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Time passed slowly while she slept quietly in his arms. He tenderly smoothed the soft strawberry blonde locks from her cheek and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "I promise you this, Ashling," he whispered. "Whoever did this to you will pay dearly."
Did this to me? The words echoed around in her brain until reality crashed through and she bolted straight up and knocked heads with Frank in the process.
He grunted loudly as their foreheads cracked together. Rubbing his brow he watched his wife scurry from the bed as if nothing happened. "Shay?"
She never acknowledged him, instead ran to the closet and grabbed a tan pantsuit and began dressing quickly. With one leg halfway in a pants leg, she reached for her cell phone. "Alex? Yeah...yeah...grab Jake and checkout Brunell's ex-wife's place. No...the one in Wilshire, it's closer. Uh-huh...no...I'll explain later. Just hurry!"
She scrambled into the rest of her clothing before noticing Frank still lay on the bed gaping at her like she had grown a second head. "Get up, Donovan...let's go!"
Frank moved to the edge of the bed and grabbed her by the waist and yanked her down onto his lap. "For Christ's sake, what the hell is going on!"
"Not now, Frank...no time. We've got to get to the other ex-wife...the one in Lincoln." She pushed out of his arms and slid into a pair of tan pumps. When he still had not moved, she grabbed his hands and tugged him to his feet.
Without waiting, she hurried out of the apartment, grabbing her gun along the way out. He had to run to keep up with her and found her waiting at his truck. "Shay..."
"Hurry...time's a wastin'," she growled.
He frowned and jumped into the truck and started the engine. When she was safely buckled up beside him, he headed where she demanded.
Nearing the house in the Lincoln subdivision, he glanced sideways at her. She stared straight ahead, nervously pulling at her fingers.
"Gonna tell me what this is all about? Or even what happened to you last night?" he asked softly. Her emotions were too raw and if he voiced his irritation at being kept in the dark, he might send her into an emotional outburst. Asking calmly might have the same results, but he needed to know what was going on.
"He's on the run...we'll be lucky to catch up to him before he leaves town," she whispered, refusing to make eye contact with him.
"What makes you think he's on the run?" he asked as he made the turn just before the subdivision.
"He'll be expecting to be arrested...he has no idea..." she trailed.
"No idea?" he prodded as he turned into the subdivision.
"Park out of sight," she suggested.
He stopped the truck two blocks from the Brunell household and shut off the engine. "Now...tell me why he's on the run," he demanded, cupping her chin in his hand, demanding she give him an answer.
"He has no idea..." she wrenched her face out of his soft grasp and stared out of the front window, "that I haven't reported him for assault and battery and attempted rape."
Frank clutched the steering wheel with both hands until his knuckles turned white. He tried to breathe, but could not force his muscles to take in air. He felt like he had been punched in the gut and all the air was knocked out of his lungs.
"Frank," Shay whispered, placing a hand on his arm. "Tiger..."
He was beyond hearing, beyond reasonable thought. And when he saw the movement to the side of Brunell's house...he knew...knew without a doubt that it was the bastard that had harmed his wife. He was no longer the government agent, the law enforcer, but a man out to avenge the misdeed done to the woman he loved more than life itself.
He was out of the truck and halfway to Brunell before Shay could blink. She ran after him, but was distracted by an oncoming vehicle that screeched to a halt in front of her. Jake and Alex jumped from the vehicle and ran to meet Shay.
"The house was empty. Cleaned out completely," Jake informed her.
Shay nodded and pointed in the direction Frank ran. "He's here!" The three raced to the back of the house in time to see Frank lunge at Brunell, while emitting a guttural howl, and tackle him at the waist.
The two men hit the ground forcefully, knocking them apart from each other. Frank was the first to his feet and watched Brunell slowly rise to his knees. He did not want to arrest him; he wanted to punish him. "Get up, you fucking bastard!"
Brunell laughed maniacally at the obvious fury in McKendry's partner. He must have a yen for his partner to be acting like this. He looked over to see Jace standing with McKendry and the third person; she looked familiar...Jace's sister-in-law. He realized he had been set up. He was going down in a big way, so why not make a few people squirm. "What's the problem? Your partner wanted me...I wanted her..."
Frank didn't let him finish; he smashed a right hook into Brunell's cheek and nose and took pleasure in seeing him bleed. "Get up, or by God..."
"Yeah...she wanted me, man," Brunell continued spewing filth while he wiped the blood from his nose. "Begged me to teach her to cum...begged me on her knees while she sucked me clean."
Shay heard his vile accusations and nearly wretched where she stood. Alex noticed the color drain from her face and went to her side, supporting her with an arm around her waist.
"I never..." she trailed off.
"Shhh...no one thinks you did, sweetie," Alex soothed.
The thought, the visualization of Brunell's words sent him over the edge. In his mind's eye he saw the man's hands on his wife's body. Touching her, feeling her...biting her. In a rage he had never felt before Frank launched himself onto the other man and landed punch after punch to the man's face until Jake dragged him forcibly off of Brunell.
Drawing in air, ragged and furious, his chest heaved from his exertion and the rage that still flowed through his veins. Brunell's face was a bloodied pulp, but Frank still wished to make the man suffer.
Jake held Frank back when he made another move at the fallen Officer. "Don't do it, Frank. If you kill him...what will that get you?"
Frank seethed and glared at Jake. "Nothing...nothing but satisfaction for the harm done to my wife!" he screamed at the younger man. "Now, get out of my way, or I'll lay you out next to him."
Jake heard Brunell ground out the word "wife" in astonishment before he passed out.
Shay pulled away from Alex and moved to block Frank. She felt physically ill from the sight of Brunell. His blood did not bother her one iota, but the thought of his hands on her body...his mouth on her skin revolted her to the point of madness. Still, she would not let her husband jeopardize his career for the creature that now lay motionless on the ground.
"Don't do it, Tiger," she pleaded. "And don't say you're doing it for me. God knows I want him to pay for what he's done...but not like this. Not by risking you and your career."
Frank looked into her eyes and tried to calm himself, if for only her sake. "The things he said..."
Shay cupped his face in her hands and caressed his cheeks lovingly. "Lies, baby. Please tell me you don't believe the things he said."
Frank shook his head. "No...no baby, I don't. Just hearing him say it...the thought of it..."
Shay flung her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "Never...never do you hear me. Vous êtes mes et seulement."
Frank wrapped her in his embrace and rocked her gently in his arms. " Et vous êtes ma vie." He kissed the top of her head softly before looking over at Jake and Alex. "Call it in and get this piece of shit out of my sight."
--
Vous êtes mes et seulement – you are my one and only.
Et vous êtes ma vie – and you are my life.
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to be continued...