Marking Time (WeHo Series Book 4)

by Sherryl D. Hancock

  Raine was just getting onto the freeway when she noticed the red Honda following far too closely. It wasn’t out of the ordinary, because asshole drivers did it all the time, but the fact that it was a red Honda. Raine changed lanes, glancing back, seeing that the windows were all dark, even the windshield had a tint. It wasn’t a good sign. The Honda changed lanes too, getting behind her again and edging ever closer.

  Raine glanced around her. In front of her traffic was flowing well, no slowdown to keep her speed down. There was a few big rigs on the road, she made note of where they were in the lane. She heard the whine of an engine being pushed and glanced in her mirror to see that the Honda was inching closer still.

  Before it happened, Raine knew where it would come from. The Honda’s engine gunned once more, and right as it caught up, veered over into the other lane, and then just the slightest tap to Raine’s back tire. Raine tried to veer before the car made contact, but she wasn’t fast enough. The bike wobbled and she fought it to keep it up right, feeling it starting to slide and go down. Knowing she couldn’t get caught under it, over 500 pounds of bike on her leg would crush it. Praying that the Honda didn’t decide to finish the job by hitting her too, she let go of the bike, letting it go down, as she tumbled onto the pavement. Inside her helmet she shut her eyes, because she had no control over what happened now. She felt the her helmet hit the pavement, and saw stars instantly as the pain exploded in her head. Reaching a hand out to try and stop her forward motion, she realized too late that it was a bad idea. She yanked her arm up as the skin was ripped off her forearm, that’s when she saw red and thought for sure that the Honda was indeed going to hit her now. Damnit! Was the last thing she thought before everything went dark.

  Raine came to in the ambulance, she heard the EMT saying something about helmets. Her head hurt too much to focus on what was being said. She blacked out again, thinking that someone needed to turn that damned siren off…

  “Jesus…” Cat said, seeing the wreckage of the Shadow.

  “Yeah, that’s never pretty,” said the patrol officer who’d been the first on the scene.

  Cat nodded. The Shadow was a hulk of twisted metal. Cat heard a shriek and turned just in time to catch Natalia who had lunged toward the wreck.

  “Woah!” Cat yelled, trying to get through to the girl who was crying hysterically and trying to wiggle out of Cat’s grasp her eyes glued to what was left of the Shadow. “Natalia! Hold on!” Cat yelled, having to use all of her strength to detain the smaller girl, who was actually solid muscle, even if it was lean muscle. It was everything Cat could do to hold on to her.

  “Ella esta murete?” Natalia was asking, her voice stricken.

  “No, she’s not dead,” Cat answered, knowing enough Spanish to understand what Natalia was saying. “She was taken to the hospital and I’m going to take you there now, okay?”

  Natalia had to tear her eyes away from the wreckage, she looked at Cat with tears streaming down her cheeks, finally nodding as what Cat had just said sunk in.

  The drive to the hospital was quick, and Natalia looked terrified the entire time. At one point, Cat reached over taking Natalia’s hand in hers, squeezing it gently. She knew what it was like to be afraid someone you loved was dying as you were trying to get to the hospital. Cat had experienced that with Kana, and then had experienced worse when her ex-girlfriend had been taken, she had no idea what condition they’d recover her in or if she’d be alive at all.

  At the hospital, Cat left her car in the front of the Emergency Room and walked Natalia in, she went straight to the front counter.

  “An officer of mine was brought in, her name is Raine Mason, she was in a motorcycle accident. I need to know where she is.”

  “Are you family?” The woman asked.

  “Yes, yes I am,” Cat said, winking over at Natalia. Thinking to herself, Did you hear what I said at all?

  “She’s in bed one twenty-four, the doctor is in with her now.” The woman said.

  Cat took Natalia’s hand and lead her down the hallway, looking for the right bed number. They came to the curtained off area that signified bed 124. Cat took a deep breath and pulled open the curtain. She just about passed out in relief to see Raine sitting on the bed, with a bandage on her arm and some scrapes and bruises. She wasn’t hooked up to any machines or monitors.

  Raine turned her head, grimacing as she did, but smiling at Natalia and Cat.

  “Raine!” Natalia said, running straight over to Raine, and into Raine’s arms.

  “I’m okay, honey, I’m okay,” she said over and over, hugging Natalia to her as the other girl cried.

  Cat looked at the doctor, “How’s my girl?” he asked him.

  The doctor looked confused for a moment, Cat pulled her badge out of her pocket, “She works for me.” She told him.

  The doctor nodded, adjusting his glasses, “Ms. Mason will be just fine, she’s suffered a concussion from the blow to the head when hitting the ground, but her helmet saved her life. She has some contusions and abrasions, but other than that she will be just fine.”

  “Thanks, doc,” Cat said, smiling at him.

  The doctor left the room and Cat walked over to Raine, extending her hand to the other woman.

  “Good to see you alive,” Cat said.

  “Thanks.” Raine said, grinning.

  “Your bike is trashed though.” Cat said.

  Raine nodded, “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

  “Raine, I got a phone call, it was a threat…”

  Raine looked back at Natalia, “It was Julie,” she said simply.

  “You’re sure?” Natalia asked, still unable to believe Julie would go this far.

  “I know,” Raine said, “It was her red Honda,” she said, looking over at Cat, “I checked her out after that incident with her friend Jake. She has a red Honda Accord, model year nineteen ninety-nine, plate number would be three D X A seven six five. Check it out, it should have some blue paint on it from the contact she made with my back fender.”

  Cat nodded, looking pleased as she pulled out her phone and walked toward the curtain to leave them alone.

  “I was so scared,” Natalia said, looked up at Raine, still standing in the circle of her arms.

  “Well, there’s no reason to be scared now, I’m okay.” Raine said.

  “She could have killed you!” Natalia exclaimed, her voice forceful.

  “I know, honey, but she didn’t, and that’s what counts.”

  Natalia breathed a frustrated sigh, “I can’t believe she did that…” she said, shaking her head.

  “It does seem like a kind of crazy thing to do,” Raine agreed, “Maybe she just doesn’t like to lose.”

  “She had to believe that it would kill you,” Natalia said, “How could she not?”

  Raine could see Natalia wrestling with the thoughts as they came to her. She waited, knowing there was nothing she could say. Then she saw it click in Natalia’s head.

  “She was trying to kill you.” Natalia breathed, her eyes widening in shock.

  Raine’s look confirmed what she’d said.

  “You knew that.” Natalia said.

  “Yeah, I knew that,” Raine confirmed, “You don’t tap someone on a motorcycle like that if you don’t expect them to end up dead. She was counting on it and she was counting on it looking like an accident.”

  “But you ‘checked on her’?” Natalia asked.

  “Yeah, I ran her through CLETS, you should know that she’s had more than one restraining order against her by ex-girlfriends. I was also able to find out what vehicles she owns. That’s how I knew about the Honda.”

  “She’s had restraining orders against her?” Natalia asked, paling slightly.

  “Yeah…” Raine said, nodding.

  Cat walked back into the area again, still on her phone, but nodding in affirmation to whoever she was talking to.

  “Great, thank you,” she said, hanging up. “They picked Julie up, she’s claimin
g she knows nothing about the attack.”

  “Of course she is,” Raine said. “Did they get the car?”

  Cat shook her head, “She ditched it somewhere,” she said, “We’ll find it, don’t worry.”

  Raine nodded, “She wasn’t counting on me still being alive to tell anyone anything, but she’s smarter than I thought.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cat said, “You go home and get some rest. I’ve got an officer outside to drive you.”

  Raine nodded, moving to stand.

  An hour later, Raine lay on the bed in their apartment. She hurt literally everywhere and honestly felt like she’d been hit by a truck. The hospital had sent her home with painkillers, but she was resisting taking them, she’d hated the way pain killers had made her feel after the explosion. Natalia walked into the bedroom, seeing Raine laying on the bed. Her eyes took in the beauty of this woman she had almost lost that day. Her rich red hair was loose around her, a rare occasion, only because Raine said the weight of it in a ponytail was making her head hurt more. She was wearing the barest amount of clothing, a black exercise bra and shorts. The bruises and scrapes were evident on her body, one arm was bandaged where her jacket had ripped away allowing the pavement to slice open her arm.

  It amazed Natalia that Raine was okay, having seen the wreck her bike had been in, she’d been convinced that Raine would either be dead, or seriously injured. She’d expected to arrive at the hospital to have to wait for hours and hours while Raine was in surgery. The last thing she’d expected to find was Raine sitting up, looking almost completely normal.

  Walking over to the bed, she saw Raine open her light blue eyes.

  “How are you?” Natalia asked, handing Raine the water she’d asked for.

  “My head hurts,” Raine said, “Well, technically everything hurts right now.”

  Natalia grimaced, “Did you take one of those?” she asked pointing at the bottle of pills from the hospital.

  Raine shook her head.

  “Por que no?” Natalia asked, wanting to know why not.

  “I don’t like how they make me feel,” Raine said.

  “They should make it so you don’t hurt anymore.” Natalia said gently.

  Raine still looked hesitant.

  “How did they make you feel?” Natalia asked, trying to approach the subject from a different angle.

  “Like I was out of control,” Raine said, “Too out of it to do anything.”

  “What do you need to do?” Natalia asked.

  Raine shook her head, indicating that Natalia didn’t understand, “It’s not that, it’s that I don’t feel safe when I’m like that.”

  “Safe from what?” Natalia asked.

  Raine didn’t answer, she just shook her head again.

  Natalia touched her cheek, her eyes looking up into Raine’s “I am here with you,” she said softly, “You are safe.”

  Raine looked back at her, her eyes searching, “But Julie…”

  “Is in jail, remember?” Natalia said.

  “But her friends,” Raine said then.

  “I will stay right here with you, I won’t leave the apartment.” Natalia said, “So nothing can happen to me. Okay, baby? Please take one of these so you can be out of pain,” She said the last holding up the bottle of pain killers.

  Raine looked like she was debating her options, but finally nodded.

  “You won’t leave the apartment,” Raine confirmed.

  “I promise,” Natalia said, nodding.

  “Okay,” Raine said, taking the pill that Natalia handed her and using the water she’d brought to take the pill.

  Natalia lay down next to her, her hand reaching up to stroke Raine’s arm gently, then touching her cheek, moving her hand back into Raine’s hair soothingly. Within minutes Raine was asleep. Natalia smiled, still amazed that Raine had come through the accident with so few injuries, she knew that had been Raine’s skill at knowing how to fall on the bike, and also a good dose of luck. Natalia thanked God for his protection.

  Kashena joined Sebastian out on the back patio as the sun was going down. She sat down, with a beer in her hand and lit a cigarette.

  “Things between you and the little woman seem back on track,” Sebastian said, grinning.

  It had been two days since Kashena and Sierra had made up.

  “I’m betting you have something to do with that,” Kashena said, her look mild.

  Sebastian shrugged, “She was being stupid.”

  “Stupid?” Kashena asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “She was wasting the time she has with you,” he replied, his expression fixed.

  “Is that time she has left?” Kashena asked, her tone enquiring.

  Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her, “Don’t start that shit with me Marine…” He said, his tone dark.

  Kashena canted her head, knowing that he didn’t want to think about what was coming, but his words were telling. She knew that he was starting to accept what she’d seen; something inside her shifted at that point and she knew there was no hope. There was a calm that settled over her, and she knew that she would let things happen the way they were meant to now, no fighting, other than to insure that Sierra and Colby were safe in the end.

  Sebastian saw something click in Kashena’s head, he swallowed against the lump that rose in his throat. Part of him wanted to grab her and run as far away from Los Angeles as they could get, but he knew she would never go, not with Sierra and Colby there to watch over. He steeled himself with the knowledge that it was his responsibility to make sure that Kashena’s wife and son were safe, no matter what. That would be the best he could do for his friend and it made him sick to the very core.

  Three weeks later, nothing had happened. It was relatively quiet. They had really found nothing more on the Marine that had attacked Kashena, other than he’d been in a cell with Jason for a while. Regardless, Kashena checked with Corrections every day to see where they had Jason located. She also got Jericho to leave Sebastian on Sierra’s detail. In order to do so she’d had to tell Jericho about the vision. It had caused the Director a lot of concern, but she, like Sebastian had, hoped Kashena was wrong. Even so, she’d assigned Sebastian to the protection of Assistant AG Youngblood-Marshal ‘until further notice’.

  Driving home, Kashena always had at least an hour to keep working. She usually used every minute of that hour, or more finishing up things from the office. She’d managed to send three of her five trouble makers back to their departments, but she was still interviewing individuals to get the right fit for the unit. She was trying to track down one of the individuals she was particularly interested in the woman had been a Military Intelligence Officer, so she was very familiar with establishing contacts and working with informants. The woman worked for Los Angeles Police Department, but had thus far been difficult to get ahold of to set up an interview. Kashena wanted to talk to her personally to see how she’d fit into the unit she was trying to build, she felt she could only do that by meeting them in person.

  Her phone rang just as she got to a very wooded area of the canyon road she was on to get home. She was reaching to pick up the call, seeing that it was the woman she’d been trying to get ahold of, when she suddenly saw the black SUV coming up on one side of her. She was used to vehicles passing all the time on the road, since it was a two lane road and some people were impatient, but something told her this wasn’t that case.

  She had just enough time to brace as the SUV suddenly swerved hitting her car and shoving it toward the shoulder. Kashena accelerated to try and get away from the SUV, even as she disconnected the one call and dialed Sebastian. In the meantime she pulled ahead of the SUV who was now pursuing her.

  “Son of a bitch…” She muttered to herself, the SUV pulled up alongside her again, and this time she slammed on the breaks of her vehicle, putting her behind them. Unfortunately the SUV braked just as quickly and the front end of her vehicle, a Mercedes SL550 slammed into and went up under the SUV�
��s high back end.

  “Yeah?” Sebastian answered his phone, hearing the screech of shrieking metal as the hood of the Mercedes twisted to take the impact.

  “Baz, it’s happening, watch them!” Kashena had time to yell, before the car door was yanked open and she was hit in the head.

  On his end, Sebastian yelled into the phone, “Kash!?” He heard a thud and the phone clatter to the ground then the call cut out. “Goddamnit!” he yelled.

  He strode into the house, holding his phone and picking up the house phone.

  “What’s happening?” Sierra asked, looking worried.

  Sebastian held up a finger to tell her to hold on, as he called the police dispatcher and asked her to trace the call, giving her the pertinent details.

  “Oh my Gods…” Sierra breathed hearing what Sebastian was telling the dispatcher.

  Unfortunately the call had disconnected too soon for them to trace.

  “Fuck!” Sebastian yelled in sheer frustration, looking at Sierra he said “Get Colby.”

  Sierra nodded, heading upstairs to get her son. Her mind was going in a million different directions, she had no idea what to think. All she knew was that Kashena had been in a wreck and had called Sebastian to say ‘it was happening’ she wasn’t sure what that meant, but she was sure it had something to do with Jason.

  Sebastian was on the phone immediately to Kashena’s office trying to determine when she’d left. He was told it had been over an hour. He checked traffic patterns, seeing Colby come downstairs with Sierra, they both looked terrified.

  “She was close, she was close…” He said to himself seeing that traffic had been heavy in one area, but other than that she wouldn’t have been delayed.

  He was on his phone again, calling the Highway Patrol asking them to check out the canyon road for a wreck that he had an officer down. Then he looked at Sierra and Colby.

  “I don’t know a lot yet,” he told them, “But Kash called to say that something was happening. I heard a wreck, but it seems like she was close to home. I need both of you to make sure all the doors and windows are locked, and do not call anyone right now, or,” he looked at Colby, “Post on any social media.”