Unedited Excerpt Copyright Trixie Publishing, Inc. ©2020-2021
Shutter & Catalina’s Story, Coming 2021!
CHAPTER ONE
Catalina
I had just hung up a call from an absolutely adorable little boy who’d called 9-1-1 to order a pizza. Most days, my job consisted of some really terrifying moments in a person’s life, but today had been a sweet one.
“Cat, there’s a little girl asking for you,” my boss, Melonie, said as she rushed to my desk. She was the supervisor for our department and typically walked the floor, headset on ready to jump in and help if anyone needed her. “Line one.”
I answered the call, “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“Cat,” a quiet voice sniffed.
“Yes, this is Catalina. Who’s this?”
“Nova,” she whispered. “Mama’s sleeping. I can’t wake her up.”
Nova was Darlene’s six-year-old daughter. Darlene was the ex-girlfriend of one of my best friends on the planet and even though Silas wasn’t Nova’s father, and had broken up with Darlene two years ago, he still had a relationship with Nova.
My stomach churned. “Okay, honey. Do you know if Mama fell over?”
“I don’t know,” she said on a sob. “Mama, wake up. She’s cold. Imma get a blanket.”
Shit.
“No, baby, don’t get her a blanket, okay? Just stay on the line with m. I’m sending help.”
My fingers flew over the keyboard as I dispatched everyone I could think of.
“Can you call Shutter? I don’t know his number and Mama’s phone is broken.”
“How are you calling me?”
“There is a phone on the wall.”
I remember Darlene mentioning once that she had a land line in case of an emergency because the home address always popped up on our screens. With a cell phone, it was a crapshoot.
“Good girl. Okay, sweetie. Let me get an ambulance to you first, then I’ll call Shutter.”
“Mama, wake up,” she cried.
“Honey, I need you to scoot away from Mama,” I directed, pulling out my phone. I scrolled to Silas’s phone number and handed the phone to Melonie. “Tell Silas that Darlene’s hurt.”
I was the only one who called Shutter by his real name, Silas. I needed to feel as though we had something special, even though we were just friends. He was Shutter to everyone in the world, but to me, just me, he was Silas.
Melonie nodded, and put my phone to her ear.
“I don’t want to leave her,” Nova sniffed. “She’s so cold, Cat.”
“Okay, sweetness, it’s okay,” I said. “Did someone come into the house?”
“I don’t think so,” she rasped.
“I need to make sure you’re safe.”
“There’s no one else here,” she said. “Imma get bandaids.”
“Baby, why do you need to get bandaids?”
“She has owies.”
“Nova, baby, I need you not to touch Mama anymore, okay? Can you sit in the hall?”
“But then she’ll be all alone,” she whispered. “I hear sirens.”
“Good, baby. Stay on the line with me, but can you go open the door for the ambulance?”
“I’m scared.”
“I know, honey, but help is coming. Shutter will there soon, too.”
“Okay,” she said, and I waited, hearing movement as she unlocked the door. “Shadow,” she squealed.
Oh, thank god.
I heard a crash and figured she’d dropped the phone.
“Nova?” I called.
“This is Nolan Grant, SFD.”
“Hello Nolan Grant, this Catalina Grant.”
“Hey, sis. I’ve got Nova. Shutter’s pulling up now. I’m gonna hang up.”
“Okay,” I said, ending the call and facing Melonie.
She handed me my phone and I set it back on my desk. “Thanks.”
“Holy crap, Cat,” Melonie said, and I nodded. She’d been listening to the call, keeping her microphone muted, so she’d heard it all.
“Right?” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to take a little break, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely,” she said.
I snagged my phone off the desk and headed to the quiet room. Now came the agonizing part of waiting for Silas to call me. And I’d wait because I knew that he’d call me as soon as he could, but most importantly, I knew he’d take care of Nova. He was an enforcer for the Dogs of Fire MC out of Savannah, and he was my very best friend.
He seemed to always be close, both physically and emotionally, whenever I needed him. I’d discovered a couple of weeks ago it was because my brother had asked him to watch after me. And even though I was pissed my brother had taken it upon himself to ‘protect’ me against my will, I’d had a really bad date who’d attacked me in my old apartment and Silas had rushed in to rescue me.
Dale had walked me in and promptly forced his face into mine, kissing me hard and fast, and even though I tried to push him away, he continued with the onslaught.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped.
“I just bought you dinner and drinks. My turn for some reciprocity.”
“Get off me!” I demanded and made a run for my bedroom.
He followed, and I fought him with all I had. We continued to tussle for several minutes until he was suddenly lifted away from me.
“Not today, dickhead,” Nolan growled. My brother wrapped my arm around his neck, and dragged him up.
Silas, Nolan’s club brother, grabbed me and guided me out of the room.
“You’re here too?” I squeaked, and Silas growled.
“What the fuck happened?” he asked.
“Bad date,” I replied.
Silas scowled, lifting my chin and studying my face as my brother continued to fight with Dale. The walls were thin, to say the least, so I heard almost every word.
“Shut the fuck up,” Nolan ordered.
“Get off me,” Dale said on a whimper.
“If you ever come near my sister again, I will make it so you shit in a bag, do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Dale said. “Just get off me.”
“I know where you live now,” Nolan said. “Dale Dawson. I also have your social security number because not only are you an asshole, you’re a moron and you should keep that shit locked up.”
“I’m gonna call the cops,” Dale threatened, and I glanced up at Silas.
Silas grinned. Dale could call the cops, but then he’d just go to jail for attacking me, so it was an empty threat.
“Do it. Make my fuckin’ day,” my brother hissed.
“He always did want to be Clint Eastwood,” I whispered to Silas, who laughed silently.
“You can’t go around attacking innocent men,” Dale continued.
“And you can’t go around attacking innocent women,” Nolan countered.
“She wanted it.”
I gasped. “I did not.”
“Come into the kitchen,” Silas suggested.
We walked into the kitchen just as Doom walked into my apartment.
“In the back?” he asked, and Silas nodded.
“What the fuck?” Dale screamed like a girl.
“You wanted it, right?” my brother snapped.
I bit my lip and shook my head. “I love my brother.”
Silas grabbed a bag of peas and settled it against my lip.
“This the prick?” Doom demanded.
“Why are y’all so loud all the time?” I asked.
“Keep the peas on,” Silas ordered.
I put the bag back on my mouth as I focused to listen to what my brother was doing to Dale.
“Who are you?” Dale squeaked.
“I’m Butch,” Doom retorted.
“No. I’m Butch,” Nolan growled.
Voices were no longer loud enough to hear everything they were saying, until Doom dragged Dale out of the mouth of my hallway. I slid off the stool and approached Dale.
“Cat,” Silas warned I stepped in front of him Dale and settled my hands on his shoulders. I couldn’t have done this if Doom wasn’t holding him, so I took my shot.
“What the fuck are you doin’?” Nolan growled at me.
“I’m really sorry this didn’t work out, Dale,” I said, promptly shoving my knee into his groin so hard, he fell to the floor in a heap of more screaming.
Doom bent down, grasped the collar of his shirt, and dragged him out the front door.
“You’re movin’ out,” Nolan decreed, and I glared at him. “What?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you in front of strangers,” I hissed.
“What the fuck?” Doom snapped at the same time Silas growled, “Fuck me, woman… strangers?”
“You were supposed to be watchin’ her,” Nolan said to Silas.
“I was watchin’ her,” he said. “I was the one who called you. But you told me you didn’t want me to engage, and I didn’t until I heard her scream.”
“Why the hell was Silas watching me?” I demanded.
“I’m gonna go grab my shit,” Doom said. “Come help, Shutter.”
Silas frowned at me, a silent expression of his irritation as he and Doom walked out my front door.
“Rein it in,” I told my brother, and Nolan dragged his hands down his face.
“You’re comin’ back to the barn and you’re gonna stay there until we can get you outta your lease.”
“My lease is up, NoNo. Well, it is in twenty-two days,” I said. “It’ll be month-to-month after that.”
“No, it won’t.”
“I’m on the lowest rung of the 9-1-1 ladder, big brother. I haven’t even been there a year, so I won’t get an evaluation or a raise for at least another six months. I can’t afford anything else.”
“I told you—”
“I’m not living with you, Nolan. I love you, but I can’t have a decent sex life if I live with my brother.”
“I’m not talking to you about your sex life.”
Truth be told, I didn’t have a sex life. But if I made any kind of reference to one, it shut my brother up immediately, so I did it and I did it often.
“And I’m not talking to you about being roomies,” I snapped back. “Or taking money from you.”
“Who’s impossible now?” Nolan challenged.
I sighed, walking out from behind my island and facing him. “I should have started with thank you. I thought Dale was just a nice guy who worked down the hall.”
“You work with that asshole?”
“Not directly. He works on the first floor. I think it’s some hedge fund company or something.”
“I thought you had the whole building.”
I shrugged. “Budget cuts. We had to rent out space, apparently.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“It’s not like he has access to my floor, Nolan. I met him when we bumped into each other getting coffee. We’re on the same schedule.”
“Stalker.”
“Or a coincidence.” Nolan raised an eyebrow, and I wrinkled my nose. “Probably not a coincidence.”
“Thank you for not being an idiot,” he said.
“Thank you for saving the day.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “But let’s discuss this ‘watching you’ business. Why do you have Silas watching me?”
“He volunteered.”
“Of course he did.” I sighed. “That man needs to get a life.”
“I’ll let you have that conversation with him,” Nolan said.
Doom and Silas walked back in and Doom got to work on the front door, while Shutter walked over to me. “You comin’ back to the barn?”
I glanced at him and then stomped my foot. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“Pack a bag. You’re at my back,” Silas ordered.
“Oh, I’m not getting on your bike, Silas,” I argued.
“Jesus,” he hissed. “Your new job sucks.”
It wasn’t just because of the dangerous nature of a motorcycle. I mean, mostly it was, but it was also because being on the back of a bike meant something. Especially his, and especially to me. I wasn’t willing to admit that out loud just yet, however.
“I got my truck,” Doom said as he put a new lock on my door. “You can ride with me.”
“Thanks, bud,” I said. “I’ll go pack a bag.”
“We’re not done with this conversation, seester,” Nolan called to my back.
“Yes, we are broooother,” I retorted, closing myself into my room… just as Silas walked in.
“What the fuck, Cat?”
“What the fact, what?” I retorted, dropping a duffel on my bed.
“Why didn’t you call me about this asshat?”
“Why didn’t you tell me Nolan was having you follow me?”
“Baby, I’m ahead of him in the pecking order, he didn’t have me do shit.” He crossed his arms. “He couldn’t if he tried.”
I rolled my eyes, throwing a stack of clothes into the bag. “Why were you following me, then?”
“That’s my secret for the moment.”
“Always some kind of secret,” I mused. “Are you like this with everyone?”
“No.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
He smiled gently. “You freaked?”
There it was. Silas’s way was to get to the heart of the matter and tonight, he didn’t disappoint. I nodded and he closed the distance between us, pulling me in for a hug. “That asshole isn’t gonna do another goddamn thing to you.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking the comfort he offered, even though it tormented me to no end. I was in love with my best friend and he was someone who could never love me back.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my memory. I saw it was Silas, so I answered immediately.
CHAPTER TWO
Shutter
After Catalina’s boss, Melonie, called me, I diverted my plan to head to the club and rode over to Darlene’s instead. Melonie didn’t give me much in the way of useful information, just that Darlene was hurt, and Nova wanted me there.
I pulled up just behind the fire trucks and ambulance, relieved to see my club brother was on duty. Shadow was currently holding Nova, but when he saw me, he gave me a chin lifted and carried her to me.
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked taking her from him.
“Mama won’t wake up,” Nova said.
“Okay, baby girl.” I set her on her feet, then knelt beside her. “We’re gonna let Shadow take care of her okay?”
“Call Posey,” Shadow said. “Nova can hang with her for a few. I’m gonna get back.”
“Thanks,” I said distractedly, then focused back on Nova. “You okay with me callin’ Posey?”
She bobbed her head. “But can I stay with you after?”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’ll figure it out.”
“She had lots of owies,” Nova whispered.
“Come here, baby.” I pulled her close and hugged her as she cried softly into my cut.
Jesus, what manner of hell did this little girl just witness?
As was my habit of late, particularly when facing something difficult, I pulled my phone out and called Catalina first.
“What’s going on?” she asked after the first ring. “Is Nova okay?”
“Not sure what’s goin’ on. But I’ve got Nova and I’m gonna get her to your brother’s place until I can figure out what to do next.”
“I’m off in ten minutes. Do you want me to meet you?”
“Actually, are you up to coming to Darlene’s? I’ve got my bike, but it would be safer if Nova was in a car.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks.”
She hung up and I called Posey.
“Hey, Shutter,” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart, are you up to watchin’ Nova for a bit?”
“Of course,” she said. �
��Shadow texted to give me a heads-up, but do you know what’s going on?”
“Not yet,” I admitted. “Cat’s meeting me, then we’ll bring Nova by.”
“Okay, bud. See you when you get here.”
Nova patted my leg. “I need Mr. Diggles.”
Mr. Diggles was the stuffed pig I’d bought her when she was three and she didn’t go anywhere without it.
“I’m not sure if I can get him right now.”
“Please, Uncle Shutter?” Her big eyes filled with tears again and I sighed, stroking her cheek.
“Let me talk to Shadow and find out if we can get him, okay?” I hunkered down in front of her again. “But we need to be patient and wait until they’ve done their job.”
She nodded, throwing her arms around me and bursting into tears. “Is Mama dead?”
“I don’t know, sweetness. But I got you.”
I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around my waist as she cried into my neck. I saw headlights approaching and let out a sigh of relief to see Catalina’s car. “Cat’s here, sweetness.”
I carried her to Cat’s car just as she stepped out of the car. She gently slid Nova’s hair off her cheek. “How are you, baby?”
“Mama’s hurt.”
“I know.” Catalina smiled gently. “We’re going to find out what happened and take you to Auntie Posey’s okay?”
She shook her head. “I want to stay with Shutter.”
I met Catalina’s eyes and frowned.
“I want Mr. Diggles,” Nova continued.
I covered her ears. “This fuckin’ pig’s turnin’ out to be a pain in the ass.”
Cat squeezed my arm. “Let me see what I can do. Maybe my uniform will get me in the door.”
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” I directed, and she headed back toward the apartment.
* * *
Catalina
I took a deep breath and walked through the emergency people like I was supposed to be there. Luckily, most of the people there knew me, so when I got to the front door, the only one who tried to stop me was my brother.
“This is a crime scene now,” Nolan said. “You can’t come in.”
“I need to get a few things out of Nova’s room, NoNo. Surely, that won’t disturb anything. Can you help me do that?”
Fanning the Biker's Flame (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 8) Page 18
