Reaching for the phone to call Robby, it rang. Letting out a long breath, he tried his best to sound upbeat while answering. But as soon as he heard the voice on the other end, his lion nearly took him.
“Are you the attorney that talked to our mom? The one that is a lion?” He told the young man he was. “You’d better get over here right now. The man that comes by to get the rent money is going to hurt her again.”
“Call the police.” He told him he’d done that. “Good. I’m on my way. You and your brother, hide. Someplace where the man can’t get to you.”
“Good idea.”
The phone was dropped, and he could still hear screaming in the background. Going out the door, he held the phone tightly against his ear as he drove like a madman to the address he’d found while doing some work. He was pulling in just as the police were.
When he heard a gunshot sounding, his lion simply took him. As he was racing to the door, it came open, and the children were there. Pushing them out of the way as gently as he could, he moved into the house, smelling blood as he moved. The man in the kitchen was standing over a woman, and rage rolled over him in a way that made Cass sick to his stomach.
Blacking out for a few moments, as if he’d been hit in the head, Cass woke lying in the grass out back of the house. He was clothed and in his human form, and an officer was standing near him. Sitting up, he saw the man turn to him, asking if he was all right now.
“I don’t know. What happened?” He told him he’d dragged him out when more police had shown up. “I’m assuming there was a reason for that? Also, that you pulled me out as my other self.”
“Yes, you were a lion. Big fucker too. Pardon my language, sir. But yes, I pulled you out so they’d not know what was going on. Parker Foster showed up too. I don’t mean she came in the door saying howdy doody. She just was there when you were finished taking care of Mr. Crabtree. Mrs. Foster said you were her brother-in-law.” He nodded and nearly had to be sick from the movement. “She took care that the body wasn’t anything like he was. You killed him. Good thing too. He was ready to kill Miss Linton. I’m aware that I’m not making much sense, but this hasn’t been an ordinary domestic house call.”
“I’m not sure if it’s me or what, but it’s like you’re talking to me in disjointed sentences.” He said it was him. That he was scared out of his mind right now. “If Parker said she’d take care of things, she will. Tell me what happened. All I remember is hearing the gunshot and then nothing after my lion took me.”
“My partner and I pulled in the same time as you. I wanted to tell you that telling those boys to hide was a good idea. They were coming out to us when you went into the house.” Careful not to nod too much, he said he’d had an abusive father. “Miss Linton was in the kitchen telling her landlord, Mr. Crabtree, that she had the money for the rent. He seemed to think she had other means to pay. Needless to say, she took objection to that.”
“I just bet she did. Then what happened? Was he going to make her have sex with him?” The officer nodded and said that had been his plan. “Then I showed up.”
“Yes, you did. Took his head right off him. Miss Linton had been shot once in the belly by the time you entered. It wasn’t until we entered that I realized we might well be in over our heads. I should have waited, but I called in the extras. Mrs. Foster showed up. Just like that, she just appeared and started telling me and my partner what we had to do. She sure is a bossy thing, isn’t she?” He looked around, almost as if he was afraid she might have heard him. “The body was lying there with his head off and blood all over the place when the others showed up. They saw what we were told to say. That Miss Linton had saved herself by stabbing him in the chest. Then they took her off to the hospital. Funny thing, though—she was about healed by the time they got here.”
It took him a few moments to realize what he’d said. After he sat there for a little while longer, all his thoughts centered on Sarah. He had a feeling she’d healed because of him. When he was ready to stand up, Parker met him at the doorway to the house. She looked like she was as happy as he was.
“She’s going to be just fine. They took her to the hospital right after it was determined it was self-defense. I’ve called Robby in. He’s with the boys now. They’re getting to know one another. Are you all right?” He shrugged. “Good. There are several things you should be made aware of. First of all, you weren’t here. I’m sure you might have guessed that part, but I just need to put that out there. Second, the house is now a part of the Foster group. We purchased it just today, so we have the rights to do with it as we want. Which will be tearing it down as soon as the police are finished with it. No one
