«Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do in my own home?» Jeff rose to his feet, clutching his side, his breath hissing out in fury and pain.
Sebastian towered over Jeff, using his greater size to intimidate. Christy could also feel a bit of Sebastian's mind magic in the air. She'd bet he was adding some psychic persuasion to his words and it appeared to be working. Jeff's face went a little slack and a fraction of the anger drained away from his features.
«I'm the man who will rip your heart out if you ever raise a hand to this woman again.» The growling promise in Sebastian's voice sent a shiver down her spine. Jeff staggered back, using the kitchen counter for support.
He looked from Sebastian, to her, and back again. Rage showed in every stiff line of his body, as he edged toward the back door that led to the garage.
«This isn't over, bitch. You and your freaky boyfriend had better be gone when I get back. I don't know what he did to you, but you're not the woman I married.»
Christy faced him as he drew the door open. «No, I'm not, Jeff, and I never will be again. I should have found the courage to shoot you the first time you slapped me. It would have been worth the prison time just to get away from you!» She screamed at him, but Jeff was already out the door and heading for his ego car-a late model Lexus he'd bought with her money. «You bastard!»
Tears formed in her eyes and her body shook with turbulent emotion. It felt good to fight back, to say some of the things she'd bottled up inside. It was cathartic to see Jeff scurrying away like a mangy cur with his tail between his legs.
It was about time.
Sebastian came up behind her as Jeff roared out of the drive. Warm hands settled on her shoulders, rubbing in comfort as he moved his body into alignment with hers. She relaxed back against him.
«You're sexy when you're angry.»
Sebastian's rumbling words tickled her ear and startled her into laughter. That felt good too as his arms lowered to her waist, embracing her.
«You're good for me, Sebastian. Without you, I never would have found the courage to stand up to that bastard.»
«You always had it within you, my love. You just didn't have the means or opportunity to let the real woman out. Now you do, and I, for one, am proud of you.» Sebastian turned her in his arms and held her close, kissing the top of her head.
«Oh, Sebastian.» She raised her lips to his, seeking his kiss. Whenever he kissed her, all was right with the world and nothing else existed.
But he pulled back much too soon. With an apologetic smile, he reached for the cell phone at his waist.
«I have Matt on standby. He's got a pickup truck, so anything you want, we can take with us now.»
«What would I do without you? You've thought of everything, haven't you?» She marveled at the effort he'd put in on her behalf.
«I try.» He punched a speed dial button, said a few words, and a moment later shut the phone. «He's around the corner. He'll be here in a few minutes. Why don't we go through and see what you want to take with you?»
She reached up to cup his cheek, looking deep into his eyes. «I love you.»
He turned and kissed her palm. «And I you.»
While they were lost in each other, Matt arrived and rang the doorbell, breaking them apart. Christy felt flushed as she headed down the hall to open the door. Matt winked, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek as he entered.
«You okay, sweet thing?»
«As good as can be expected, I guess.» She tilted her head, considering. «Actually, better than that. Thanks for coming over, Matt. Once again, you're saving my life.»
He shrugged. «What are friends for?»
Over the next twenty minutes, the three of them went through the house room by room and cleared out the few items Christy wanted. Most were heirlooms from her family of little monetary value, but precious to her for the memories they held.
As Jeff drove himself to the emergency room for X-rays he placed a call on his cell phone. Damned if that weirdo Ben Steel hadn't been right. The woman who'd just decked him was most definitely not the same mousey girl he'd married after college. Christy was different now. She had a strange look in her eye and a backbone she'd never possessed before.
The man with her gave him the creeps as well. Eyes of a stone killer, Jeff hadn't liked anything about the sinister character and it killed him to think his wife was most likely fucking the bastard.
Well, Jeff would find a way to put a cramp in the asshole's style. Steel didn't say much, but his friend Mario had told Jeff a few things. He claimed Christy's old college friends had gotten mixed up with a bunch of vampires. Vampires! For cripes sake.
Jeff had laughed at the little man when he'd said it, but after looking into those cold eyes, he wasn't so sure. And what else could give his wife her sudden Supergirl complex? Christy had always been a klutz, but tonight she'd gone all Crouching Tiger on him. It wasn't normal. Not in a week. Not after a lifetime of ineptitude.
And she was strong too. He'd felt the power behind her leg sweep. She had new skills that couldn't be learned in a week. Not even if she'd been a top athlete before she'd disappeared from the hospital without a trace. That was weird too. Oh, he figured her friend, Jena, was hiding her at first, but he'd kept an eye on Jena and knew Christy hadn't been with her do-gooder doctor friend.
So where had she been for the past week? And how could she have healed so quickly? He knew damned well he'd hurt her bad. He'd been a little out of control, and had probably gone too far, but the bitch pissed him off. She truly did. All she had to do was breathe and he started to feel the need to slap her. Over the years he'd lost it a time or two, but nothing like that last encounter. The devil had been riding his shoulder that last time and he'd damned well intended to kill her.
In retrospect, he was glad she'd lived because otherwise he'd still be in jail. So the bitch was good for something, besides her money.
Jeff placed the call to Steel, as requested, surprised when Steel seemed to take for granted Christy's new superpowers. The man was just like his name-steel. Nothing affected him, and nothing caused a reaction. Jeff wondered what it would take to get a rise out of the guy, but didn't care to push him too far. Steel had eyes like that guy with Christy. Cold, calculating, and their icy blueness chilled Jeff to the bone.
Steel ended the call and sat silent, thinking over the possibilities. Christina Kinsey was, almost without a doubt, a vampire now. Otherwise, she never would have been able to stand up to her bully of a husband. Steel had a good idea of what had happened last week. Christy ended up in the hospital, and her friends were notified. Then suddenly she was gone. Poof. No record of the specifics of her injury or prognosis, and memories all over that floor of the hospital were suddenly fuzzy.
Steel had seen it before. He passed no judgment on the bloodletters, but for the woman he felt compassion of a sort. No female deserved to be beat up by the man who'd promised to love, honor and protect her before God and man.
Kinsey was a bastard, but he was also Steel's best source for information at this point. Of course, Mario Gonzalez seemed to have an inside track too, but Steel hesitated before placing the call to his associate. More and more, he felt something about Mario was off, but he didn't know quite what. Mario's information was good and he seemed nice enough on the surface, but there was something…
Steel sighed, letting go of his reservations. He needed backup and like it or not, Gonzalez was it. Flipping open his cell phone, he dialed the number. A few minutes later, it was done.
He went out to get lunch and a thermos full of coffee before he sat down to work on his report. A good meal would go a long way toward making the necessary paperwork easier to bear. Spotting a likely deli down the block from his hotel, he got a sandwich and sat down at one of the casual tables out front to eat. It was a nice day out, but the quiet made him too introspective.