Savage Ice (Ice Breaker Cold Case #10)

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Same story, different night.

Avalon walked straight into the darkness like it was an old friend who would embrace her and keep her safe. A total lie, of course, because the darkness was never safe. The life she’d chosen wasn’t safe.

And someone had to watch over her sweet ass.

It was a job that he’d been doing for years. All without her ever being aware of him.

Sometimes, when he didn’t live close enough—when his work took him to other cities or hers took her away from him—he’d hired people to keep watch on her. Her parents were dead now. Killed in a devastating car wreck when she’d been a senior in college. He’d been at the funeral. Had wanted to go to Avalon as she stood alone and grieved.

But he’d watched. Just watched.

Exactly as he did now.

Her job made her a target. Her past made her a target.

And if people knew just how much of a weakness she was for him? That would make her one hell of a target, too. But he’d learned one thing in this brutal world—you protected what mattered.

So he’d protected her.

He still protected her. You didn’t fuck with what belonged to him.

He followed her through the night. Not too close. Not making any sounds that would alert her. But keeping Avalon within sight. Of course, she darted through alleys. Hurried through snaking small streets that would look quaint during the daytime but spoke of danger in the night. And when a shadow detached from a wall and began to follow her down one of her twisting paths?—

His hand shoved against the chest of the shadow. “That’s a mistake you don’t want to make.”

A knife came at him. Fast and swift. So he twisted and broke the hand that held the knife. It clattered to the ground. Beau kept walking forward. Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone. Sent a quick text. Someone would need to handle the bastard who’d just made a tragic mistake.

And still, Beau followed her. Her steps were quite certain. Very sure. No hesitations from her. When she cut through the trees that waited up ahead and veered to the right, his jaw locked. She should know better. One hell of a lot better.

A growl broke from him, and at the sound, she stilled.

Sonofabitch.

His first mistake. In all of these years…

She whirled around.

But he was part of the shadows now, and she didn’t see him. Actually, she seemed to stare right through him. He drank her in. She was on the edge of the park, and the light from the crescent moon and the glittering stars let him see her shadowy form.

Avalon.

He’d like for her to make a good decision and not go into the damn park. Sure, it was a tourist hotspot during the day, but at night? A whole different ballgame.

She hesitated. Glanced at the park.

Then chose to stay on the sidewalk and skirt around the edge of the park. Sure, this route was longer, but it was one hell of a lot safer. Points for Avalon.

Her pace had picked up. Almost running now, as if Avalon had realized a predator stalked her. Good for her.

Sticking to the shadows, he kept following her.

When Avalon hurried under a streetlamp, there was a sudden shriek. She spun even as a black cat bounded from behind a garbage can. In her hand, Beau was very pleased to see that she gripped a taser.

Nice, sweetheart. But you’ll need a lot more than that to protect yourself from some of the monsters in the night.

She made it home. No more incidents. No more scares. He watched from across the street as Avalon hurried into the historic home that he knew she owned. Two stories. A Victorian. Gray exterior, with white trim. Lots of interesting nooks and crannies. Even a turret on the right. He had a friend who would have loved the house. Of course, that friend would have preferred it painted black, but that was a story for later.

He waited until the front door shut. Until he saw the lights flash on inside. First, downstairs. Then, after a few moments, upstairs. In the turret that he knew was part of her bedroom. For a moment, he saw her shadow behind the white curtains of the windows. She headed toward the curtains as if she’d open them to the night.

But then a second shadow appeared.

His body tensed.

Avalon wasn’t involved with anyone. Not right now. He knew that for certain. He?—

The second shadow grabbed the first and yanked her back.

“Avalon!” His roar shook the night.

Hands grabbed her from behind. Surprise and horror blasted through Avalon, and she opened her mouth and screamed as loud and as hard as she could.

“Bitch, there’s no hero this time.” He threw her body onto the floor.

She hit hard, with her elbow ramming into the wood and her knee banging like a hammer into the floor. She scrambled forward, ignoring the bolt of pain in her left knee.

He grabbed her by the hair. “Do you like the fire? I’ve been told you do.”

She couldn’t see him. He was still behind her. She hadn’t glimpsed his face. She reached up and clawed at his wrist.

He laughed and slammed her toward the hardwood once more. Her hands slapped down right before her face would have hit the floor.

“You are going to burn,” he promised.

Her gaze jerked to the right. Her purse was on the chair inside of her doorway. Her taser was in the purse. If she could just get to it, she would tase his ass so hard. The floor groaned behind her. Why hadn’t it groaned before? If it had, she could have gotten a little advance notice that she was not freaking alone in her home!

But with that groan, she struck back hard with her foot. She made crushing contact with his shin, and when he bellowed, she lunged for the purse. Her fingers snagged the strap just as he grabbed her again.

“You’ll be alive when you burn. You will be?—”

A crash came from downstairs. A very, very loud crash. One that was immediately followed by a roar.

A roar that was her name.

He kicked in the door. Had to kick it twice before the lock broke and the door flew open. Even as the door banged into the wall, Beau was shouting Avalon’s name.

An alarm started beeping somewhere. He flew up the stairs three at a time. Fury and fear fueled his blood. He was absolutely terrified of what he’d find upstairs.

Avalon had to be alive. She had to be safe.

And whoever had been waiting for her? The fool was dead.

He reached the landing. Spun for the right. Saw her open bedroom door and the two figures fighting on the floor. Avalon was grabbing for her purse with one hand while her other pushed against the chest of some hulking asshole all in black. One wearing a damn ski mask.

“Get the hell away from her!” Beau thundered as he ran for the bastard.

The bastard’s ski-mask-covered head whipped up. Even as his attention shot to Beau, Avalon pulled something out of her bag. She shoved it against his chest. The attacker jolted. Hard.

And Beau slammed into him. They flew through the air as the bastard’s body shuddered, and they landed on the hardwood floor. Beau drove his fist into the man’s face. Over and over. And, fuck that, he ripped off the ski mask as he raised his hand to?—

A punk kid stared back at him. Big, muscled, yeah, but young as hell. Pimple-covered face. Scraggly beard.

“What. The. Hell?” Beau roared.

He’d busted the kid’s lip. Pounded his face into a mess.

The intruder wasn’t fighting back. His body kept jolting.

Beau slanted a fast glance at Avalon. She was on her feet and still holding tightly to her taser. “You okay?” he demanded.

Was that a freaking bruise forming on her cheek? A red spot now, but it would soon be…Snarling, he looked back down at his prey. His fist drew back once more.

“Don’t! I-I was hired, man! Shit, don’t!”

Fuck that. Beau drove his fist into the attacker’s jaw even as he ordered, “Call the cops, Avalon. Now.” Then he grabbed the asshole by the front of his black shirt. “Why are you here?”

Beau heard Avalon speaking fast and frantically behind him on her phone.

Blood dripped from the man’s mouth. “S-scare her…paid to…”

“You don’t scare her. You don’t touch her. You don’t even breathe in her direction from here on out. From this moment forward, you ever so much as think of her again, and you’re dead, do you understand me?”

A swift gasp from behind him. He didn’t look at Avalon. If he saw another bruise forming on her skin, he might lose his mind. “The cops, Avalon,” Beau prompted her. “Call them, now.” His glare remained on the SOB before him. “Who paid you?”

“D-don’t know…” He heaved against Beau’s hold, stupidly thinking he could get away.

Beau pounded him back against the floor. “Let’s try again. Who paid you to break into her house and scare her?”

“Door was unlocked!”

“Oh, the hell it was!” Avalon chimed in as she scurried forward. She’d ditched her phone.

“Stop!” A blast from Beau. “Do not get close enough for him to touch you.”

The punk’s gaze darted to?—

“I’m sure I told you not to look at her again. Look at me.”

Scared brown eyes met his.

“Do you have any idea who I am?” Beau asked him.

A shake of sweaty, disheveled brown hair.

“I’m Beau LeBlanc.”

The kid’s eyes widened.

“You’ve heard of me,” Beau murmured. “Good. Since you know who I am, you understand that you are fucked.”

“Why is he fucked?” Avalon wanted to know. “Oh, no, are you like…are you a crime boss, Beau? Because I’m getting some serious vibes from you right now. How can a hero be a crime boss? How?”

“Who hired you?” Beau snarled.

“Don’t know! I swear—don’t know! My brother was supposed to have the job, but he got fucking sick. I-I took the gig from him. Ask my brother! Jesus, don’t kill me! Don’t!”

A substitute attacker? Was this BS for real?

“I got paid cash. Money was w-waiting for me. Was told what to say through a text. I swear…I was only scaring her!”

Such a lie. Did he look like a man who believed lies? “I don’t think there’s a brother. I think you’re bullshitting me. That’s your second fatal mistake of the night. Your first was hurting her. And you did hurt her. You bruised her. Your hands were on her when I came inside. So screw the story about you just scaring her. We both know it’s bull. You were here to hurt her, and I want to know who hired you to?—”

Whoosh.

He heard it. Like a wave surging through the air. An odd sound. One that made the small hairs rise on the nape of his neck. His head whipped toward Avalon.

She stared back at him with wide eyes. Then her delicate nostrils flared.

She turned for the door. The sound had come from downstairs.

I left the front door open. I raced inside so quickly. Didn’t search downstairs. Just ran up to her.

Had a second attacker been in the house? Or had someone followed Beau inside her home?

“Is that…” Avalon’s voice trembled. “Is that smoke I smell?”

He could hear crackling. Instantly, Beau let go of the asshole attacker and surged to his feet. He reached for Avalon.

The punk shoved a shoulder into Beau’s side and barreled for the door. “Not catching me!” A high-pitched yell. Then he was rushing from the bedroom. Charging into the hallway.

Beau gave chase and saw the kid stop at the top of the stairs.

Because smoke was rising from the bottom of those steps.

But the attacker paused for only a moment before he raced down to the first level. Beau didn’t give chase. He looked back and saw Avalon, seemingly frozen. “We have to go, sweetheart, now.”

She jerked. Hard. Then ran—not for him but for the laptop that perched on an oversized chair near one of her windows. After grabbing it, Avalon clutched the laptop to her chest then looked around frantically. She darted toward the closet.

Hell, no.

“We save you,” he growled as his hands locked around her waist and hauled her back against him. “But we’re not wasting time saving useless shit.”

“It’s important shit! Not useless!”

If the house hadn’t been on fire and the bad guy hadn’t been getting away, he might have smiled. But it was the wrong damn time for a smile and the right time for an immediate exit. “I’m not going through a window again. Really not in the mood to have my body broken.” Recovery had taken long enough the first time. He hauled her toward the bed. She kept clutching the laptop like it was made of gold. He grabbed a cover from her bed and tossed it around her.

“What—”

He lifted her and slung Avalon and the cover over his shoulder. He felt the laptop bang into his back, but he wasn’t going to pry the damn thing out of her hands. If she wanted it so badly, then she could keep it. All he cared about getting out of that house? Her. Avalon. He rushed down the stairs with her slung over his shoulder. The flames were crackling and dancing, but they weren’t eating up the stairs yet. Smoke was getting heavy, seeming to scald his throat and nostrils. When he reached the ground floor landing, he saw that the fire was mainly in her den. The flames ate at the carpeting and the bookshelves and the piano, and the flames twisted and heaved as they spread.

Yeah, screw that crap. Not staying to see the full show this time.

The front door still gaped open. Had to, since he’d kicked the thing in and shattered the lock. An alarm still beeped from somewhere in the house, and he ignored the beeping as he hurtled toward the exit. The dark night waited, and smoke blew from the house even as he erupted with his precious cargo still over his shoulder. Straight ahead, he could see the young punk running at the edge of her property. “Stop!” Beau shouted.

Of course, he didn’t stop.

Beau lunged forward. Still holding Avalon, he lunged after his prey.

And the punk ran straight into the street.

A roar filled the night right before a terrible, wrenching scream echoed. Beau was staring straight at the fleeing attacker, so he saw the hit. A black car took shape in the darkness. One that shot right toward the punk. One that hit him with a powerful crunch. Or maybe that sickening crunch was all of the kid’s bones breaking. Because the attacker flew into the air. His body twisted and turned in a flash that somehow seemed to last forever. Then he hit the cement. When he landed, he didn’t move.

“What’s happening?” Avalon squirmed in Beau’s grip. “Let me down! What. Is. Happening?”

His hold tightened on her.

The black vehicle raced away. No taillights ever flashed. The driver never braked. The engine roared louder as it fired off down the street.

And the man in the road still wasn’t moving.

Somewhere in the distance, a siren began to scream. The cops that Avalon had called, finally coming to the rescue?

Slowly, carefully, he lowered her to the ground. The cover he’d grabbed in the hopes of protecting her from any flames fell around her feet. She looked at him, then back toward the road. “Beau…?”

“Stay here.” He ran for the figure in the road.

He heard her footsteps thudding behind him.

Dammit! Beau whirled. “The driver could come back. Don’t go into the street!”

“You’re going into the street!”

Yeah, he was. “Someone has to see if he’s dead or alive.” But Beau already had a feeling in his gut about that answer. He’d caught sight of the unnatural angle of the man’s neck. Seen the blood pooling around his head.

Beau rushed toward the prone figure in the road. His teeth clenched even as he wrenched out his phone and used the light to better check the man. Broken doll. Yeah, that was how he looked. So many broken bones. And a whole lot of blood. Beau knelt next to the kid. Put his hand on the guy’s throat and wasn’t a bit surprised not to find a pulse.

The siren—now sirens—grew louder. He heard voices and knew some of her neighbors were coming out. People always liked to gape at a tragedy.

Beau began to pat down the dead man.

“What are you doing?” Avalon’s low whisper.

He cut his gaze back to her. She was on the very edge of her property. On the grass. Not the road. Points for her. Beau didn’t answer. He did pull out the man’s wallet and snap a pic of the ID. Right before the first patrol car roared to the scene, he shoved the wallet back into place and rose to his feet.

“He’s dead?” Avalon asked.

“Better him than you.”

She flinched. Right. That had been brutal and cold. But that was who Beau was. Brutal and cold to his very core. But inside the cold wall of ice that surrounded him, a fire raged. One hotter than the flames burning in her home.

Someone sent that bastard after Avalon. Then that same someone had been waiting outside. The second SOB had set the fire. Had killed the kid before he could talk to Beau.

Beau stalked to Avalon. The lights from the police cruisers lit up the scene. A fire truck came racing down the road. He didn’t even know who’d called the firefighters. Maybe a neighbor? But their response time was fucking fantastic.

“Anyone else inside?” A bark that came from either a cop or a firefighter. He didn’t look away from Avalon in order to see who had fired out the question. In that instance, with her face lit with the swirling lights, with her eyes so stark and afraid, he couldn’t look away from her.

“No one!” Avalon’s answer. “No one else is inside!” One hand clutched the laptop against her chest, but her other hand flew out and pressed to Beau’s chest. Voice lower, she told him, “You saved my life.”

“There’s a dead man in the road!” Beau called out. But he was sure the cops had already noticed the body. If he could have looked away from Avalon, maybe he would have even seen them checking the vic.

Attacker turned vic.

“How were you even here?” Avalon shook her head. “How did you know what was happening?”

Yeah. Two very interesting, pertinent questions. Questions that the cops would probably ask, too. No one would buy that he’d just been out for a random stroll in her neighborhood. And him saying that he’d followed her home from the bar probably wouldn’t go over so well.

His history with the cops wasn’t so grand.

Beau leaned toward her. His lips brushed over her ear. “You told me to meet you here.” His mouth skimmed the shell of her ear.

She shivered.

Over her shoulder, he saw the firefighters racing inside her home. He hoped like hell that they could put out the flames and save the place. For her.

“I-I didn’t tell you…”

“You told me,” he repeated, and maybe he did deliberately skim her ear with his mouth that time. It took all of his self-control not to grab her, toss her over his shoulder again, and get them the hell away from that scene.

She’s not safe. Avalon is being hunted. And every single protective instinct he possessed—and his protective instincts were always in overdrive when it came to her—screamed a stark warning at him.

Danger chased her again.

“You told me to come here,” Beau rasped. “And that’s what you tell the cops. I was walking up the sidewalk when I saw the shadows upstairs. I realized someone was in the house with you.”

Her hand fisted on his shirtfront. “You followed me.”

Was that a thread of fear in her voice?

She was right to be afraid of him. Most people were. He eased back and stared into her eyes. “I would never hurt you.”

She stared at him.

The blue lights swirled around them. Firefighters shouted orders. Neighbors kept right on gaping.

“I want to protect you.” Always had, always would. The years hadn’t changed that. She didn’t get it. She was his one good thing. The person he’d saved. The person who looked at him and didn’t see a monster or criminal or—hell, evil. She saw more.

“You followed me,” she repeated.

Sweetheart, I’ve been following you for years. Not the time for that particular confession. From the corner of his eye, he saw that uniformed cops were closing in on him. “You’re in danger. I can protect you.”

“How?”

It’s what I do. “Let’s get rid of the cops, and you’ll find out.”

She still had his shirtfront fisted in her hand.

He waited, barely breathing and…

She nodded.

Fuck, yes.

Then she shot onto her toes. Her hand released his shirt but only so she could wrap her fingers around the nape of his neck and tug him toward her. Then, against his ear, she whispered, “I don’t trust you, Beau LeBlanc.”

Surprisingly, the words hurt. But he ignored the ache in his chest. She was right not to trust him. “Good for you.”

She sucked in a swift breath and eased back.

Staring into her eyes, he felt it was only fair to warn her, “Trusting me can prove to be a fatal mistake.”