“You sure?” I ask, cupping her face.
“Positive, and I really need about thirty minutes of sleep right now.”
“Ok. Well, let me grab a table from my room so you can push it up against the door until I get back.”
“Ok. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Always. You know I’m always going to protect what’s mine.”
“Which is exactly what I am.”
I give her a kiss and grab the table from my room, then show her how to prop it against the door. “Be right back, with a six pack of chalupas, Mexican pizza, and horchata if they sell it.”
“What’s horchata?”
“Heaven in a glass.”
“You’re heaven in a glass, my tall drink of milk,” she paws at the air like a cat and I know when I get back and after we eat we’re not going to be getting any additional sleep. No problem, we can catch some on the flight.
I head outside, getting on my motorcycle and my fists tighten around the handlebars more than they should as my mind flashes back to her packing those self-defense items. I want to find that guy who put fear into her and pummel my fists into his face, and I will. But first I need to keep my cool and get us both to safety. Then I can use my skills from my police days to take care of that guy. Shouldn’t be hard once she tells me the name of the school where he works.
Still, it needs to be done quickly. With Diana out of his sights he’s almost surely focusing on other girls at this point. The thought of him stalking anyone, especially my woman, makes me question some people’s humanity.
But I’ll never question my own thoughts, my own rage. I know once we’re face to face I will end him. I’m not putting him in jail to the tune of eight-five to one hundred and twenty-five thousand in taxpayer money each year. Screw that.
I’ll save the taxpayers money, and save more families grief in the process. There’s a reason pedophiles face swift retribution on the inside, but he’s not even going to make it that far.
I breath out hard, realizing I’m stewing over this. I need to get to Taco Bell and get back. My woman is up there by herself and I don’t like it. I’m tired, hungry, and I need something in my belly before my mind goes to an angry place. This day is all about happiness. We’re getting enough money to set us up for life and we’re getting out of here, leaving all our worries, and this dump of an apartment complex, behind.
I hit the gas and take off for the food. I shake my head laughing. It’s crazy how angry being away from her makes me. Thankfully thoughts of her fill my head and everything is ok again. I just need to get to the drive-thru and get back to my baby girl, and then everything will be alright.
16
Diana
“Who is it?” I tease, after three knocks on the door.
“Chalupa delivery,” he says, and I slide the table back and look through the peephole where I see a chalupa wrapper.
I clap my hands together a few times, and quickly open the door, but before I can even get it halfway open it slams into my arms and sends me flying backward, my butt landing squarely on the floor.
“Hey there, lover girl. You have a nice holiday in the mountains?”
Sergeant Epstein.
Goosebumps cover my body as I try and make sense of what’s happening. He’s pointing a gun at me with his right hand and holding a Google image of a Chalupa wrapper on his phone in the other…the one he held up to the peephole.
“You know, for an ex-cop you’d think your little boyfriend would be a little less predictable. Only thing that would have been more obvious would have been if he went to the diner to get coffee and donuts, but I already beat him to it.”
“I can scream and you won’t make it out of the building.”
“You can scream and you can die, and you know the cops aren’t going to show up in this neighborhood. Hell, I doubt a gunshot would even wake anyone, especially considering the silencer I’ve got attached to this little peacemaker. And not only that, I’m a cop.” He tips his head back and literally laughs like a villain in every movie ever. And I thought that was just an effect Hollywood used. “You think anyone’s going to believe your story over mine. An orphan versus a well-loved cop?”
“Daniel will be back soon.”
“Oh, I’m counting on that. See, once I get what I want from you then I get what a bunch of other cops want from him…to finish off that little snitch. Two birds with one stone.”
He quietly shuts the door behind him, locking it, before slowly moving over to my duffel bag…his grimy hands rifling through my things.