Page 122 of Malice and Surrender
He shook his head slowly as tears trickled down his cheeks. “But the doctors are mean. They say that my family is gone. I want them to stop that. They’re not gone,” Luis said. If I hadn’t been watching Dolson so closely, I would’ve missed the sadness in his eyes, but he was quick to cover it and nodded and smiled for Luis.
“You’re right. They need to stop saying that. Come on, I’ll speak to them for you.” Dolson stood and held out his hand.
“It was nice meeting you,” Luis said as he took Dolson’s hand and stood.
“Can you take him out to the car,” Dolson said to the other officer, who had been quiet the entire time. Dolson turned to look at me as soon as they were down the steps and out of earshot. “I’m sorry about my Dad,” he said.
“Your dad? But….”
“That was my sister and brother. They passed away in a crash with an impaired driver. My dad was the officer that arrived first on scene. He…” Dolson looked over his shoulder to the police car sitting outside. “He hasn’t been the same since.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and I had the urge to jump up and hug him. “Anyway, I’m sorry if he scared you.” With a nod, Dolson walked away.
Pulling on my hood, I covered my head as I fought the sadness threatening to overtake me. How many days had I laid in bed, convinced that I wouldn’t be able to get up and function ever again? How often had it been better to dream of what I wished my life was rather than dealing with the pain I slugged through? How many times had my mind sat on the edge of that very precipice? It would’ve been so easy to give up and let the imaginary world swallow me whole.
The reality of how close I’d come to that felt like a noose tightening around my neck. I was no longer that girl, but the pain stuck with me. The memories and dreams of someone with a future laid out felt like they belonged to someone else. Someone that had died in that warehouse. My body had been rescued, but my mind never recovered.
The bus hissed and lurched as we started moving, but I kept my face buried in my sweatshirt. I could run, but I could never hide from my demons. Those would stay with me forever.
Kaivan
By the time I rolled into Atlanta, my ass was sore. It had been a while since I took that long a ride. Just another reminder that I was almost thirty. I tapped at my phone in the waterproof holder and made the image larger. The dot hadn’t moved for a few hours, and I zoomed in on the spot to get an accurate location. It was a motel, a good twenty minutes outside of downtown.
The time was eleven-eleven. She might be asleep or maybe paying off her ride. I quickly squashed that thought before it could take root and make me murderous.
Memorizing the directions, I took off and made it there faster than the map showed. I parked under a light near the office. The blinds were drawn, and a sign on the door said No Vacancy. This was a tough area, and I prayed that no one tried to steal my baby. If they did, I would put a piece of lead between someone’s eyes. I glanced up at the motel. Pulling my phone out, I zoomed in as close as possible and realized that she had to be walking outside or could walk through walls. All the doors faced the outside, so I hopped off the bike and began stalking my little dot to cut her off.
I still had no idea what the hell I was going to say to Raine. There really weren’t words to describe what had gone on between us or how to apologize for acting out of my mind.
“What the fuck?” I heard Raine’s distressed voice and grabbed the gun from the back of my jeans. “I said let go of me,” she snarled. I rounded the corner to see her pushed up against the soda machine by some guy wearing a dark hoodie. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t need to. I knew what he wanted from her. Money or sex, and sometimes both—it was always the same.
My lip lifted in a snarl. No one hurt Raine. No one but me, anyway.
She was quick and broke the jerk’s hold before rounding on him with a hard punch to the face. I smiled as she braced herself against the machine and kicked out with both feet. The guy grunted and stumbled back, almost landing on his ass. Raine glared at the guy, no one paying attention to the threat coming from the side.
“Bitch!”
“What the hell is wrong with the fucking male population?” She struck out and landed a couple more solid hits as he attempted to get close again. My heart soared with pride as the guy grabbed at his gut and narrowly missed the shot to his dick. That’s my Tink. Feisty to the core. “Can’t a girl just get a fucking drink without being harassed?”
“You fucking bitch!” The guy lunged at her, slamming her into the machine. She winced with the impact but snarled as she scratched at his face and kicked him in the gut.
“Fucking cunt,” the guy yelled as Rained continued to strike at him like a feral cat. This was really fucking hot, and there was no denying it as I adjusted myself that it turned me on. I wanted to see her kick his ass, but hoodie guy wrapped his hand around her throat and lifted his fist to strike her.
I growled like a dog as I stepped up beside him and shoved the gun into the side of his head hard enough that he tilted it to the side and froze. “No one touches what’s mine, but hit her and see what happens,” I said, keeping my voice low and threatening.
Raine’s eyes snapped to mine. Those beautiful blues looked worried—as worried as the guy at the end of my gun must look—but under that was shock.
“Let go of her now,” I ordered. His hand dropped, and he slowly lifted them both up. “If I didn’t already have an engagement tonight, I’d blow your fucking hand right off for touching her, so consider this your lucky night. Now turn toward the breezeway and run. Run like your ass is on fire before I change my mind and kill you anyway,” I said, shoving the guy’s head with the gun.
There was no hesitation as he turned toward the back of the motel and took off in a sprint through the gap separating the buildings, disappearing into the darkness. Dropping my gaze to Raine, her nostrils flared, and her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. She was pissed, and I was so here for it. God, I wanted her right there—looking at me just like that—up against the machine.
“What the hell are you doing here,” Raine asked and then hit the button on the vending machine. She’d obviously already paid, or they liked giving away free beverages, as the bottle tumbled before it was spat out the bottom. Whenever I saw a soda machine work, all I could think of was The Matrix. I was forever ruined.
“I thought it would be pretty obvious that I came to see you. I don’t make it a habit to wander around the seedy parts of Atlanta,” I said.
“Why not? I’m sure you skulk around other seedy places,” she quipped back as she bent over to grab her bottle.
“Ouch, you wound me,” I drawled, and she glared over her shoulder as she fought with the machine. I never understood why they made the slot so awkward to get your hand in. Raine’s ass was right in front of me, her hoodie riding up and showing off the string of her thong. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and grabbed her hip. My finger brushed against her bare skin, and all I could picture was ripping those jeans off her and fucking her just like that.
Spinning around, Raine smacked my hand, but all it did was encourage the fantasy playing out in my mind.
