Afterlife by Joey W. Hill Page B

needed to hear it,
    needed to write it on
    every mirror in her house, to remind
    her of the way it had
    felt, the way it al felt. “‘Stupid bitch
    wanted a man to beat
    her like a dog, and then chickened
    out. I’d have left her
    there.’”
    Drawing a breath, she straightened in
    the chair, though
    every bone in her body wanted to
    slump in defeated
    dejection. But she managed to sound
    calm, meet his gaze.
    “I have no desire to expose my life to
    public ridicule, and
    this is the kind of story that court
    reporters love to stumble
    upon, don’t they?”
    Leland’s eyes had flashed, his glance
    snapping toward
    the exact two female cops, alarming
    her. But registering her
    tension, he spoke mildly, his
    shoulders easing a fraction.
    “They shouldn’t have said that. It’s
    just that a lot of people
    don’t understand what it is you’re
    seeking.”
    She nodded wearily and rose,
    fumbling for her purse. “I’m
    one of them.” Drawing her pride
    around her as best she
    could, she extended a hand. “Thank
    you for your help,
    Sergeant Kel er. I don’t care to file
    charges, and you won’t
    need to rescue me from such a place
    again. I can promise
    you that.”
    He rose as wel , clasping her hand
    rather than shaking it.
    He had golden-brown hair to go with
    those golden-brown
    eyes. He reminded her of a bear. A
    handsome, appealing
    bear, capable of impressive ferocity
    but also tenderness,
    like his touch now.
    “I’ve tucked my card in your purse. If
    you need anything,
    or reconsider, you give me a cal .”
    She nodded again, but she was
    already pul ing away.
    The need to get to her haven, to close
    the door on the
    whole world, was a steady cord
    reeling her toward home.
    She’d take a couple days off, have
    her backups fil in for her
    appointments and classes. She’d give
    herself forty-eight
    hours under the covers, with the
    drone of daytime TV and
    the stifled sound of her own sobs,
    and she’d pul it together
    again.
    Then she’d renew her personal vow
    to herself. She’d
    never, ever go down this road again.
    She’d known better
    from the beginning.
    * * * * *
    After the pretty blonde left, Leland
    sat back down at his
    desk. It wasn’t exactly protocol to go
    through a victim’s
    purse, but when he’d tucked his card
    into the side pocket,
    he’d seen another card. He’d been
    bothered by her broken
    admission that there was no one else
    in her life, and so
    he’d sneaked a glance. After tonight’s
    events, it was the
    last name he would have expected to
    see there. When he
    dialed the number, Jon picked up
    before the second ring
    finished.
    “Leland. What the hel ? You know
    it’s one in the morning,
    right?”
    “Don’t hand me that shit. You’re in
    that mad scientist
    home laboratory of yours, breaking al
    sorts of hazardous
    material laws to figure out how to
    turn the universe inside
    out. Or tuning up a device to give a
    woman so many
    orgasms in one go you’l never lack
    for pussy again.”
    “Been there, done that.”
    “Oh yeah? Which one?”
    “Both, of course. What’s your excuse
    for being at work so
    late? Shouldn’t you be in that dump
    apartment of yours,
    drinking your once-a-night beer and
    eating your
    convenience store nacho package
    before you go to sleep
    to ESPN recaps? Can’t imagine why
    some woman hasn’t
    snapped your exciting ass right up.”
    “Blow me. No, I’m up because I just
    pul ed a woman out
    of a tricky situation. A woman
    carrying your card in her
    purse. Rachel Madison?”
    Jon’s tone went from lazy insult to
    sharp attention, a knife
    striking stone. “Is she al right? Where
    is she?”
    “She’s fine. Gone home and wil
    likely sleep it off.” After a
    considering pause, Leland gave him
    the immediate details.
    There was the code he observed as a
    cop, and the code
    he observed as a Dom, and he didn’t
    mind bending the
    rules a bit in either direction when it
    made sense. When it
    was to protect someone who
    obviously