He had a broad, sullen face and seemed rather gruff. I needed to win him over. Just because these guys were supposed to uphold the law didn’t mean they were going to believe our story over the rugby goon’s version of events.
“Yeah?” he asked. “Can I help you with something, miss?”
“I forgot to tell that other officer something,” I said. I’d been so focused on not saying anything to betray Christos, I’d missed the obvious.
“What?” he grunted expectantly, as if expecting something astonishing, like film footage of the second, third and perhaps fourth President Kennedy shooters.
My plan to win him over was not going well. “When those guys started harassing us,” I said tentatively, “I took a picture of them on my phone and told them I was going to call campus security. Before I could, that guy with the crew cut grabbed my phone and threw it.”
“Where?”
“Where what?”
“Where’d he throw your phone,” stocky cop said impatiently.
“Oh. Over the dining hall.”
Stocky cop turned to look. He frowned. “From here?”
“No. We were standing over there when he threw it.” I pointed.
“You sure he threw your phone?” the cop asked, as if I was suggesting Crew Cut had thrown my car or perhaps an elephant over the dining hall.
“Yes, I’m sure! Do you want to search me? My phone is gone.”
“How do I know you had a phone to begin with?”
A better question was, how did this get turned around on me?
“She did,” Romeo said. “And I saw that guy throw it.”
“Me too,” Kamiko said.
Stocky cop looked between the three of us, doubt curling his lips. Yes, he had the teeth of an ogre, or perhaps a rotten goblin. Take your pick. “Okay,” he sighed heavily, like I was asking him to clean his room for the tenth time. “I’ll go tell my partner.” He walked over to the other three cops and started chatting with them. Tall Cop looked at me again and nodded while Stocky Cop explained things. A minute later, Tall Cop walked back over to us.
“You say that guy over there grabbed your phone and threw it over the dining hall?” Tall Cop asked me.
“Yes,” I said.
“Was that when the fight started?”
“Yes.”
“Between those guys over there, and your friend, the cute guy?”
“Yes.”
“And what was cute guy’s name again?”
Brakes! I clamped my mouth shut before it could open. I’d almost fallen for the cop’s trick line of questioning. “I told you before, I don’t know his name. Like I said, he’s more of an acquaintance.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you remember if he had any tattoos?” he asked suspiciously. “Your acquaintance?”
“I don’t think so,” I said, making my best Little Miss Honesty face.
“No,” Romeo added, “he didn’t have any tattoos. I would’ve remembered. Guys with tattoos are hot!”
Tall Cop raised an amused eyebrow. “And you said there were five guys fighting your one friend?”
“Yes! And I have a picture of all five on my phone!”
“But your phone is gone?”
“Yes! I can totally go look for it, if you want.”
“No. Hold tight here until we sort this out.”
Tall Cop rejoined the other three officers. The EMTs had helped the guy who’d been knocked out to stand up. Crew Cut and Bloody Face still sat in the grass. Stocky Cop uncuffed them and they stood up. Stocky Cop gave them what appeared to be a stern talking to. Crew Cut and his buddies nodded solemnly and repeatedly like they were law-abiding citizens who’d been wrongly assaulted for no good reason. When the cops were finished lecturing Crew Cut and Crew, they let the three rugby goons walk across the quad and out of sight.
The four cops walked up to us.
“We’re going to let you three go for the evening,” Tall Cop said. “I suggest you all head to bed.”
“What about my phone?” I asked.
He handed me a business card. “If you find it, give me a call.”
Wow, big help he was. “Okay. So, um, are those rugby guys in trouble or anything?” I asked.
He sighed heavily. “Obviously, the three guys we talked to were in a fight. But we’re missing several of the participants involved. Like your acquaintance. Unless we can round up everyone, there’s not much we can do.”
Great. Those rugby jerks got away with behaving like Upper Division Pricks while the man who had protected me time and time again was going to court in two days and possibly to jail.
How was that fair again?
CHRISTOS
Flashing reds and blues from a pair of police cars strobed across the pavement when I rounded the south end of the SDU campus and came up North Torrey Pines Road. The squad cars were parked behind Paiute Hall. I noticed them before I got to Adams College Drive, so I decided to drive right on by.
I wondered if Samantha had found her phone. If she had, did I want to ring her up while she was talking to a bunch of campus cops? Better to call her later.
I rode home. The house was silent when I walked inside. Not wanting to wake my grandfather, I slid my motorcycle boots off in the entry foyer and crept up to bed.
I needed to get my beauty rest before my pre-trial in the morning.
Fun stuff.
Chapter 3
CHRISTOS
Gravity had me by the balls and was hurtling me down toward oblivion like a boulder with a rocket pack strapped to its back. Faceless winged demons swirled around me, taunting me, clawing at my flesh, cackling with savage glee. Every time I swung at one of them or tried to grab an arm or a leg, they disappeared in a puff of black smoke only to reappear on my back, scaly limbs wound around my torso in a wicked embrace. Fangs sunk into my neck. I kept twisting and swinging and throwing knees, but there were too many of them. I couldn’t stop the onslaught.
“Christos?”
I flailed awake in my bed. “What the fuck!”
“It’s me, agápi mou,” Samantha whispered. I felt her lay a soothing hand on my shoulder. “I think you were having a nightmare. Was it about those rugby guys?”
“Worse.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really. It won’t make any difference. It was just a stupid dream.” My bedroom was still dark. I glanced at the clock on the bed stand. 4:17am. “Did you just get here?”
“No. I’ve been here for awhile.”
“In bed with me?”
“Yeah,” she said softly.
“Are you naked?”
“Yes.” Her voice was sultry and promised pleasant things.
I twisted and slid my arm around her waist, pulling her body into mine. Our taut stomachs kissed, delicious heat radiating from her skin into mine. Her soft breasts melted against my muscled chest and I was instantly hard. Samantha had no idea how completely womanly she was. Even in total darkness, she was incredible.
“Why didn’t you wake me when you came in?” I asked.
“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Yeah, my body must’ve crashed after all the adrenaline from the fight was gone.” I kissed her softly on the lips and felt the tip of her tongue tease mine. “Mmm, but you definitely should’ve woken me.”
“You’re awake now,” she said. “I didn’t miss my window of opportunity, did I?” she giggled.
“Gee whiz, I don’t know. Let me check.” I rolled on top of her, skin to skin, and wedged my fingers under her ass, lifting her hips. Her knees parted freely and I slid between her legs. My cock was already throbbing, straining to be inside of her. I grabbed it in my fist and teased the tip against her. “Damn, woman, you’re already wet.”