by Sandra Cox
Juxtaposing the dragging day, the evening flew by.
Maureen listened to the old clock in the hall chime nine times. They stood in the well lit kitchen soaking up its warmth and homey atmosphere, giving them a false sense of security.
Jack drew her close. “He’ll be expecting me to leave now so I can get to Madison by ten o’clock. I’ll be back in ten minutes. The windows are locked and so is the front door. Don’t let anyone in besides me. And lock the door after I leave.”
Frustration sparked in his eyes and his arms tightened. “God, I don’t want to leave you.”
“What can happen in ten minutes? Besides, I have Wolf with me.”
“Right.” But still he stalled.
“The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back.”
A tic jumped in his cheek. “We’re going to put that bastard away once and for all.”
She nodded.
He gazed deep into her eyes as if he were implanting his words on her soul. “I love you, Marnie.” His warm breath grazed her face as he bent his head and covered her lips with a quick hard kiss.
When she lifted her head, he was gone. She stood looking at the closed door lost in the memory of his lips and arms. As the warm haze surrounding her dissipated, she jumped forward and locked the door, turning the lock with a click.
Wolf sat on his rug in the kitchen watching her, his tail thumping out a rhythm as it slapped against the glossy wood floor.
She glanced at her watch, nine-oh-two, then walked to the kitchen counter. I’ll make some coffee. No. I’m already too nervy. She paced the kitchen, rubbing her forearms in a nervous gesture. As her restless fingers encountered the amulet, she quieted.
She looked at her watch. Nine-oh-five. God the time was crawling. But Jack would be back soon. She held to the thought as to a talisman.
Wolf growled low in his throat. She glanced down and felt a chill crawl up her spine. He stood stiff-legged, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up. His legs rigid he stalked out of the kitchen.
Like a crack of thunder the sharp report of breaking glass sounded from the study.
Oh God! With shaking hands, she ran to the cabinet, opened a drawer and pulled out a butcher knife.
Wrapping her fingers around the wooden handle she ran out the door intent on reaching the gun cabinet in Hank’s room. She shot by the den and raced to the stairs.
Wolf stood in front of the den door growling.
She wasted precious seconds trying to get him to come to her. “Come on, Wolf, come on,” she whispered as she crept up the steps.
She was halfway up the stairs when the study door burst open hitting against the wall with a loud bang. The den’s overhead light haloed Victor and the insane smile spreading across his features.
Wolf sprang.
Nimble as an elk, Victor jumped to the right, pulled a stiletto out of his boot and plunged it in Wolf’s ribs.
The wolf yelped then fell to the floor and lay still.
Wolf, she keened in her head as she pounded up the stairs. As she glanced down from the top of the stairs, she saw Victor remove the knife, blood still gleaming on it and start up the steps.
Desperate, she raced into Hank’s room, locked the door and ran to the gun cabinet.
Damn, the cabinet’s locked. Where’s the key? She looked down surprised to see the knife still in her hand. She slammed the wooden handle into the glass case. Glass shards flew in a prism of color on her face and arms but she felt nothing.
As she reached in for a shotgun, she heard the door turn. Victor must have picked the lock. “Come on, Jack, come on,” she muttered under her breath. As her hand wrapped around the cool barrel of the gun, she felt a sharp searing pain in her leg. She crumpled to the floor.
Victor stood in the doorway. The knife he’d used on Wolf protruded from her leg. He walked toward her his eyes maniacal, gleaming with the unholy light of insanity.
“Bastard,” she spat out. She scooted backward on her rear end, pushing with her good foot and pulling herself along with her hands.
A high-pitched whining noise erupted from his throat and she realized he was laughing.
As he reached for her amulet Jack burst through the door.
Racing on silent feet, he grabbed Victor by the neck and slammed his head hard against the wall.
Victor went down without a sound. Jack stood straddling the prone body, his fist clenching and unclenching, clearly spoiling for a fight.
“What did that bastard do to you?” Then he saw the knife. “Jesus.” In a single stride, he was beside her. He bent down and pulled it out. A spurt of crimson spattered the floor.
She bit back a moan and willed the room to stop spinning.
“Marnie.” Mindless of the blood, he scooped her up in his arms and whispered into her hair, “Are you all right?”
“I’m already healing,” she said, hoping it was true. “Is Wolf okay?”
“Marnie,” the beloved voice of Hank bellowed from the doorway. Tony Cardoza stood behind him.
Victor got shakily to his feet.
Hank charged like an enraged bull and planted his fist in Victor’s face.
Victor crumpled.
“I didn’t see a thing,” Tony said to the room at large.
Hank saw the blood dripping from Marnie’s leg. “You son of a bitch.” He picked up Victor’s limp body up and hit him again right between the eyes.
Reluctantly, Tony moved him aside. “I understand how you feel but that will have to do.” He bent down, pulled Victor’s arms behind his back and cuffed him. “When he comes to I’ll read him his rights.”
Marnie in his arms, Jack stepped over Victor and headed out of the room, “I’m taking you to your room honey and get you cleaned up.”
She soaked up his heat and strength even as she felt the Boji Stones working. “Please bring me Wolf.”
Hank heard her. “I’ll get him, Marnie.” As Jack carried her to her room, she heard Hank’s boots clattering against the floor.
Jack nudged open the door with his foot and carried her across the room. The bedclothes rustled as he lay her down. Bent over, he brushed the hair back from her forehead. “I’m going to the bathroom to get some wet rags to clean up your leg okay?”
She nodded. With a tired sigh, she closed her eyes. They felt like someone had placed bricks on them to weigh them down. When she opened them again, Hank stood beside the bed, Wolf in his arms, his expression grave. “He don’t look good, honey.”
Dried blood matted the wolf’s beautiful white and gray fur, his head hung limp.
She clutched the sheet. “Is he alive?”
“Barely.”
She held out her arm. “Lay him down beside me.”
Hank laid the motionless dog across her arm.
She wrapped herself around him and felt his pulse flicker. Pain came at her from all directions, from her sliced leg and from the wounded animal. She didn’t fight it but went limp, burrowing under it, passing into a semi-conscious state while blackness and a nameless substance the consistency of cotton wool pressed against her.
A distant part of her was aware of Jack cleaning her and Wolf up.
The pain receded to manageable proportions and the wolf’s pulse grew stronger. She drifted through the black cotton clouds to fall down a dark bottomless pit into slumber.
* * * * *
He sat in the police car with his hands cuffed. Spittle ran down the corner of his mouth. He called through the security screen separating the back and front seat. “You don’t know what you’ve done. You can’t lock up a god. You’ll see. I will get the amulets and all who stood in my way will pay. It’s just a matter of time.”
Chapter Nineteen
She was sandwiched between two warm bodies. A heart thudded steady and even against her back. Sunlight spilled in through the curtains accompanied by the raucous sounds of feuding squirrels and the cheerful chirping of robins.
She opened her eyes and looked into Wolf’s liquid brow
n eyes. His tongue hung out and his tail thumped against the sheets. She threw her arms around him, “You’re a brave dog,” she whispered as he slurped at her face with his long pink tongue.
The arms holding her tightened and she rolled over and found herself face to face with Jack. A dark black shadow coated his chin and cheeks and made him look handsome as sin.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered.
She felt him shudder.
He rested his forehead against hers. “That was the scariest moment of my life. I don’t ever want to go through that again.”
“He was reaching for the amulet. He may not have done anything but taken it and ran.” Marnie placed her hand on his dear face.
His expression grew grim, the muscles around his mouth tightening. “Oh he would have done more. He would have played with you, like he did with me in the hospital.” With a visible effort, he lightened his tone. “But he’s history now.” His hand wandered down the length of her. “We could kick Wolf out of bed and celebrate properly,” he suggested.
“Um, sounds good to me.”
As he gathered her to the length of him, boot heels clattered up the stairs.
She smiled ruefully. “How about a rain check?”
“You got it.”
Hank stuck his head in the door. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”
“Right as rain.”
“Come on down. I’ve been waiting to fix you breakfast for a couple of hours now.”
“What time is it?” Maureen asked yawning.
“Ten o’clock. I’ve already fed the horses.”
“We’ll be right there.”
“I’ll wait.”
A look of comic dismay crossed Jack’s face. “Just what are you waiting for?”
“You. Come on big guy. I’m starving.”
With a long-suffering sigh, Jack uncurled his body and shoved out of bed.
She looked at his rumpled state. “I see you’re still in your clothes.”
He looked at her and winked. “I had every intention of getting out of them. I’ll see you downstairs.”
With a smile of pure joy, she blew him a kiss.
Smiling he turned and headed downstairs.
Wolf jumped off the bed and followed him, causing the mattress to dip and Maureen to bounce like a small ship on the ocean.
As several robins began a melody, she called out the window, “Sing something for me.” She jumped up and headed for the shower.
She sang off-key in the little tiled stall as needles of hot water poured over her. God, it felt good to be alive.
Stepping out of the shower, she dressed quickly then ran down the stairs and into the kitchen.
She stood in the door way soaking up the familiar smells and the sight of the two men she loved most in the world sitting at the kitchen table their elbows propped up, sipping coffee and chatting quietly. She hugged herself. Could life get any better? Well maybe with one or two additions to the family. She wanted children and though they would never take Anna’s place hopefully it would help Jack fill the void of her passing.
As if sensing her presence, he looked up and caught her eye. A slow smile that started at the corner of his mouth and worked its way to his eyes lit up his face. He stood up. “Hello, love.”
She ran over and hugged him, soaking up the warmth of his body then bent and placed a kiss on Hank’s cheek. She looked at the table and blinked. “Hank and Jack you’ve outdone yourselves. “French toast, biscuits and gravy, eggs, toast. And is that champagne I spy? What’s the occasion?”
Hank sat down his coffee cup and grinned up at her. “We’re here and Victor isn’t. Now sit down and tell us what happened.”
Jack pulled out her chair and she sat down next to him while Hank poured her a cup of coffee from the carafe at his elbow. She stuck her nose in it and sniffed the steam. “Um, heaven.” Filling her plate she told them what happened.
“Your turn.” She looked from one to the other. Jack nodded to Hank.
Hank’s story was short and succinct. “He tag teamed me. After he headed back here, the son of a bitch had someone tail me. Put a king-sized dent in my side panel. But that guy won’t be bothering anyone for a good long time,” he added with satisfaction.
“How did you manage to get here just in the nick of time?”
Hank took a gulp of coffee. “I hooked up with Tony. We were in an unmarked car a couple of miles down sitting in Bobbie Jones’ driveway. Lucky he and the wife are out of town. Saved us a lot of questions.”
“How’s your sister?” Maureen asked reaching for the gravy.
He swallowed his toast then answered. “Better. I’ll be heading back up tonight but she’ll be getting out of the hospital in the next day or two.”
“You bring her back here.”
“I intend to.”
She turned to Jack. “And you?”
“We were set to change cars at the lane a mile down the road. Right before I got there I turned my lights off so if anyone was watching me hopefully he wouldn’t notice the switch. But when I pulled in I found the cop slumped over the steering wheel. I don’t know how he did it but Victor managed to knock him out. I guess Tony can clear up that little mystery for us. Anyway, I called Tony and Hank, then turned around and laid rubber.”
She took his hand and reached across the table for Hank’s. “My heros.” She smiled at first one then the other. “I can’t remember ever being happier.” It was true, she felt like she would burst with joy.
Just then the phone rang. “I’ll get it.” She jumped up and ran to the telephone mounted on the wall and picked it up. “Hello.”
“Bella,” she exclaimed and felt her face light up. She put her hand over the mouthpiece and said to Jack and Hank, “It’s Bella.”
Lifting her hand, she said, “How are you, Hon? When are you coming home? Jack and I are getting married and I want you to be my maid of honor.”
“So Jack popped the question. That sly dog. You just tell me when, sugar and I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Bella’s voice came from a continent away. Then her voice dropped and it sounded as if she had cupped her hand around the phone to keep the sound from traveling.
Maureen strained to hear. “I’m sorry, Bella, I couldn’t hear you. Would you repeat that please?”
As she listened, her eyes widened and excitement coursed through her body. She turned to the men. “You’re never going to believe this but Bella has found the power amulet.”
* * * * *
Dr. Wolfe had dropped by to visit him today. He came every third Tuesday of every month, to taunt him. Just as he, Victor, had taunted Dr. Wolfe at the hospital. But that was all right. He was a patient man. He would have the last laugh. From his cell, he shook the bars and called out to the guards, “I’m telling you the amulets exist.”
About the Author
A vegetarian and animal lover, Sandra is an Administrative Assistant by day and an author by night. She hopes to write full time in the not too distant future. She lives with her family, and a menagerie of pets, in sunny North Carolina. Sandra graduated from Eastern Illinois University and is an active member of Romance Writers of America and From the Heart Romance Writers. From the Heart RomanceWriters has been the source of many treasured friendships.
Sandra loves to hear from her readers so feel free to shoot her an email.
Sandra welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Also by Sandra Cox
The Crystal
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Table of Contents
BojiStones_1
Boji Stones
BojiStones_3
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author