Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“What’s going on?”
I didn’t know this police officer.
He was younger and had obviously just been hired on.
There’d been a lot of shit going down at the police station over the last year.
One cop had been dirty and had tried to kill a friend of mine—which happened to be his own brother. While another had been brought up on charges by the Texas Rangers.
The department was still under investigation, and it was more than obvious that their hiring skills were still in the gutter.
Especially when I learned what I learned next.
“You off duty today?” the other cop asked Lark’s ex.
“No,” Sal answered. “I stopped a robbery in process. This old man tried to take this other man’s truck. Luckily, I was here to stop it.”
It took Buck a few long moments to figure out that the ‘old man’ that Sal was talking about was him and when he did his back stiffened.
“Listen here, boy,” Buck snarled, his jowls swaying with the anger that was coursing through him. “I did no such thing. I was only walking through the parking lot.”
Sal sneered.
“Sure, and that’s why I saw you going through his truck.”
I caught on really quick and inwardly I smiled.
“I sent him out to my truck to get me something,” I explained.
Sal’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m not pressing charges,” I continued. “Because he didn’t do anything wrong. You can run the surveillance video if you’d like.”
The other cop looked around the gathering, his brows furrowed.
“Sorry, Sal,” the cop apologized. “Why do you have a sword?”
That’s what I wanted to know, too.
And why would it take the stupid rookie fifteen minutes to realize what was going on? Why wouldn’t that be the first thing he’d ask?
“Confiscated it from a traffic stop,” Sal said. “Illegal to carry a blade over…”
“Actually,” Buck stepped into the gun that was still pointed at him. “It’s legal as fuck to carry a sword in Texas now. As of September first, as a matter of fact.”
Sal faltered, his confusion evident.
“This is Texas, boy.” Buck chuckled. “We do things a little different down here.”
Sal lowered his gun, finally, and shot the old man an angry glare.
The other officer finally realized that Sal was acting weird, which made the officer jittery.
“Um, Sal?” the officer said. “How about we go?”
And he did just that.
Sal walked with the cop to the side of the cruiser, and Buck turned to me.
“What the fuck?”
I’d never heard Buck curse before, but I guess there was a first time for everything.
“I don’t even know,” I admitted. “I…”
“No!”
It was the agonizing scream that had me looking up, and wishing I’d paid a little more attention than I had.
***
Lark
I was barely peeking over the edge of the window when I saw Sal walk away with the officer.
“Thank God,” I breathed, standing up.
The cop and Sal were talking, but it didn’t look like the cop was worried about Sal.
“Nobody questions that there is a fucking sword strapped to his back?” I breathed, angry that the cop wasn’t trying to do anything.
I was seriously worried, and I wasn’t even the slightest bit aware of what was coming out of my mouth.
“No,” Pace said what I already knew. “I’ve seen four or five people since then carrying them.”
Pace.
Jesus.
I was free at least, which was why I started walking toward the front door.
But, as I got there, I saw something different than what I’d seen in the window.
“Baylor,” I breathed.
Then, as if in slow motion, Sal started to stomp to where Buck and Baylor were standing.
Neither one of them were paying attention.
I watched in silent horror as Sal reared back and caught hold of the sword that was on his back. I just knew that Sal’s intentions weren’t to scare Baylor.
They were to hurt him.
I screamed.
I wasn’t aware that I’d screamed, but I did.
My voice carried and seemed to bounce off the walls of the larger buildings on either side of the rehab facility.
Baylor’s head snapped sideways, first following the sound of my voice to where I was standing in the doorway, and then to the man that was bringing his sword up and around in a deadly arc.
Though the horror was there that Buck was about to get sliced with this sword, it wasn’t at DEFCON one yet, thanks to it not being Baylor that sword was headed toward.
But then Baylor, my fucking hero, tackled Buck sideways to save him, and Buck went flying.
Leaving Baylor wide ass open for Sal’s blade to slice into him.
The minute it touched his skin, right across the flat plain of his belly, blood sprayed.
My keening wail was heard by all, I was sure.
My knees buckled.
Gunshots were heard.
Sal dropped the sword.
Buck got up on his elbows, a big black gun in one meaty fist, eyes wide and fearful—just as confused as the rest of us.
Baylor went down.
I started running.
The police officer finally got his shit into gear, and he yanked the gun from Buck’s hands.