“I doubt this clown will be moving, but if you’ll allow me, I’ll cuff the prick for you.” Nick looked closely at the officer’s eyes, trying to determine the patrolman’s state of consciousness.
Not in a condition to question his savior, the officer nodded slightly, and turned to allow Nick access to his handcuffs. Nick took them out of the pouch at the patrolman’s belt and went over to flip the bearded man over on his face, dragging the man’s hands behind his back and expertly cuffing him. Nick leaned down and wiped the cuffs with his windbreaker before returning to the patrolman.
“I have to leave. Will you be okay?”
“Tha…thank you…they…they just watched. He had my…gun…I -”
“Easy now,” Nick soothed, holding his hand up in front of the officer’s eyes. “Keep your focus. Did you get this called in?”
“No…I didn’t have time, he -”
“I’ll get it.” Nick noted the officer’s name was Tomlinson. He opened the driver’s side door, reached in with his windbreaker-covered right hand and called in an ‘officer down’ call, naming Tomlinson.
Nick left the driver’s door open and leaned over to Tomlinson again. He saw some clarity returning to the patrolman’s eyes. “Help’s on the way. Want me to kick the sucker on my way by for you?”
In spite of his painful condition, Tomlinson grinned a little, but shook his head slightly.
Nick ran off, ignoring the mixture of cheers and accusations, while he ran for the Malibu parked ahead. He ripped open the passenger door and dived in.
“Go, go, go,” Nick ordered Rachel.
Rachel spun the wheels slightly, kicking up dirt and loose gravel getting onto the road again. In minutes she had the Malibu on the freeway heading East, with Nick watching for possible looky-loos following them from the scene. Nick stripped off the windbreaker. He was drenched in sweat, and leaned back in the seat taking slow, deep breaths while enjoying the blast of cold air from the vents.
“I…I was wrong, Nick.” Rachel gripped the steering wheel stiffly. “That guy was a monster. He’d have killed me…and…I saw all the cameras. If -”
“You were right,” Nick interrupted, thinking of Tomlinson’s smashed face. “You made me do what was right and I don’t often know what’s right anymore. He would’ve killed the cop.”
Suddenly remembering Jean, Nick whipped around in his seat, peering back at the little girl appraisingly. “I don’t suppose you looked away as your Mom drove by, did you?”
“Nope,” Jean replied with a mixture of fear and awe. “Did you kill that guy?”
“No, but he ain’t happy.”
Jean giggled.
“Great.” Nick sighed, turning to the front again. “Another psycho in training.”
Chapter Seven
“Holy crap, Nick, this is yours too?”
Nick chuckled at Rachel’s tone as he drove the Chevy up into the driveway of a two story brownstone with an arched, extended stone patio entranceway. He left the car, ran over to the keypad at the entranceway and then reentered the Malibu. It was nearly three in the morning. They had stopped as infrequently as possible after the incident in Bakersfield and interacted with no one. Nick triggered the garage door with a remote he took out of his glove compartment. A late model black Cadillac Escalade could be seen shining in the lights which came on as the garage door opened. Nick parked the Malibu next to the Cadillac and used his remote to close the garage door. He shut off the engine and leaned back rubbing his eyes.
“Sorry we had to drive straight through like that.”
Rachel glanced back at Jean, whose head rested against a pillow, mouth hanging open in sleep, with Deke across her lap. “It was fine. Those two have been dozing on and off for the last few hours. Do you have this house furnished?”
“Yep. It may be dusty though. I only get out this way a couple times a year. It gets hotter here than in Pleasanton, so other than stopping in to check everything over, I really don’t visit very often. I pay the bills through an on-line PayPal account, so everything’s on and working. Want me to carry Jean in?”
“No, she needs to get ready for bed anyhow,” Rachel replied as they both exited the Chevy. “Do you have a backyard for Deke?”
“Yes, but it’s a stone yard, a lot like the front. Water is in short supply out here, and other than cactus plants, you can’t trust much to grow without everyday care. I’ll get the bags and let Deke out. You go ahead and get Jean up and moving.”
Deke was ready and leaped out over the suitcases on the backseat the moment Nick opened the car’s rear passenger area. Nick led the dog through a door he unbolted, opening into a stone patterned area, graced with only resilient desert plants as landscaping. A six foot security fence ringed the large rear of the property. Nick left the door open and went over to unlock the garage entrance to the house interior for Rachel and a yawning Jean. He switched on lights as he led them inside. Nick paused in the huge living room and pointed to the stairs.
“The bedrooms and big bath are upstairs. Take any room that suits you. I’ll get the bags.”
“Nick… thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Wonder Woman, the adventure continues.” Nick waved her off on the way back to the garage.
Rachel woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, her heart thumping. She looked around the bedroom, furnished in western fashion with a dark oak dressing table, nightstands, dresser and headboard. The matching blinds only let in a small amount of light. The alarm clock on the nightstand read 10:45 AM. Remembering their journey out of California, Rachel hurriedly went to check on Jean and found her still fast asleep. After stopping in the bathroom and putting on a light robe, Rachel went downstairs. Nick was sitting at the kitchen table typing on his notebook computer. He wore only a sleeveless gray t-shirt and jeans. Not for the first time did Rachel feel a familiar warmth flow over her, looking at this man who killed people for a living. I must be nuts.
“Good morning.” Nick smiled up at her.
Deke grunted at Rachel from where he lay near Nick.
“You look like you’ve been up a while,” Rachel noted, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring a cup for herself. “I see traitor-dog came down with you.”
“All this adventure inspired me.” Nick chuckled at her reference to Deke. “I decided to get a few thousand words down on my new novel. If I run out of steam later I’ll take a nap.”
“Psychos take naps?”
“You have to be careful taunting psychos in the morning,” Nick told her, getting up and moving as close to Rachel as the cup she held allowed.
“Is that a threat?” Rachel met Nick’s eyes questioningly as she set aside her cup. “When did you go to bed this morning?”
“About four,” Nick answered, undoing her robe and spreading it out. Rachel wore only a bra and panties underneath. Rachel shivered as Nick put his hands on her sides. “I had to take a shower after the workout I got in Bakersfield.”
“Are you writing another Diego novel?” Rachel asked, her heart speeding up into the danger zone. Nick gently stroked his hands up and down her sides slowly. She could tell he liked the shortness of breath his ministrations caused.