by Janet Leigh
“That was good thinking.”
“Then he had a few words to say to me aboot the way I should be treating my girlfriend.”
Jeez, Eli ever protecting his baby sister. “Sorry, he’s my brother.”
“I told him he was right, and we’re meeting for a brew next week.”
“You did?”
“Aye, and now I’ll be needin’ ye to get oot of those panties.”
Oh my gosh!
We waited in the shadows for Mr. Creepy. Ace returned and let us know Mr. Crane had nabbed Gertie as planned, and she was out cold because he shot her up with the sedative. He was parking his car around back.
When Mr. Creepy brought Gertie in through the back door, I pressed tightly to the wall. I had returned to my blue scrubs, thankful I was no longer on display. His scent carried through the clinic, and I heard Ace groan from across the room in disgust. He laid Gertie on the floor, as if she was an afterthought to his murderous ways.
I heard him say out loud, “I’m going to kill the blond slut first and save the redhead for dessert.”
My stomach churned, and Caiyan let out a low, deep growl next to me. We had Aunt Itty return to the storage room in case he checked in on his other two hostages before coming for the kill. Mr. Crane was humming as he waddled down the hall and opened the door to the room where he had previously held me captive. He flipped on the light switch and stepped forward as his eyes adjusted to the light.
“What the hell?” he shouted as Caiyan moved from the shadows, pointing a gun at Mr. Crane’s head.
“I thought this might be more to yer taste.” Caiyan cut his eyes toward an unconscious Mitchell, who was now strapped down to the table wearing my Victoria’s Secret bra and panties. Mr. Crane’s eyes narrowed, and his face turned as red as a vine-ripe tomato.
Ace moved in from behind and jabbed a syringe into his neck. “Sweet dreams, lover boy.”
Mr. Crane swatted at the air in front of Caiyan before passing out face-first on the floor.
“He’s a big, smelly one,” Ace said.
Aunt Itty came in and gave Ace a peck on the cheek. “Such a good lad.”
“Aw, thanks, Auntie.” Ace put an arm around her.
Caiyan raised his palms up as if to say, What about me?
“You have caused much trouble this moon cycle,” Aunt Itty said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You will have to do more than a simple rescue to earn your kisses.”
“I’ve caused trouble? Bloody hell if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black.” Caiyan stood in his black leather jacket, white button-down, and jeans, hands on hips, staring at Aunt Itty.
“What now?” I asked, looking down at the enormous figure passed out on the floor.
“Let’s help Jen get Gertie in her vessel,” Caiyan said.
“Sure thing,” Ace said, glancing down at Mr. Crane. “I gave him enough tranquilizer to sedate an elephant. He’s going to be out for a while.”
“That’s good, considering what I have planned for him,” Caiyan said, rubbing his palms together. “Aunt Itty, are you OK to travel alone?”
“I’m fine, dear. Nothing a spot of tea won’t cure.”
Caiyan carried Gertie outside and loaded her into my vessel. I raised an eyebrow, and he promised to stop by and check on me after he was done. Aunt Itty left with a backfire and a cloud of smoke. He leaned in and kissed me. “See ye in a bit.”
Gertie was almost awake by the time we landed at home. I helped her into the house and sat her at the table while I fixed us both a cup of tea. Aunt Itty suggested oolong was the best tea to detox the body. She was still groggy as I explained the events of the night.
“I can’t believe I missed everything,” Gertie said as she took a sip of her tea. “The only thing I can remember was the bartender giving me a note to meet my Sweetie Swipe in the parking lot.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I know that was stupid.” Gertie made a gun with her fingers and put it to her head. “But he was super cute in the picture.”
We drank our tea in silence as we thought about almost being killed twice by the Bus Stop Killer. My hands were still a little shaky when Caiyan arrived after midnight. Gertie had gone to bed, complaining about a putrid smell she couldn’t get rid of, even after her shower. I agreed the stench of Mr. Crane would be around for quite some time.
I opened the sliding door for Caiyan. He handed me the keys to my car.
“I drove it back for you,” he said, a small smile curling at the ends of his mouth. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his hair was unusually disheveled, even for him. He looked “worn ass out,” as Mamma Bea would say.
“What did you do?” I asked Caiyan, handing him a beer from the fridge. He drank with gratitude and sat down on the couch. He smelled of leather and cinnamon. The urge to crawl into his lap was almost too difficult to resist. Instead, I sat down next to him and waited for him to tell me what happened to creepy Mr. Crane.
“Well, lassie, we guaranteed Mr. Crane would be back in jail for a very long time, and Mitchell Mafuso won’t be bothering ye, either.” He took a long pull on his beer, as if to wash down all the stress of the last two months. He retrieved his cell out of his jacket and showed me pictures he took of Mr. Crane in a few compromising positions with Mitchell.
“What does this mean?” I asked, scrolling through about twenty photos.
“It means,” he said, taking his phone from me, “we made a deal. Mitchell is going to testify that the fat man was using him for child porn. I mean the kid’s only sixteen, so the charges should stick. We placed a few more websites and pictures on the guy’s home and office computers, ye know, just to make things look legit.”
“You framed him?”
“Aye.” He took another long drink of the beer.
“What does Mitchell get in return?” I asked cautiously.
Caiyan paused, and I could tell it was something important. “He gets a key.”
“Which key? The thunder?” I thought of the key Brodie had brought back from his latest travel.
Caiyan shook his head and looked down at his beer bottle. “No, mine.”
I reached over and pulled his shirt collar aside. His key was gone.
“You gave up your key for me?” My gut twisted into knots. I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill onto my cheeks. How was Caiyan going to travel? This life defined him. He was a defender, and a damn good one.
“Aye, the key now and my vessel after the bastard has been sentenced to life in prison.”
“Your vessel?” I stood and slammed my hands down on the sides of my legs in anger and frustration.
He shrugged. “That was the deal. The key and the vessel were born together. The key will work with other vessels, but it’s never the same as having the original.” He came over to me and put his arms around me. “It was worth it. Besides, the little fucker will probably screw up, and I’ll be takin’ it back from him.”
“Why can’t we just give him the thunder key?”
“The WTF has secured it, and I doubt they would give it away, especially to such scoundrels as the Mafusos.”
“How will you travel?” I asked, and a small tear slipped down my cheek for what he had given up for me.
“Well, I will probably be grounded for a while.” He smiled, wiping away my tear with his thumb. “It should give me some time to get caught up with all my real jobs and help Campy get adjusted to his new school.”
“You’ll have to fly on an airplane to visit me.”
“I will, aye, but well, ye will just have to come visit me. Ye ken?”
“I don’t know where you live.” The dam broke, and the tears flowed like a river to a spring.
“Maybe we can go on a date.” He chuckled, and I wiped away my sadness with the palm of my hand.
&n
bsp; I laughed through tears. “A real date?”
“Aye, it’s time I turned over a new leaf,” Caiyan said, raking a hand through his hair. “Maybe try taking ye out to a fancy restaurant instead of taking off yer clothes. I can dress to impress, ye know. I’m not just a piece of meat to be feasted on by all the lassies.”
Here was my pudding. I wanted proof that he meant it when he said he loved me, and in the world of time travel, there was no greater sacrifice than giving up your key and your vessel. He wanted to go on a real date. I couldn’t wait to find out what that was like. No hidden agendas, no brigands, no sex to complicate everything.
Let’s not get crazy, my inner voice chided.
“It’s too bad you’re turning over a new leaf because I was hoping to show you the new Victoria’s Secret line tonight.”
He scooped me up and headed toward my vessel.
“Where are we going?” I asked, laughing and knowing full well I was about to slip on a pair of shoes that might leave a blister.
“Only time will tell.”
—The End—
About the Author
Janet Leigh was born in Garland, Texas, and has remained a loyal Texas native her entire life. After practicing chiropractic for twenty years, she decided to write her own novel. She began taking writing classes at night and eventually published her literary debut, The Shoes Come First, a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. Today, she is a full-time chiropractor and acupuncturist who splits her time between seeing patients and working on her next Jennifer Cloud novel.
Leigh lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, three children, one mean cat, and a dog with allergies. After working all day, chauffeuring kids around, and writing at every opportunity, she enjoys relaxing with a funny romance or mystery novel. Her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, Leigh Michaels, Diana Gabaldon, John Grisham, and for those times when she needs a good cry, Nicholas Sparks.
Visit Janet Leigh at HYPERLINK “http://www.Janetleighbooks.com” www.Janetleighbooks.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Janetleighbooks.
