It was remarkably satisfying to watch the smirk slide off Flannery’s face, replaced by confusion. While he sorted through what was happening to him, I sliced through Lydia’s leg shackles with magic.
I strode over to her. “Hi Lydia. I’m Beck. I’m a friend of Stacey’s from the club. I’m going to release you, but I don’t want to hurt you. Will you be able to stand on your own?”
Her body shifted. She straightened and lifted her head, looking at me through the tangle of her hair. Her pale brown eyes glittered with anger. I stared. She’d been so wilted and destroyed, the sudden shift caught me off guard.
“If you let me down, I’ll kill him,” she said in a stone-hard voice, completely opposite to the helpless weeping woman she’d appeared to be just moments before.
“No, you won’t,” I said. “You’re not going to let him win, and he will if you go to jail for murder.”
“He deserves to be dead,” she spat.
“Preaching to the choir, but you don’t deserve to pay for it. Are you ready? I’m going to cut the ropes.” I waited for her nod, and then she was free.
She squeaked and sagged at the suddenness of her freedom. I caught her around the waist and she sucked in a sharp breath as I touched a sore spot. I wondered what he’d done to her before we got there.
“Steady now,” I said. “Tell me when you are ready to stand.”
“How did you do that?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“I’m okay,” she said after a moment. “You can let go.”
I slowly released her, staying close in case she started to fall.
“Here.” Lorraine came into the glass enclosure. She held out a light-weight robe.
“Thanks.” Lydia took it. Her hands shook. She winced as she moved to put the robe on. “Fuck, but that hurts.”
“Sorry,” I said, guilt surging. “I could have stopped him sooner, but thought we should get some video so you’d have proof for the cops.”
She gave an adamant shake of her head. “Don’t apologize. You’re right. If I’m ever going to be free of him, I need to be able to show the world just what kind of man he is.”
“Why pretend to be scared and broken?” Lorraine asked curiously.
“He’s a coward. He likes to talk. He always talks more when I’m not sassing him. I hoped I’d get lucky and he’d give me some kind of ammunition.” She looked at me as she tied the robe around herself. “I’m more grateful than I can say for you stepping in.” She made a face. “The cops are going to call me stupid for coming back to him just to protect my cats, though. It probably was fucking stupid.”
I shook my head. “I get it. I’d have done the same.”
She gave me a distrusting look. “You don’t have to say that. I know how ridiculous it was. A couple of cats don’t matter as much as I do. Except for me, they do. I knew he wasn’t going to kill me, though. He’s always had a thing for hurting me. He likes it when I cry and beg.”
The way she said it struck me hard. It reminded me of the way I talked about what Aunty Mommy had done to me. Like it was just the way things were, and I had to deal with it because it wasn’t changing. Only I’d been wrong, and so had Lydia. Aunty Mommy got herself killed, and Lydia made friends with Stacey. I couldn’t do anything about my torturer, but I could do something about Lydia’s.
“Anyhow, I wasn’t going to let him hurt my cats, and I figured that if I escaped with them once, I could do it again, and this time I’d figure out how to disappear.” She sighed. “It was stupid. I should have at least thought of a better plan, but I didn’t have time. I had to come immediately or he’d….”
She trailed off and swallowed.
“No judgment here,” I said softly.
“It’s just that Carson only came after the cats because of me. I had to try to help them. They wouldn’t be in the situation if not for me.”
“You don’t owe me any explanations,” I assured her. “I really do get it. I dealt with my own abuser. She threatened my friends, and trust me, I’d have done anything to keep them out of her clutches.”
“But that was people. I did this for cats. The police aren’t going to take me seriously. Again.”
“They will. We have video and you’ve got witnesses.”
“Right.” She squared her shoulders and tossed the hair out of her face. “This time is going to be different.”
“Fucking right it will be,” Jen said.
She and Lorraine had stepped inside the enclosure.
“What’s with the fuckwit?” Lorraine asked. “What did you do to him?”
I considered my handiwork. Flannery looked panicked and was looking down at himself.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
He looked at me. “What did you do to me? Is it some kind of poison?”
I was tempted to tell him to figure it out himself, but I had time to gloat and make him aware of his new limitations. I decided to indulge myself.
“If this were a fairytale, and if I were a witch intent on distributing appropriate justice as often happens in fairy tales, I would say that you’re suffering a physical manifestation of your shitty thoughts. That every time you even think of hurting Lydia in any possible way, your dick will start burning and you’ll get an insanely itchy and painful rash. It’ll spread over your balls and out along your body and won’t go away until you’ve willingly sat and endured it for at least twenty four hours. The ticking clock resets every time you think about her again.”
I shrugged. “But of course, that’s just a fairytale. That sort of thing doesn’t happen in the real world, so I have no idea what’s going on with you. Maybe you should see a doctor, though I’ve heard that conditions like this can plague you for the rest of your life. Oh, and don’t imagine you’ll be able to get out of it by committing suicide. You can try, but it won’t take.”
I glanced at Lydia, who was looking at me like I should be wearing a straitjacket. “Is that the sort of punishment you’d inflict if you could? Or would you add to that? I mean, if you could curse him with something.”
Her gaze narrowed. “I’m grateful for you rescuing me, but I don’t appreciate you making fun of my situation.”
“I’m not,” I said. “Just tell me, in the best of all possible worlds, what would you do to pay him back for what he’s done?”
“I don’t know. I’d want to make sure he didn’t hurt another woman again. Or an animal. Or anybody, really.”
I nodded. “I should have thought of that. Good call.”
I focused, gathering my magic and shaping my intent. I lobbed the spell at him.
“Is that it?” Jen asked.
“I thought it would be more...noticeable,” Lorraine said, disappointment twining through her voice.
“Kick him in the balls and see what happens,” I suggested.
“I’d love to,” Lorraine said. “But Lydia deserves to do that one.”
“Want to kick him in the nuts, Lydia?” I asked her.
Confusion, irritation, and pain mingled on her face. “I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“I know, and if the cops get here first, you won’t get a chance to give him a taste of his own medicine,” I said. “What do you have to lose?”
“Blood?”
“Worth a risk, though, isn’t it?” I asked “If it were me, I’d take that crop and beat him bloody, then stomp on him until I broke every bone in his body.” I shrugged. “It’s probably over the top, but I’m vindictive that way.”
She hesitated, then crossed over to where he stood and plucked the crop from his hand. He snarled and reached out to grab her by the throat. She flinched away even as he staggered back, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for air. He retreated another two steps and was able to suck in a loud breath before breaking into coughs.
“What happens if he tries to, say, shoot someone?” Jen asked in the same tone she’d order coffee.
“He’ll suffer the fate he intends, just short of dying. If he decides to poison someone, he’ll feel the effects of the poison all the way to the point of death, and then he’ll recover. Same for a shooting, or trying to choke someone.”
“You can’t be serious,” Lydia said, staring at Flannery as the coughing fit faded and he straightened, looking a little sick and scared, like he’d finally figured out something strange was in play and he wasn’t weaseling out of paying for his actions this time. “For fuck’s sake. What am I even saying? That’s impossible. It’s crazy!”
“You’d think, but humor us. Try it again,” Jen said. “If it works twice, it’s probably true.”
Lydia studied her for a moment, and finally nodded, clearly dubious. She lifted the crop high and Flannery grabbed for her arm, only to yelp and clutch his own as he tried to back out of reach.
“Fucking bitch!”
Still holding the crop high, Lydia pursued him. “Nobody asked you for your opinion, so keep it to yourself,” she said, and brought it down with a whistling thwack! The crop stuck across his crotch and upper thighs.
He howled and grabbed himself, bending over.
Lydia’s eyes widened and she gave a delighted laugh. “Stand up again, you good for nothing piece of shit. You’ve got a lot more coming.”
“And here’s the drunk with power portion of the show,” Lorraine said.
“She’s more than allowed,” I said.
“Damned straight,” Lorraine said. “It’s kind of nice to see a woman turn the tables for once.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Flannery still hadn’t accepted his new reality. He shook a fist at Lydia. “You’re going to regret this, bitch. You’ll never be free of me. I’ll make your life miserable until Doomsday.”
Even as he said it, he gasped and made a squawking noise then scratched himself furiously as a bubbly red rash spread from under his clothing across his exposed skin. It looked like poison oak on steroids.
“That looks unpleasant,” Jen noted.
“I did my best,” I said.
“I think the cavalry’s arrived,” Lorraine said, turning to listen.
With the place sound-proofed, the only noise came in through the main door of the suite, which could no longer close thanks to me.
I heard the thud of footsteps and clank of metal on metal. Several cops in uniform with guns raised entered the outer part of the bathroom and spread out, followed by Officer Mikey who strolled in.
“Everybody stand still,” he ordered.
Jen snorted. “Because we were in the middle of running a marathon,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
I snickered, and Mikey scowled. His own fault. If he was going to leave a door that wide open, somebody was bound to step through.
“What’s going on here?” He demanded after examining the tableau.
“I’ll tell you what’s happened,” Flannery declared, stomping toward the doorway of the glass enclosure, only to come to a halt in front of Jen and Lorraine, who declined to move. He started to push forward with every intention of shouldering them out of his way, but magic shoved him backward and he sprawled onto his ass.
Lydia barked out a laugh. “Carson, I’ve never seen you look better. Stay there, why don’t you.”
He let out a string of epithets and struggled to his feet. “I want these people arrested for trespassing, breaking and entering, and assault. They’ve done something to me. It’s some sort of chemical like anthrax or Agent Orange. I need to see a doctor right away. Call an ambulance.”
“Or,” I said. “You could arrest Flannery for unlawful imprisonment and assault, plus being an all-around asshole. Then take him to the hospital if he wants, though I’m pretty sure they can’t help with his particular problem.” I looked at him. “You are such a coward. You can dish it out, but you can’t take it. Best learn fast.”
“That’s a little harsh,” Lorraine said. “It’s not like he can help it. Poor dear only has two brain cells, and they’re fighting hard for third place.”
Jen snickered.
“Maybe someone could explain what’s going on,” Mikey said, his tone indicating it wasn’t the suggestion it sounded like.
“This is Lydia, Flannery’s ex,” I said. “Try not to ignore her, this time, would you?”
The other woman’s mouth tightened and she clearly didn’t want anything to do with the police. I couldn’t reassure her. Mikey was a wild card. He could easily go the asshole route, or could actually listen. He’d seemed to thaw into a decent human last night with Lindsey, but breakfast this morning had him freezing right back up. Not that he hadn’t had a good point or two, but he hadn’t been particularly supportive.
“Ma’am?” Mikey said. “Could you tell me what happened here?”
She curled her lip. “Fine, but I’m not putting up with anyone treating me like I’m some scorned housewife out for revenge. If you’d paid the slightest attention to me when I told you what my husband was up to, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Yes, ma’am. Maybe we could talk in another room, where you’ll be more comfortable,” Mikey suggested as she came out of the enclosure. He looked at one of the uniformed cops. “Take these four where they can wait, but don’t let them talk to each other. Please follow me, Mrs. Flannery.”
“I go by Bishop now.”
“Is that so? Are you divorced?”
She grimaced, holding tight to the edge of her borrowed robe. “No such luck, I’m afraid. Maybe soon.”
He ushered her out and we followed, with Flannery bringing up the rear. The uniforms led us into a small sitting room where two of them took up stations inside and two guarded outside. Overkill, much?
I sat down on a small settee. It bore a similar look to the furniture in the vestibule outside the suite’s doors. Lorraine and Jen sat on either side of me.
“This is fun,” Jen said, watching Flannery pace and scratch and mutter.
“No talking, please,” the female uniform called out.
“Nap time, I guess,” I murmured, and slid off the settee onto the floor, grabbed a throw pillow off another chair, stuffed it under my head, and closed my eyes.
Jen woke me up a while later. I jerked up, adrenaline spiking through me. A throwback to dealing with Aunty Mommy. The combination of sleeping on the floor and somebody shaking me awake put me right back in that headspace.
I sucked in a breath as I realized where I was. I blew it out slowly, blinking away the grittiness in my eyes.
“You okay?” Lorraine asked.
I nodded. “Just startled.” And half expecting a kick to the gut, but she didn’t need to know that.
“You’ve been summoned.”
I looked around. We were the only two left. “Where’s Jen and the assbite?”
“They got called out already. Well, Officer Mike wanted you after Flannery, but Jen went instead. Said you needed sleep.”
“And he accepted that?”
“You know how Jen can be. I got the distinct impression nobody wanted to have to shoot her and they’d have had to if they didn’t back down, so she got her way.”
“Sounds about right.” I got to my feet, remembering I’d thrown my shoes somewhere. I’d have to find them. I wouldn’t have cared if they were mine, but they weren’t and they were one of a kind.
The female cop who’d been on guard duty stood just a few feet away, listening. Probably why she had let us talk. “A fair assessment,” she agreed.
I smoothed my hands over my dress and hair before following her out. She directed me into a larger salon. The furniture within had a more masculine feel—chunky and upholstered in dark leather with decorative brass nails. It all looked handmade.
Mikey leaned against the arm of a couch, flipping through his notebook. He straightened when I came in, the uniform closing the door behind me.
“Have a seat,” he said, pointing to one in particular. It faced another chair, where he no doubt planned to sit.
At least they looked comfortable. I went ahead and obeyed. The faster I got through this, the faster I could go help look for the cats.
“I had Lydia taken to the hospital,” he said as he settled into his chair. “She’s being assessed and treated. I sent a forensic photographer to take pictures of everything.”
“Good.”
“Just wanted you to know I was on top of it. Flannery will have a tough time weaseling out of this one.”
“If you say so.” I wasn’t feeling particularly charitable. At the moment he represented the system that had so totally failed Lydia. It wasn’t fair to make him their figurehead, but I wasn’t in the mood to be fair at the moment. “Did anybody find the cats?”
He nodded. “They were in cages in the bedroom.”
“They’re okay?”
“As far as I can tell. One of them has a bunch of little stripes shaved into its fur. I guess—” He broke off with a grimace. “Not something I should discuss.”
“That’s how he showed Lydia where he’d cut the cat, wasn’t it? He couldn’t afford to kill them for real or he wouldn’t have leverage,” I mused aloud. “So he shaved where he’d cut so she’d know he was serious.”
Mikey smiled appreciatively. “Something along those lines, yes.”
“So what do you want to know?”
“I need your version of what happened up here.”
My brows rose. “The real one or the sanitized one?”
Another smile. “Real one. I’ll take notes on what I need to remember.”
Meaning none of the magic. I launched into the story and didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t interrupt, just nodding now and again as he jotted notes. He snorted a little when I described the spells I’d cast. When I got to the end, he continued writing and then proceeded to read over his notes.
I waited semi-patiently. I was getting hungry and thirsty. I wanted to eat, have a long, hot bath, and then sleep for about a day. And snuggle Ajax. I’d left him at Luke’s with Rhi and Lorel to look after him. If I had to guess, he’d crawled into bed with Lindsey as soon as I left.
“You told Jen to call me or Detectives Ballard and Jeffers,” Mikey said, not looking up from his notebook.
I didn’t respond, and he lifted his gaze to look expectantly at me.
“What?”
“Did you tell Jen to call me or Detectives Ballard and Jeffers?”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
I gave him the side-eye, not sure where he was going with this. “Do you want me to apologize or something? I’m sure you could have figured out how to pass on the call if you wanted.”
He shook his head, running his hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?”
“Why did you—” He broke off and blew out a breath. “No, that’s not it. You knew I was going to do this by the book. I wasn’t going to do you any favors.”
“We don’t need any favors. We just need a little honesty and integrity. Have you seen the video?”
He nodded. “Had a look after Lydia told me about it.”
“And?”
“DA won’t have a choice. He’ll have to charge him. Since it’s going to be high-profile, he might even decide to make an example of Flannery.”
“Good.”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Trusting me to be a good cop.”
I shrugged. “You are a good cop. That’s not what I have issues with.”
“So you said. I’ve got some thinking to do.”
“About what?”
“Whether or not I’m as good a cop as I want to be.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. “Can I go?”
He nodded. “I’ll be in touch if I need more information. You’ll need to come downtown and make a formal statement, but you can do that Monday. Jen and Lorraine, too.”
“What’s going to happen to Lydia? And her cats? Can she have them back?”
He nodded. “I don’t know if the hospital will keep her overnight, but she’ll be able to pick them up. CSU took pictures, so there’s no need to keep them.”
“What happens if she can’t get them tonight?”
“Animal Control will probably take them.”
“Or we could. Lorraine’s a vet. You could have her check them out, make sure he didn’t hurt them.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure Lydia will appreciate it. I'll clear it with CSU and let her know.”
“Thanks.”
I headed for the door, stopping just within to look at him. He’d shown there was more to him than I’d thought. I could see some of what drew Stacey to him. “Stacey does want a forever relationship. She just doesn’t believe they exist, and she’s not willing to risk seeing if they do.”
He looked at me in surprise. “I can’t tell if you’re saying I should keep trying, or if there’s no hope for me.”
I shrugged. “All I know is you can’t win if you don’t play. Think hard, though. You can’t change her to fit your idea of the perfect woman, any more than she can change you. Either you want her, warts and all, or you don’t.”
He nodded. “I hear you.”
“Look at that. Progress already. Nothing sexier than a man who listens. Nothing harder to find, either.”
I waved my fingers at him and left, smiling when I heard him laugh.
Maybe he wasn’t as fuckwitted as he’d been acting. Only time would tell.