Kat and Eric sat down together in his large study with double sliding doors just outside the living area.
Eric gestured towards one of the three desktop computers. “You drive.”
Kat had just logged into the police database when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” She ran to the door before Dominique could get there.
“Careful, baby. We don’t want you needing to take more time off. You’ve got to let it heal.”
“Okay, Mum. You’re right. I just feel good until I move my face.” Kat opened the door. “Hey, Brent. Thanks for coming. We were just about to check what happened to Adam.”
Tears glistened in Brent’s grey-blue eyes from behind his glasses. “It’s not enough. He needs to go to court, but whatever they do, it won’t be enough.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. Come in. Hopefully, he’s learned that girls hit back, and after a few months in jail, he’ll have either changed or will be too scared to do it again.”
Brent put his hand on her shoulder, “You’ve got such a big heart, Kat.” He looked at Dominique. “This must have been hell for you. I’ve got an idea to give the bast…bad man what he deserves without killing him.” Brent smiled, “Damon censors me even when he isn’t here. There’s a good chance he’s listening, though.”
Brent’s phone beeped. “More than a chance. What’s your idea? I can always kill him if it doesn’t work.”
“Jeez, Damon. Don’t send that on text. You never know who’s watching and listening,” Brent said instead of texting, knowing full well Damon could hear him. “I’ll clear it out of the system. No one’s tracking your phone at the moment, but that could change. Yeah, I’m paranoid. I invent ways to hack into everything, and I know I’m not the only one.”
“You’re the best, though. What’s your idea?” Damon texted.
“Embezzlement, terrorism, treason all get more time in prison than rape and assault. I could have him put away for years.”
Kat’s jaw dropped and her eyebrows raised a little. “Ow. You can do that?”
Brent winked and smiled. “Yeah, and I’ll teach you.”
Brent’s phone beeped again. “Teach her, but don’t do anything yet. Connor and I will be there in about an hour and a half when Dereck and Laura can look after the gym. See you soon.”
The doorbell rang in an hour twenty.
“Stay there, baby. I’ll get it.” Dominique ran to the door. “It’s so good to see you both. Please, come in.”
Connor hugged her. “You look like you’ve barely slept. We’ve got to look after you too.”
Dominique cocked her head. “And how much sleep did you get last night?” She turned to Damon, “I know you were awake during the night. We all need to look after each other.”
Connor chuckled. “I don’t get enough sleep and I look like a bus hit me.” He pointed to Damon, “he sleeps even less and looks like a movie star.”
Damon’s black eyes danced. “Who, Hannibal Lecter? Where’s Kat?”
“I’m here. Don’t get upset when you see me. I look like Sensei Connor’s bus brought some friends.” Kat stepped out of the study so they could see her.
Connor’s eyes filled with tears.
Damon’s didn’t. “There’s no swelling. That’s a good thing. When you can frown without it hurting, you’ll be able to start training again. When you can touch your face painlessly, you can wear makeup and come back to work. It’s really not the same without you.”
Kat smiled. “Thanks. I do miss work, but Dad and Brent are keeping me busy. It’s been really interesting.”
Brent came out with Eric and grinned at Damon. “I’d explain it to ya, but you wouldn’t get it.”
“As long as you three do, that’s all that matters.” Damon glanced at Connor. “We’ve been talking about your suggestion, and we’re not going to rule it out. It’s the step before me killing the bad guys. We think we should do it for all of them, not just Adam.”
“We think there should be a step before that,” Connor said and looked at Damon.
“Kat wants us to be the good guys. I think we all want that. We need to ensure they aren’t hurting anyone or planning to.” Damon looked at Brent. “I’ve used your night vision and a heap of other gadgets you’ve made. How can we know what they’re doing all the time without them knowing we’re spying on them?”
Brent beamed. “That is a job for me, but I’ll need some help with a few things, like breaking into their homes and installing cameras. We can also install listening and tracking devices into their cars. I can access all their phone calls, texts, social media, emails, bank records.” He turned to Kat and Eric. “I’ll teach you two how to do that.” He looked back to the group. “Can anyone break into cars?”
Damon nodded immediately. Both Connor and Eric raised their hands sheepishly.
Brent chuckled. “I’m not surprised about Damon at all. Probably part of your special ops training? I’m guessing just the dinosaurs. Adam’s car has a bit more technology.”
Damon nodded. “Dad taught me before that, but yeah and yeah.”
Brent smiled at Eric and Connor. “Aren’t you two dark horses. Connor, you’d be a bit too young for dinosaurs. Can you handle a bit of technology?”
“Dad had an old Monaro and locked the keys in it a couple of times. I can get in okay. I’ve never hotwired or anything,” Connor replied.
“We don’t need to drive them, just bug them. What about you, Eric?
Dominique blushed and hugged her husband.
Brent chuckled. “I feel a story coming on.”
Dominique smiled and her blue eyes looked wild. Both Connor and Brent could see how sexy the caring mum could actually be. “I liked the bad boy. There’s a big difference between bad boys and bad men. Eric has the brains to go with it. We’ve both settled down a lot since deciding to start a family. We wouldn’t want it any other way though, Kat.”
Brent looked at Eric. “Spill.”
“I used to race cars to pay my way through uni.”
Kat looked at her Dad. “But racing’s not illegal.”
“Drag racing is. I also stole a car once, but felt so guilty I returned it before they even knew. Filled it up with petrol and all.”
Brent laughed. “Bad boy with a heart of gold; perfect for our group. So dinosaurs too, hey?”
“Na. I can break into the Outlander. It locked itself once with the keys inside, and I had to pay a guy to get them out for me. I watched and learned and then I researched. Why pay someone when you can do it yourself?”
Brent beamed. “Exactly! That attitude will come in handy.”
Dominique put on her Mum voice, “Take a seat at the dining table and I’ll bring out some lunch. We can eat and plan at the same time.”
Eric parked out the front of Brent’s townhouse, about five minutes from Melbourne’s CBD.
“Great location,” Eric said as he got out of the car. Dominique and Kat followed him to the front door.
Brent opened the door before they got there. “Hey, guys. Come in. The bruising’s a lot lighter than it was yesterday, Kat. How does it feel?”
“I can do this without it hurting.” Kat stuck her thumbs in her ears, screwed up her face and stuck her tongue out.
Brent laughed. “Cool. Can you do this?” He cocked his head and stuck his tongue out to the other side.
Kat giggled and copied. “All good.”
Eric raised his eyebrows five times. “What about that?”
Kat did it. “Not a problem.”
“How about this?” Dominique wiggled her nose without touching it.
Kat shook her head and laughed. “I couldn’t do that before I broke my nose.” Kat looked at the security camera. “Did that tell you we were here, or did you hear us?”
“That’s just for show. I’ve got three micro cameras and sensors. Come in, and I’ll show you what happens when someone tries to break in.”
Brent typed a few things on his phone as Eric, the last
person, stepped inside. The front door slammed shut behind him. The door at the top of the stairs slammed shut at the same time, and all the roller shutters started going down. Within twenty seconds, they were in complete darkness.
“This happens whether they’re inside or out.” Brent pushed a button on his phone that turned the lights on. “If someone gets inside, they can’t get out, and they only have access to this level. That’s just my bedroom, lounge, kitchen and bathroom. They may actually need the bathroom after all this happens. There’s also a bathroom and kitchenette upstairs.”
“In case you get stuck up there?” Kat asked.
“Mmm, yes, but that’s not the real reason. Upstairs is where all the good things are. Come on, I’ll show you.” Brent typed into his phone again. The roller shutters started going up and the door at the top of the stairs opened. “It’s reinforced steel. They both are. There are a lot of things worth stealing up here, more for what they can do than what they’re worth, but they’d also be worth a bundle.”
Kat walked into the top floor just after Brent and almost forgot to walk forward, making Dominique and Eric stop on the steps. “Wow! Brent, this is amazing!”
“Step forward, princess. We want to see too,” Eric said from the stairs.
Kat walked into the room. “Sorry. Take a look at this room. I thought we had a lot of computers. Wow.”
“I’m officially jealous. This is computer geeks’ Heaven,” Eric said, absent-mindedly running his hand through his blond beard.
“Amen to that.” Brent pointed at the two large screens on facing walls. “They can show my monitors or the TV whichever I choose. They’re good for meetings or to watch a movie while I’m playing with my toys.” He turned one onto the TV but turned the sound down. He gestured towards six long, white benches. They had computers at each end and storage spaces in the middle that were locked with a fingerprint scanner and keypad. “I’ve got my gadgets and tools in there.” Brent typed in the code for one and took out a pair of night vision goggles. He passed them to Kat. “Have a look at these but don’t hurt your nose.”
Kat, Eric and Dominique took turns looking at different gadgets until Meredith Wright’s face graced the TV
“Turn it up, please, Brent?” Kat asked.
He looked at her parents who both nodded, and he typed something into his phone.
“A seventeen-year-old student from a prestigious Melbourne secondary college was found brutally beaten and sexually assaulted with an X carved into the left side of her face. She is in a stable condition in hospital. Please call this number if you have any information about this crime.” The screen displayed the telephone number.
18
Kat looked at her sports watch as she ran. “We’ve got a good pace going.”
Damon grinned. “I don’t need to look at a watch to tell you that. How’s your nose?”
“It doesn’t hurt at all. Just looks bad.”
“I’ll stretch with you when we get back to your place. Have a shower when I leave and try putting some makeup on. If you’d feel comfortable coming to work, we’d love to have you.”
Kat grabbed onto Damon’s arm as they ran. “Thank you, Sensei! I’d love to. I’ll be there for my seven thirty class, so Laura doesn’t have to take it. I should be okay to stay all day afterwards.”
Damon smiled. “We’ll see how you go. How are you feeling about that schoolgirl who was attacked?”
“Bad, but I didn’t have a panic attack. If the cops find him, can we spy on him when he gets out of jail? I’d hate him to do it to someone else.”
“So would we. Brent’s looked into the case already.” Damon beamed, “You’d never guess who the first police officers on the scene were.”
“Oh my God! Please tell me Constables Payne and Matthews?”
“That’s right. I’ve spoken with Gareth already. It hit them both pretty hard. I think Gareth’s worse than he’s letting on.”
Kat’s brow furrowed, but this time, it didn’t hurt. “I never actually thought how the cops and support people would feel. I mostly just related to the victims. I think we should try to help them too.”
“You’re right. They have counselling services, but we both know that isn’t enough. I’ll keep in contact with Gareth. I’m happy for you to look into the case, but you need to have someone with you, even if it’s me. Promise me. We can’t risk you having a panic attack or worse.”
“I promise I’ll have someone with me when I look into upsetting cases. Scarring her like that,” tears came to Kat’s eyes, “What a monster.”
Eric parked the Outlander outside the gym. “Have fun, princess.”
“Call us when you want to come home, baby. You look great.” Dominique jumped out of the car and gave Kat a quick hug.
“Thanks, Mum. I don’t think I’ve ever worn this much makeup.”
“You usually don’t need to. It covers the bruising nicely, though. Call us if it starts hurting.”
“Yes, Mum.” Kat saw Sasha getting out of her car. She was parked next to Sensei Lucas’s convertible Lexus. “I almost forgot it was Friday. They’re starting to arrive. I better head to class. Love you both.”
Sasha looked at Kat and straightened her hair as they were both about to walk into the gym. “Who are you so dolled up for?”
Kat stood up even straighter. “Worried about the competition?”
Sasha shied away a little, not expecting a comeback like that. “Um.”
Kat smiled, no longer feeling threatened. “Don’t worry. I’m not chasing anyone. Just had an incident in karate. I let an attack get in when I shouldn’t have.”
“Oh. Is that why Laura took your classes? I thought it had something to do with your course. Laura’s great but,” Sasha dropped her head so she didn’t have to look Kat in the eyes, “We missed your classes. You’ll be okay to teach them today, won’t you?”
Kat smiled. “Definitely. We better hurry up.”
Connor beamed when Kat walked in. “Looking good, Kat.”
Damon smiled and nodded in approval, showing off his dimples. “Yeah, you scrub up okay. You better head down there. You were definitely missed. I’ll get Laura to join you before the class starts.”
Kat beamed, “Thank you, Senseis,” and ran down the stairs with Sasha running to keep up.
“I thought you got assessed on Tuesday. Why does Laura still need to supervise? Your classes are great. I don’t know how they could’ve failed you.”
Oh, fuck. “Um, it happened before my assessment.”
“When? I left at the same time as you on Monday night and you didn’t come in Tuesday morning. Did your Dad hit you?”
“Oh, God no! Nothing like that. Quick, come into the aerobics room.” Kat closed the door behind them and walked to the front of the room, near the stereo. “Adam turned up uninvited ten minutes before my exam. I got angry and asked him to leave. I thought he had. I went to the bathroom to calm my nerves before I taught the class, and he took me by surprise. I got a broken nose which doesn’t look too bad, but the black eyes that went with it do.”
“Oh my God! He broke your nose and punched you in both eyes? He didn’t…”
“Na. I stopped him before it came to that. He only got my nose, but my broken nose caused two black eyes; yay.”
“Oh, wow. Are you okay? I missed your classes, but if you’re not up to it. Did you tell the police?”
Kat nodded. “Yeah, they took him away. I’m okay to teach. Three days feels like forever.”
Sasha smiled. “For us too. What can I do to help?”
Kat grinned. “Open the door. There’s bound to be a line-up.”
Sasha giggled, “Oh yeah, for sure,” and ran to the door.
Kat walked up the stairs with Lucas, Damon and Connor after doing some extra training after Lucas’s mid-morning class.
Laura smiled at Kat. “Trina called. The two girls you were going to get assessed with weren’t feeling up to being assessed on Tuesday. They’re happ
y to come here when you’re up to it or you could all go to the college.”
“I don’t want to put everyone out. I’ll go to the college. Georgina would feel more comfortable there than here. She’s really nervous. I think it’d be good for me too. Getting back on the horse type thing. You’re still up to taking the classes?”
Laura put her hand on her tummy. “We’ll be fine. I think it’ll be good for you.”
Sasha had been standing with a group of girls and listening into the conversation. She had Fridays off uni and usually spent most of the day at the gym. She took a few fast steps towards Kat. “You look after yourself. Just one day, okay?”
Kat grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” Her face became sincere, “Thank you.”
Sasha stared at the man walking in. “Who is he? He’s not perfect looking like you three,” she pointed towards Damon, Lucas and Connor, “but he’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Damon chuckled. “Only you’d say that in front of us, Sasha.” He turned to his dad and grinned, “We’re off the hook.”
“Well, if you weren’t gay, married or won’t date anyone at work…” She met the newcomer on his way over to Damon. “Hi, I’m Sasha.” She pushed her breasts out and licked her lips.
Gareth showed her his wedding ring. “Oh, baby, if I weren’t married…” He looked her up and down with approval and continued walking to Damon and Kat. “How are you, Kitty Kat? I guess the makeup’s covering your bruises?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Kat looked at the dark circles under his eyes and knew he hadn’t slept for ages. “Your eyes look almost as bad as mine. Are they because of the schoolgirl’s case?”
“Yeah. That’s part of why I’m here. I wanted to check up on you for myself. Rambo said you were okay, and you appear to be. I’ve got a huge favour to ask.”
“What is it?” Kat asked.
“It’s a big ask, but I want you to meet Sheridan, the girl who was attacked. She feels all alone and helpless. I think meeting you and seeing how well Emily Jones is doing would give her what she needs to get through this.”
Our Cause (Let the Monsters Live in Fear Book 1) Page 14
