5. Time’s Up
Chapter 5
Time’s Up
Rebel
F orty-six hours and twenty-five minutes later…
I’m going insane! I’m counting down the minutes left before I can devour my Sadie. The last couple of days, my focus has been on making sure Sadie is on the mend. Thankfully, we’ve had plenty of distractions.
The very next morning, Hubert came by as promised. He was just as Sadie described him, a gentle old soul. He was visibly upset when he saw Sadie and engulfed her in a big bear hug. It’s clear that he cares about my girl.
“What possesses a man to become this evil to hurt a woman like this?” he asked, shaking his head and clenching his fist. “He needs a lesson on how to treat a lady.” Hubert looked directly at me, clearly asking with his expressive demeanor, What are you doing about it?
“Rest assured, Hubert, he’ll be dealt with. I’ll make sure he gets what he deserves,” I told him. Hubert nodded and joined us for coffee. Of course, no visit would be complete without Gertie coming by to see what’s going on.
Hubert and Gertie got on like a house on fire. Gertie ordered me to go get the muffins she made earlier from her apartment, basically shooing me away.
“Rebel, my love, go get those muffins, and don’t you worry, I’ll take care of your guests. We’ll have a nice long chat,” she said. Translated, that means I’m nosy and want to know everything . Had this been anyone but Gertie, I would have tossed them out on their ear. But Gertie is all about protecting the ones she loves. In this case, me.
I can see that she has a soft spot for Sadie already, but Hubert is new, and Gertie hadn’t quite finished assessing the situation yet. All in all, it turns out that Hubert is a lot like Gertie in that when he cares about you, it runs deep.
Muffins turned into lunch, and I was heading out to pick up burgers for the four of us when the door chimed, and Bull and Maya joined us, bringing enough food to feed an army. With Hubert and Gertie in one corner and on the journey of how the world has gone to hell since they were young, and Maya and Sadie getting to know one another on the couch, Bull and I disappeared into the den.
“It’s gonna be a full house in here soon,” Bull warned me. He saw my confusion and said, “Trail’s going to get cold if we don’t get a description of the guy who attacked Sadie. The cops have hit a dead end. If it’s the same guy, he’s hit multiple times and always at a bus stop. The only difference is your girl put up a fight.”
“Did he hurt any of the other women?” I asked.
“Threw them to the ground, but that’s about it. Sadie fought back and got the brunt of his frustration,” he replied. “None of the other victims can identify the man who took their purses. They said it all happened so fast. He was there, then he wasn’t.” Bull shrugged.
“When are the guys due to arrive?”
“In a couple of hours.”
“I hate having her go over it again and again,” I confess.
“He’s still out there. He’ll do it again and again until he gets caught. Wire’s been trying to clean up the video. He’s hoping to catch a break and get a clear photo of the tattoo. It’ll be a starting point. At least we can hit the tattoo parlors and see if anyone recognizes it.” Bull was hopeful, making me feel better about our odds of getting this guy.
I changed the subject and asked, “How’re things with Maya?”
Bull grinned huge, showing his pearly whites. “Fucking amazing, man. She’s my everything,” he said. “Never thought I’d find it.”
“It?”
“Love, brother.” Bull bumped his shoulder against mine. “I didn’t believe someone like me could find someone as sweet as Maya. Doing what we do for a living is a lot for someone to take. I can’t say I wasn’t worried that Maya wouldn’t be able to deal with it. But she does and encourages me to be the best man I can be. A good woman doesn’t want to change you. She just wants to be part of your life.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Sadie, does she understand your job?”
“We talked about it. Shit! She’s the one who looked after me when I was shot. She knows I work in dangerous situations. I was up-front with her. This is who I am.” I threw out my hands in a “here I am” gesture.
“And she’s all right with it?” he asked.
“So far.”
From the other room, Maya called us. “Hubert and Gertie are leaving.” Bull and I rejoined the group. Hubert was already at the door, holding it open for Gertie.
“I’ll walk Gertie to her apartment,” he said, then hugged Sadie goodbye. “I’ll call you in a couple of days to see how you’re getting on.”
“Thanks for coming, Hue,” Sadie replied. She was clearly sad to see him leave.
I jumped in, immediately wanting Sadie’s frown to disappear. “Sadie’s going to be spending a lot of time with me, Hue. You come anytime, you hear? You’re always welcome.” I was rewarded with a bright smile from Sadie and an even bigger one from Hubert.
Gertie latched onto my arm, pulling me down to her to whisper in my ear. “You’re a fine man, Rebel, and Sadie is just right for you. I know what I’m talking about.”
Before I could utter a word, she let me go, then hooked her arm through Hubert’s, and the two of them sauntered down the hall.
That was only the first part of the day. Then came Falcon, Wire, Phoenix, and Kailyn. I took Sadie aside before they arrived and explained the situation. I could see she wasn’t thrilled to go over all this again.
“Babe, this guy is going to keep doing what he’s doing until he’s stopped. The next time, he could hurt someone like Gertie. Gertie won’t give up her purse either. Can you imagine him beating on her? The last thing I want to do is cause you any more pain, but you’re our best chance at catching this guy.”
“I didn’t even see his face,” Sadie said. “I’m not going to be much help.”
“Then we’re no further behind than we are right now.” I put my hands on her hips and tugged her flush against my body. “I swear to you, I will catch this guy, but I could use a little help.”
Sadie rolled up on her toes and kissed my chin. “I’ll do my best,” she said.
Phoenix and Falcon were gentle with their questions. Wire sat at the kitchen table and took down anything he thought was important or could be a lead.
“You have scratches on your elbow. Did that happen when you fell?” Phoenix asked.
Sadie looked at her elbow. “Yeah. I elbowed him in the jaw first, though. I don’t think I did any damage with all that beard muffling his face.” Instantly, we became more hopeful. Sadie never mentioned a beard before then. By the time we were done, Sadie was spent, but we had a better description of the guy who hurt her.
Our best guess is that he’s between five feet ten to six feet, with a long, dark beard, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, but his hands are inked. There are spiderwebs on the back of his hands, with letters inked on his knuckles.
Maya and Kailyn were great, and the three women seemed to bond immediately. Since they’re in the same apartment building, Kailyn was already making plans to have them get together for a girls’ night. Sadie had a busy day and was ready for an early night. I waited for her to fall asleep before I got out of bed and called Wire.
I knew he’d be up, and, being Wire, he was expecting my call. We went over what we learned that day and then got to the heart of my call.
“It’s not your fault. Sadie went home like she did every other night she was with you. She followed the same pattern she has for the last two weeks. Sadie was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Wire said.
“It was much later than she normally leaves. I should have driven her home or had Falcon do it,” I countered.
“Falcon’s saying the same. He’s kicking himself for the exact same thing,” Wire told me.
I blew out a heavy breath. “I want this guy so bad, I can taste it,” I growled.
“I get that, and we’ll find him,” he replied.
We hung up shortly afterward, and I slid back into bed, spooning Sadie and wrapping my arms around her waist, falling asleep with my dream girl.
Current day…
This morning, we take a trip to the police station. They asked for Sadie to come in to sign the statement she provided that first night at the hospital. It is one more reminder of the brutal assault she endured. Sadie is braver than I ever imagined. She relays the information she remembered to the detectives on the case. They’re grateful for the additional information, and because of their relationship with Falcon and the Storm team, they share their file with me.
However, there’s a huge bonus to this visit. The night of the assault, the doctors at the hospital were vigilant and scraped under Sadie’s fingernails. Mainly, it was dirt from being thrown to the ground, but the lab identified skin cells. No ID as yet, but it’s good news. I share the development with Falcon as soon as we get back to my place.
Since then, I’ve haven’t been able to take my eyes off Sadie. Everything she does is alluring. Who thought watching her nibble on a cracker would be sexy as hell? The way she licks the jam off the top of the cracker is making me crazy.
I know I have to be gentle with Sadie, and the only way to force myself to go slow is to take a cold shower. One shower turns into two, and I jerk off both times. I recall the way her lips taste and imagine how other parts of her will taste.
Forty-seven hours, fifty-five minutes, and twenty-eight seconds later, Sadie shrugs the blanket off her lap and stands in front of me, takes my hand, and motions for me to get to my feet.
“Time’s up, Rebel,” she says shyly, with a sexy grin on her lips.