Page 118 of Shadow's Surrender
Smokey held him tight but Shadow kicked and cussed even though his wrist hurt like hell and blood was dripping on Scarlett’s pristine marble floor.
“Call Doc,” Smokey said to Helm. “Get him over here stat. Then go find a towel so we can stop the bleeding.”
Shadow jerked away from his friend’s grip. “I wanna kill her,” he said, looking at Pamela, who was slumped over and not moving.
“You may have already done that,” Smokey said as he went over and took her pulse. He shook his head. “Nah, she’s still alive. Lemme call Banger and see what he wants us to do.”
Shadow stalked over to the murderer and ripped his mother’s necklace off Pamela’s neck. A low moan escaped her lips and her lids fluttered open. He stared at her dilated pupils as she groaned softly while holding her head.
“Tell Banger the bitch’s got a concussion.”
“I’m so dizzy,” she whined.
“Life’s a bitch,” Shadow replied, glaring at her.
“Here,” Helm said, handing him a large towel.
Shadow wrapped it tightly around his wrist then pulled out his phone with his other hand and called Scarlett. He had to make sure she didn’t come to the condo; he couldn’t let her see what was going on.
“Hi, Shadow. I’m just leaving now.” Her voice sounded like a ray of light in the middle of all the darkness.
“Hey. I’m gonna ask you to do something and I can’t tell you why. You’re just gonna have to trust me and do what I say.”
“You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“You need to go to your parents’ house. Don’t come here.”
“Why?”
A sharp, narrow fingernail of irritation scratched along his spine. “I just told you that I can’t tell you. Trust me, okay?”
After a moment of hesitation, he heard her breathe quickly. “Okay. You’ll call me, right?”
Relief washed over him. “I’ll call you, but be patient if you don’t hear from me for a while. It doesn’t mean I won’t call you. I love you, babe.”But your mother destroyed my life fifteen years ago.
“I love you too. Please stay safe. I’ll wait for your call.”
Shadow saw Doc rush into the condo.
“I gotta go, Scarlett. I’ll talk to you later.” He shoved the phone in his jeans pocket and walked over to Doc.
“What happened?” Doc asked him.
“The bitch shot me.”
Doc darted his eyes from Shadow to Pamela then back to Shadow. “Sit down and let me take a look.” He unwrapped the blood-soaked towel.
“If it wasn’t for Smokey and Helm, things would’ve turned out differently. They were the distraction I needed.”
“We were your ‘baby sitters’ tonight,” Helm said, clasping Shadow’s shoulder.
Smokey strode over and bent down on his haunches next to Shadow. “Banger’s calling Chief Landon. It was self-defense.”
“Actually, it was,” Shadow said. His gaze locked with the bitch’s. “It was a matter ofsurvival.”
Smokey scratched his chin. “Yeah … stick with that. The cunt came after you, shot you, and you had to hit her ’cause she kept coming at you. She was so fuckin’ crazed, beating her was the only way to get her off you.”
“That’s the way it happened,” Shadow said without breaking eye contact with her.
