18—Feels Surreal
Dallas woke up all at once, assessing the house with his eyes still closed. All was quiet. He opened his eyes. Light streamed around the curtains, showing him they’d made it through the night. Bonhi was curled into his side, and he took a moment to appreciate her soft, feminine form.
She murmured, stretching, then opening her eyes, looking at him first.
He smiled at her. “Morning.”
She smiled at him, too, but it was different than last night somehow.
“Morning,” she said softly, then she sat up, pushing away.
He winced as if the separating of their bodies felt like pain.
Bonhi stood up. She went to the window and peeked out. “They’re still here.”
“Yep,” Dallas said.
Bonhi stood still, looking like she didn’t quite know what to do, and then she pointed up her stairs. “I’m going to ah—take a shower.”
Dallas nodded. He didn’t say anything, not sure if she wanted him out or not. She didn’t seem to. She went up the stairs slowly. Dallas waited a moment, until he heard the shower turn on, then went outside, leaving the front door unlocked and ajar.
Dakota saw him coming and burst out of the driver’s side, her dark hair messy. “Can I use the bathroom?” she asked.
Dallas looked at the house, considering, then nodded. “Yeah.”
Dakota rushed inside and Dallas showed her where the bathroom was, then stood there and waited until she was done, and then they went back outside.
Aven leaned against the car, his eyes on Dallas, his expression knowing.
Dallas clasped hands with him. “Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. Dario called and told us where to find you.”
Dallas nodded. “Good man. I needed the backup.”
Dakota reached the car and leaned next to Aven.
Aven raised his chin at the house, his expression excited. “He also said you think she’s a switch?”
“Yeah, but Jameson doesn’t see her glow.”
“What? Who is she?”
“Jameson’s lawyer, Bonhi Candor.”
Aven thought for a second, then shook his head. “I saw her at the courthouse. She didn’t glow.”
“She did to me.”
Dakota looked back and forth between them, saying nothing. Switches couldn’t see each other glow most of the time.
Dallas swallowed his pride again and poked his sister. “Dakota, I have to ask you something and I’d like a serious answer.”
She nodded. “Shoot.”
“At the caves, did those women look strange to you?”
“Strange how?”
Dallas looked at the forest behind the houses as he said one embarrassing word, “Blurry.”
Dakota shook her head, huffing a laugh. “No, not blurry.”
Aven crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance, looking at Dallas in that sharp way he had.
“They looked blurry to me,” Dallas said, “But after a bit, the blur disappeared and they looked normal. I thought maybe something was going on with my eyes.” He leaned forward, fixing his stare on Aven. “But the guy who abducted Bonhi last night—he was blurry until I knocked him unconscious.”
Aven nodded slightly. Dakota looked like she wasn’t following the thread.
“Maybe it’s vampires,” Dallas said. He tried to laugh and it came out sounding hollow. “Shit, I don’t know, but it’s something. I’ve seen it twice now and I don’t think I’m crazy.”
Aven nodded. “Could it be your bloodwound, making you see things?”
“We don’t know for sure that it’s a bloodwound.”
“I’m pretty sure. Why else would it still be bothering you?”
Dallas shook his head. He wanted to believe he’d been shot with a bloodbullet, because that would explain why he’d never been able to heal the wound with a shift, and why letting the doctors take the lower leg still hadn’t fully healed him of his constant pain.
It also would mean there might still be a cure for the pain.
“Let’s say it’s not a bloodwound,” Dakota interjected. “What do you think it is, Dallas?”
She looked at him not as his bratty little sister, but as a respected colleague, and he appreciated it.
“I’m not sure,” he said, “But I think it’s vampires… somehow. I think it’s all related… somehow.”
“Maybe it means they’re charmed,” Dakota said. “The women at the caves were charmed at first.”
“Okay, okay,” Aven said. “That would make sense. But why can only you see it?”
Dallas shook his head. “No idea.”
“Do you have a plan?” Aven asked.
Dallas nodded toward the house. “Keep her safe.”
Aven clapped him on the back. “Spoken like a true Cause shifter.” Music played from his butt, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed it to Dallas. It was Jameson. Aven didn’t answer, but said, “The boss has been calling all morning—he wants to talk to you.”
Dallas put his head back and groaned. “Shiiiiiiiiiit, I forgot about meeting him at the hospital.” He stalked to his car saying, “I’ll call him.”
He went to his car and found his phone, clearing all his notifications, then he sat down, rubbing his bad leg while he pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear.
“Where the hell were you yesterday?” Jameson yelled on answering. “I waited for an hour!”
“Sorry, man, shit happened. I got shot.”
“You WHAT?”
“I’m fine. No one saw me shift.”
“Did anyone see you GET SHOT?”
“I don’t think so. Look, I know you said Bonhi isn’t a switch, but she glows and she needs a guard. Maybe you could send someone.”
“She doesn’t glow.”
“She does.”
“Since when? I saw her a few days ago.”
“She glowed then.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Or blind?”
“Shit. Never mind. I gotta go.”
“Wait!”
Dallas waited.
“I’m going back to Shady Pines at lunchtime today. You game?”
Dallas considered. “I’ll call you right back.” He hung up and walked back over to the others.
Aven was nodding before he even got to them. “You want us to guard Bonhi, don’t you?” Aven asked.
“Yeah, bro, I do. Keep her safe.”
“We’re on it,” Aven said.
Dakota snuggled under Aven’s arm, nodding. “We’ll stick with her all day.”
“Thanks, you two.”
Dallas called Jameson back and confirmed, hoping to get on Jameson’s good side. Maybe he could convince him to set up a shifter guard for Bonhi, at least for a little while.
Bonhi got out of the shower and toweled off, her mind working fast.
In the daylight, the night before seemed so surreal. Why had that guy even come after her in the first place? Also, she was falling for the hot jaguar-rescuer guy—Dallas—and she could not afford to do that. She had commitments and cases, and several appointments scheduled that day.
But that wasn’t even the worst of it—had she really named Judge Sturn as someone who might be involved in an abduction? Just because she’d gotten a phone call that said the judge was mad and Bonhi better watch her back? Bonhi groaned. Her career was toast, unless she fixed this shit fast.
She wrapped a towel around her and ran to her bedroom where she had a land line.
It was her business phone number, and she could answer it here or at her office.
She opened her laptop and looked up the number to Officer Saluda, then called.
He didn’t answer. Officer Brand also didn’t answer.
She hung up and thought for a moment, then called the main line to the police station.
“Police,” a gruff male voice said.
“My name is Bonhi Candor. I spoke with two officers last night regarding an incident that happened on Nevoc Highway. Could you tell me my report number and the status of the case?”
“Yeah, hold on.”
Bonhi waited.
In a minute he came back on the line, gave the information, and transferred her to the lead detective.
An even gruffer male voice said, “Detective Poppet.”
“My name is Bonhi Candor. I was abducted last night by a guy with a gun, then interviewed by Officers Saluda and Brand. I was told you’d taken over the case and I was hoping to amend my statement.”
“Is that so?” the detective asked in an easy drawl. “How come?”
“I’m a lawyer, and your officer pressured me to name someone who might have it out for me.
I named Judge Elisabeth Sturn.” The officer laughed softly.
He probably knew Sturn. Bonhi gathered her wits, speaking as professionally as possible.
“It’s common knowledge at the courthouse that the judge and I have had our tense moments, and recently a colleague mentioned Judge Sturn’s frustration with me.
Last night I was scared and running on adrenaline.
I connected those dots, and I shouldn’t have.
Pursue whatever leads you have, but don’t treat my assumption as anything more than that. ”
Bonhi shut her mouth against the urge to say more, not wanting the officer to suspect she was being coerced in some way.
“That it?” the officer grunted.
“Yes.”
“Got it. I’ll contact you when I have new information.”
“Thank you.”
Bonhi hung up, glad at how it had gone. She went to her closet and picked out a gray pencil skirt and pink blouse, plus work heels and her prettiest gold filigree hoop earrings, knowing she was dressing up for Dallas, but also not thinking about it.
She had so much to do at her office, including cleaning up her broken door.
Thinking about Dallas and… everything he’d said would have to wait.
She opened her laptop and checked on her motion for a delay—it had been approved without comment.
She called Vernon but there was no answer, so she left a message.
“Vernon, the strangest thing happened yesterday and my cellphone was destroyed. I saw the cabin and I got some pictures, but they were on my phone, so I’ll have to go out again.
But first I’ll need a new phone… and a new car.
The hearing is delayed for three days, so we have time. Call my office phone when you can.”
She gathered her things and went downstairs, thinking she would grab a bite to eat at the restaurant next to her office… but then she remembered her car was crashed on the side of the highway… unless the officers had towed it already.
Her front door was open slightly. She went outside and saw Dallas talking to a man and a woman near a muscle car.
The man was tall, red-haired, broad-shouldered, with a trimmed beard.
The woman was about 5’8’’, with a thick, shoulder-length bob.
She wore black boots with a low heel, tight jeans, and a leather jacket.
A beautiful silver ring on her ring finger caught Bonhi’s eye.
Bonhi pegged her as a cop, but then she noticed the resemblance and remembered what Dallas had said last night.
She was Dallas’ sister, and… a witch? She looked totally normal.
Bonhi shook her head. The whole thing seemed ridiculous in the daylight.
Maybe she’d dreamed it, even the big black cat in her living room.
Dallas motioned for her to come over. “Bonhi, you know Aven, and this is Dakota, my sister.”
Bonhi waved and nodded hello.
Aven shrugged. “She doesn’t glow.”
“Maybe she’s not ‘switched on’,” Dallas said.
Both Dakota and Aven looked at Dallas with wide eyes, like that made sense or something.
Bonhi didn’t have time for this mysterious witch talk. “I, ah-I need to get to work. I can call a cab,” she said.
Dallas stepped closer to her, seeming to want to put an arm around her, but the intimacy they’d shared the night before was gone, and he didn’t.
“I’d take you,” Dallas said, “But I have to meet Jameson. Aven and Dakota said they’d drive you, and stay with you, too, keep you safe.”
Bonhi thought for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, I appreciate the ride… and the company.”