AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, isn’t that Mandrew Pate?” the second one asked. He leaned over to get a better look at Pate’s distorted face. “You know, the red pill guy calls himself ‘Big M’ who’s always talking about men’s rights on the Internet?”
“Could be. Hard to tell—looks like somebody crushed his head like a fucking peanut.” The first officer looked at Torus. “I guess that was you?”
“He was attacking my Mate.” This time Torus didn’t even try to keep the growl out of his voice. “His intent was to violate and kill her—I heard him say so before I got to her.”
“That’s exactly what he said—he promised Zach he would…would kill me.” Molly’s voice was trembling now, though Torus could tell she was trying to stay strong. “That’s my ex-husband—Zachary Wyndham,” she added and lifted her chin. “He’s at the Richmond courthouse right now, waiting for a text from Pate to tell him that he…that he did the job and finished me off.”
Even without the TET link, Torus could feel how upset she was. She was trembling against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. Molly came willingly and pressed her face to his chest.
“I thought I was going to die,” she said in a small, shaky voice.
“Never, sweetheart.” Torus hugged her fiercely. “Not as long as I’m here to keep you safe!”
“Officers, do you think it might be a good idea to bring everyone back to the courthouse?” Lone suggested in a firm but diplomatic tone. “My Mate, Lizabeth Paige, is their attorney and she tells me that Judge Hudson is waiting for both Torus and Molly to come back and hear the verdict of the case they were both involved in today.”
49
MOLLY
It look a little more explaining but in the end, the two police officers decided that Councilor Paige’s husband’s suggestion made sense. They called an ambulance for Pate’s body and managed to get the still-sobbing Karen up off the floor.
“He was mine! He was supposed to be mine!” she kept saying as one of the officers led her away to the back of the police car.
They wanted to take Torus into custody, but it turned out that Councilor Paige’s husband, Lone, was a lawyer too.
“This is a clear case of Rage, gentlemen,” he said politely but firmly to the two police officers. “Commander Torus is a Kindred warrior—when he saw his Mate was in danger, he went into action and eliminated the threat. The World Court has ruled he can’t be prosecuted for protecting her. You can ask him questions later, but right now Judge Hudson is expecting him in her courtroom.”
The Judge’s name seemed to carry considerable weight with the two officers. Apparently she wasn’t someone to cross. Reluctantly, they agreed to let Torus and Molly come to the Richmond PD and answer questions after they visited the courthouse and heard the verdict, which was being held up by their absence. They even allowed Molly and Torus to ride back in Lone’s ship—providing that one of the officers came with them, while the other waited for the ambulance and back-up to deal with Karen and the body.
It all passed in a blur. Earlier Molly had been sure she was going to burst into tears, but now a kind of icy calm had descended on her.
I’m in shock, she thought distantly, but if so, it seemed to be a good thing. She didn’t want to break down in front of everyone. There was still too much to do—too much to get through.
Torus freed her hands—which had been going numb from lack of circulation—and helped her to her feet. Molly took a step and stumbled—clearly she wasn’t quite as steady on her feet as she needed to be.
“Here, sweetheart.” Torus swung her into his arms and Molly didn’t even protest. She simply closed her eyes and breathed in his warm, cedar and spice scent. In his arms she was safe and for a minute she could push away all the awful events of the past hour.
Torus carried her into Lone’s ship. While the other Kindred went to check on his twins—who were sleeping in the back—she changed into a new blouse which he had offered her.
“It’s Lizabeth’s, but I’m sure she won’t mind,” he told her.
“Thank you,” Molly said numbly. But when she tried to button the buttons, her hands were shaking too badly to manage it.
“Here, sweetheart.” Torus brushed her hands aside and buttoned the blouse himself. Then he pulled her close again. “Are you all right?”
“Fine—I’m fine,” Molly heard herself saying. She felt like she was in a dream that just kept going. She wished she could wake up, but there was no stopping it—it had to run its course.
Before she knew it, they were back at the courthouse. Torus let her walk on her own but he kept one long arm protectively around her shoulders, guiding her down the hallway.
When they opened the doors to find the judge and jury waiting for them, Molly saw Zach’s eyes go wide with shock.
“What the fuck?” she heard him mutter as she and Torus passed him. He turned to his lawyer. “I have to go—I need to get out of here!”
“You can’t go anywhere until the jury reads the verdict,” the lawyer hissed back. “Now settle down please, Mr. Wyndham!”
“There you are!” Judge Hudson looked annoyed. “I understand from Councilor Paige that something happened to hold up your return but we’ve all been waiting for over an hour!”
“Your Honor, I’m officer Hatchet,” the policeman who had come along with them in Lone’s ship said, speaking up. “I can attest that these two were late because the woman was kidnapped and her husband, er, Mate, was searching for her.”
