Page 87 of Rough Fantasy
She realized then that the mall cops had appeared and Rory was talking to them and leading them down the hall.
“Did you recognize him?” Zeke asked.
She shook her head. “No. He was disguising his voice too.”
“Disguising it?”
“He had an accent, like yours and Rory’s. I’m sure of it. But he was trying to make it American.”
He pulled back from her and stared down at her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded again her stomach turning over as her head started to pound. “And if he was trying to do that it means only one thing.”
“He knows you,” Zeke said.
She swallowed, still fighting the bile that almost overtook again. “And you and Rory. He mentioned you. It means the bastard knows us all.”
thirty-nine
Zeke tied the back of Maura’s hospital gown for her then helped her sit on the bed. His fingers were shaking from the anger he was trying to suppress.
“I told you I didn’t need to see a doctor,” Maura said for the fifth time in as many minutes.
“And apparently, I’m ignoring you.”
She gave him an irritated look and he realized he had snapped at her. It was the best he could do. He glanced at their lover and as he had been since they talked to the mall cops, Rory said nothing. He stood as a guard by the door, stoic as he had been since they got to Queen’s Medical Center. Zeke knew that he was blaming himself for what happened. It wasn’t their fault, but he did understand why Rory felt that way. Maura was a tough woman, but the thought that someone had attacked her so brazenly in the middle of the day in a crowded mall was alarming.
The door opened and Rome Carino walked in. Rory went on alert. It was easy to see why he would be. Rome Carino reeked of deadly force. Even when he wasn’t on the job as an HPD homicide detective he looked ready to kill.
“Settle down, Rory. Carino’s the guy I called.”
Rory nodded and stepped back. Carino’s lips twitched. “I take it you don’t need protection for Maura.”
“Maura can speak for herself, thank you very much,” Maura said from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to find her glaring at all of them. She probably would have crossed her arms but the doctor put her right arm in a sling.
“Of course,” Carino murmured as he stepped forward. “You want to tell me what happened?”
She gave the detective a narrowed look. Zeke could almost hear her mind working.
“The HPD sent a highly decorated detective to investigate a simple assault?”
“I recognized the name.” There was a beat of silence. “So, tell me what happened.”
Maura told her story again, her voice no longer wavering when she went over the details. As long as he lived, Zeke knew he wouldn’t forget the sight of her rushing towards them, her glasses askew and terror in her eyes. He had never felt so hopeless before in his life.
She told the story in the same calm tone she had been using since she’d seen the doctor.
When she was finished, Carino studied her. “It seems quite brutal for someone you don’t know.”
His accusatory tone ruffled Zeke’s feathers and he knew for sure Carino was pissing Maura off. Of course, she didn’t rise to the bait.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Rome. The truth is I don’t know the man. He wasn’t even familiar to me by scent.”
That brought Carino up short. “Explain.”
Rory shifted his feet and Zeke gave him a warning glance. A Dom like Rory wasn’t going to take a man questioning Maura that way.
“I have a very good sense of smell. I can sometimes tell who a person is if I know what cologne he or she wears, and a basic human scent. It’s freaky, but I have always been that way. This guy, I did not know, at least not well. He smelled off, like he had been living on the streets. His breath, well I don’t even want to go there, if you get my drift.”