer on the curb and drove a half mile down and raced off the sidewalk into a one way street. Luckily no one was going the right way.

  Once she was out there she took another left and got her bearings. She was half a block from the interstate exit. She had to make a split decision. Try and get back to the Precinct or get to a safe location to call the Captain. Getting out of Atlanta seemed like a good idea, given the condition of things. If she didn't and the snow increased, she and Carr were going to be stranded and she didn't want the Phantom to sneak up on them.

  She took the exit and drove the car into the HOV lanes at a break neck pace.

  "Slow down!" Thomas said as he grabbed the Oh Shit handle to his right.

  "Nothing's iced over. Yet." She dug her phone out of her pocket and hit the button for the station. "Hey…this is Inzmann. Is D there?" She glanced over at Thomas and grinned. He was white. Pale. And then she frowned when she saw blood seeping through his shirt. Oh damn.

  "Inzmann, where are you?"

  "85 North." She gave him a brief summary of what'd just happened and paused for his response. She kept looking at Thomas. He really wasn't looking too good.

  "No, don't come back in. Power's out on several grids and we're pretty sure ours will be out soon. I've sent non-essential personnel home. I've got as many uniforms as can out on the streets directing people to go home."

  "Got it. You think the Phantom's going to give up in the middle of snowstorm?"

  "No. Even one as weird as this." He paused and she heard him talking to someone. "Mayor's goin
g to do a public service announcement and tell everyone to get home. But don't take MARTA trains, take the buses. Where are you heading?"

  Good question. Where was she heading? Her apartment was behind her as she passed the Turner building. She could still the logos for Cartoon Network, TCM, and others. Their lights were still on. Where to go. "Captain, I can call Lex and see if he's still got his cabin. It's in Red Top Mountain."

  "That's a bit remote, isn't it?"

  "I don't think the Phantom will find us there. He was shooting at us, which means he was above us and he was stationery. I bugged out of there fast."

  "All right. Text me the address once you're there. And keep Thomas safe. He's our witness this asshole shot Maddox."

  "How's he doing?"

  "He's still unconscious. I'll let you know."

  She disconnected and glanced at Thomas. "You okay over there?"

  He leaned his head back and looked over at her. "Would you think less of me as a man if I said…I was in some serious pain?"

  "Oh shit…I'm sorry."

  "No…it wasn't you. The meds were wearing off before we got to the parking lot. I think I slept through a lot of it before I woke up and met your friend. You think we can swing by and get more?"

  Cecelia shook her head. "No. She's down at her office at the GBI. But…" she smiled. "We're going to see my brother. He's the ME in Roswell and he can proscribe something I'm sure." She hefted her phone back up and hit her speaker. "Call Lex."

  A few rings and then, "Inzmann."

  "Hey bro. You busy?"

  "God Cece. You seeing this crazy ass weather?"

  "Yeah I'm driving in it. You at your office?"

  "Uh huh. For a bit. Waiting on Nana to get here then we're heading home."

  "You still have that cabin?"

  He paused. "Cecelia, what's up?"

  She gave him a quick review of the pertinent information and mentioned Deb's name 'cause he was friends with her too. "So can we swing by, you look at Thomas and then we grab the keys?"

  "Sure, sure. I'll be here." He laughed. "Wow…your life is never boring."