“Oh how dreadful.” Though he didn’t permit it, often the patrons got rough.
“By one of your employees.”
Zach paused a moment, his eyes shifting from officer to officer before responding. “Does this employee have a name?” Zach thought of all of his employees on duty tonight and who it might have been. There was Wade at the bar, Thor at the door, Mollie, Kalista, Simone and Angel, waitressing. Denny was in the kitchen doing dishes and Keith and Dud were patrolling to ensure everything was running smoothly. He couldn’t picture any of them assaulting an employee unless it had been called for.
“Simone Dumont,” Officer Headly spouted, his eyes shifting to the room.
Now that surprised him a great deal. “Simone? There must be a mistake, officers.” He’d known Simone all of her life and couldn’t picture her assaulting anyone. Not with her past.
“I assure you, the woman was insistent it was Miss Dumont. Now, your bartender tells us she’s in the ladies room but it’s been nearly five minutes. We want her brought out immediately so we can question her.”
The smile slid slowly into place as Zach kept his temper. “Well…officers, you know women. They do tend to take longer in the ladies room then most. I’m sure she’s just refreshing her make-up. I’ll go see if I can hurry her along. Wade, would you supply these fine men with a beverage of their choice.” As he walked off, he heard Wade ask for their orders.
Waving at familiar faces as he walked through the bar, Zach didn’t bother to hurry. If the officers wanted to disrupt his club, they could just stew for a while.
Stepping into the back room, Zach headed to the staff ladies room and knocked on the door. “Simone. Are you in there?”
“Depends; are the cops still out there?” she asked through the closed door.
Leaning against the wall, Zach examined his nails and decided he was in need of a manicure. “They are. Mind telling me what happened?”
She stepped out of the washroom and he could see she’d been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy despite the attempt to make them look otherwise. She was such a delicate beauty and had been through so much this past year.
“That bitch grabbed my tits and crotch.”
He pulled himself up from the wall and cocked his head to the side. “Excuse me?”
She pulled the twist from her hair, letting the long red curls spill out to land on her shoulders. Using her fingers, she rubbed her head, ruffling her hair. She had a delicate frame, a soft face and had been his best friend since birth.
“This woman at my station. She’d had too much to drink and I was going to cut her off. Told her she had to either drink cola or water or take herself home. She followed me to the back, cornered me, grabbed my tits with one hand and shoved her hand up my skirt to my crotch. Said she could persuade me to let her have another drink.” Simone drew in a deep breath, swallowed. “So I slugged her. I don’t need that shit.”
When her eyes began to water he took her in his arms and ran a soothing hand along her back. “You should have come to me as soon as it happened.”
“I didn’t want to bother you and mostly, I wanted to handle it myself.”
Releasing her, he lifted her right hand and seeing the red swollen knuckles, smiled warmly. “You went with your right. Good girl.” He’d been teaching her self defense and was utterly proud to see she was using it. He kissed her knuckles then thumbed away her tears. “Go to my office. I’ll have the officers brought there and we can talk this out. You want to press charges of your own?”
She shook her head repeatedly. “I just want to forget it.”
He could understand that. “Go, sit in my office, take a breather and relax. I’ll be there momentarily.” He left her with a kiss to her forehead hoping she could manage to settle down.
Simone wasn’t a temperamental woman, the exact opposite really. She’d been married to an abusive jerk for five years who managed to strip a once vibrant woman down to a cringing, fearful person with practically no self esteem left.
Zach had managed to rid her of her abusive husband and had taken her in and helped her heal. There was no damn way he was going to allow some drunken whore to send her back to her cowering corner.
The cops were sitting right where he’d left them, looking more than a little unimpressed. Tough. “Officer’s. If you would follow me to my office, I’m sure we can straighten this whole matter out.” As he led them through the bar, the chants and evil glares amused him. There was hardly a soul in the place who cared for the cops. And he liked that just fine.
He led them to the back and down the long corridor to his office. Opening the door, he saw Simone sitting on the sofa, her head between her legs. He hoped she was practicing her deep breathing and not trying to prevent herself from blacking out. “Simone.” When she lifted her head, he saw that she was much calmer now than she’d been moments ago. Good girl.
“These officer’s would like to talk to you.”
She stood up, smoothed out her skirt, squared her shoulders and held her head high. With a curt nod, she indicated she was ready.
“We’d like to ask you some questions, Miss Dumont,” Officer Lewis began.
“I would like Simone to explain to you what happened first. Then you may question her. Simone…” Zach motioned for her to begin.
Taking a deep breath, she gave the officers a recount of what had happened and what she had done. When she was finished, she walked to his mini bar and pulled out a bottle of water. She drank nearly half down before recapping it.
“Do you have any witnesses to this assault, Miss Dumont?”
“Well sure, but I don’t want to press charges.”
Officer Headly blinked like an owl at her. “Why not?”
She shrugged as she sipped her water. “I don’t want the trouble. I just want it to go away.”
“Unfortunately it can’t, Miss Dumont,” Officer Lewis added. “She’s accusing you of assaulting her and she has the black eye to prove it. We need to bring you in for booking.”
“I’m not going.” She looked at Zach with panic in her eyes. “I can’t go there again. I just can’t.”
“It’s okay, Simone.” Taking her by the shoulders, he gave her a reassuring look. “I’ll be right there by your side and I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll go, get this over with and then you can go home and crash for the day. Okay?”
She nodded, her eyes growing glossy from tears.
“Okay.” Tucking her in his arm, he led her from the room, the officers right on their heels.
Chapter Five
It took her longer than she’d expected. Having to stop along the way to throw up from a panic attack tended to slow travel time down some. Once she’d felt secure enough to get back behind the wheel, Deborah continued on her journey. The only other time she’d stopped was for gas.
As she pulled into Jacob’ Cove, Deborah was struck by the ruins of the city. Ginny had told her all about the darkness and how it had been brought on by a ritual used to bring back the king of all vampires and blot out the sun. Ginny had told her how people had fled the city when the vampires began to take over and she’d talked about the destruction they wrought. But seeing it first-hand was a heck of a lot more shocking. Though it had been nearly seven months since the ritual had been broken and the sun again shown on the once-beautiful city, it didn’t resemble the home she remembered from her girlhood days.
Ginny had said that the city was being rebuilt, and Deborah could see it in some aspects, but there were still burnt-out buildings, dead plant-life and a general emptiness to the city. Maybe it would look better in the daylight, Deborah decided as she drove through the city streets.
It had been over two years since she’d been here last, but she hadn’t forgotten how to get around. She knew the streets almost as well as she
did the back of her hand. She followed Harrison road for several blocks before turning left on Duchess. Six blocks down, she made a right on Hunt Street and followed the line of houses to Ginny’s place. Like so many other residents of Jacob’s Cove, Ginny had left when the darkness had begun and had only moved back three months ago. And as Deborah pulled up to the address she’d been given, it surprised her that her friend could afford such a lavish home.
It was a two story split level with white siding and blue trim. The front yard looked big enough to fit another house and down the long driveway was a two car garage.
Exactly how much money did Ginny make waitressing at the bar?
She parked in the driveway and as she slid from her car, Ginny came running out of the house.
She was as sight for sore eyes. God had Deborah missed her.
“You finally made it. I’ve been sitting on pins and needles for hours. Jesus, Deb, you look like hell.”
As her friend threw her arms around her, Deborah sucked back her tears. “Aw, what a sweet compliment.” But she knew Ginny was right. Deborah had lost weight, her face was gaunt and pale, and her eyes were dark. She had most definitely looked better. “You look as good as ever.”
Ginny had the tall, thin, shapely figure that Deborah always envied and wished she’d been born with rather than her five-feet-five stature.
Stepping back, holding Deborah’s hands in hers, Ginny beamed like a goddess. “I do, don’t I. That spa I went to did the world for me. You should have joined me. Hell, you should go right now. Oh God I missed you.”
Since Ginny let her tears fall, Deborah felt she could do the same. As they stood outside, two grown women holding each other and sobbing, Deborah felt safe for the very first time in months.
“Okay.” Ginny sniffled as she pulled away. “If I don’t stop now I’ll have puffy eyes and I used the last cucumber for my salad. Come in. You’re probably exhausted from your trip.”
She was but oddly enough, she also felt rejuvenated. Ginny had that effect on her. Ginny was always so bubbly and full of life. It did Deborah good to be around her right now. Pulling her suitcase from the back seat, Deborah followed her friend to the house.
It was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Ginny had always been a tidy person, so the cleanliness didn’t surprise her. The beauty did. “This is a gorgeous house, Ginny.”
“I know, isn’t it? And the best part is—it was cheap.” Her laughter bubbled up making her pretty brown eyes smile.
“I don’t want to be intrusive but I’m curious how you can afford a place like this?”
She swung her arm over Deborah’s shoulder, drawing her closer. “We’ve known each other long enough, Deb for you to not be shy about asking me something. He really did a number on you. The owners of the house didn’t want to come back to Jacob’s Cove now that it’s run by vampires, so they were willing to sell me the place for a song. I know, I shouldn’t have taken advantage of them but hell…it’s their fault for being chicken. Come on, let’s get you settled.”
Carrying her suitcase, her heart suddenly hammering, Deborah followed Ginny up the steps. Her eyes flitted about the house as she moved through it. Though she knew there was no way he could be here, she was on guard no less.
When Ginny opened the door to a room to their left, Deborah took a step back and felt the air around her begin to swirl.
Then Ginny flicked the overhead light on and stepped inside. Cautiously, Deborah followed her. The room was decorated in vibrant blues with a bed covered in a beautifully hand-knitted blanket. If she were to guess, Deborah would have to say the room had belonged to a teenage girl. The posters of hunky rock stars and actors pinned to the walls were a dead giveaway.
“The house came with the furnishings. They didn’t even come back for anything. Man, I tell you…people really need to loosen up.” Ginny shrugged. “I’m sure you’re exhausted from your trip.”
She wasn’t and even if she was, sleep was not an easy thing for her these days. “Don’t you have to go to work?”
“I took tonight off to welcome you.” She ran her hand along Deborah’s cheek, her face softening. “I wish this never would have happened to you.”
Her eyes clouded and the tears ran down her face. She cried on her friend’s shoulder while they sat on the pretty blue bed, and when the sobs eased she began to talk. “I keep having nightmares.”
Ginny handed her some tissues she’d grabbed from the washroom. “I don’t doubt it. You went through hell.”
She blew her nose, set it aside then took another to wipe her eyes. “I keep reliving it and all I want is for it to go away.”
“It’s only been a few days, Deb. Give yourself time. Are you taking the pills the doctor prescribed?”
Nodding, she blew her nose again. “They don’t stop the dreams. All they do is make me sleepy.”
“You need to sleep in order to heal. How are your wounds doing?”
Deborah’s hand instinctually went to her chest. “They’re healing slowly, but getting there. How could they let him go?”
Ginny shrugged, handing her another tissue. “It sickens me. What’s the point of having laws if they’re not enforced? I know some pretty tough guys, and some of the vamps might like some fresh blood. Want me to sic ‘em on the guy?”
Deborah laughed and the sound was so foreign to her. This was what she needed. Blowing her nose one more time, she tossed the tissue in the trash can as she spoke, “I still can’t believe you work with them. Aren’t you afraid they’ll…you know, bite you?” And how foolish did she sound saying that.
“Hell no…well, not unless I ask—which I don’t,” Ginny added when Deborah’s eyes went wide. “It’s a great place to work and Zach makes it safe. He doesn’t tolerate anyone getting out of control, and he makes sure all of us girls are protected. You’ll have to check it out while you’re here.”
“I’ve had enough of monsters for one lifetime, thank you very much.” The sleeves of her sweater rode up her arm as she stretched her hands in the air.
“Oh God, Deb, look at your wrists.”
She pulled her arms down and tugged the sleeves back in place. She should have been more careful. “They’re not so bad, now.” The red welts from the rope he’d used to tie her up were still bright red, but the scraped flesh was healing over nicely.
Taking her left hand, Ginny slid the sleeve back. “This is better? My god! When I think about what he did to you, what he could have done if Bruce hadn’t checked on you…It just makes me sick.” She took Deb in her arms, stroking her back gently.
Thinking about it made Deborah sick as well, which was why she tried so hard not to. It wasn’t easy though, when you had the constant reminder on your wrists, ankles and chest or reliving it in your dreams. “Bruce feels so bad for leaving me and I keep reminding him I insisted he go. How were we supposed to know Peter Milligan had picked my lock and would be waiting for me in my apartment?”
“Still, I can see how he feels.” Ginny laid her hand over Deborah’s, gave it a light squeeze. “You’re both safe and that’s all the matters now. Does Bruce know where you are?”
Was she safe, really? Not as long as the madman who had done this to her was roaming free. “I told him as I was leaving. He wasn’t impressed and insisted he go with me. I reassured him I’d be fine.” Her tiredness got the better of her and she yawned.
“You need to get some sleep.” Kissing Deborah on the head, Ginny climbed off the bed, scooping up the pile of soiled tissue. “Sleep as long as you want. You need it.”
“Thanks, Ginny. For everything.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for. See you tomorrow and hey, if I’m not up, snoop around, make yourself at home. I work tomorrow night so I’ll probably sleep until four.”
“You’re the best.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
Smiling, feeling better than she had in weeks, Deborah watched her friend leave. The instant the door was closed, her heart began to speed up. She was in a strange room and she wasn’t familiar with all the hiding places. Grabbing the lamp beside the bed, she yanked the plug from the wall then began to search the room. She started with the bed and cautiously, knelt down on her knees and lifted the blanket. She felt the air clog her lungs and didn’t exhale until she saw no one was beneath the bed. She gave herself a moment to catch her breath before she stood up and continued her examination of the room. Holding the lamp in one hand, she eased the closet door open, breath held again. She shoved the clothes aside, her heart pounding. She felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach. Leaving the door open, she sat down on the bed, resting the lamp beside her.
Would she ever feel safe again?
Not as long as he was free.
Since there was no chair in the room, and the door didn’t lock from the inside, Deborah dragged the heavy dresser until it was pressed against the door. Huffing from her effort, she turned to the window next. Dragging the bedside table, she set it below the window, then piled lamps, books and anything else she could find to give her warning if he should climb through the window.
Feeling marginally safe, Deborah stepped back, took a deep breath then realized she needed to use the washroom.
With a heavy sigh, she stared at the dresser.
Why hadn’t she thought of that before moving the darn thing?
Chapter Six
He hated cops and worse, he hated being in a cop house. Sure, the Jacob’s Cove Police Department wasn’t as bad as some of the cop houses he’d been in previously, but despite the lack of officers, the place still smelled like cop. Having spent two hours in one made him feel dirty.
He’d deal with himself after he’d taken care of Simone. Letting them both into his suite, Zach led her to the guest room where he sat her on the bed and took her face in his hands. “Forget about what happened for a few hours and just sleep.”
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 08] Page 3