Betrayal: Book 3 of the Guardians Saga

Ch. 13.2 Fallout

"Drive us there, you bluff your way in, and see if she's there.  If she is, signal us and—" Gabe said.

"While I do not mind my wife making a telephone call for you, I most certainly mind dragging her out in the middle of the night to a women's shelter. We'll visit the shelter in the morning," Dr. Dewey said.

"What if she isn't there? What if she's dying on the street as we sit here?" Gabe would have been upset to realize how much he sounded like Rile.

"You cannot search all of New Orleans.  I strongly suspect that Alex is at the shelter. If not there, perhaps she rented a motel room. Tomorrow you can investigate."

***

The commotion outside woke Alex from her nightmare-filled sleep.  When she heard the man's angry voice, she reached for her black pants.  As they slipped over her hips, she almost enjoyed putting them on. She threw on her black T-shirt and black leather jacket.

When she flew out, she didn't make any threats or shout any warning.  She blasted the man just enough to stun him, grabbed him by his hair, and shot straight up. 

When she was an impressive distance up, she jerked the man's terrified face to hers.

"I'm tired, I'm angry, and you're a woman-beating bastard," she said. "Those reasons seem good enough to execute your abusive ass.  Can you think of any why I shouldn't?"

"Oh, god, please don't drop me."

"I said reasons, jerk, not sniveling. Oops."  She released him and let him fall a short distance before catching him by his hair again. "I've always believed that bullies like you need to find out that there are people like me who are stronger and smarter and enjoy cutting creeps down to size. Oops." 

She let him fall further this time.  "Bullies like you pick on the weak. I am not weak. Have you thought of a reason yet?"

The man's eyes were screwed shut and he was babbling.

"Hmm, I guess not."

He screamed for the whole three feet he fell to the ground.  On his knees, he patted the grass for a moment. Alex landed in front of him.

"Take a hike.  Remember, I know you. I can track you. I can find you." She doubted that he would realize how improbable this was. "Hit another woman, any woman, and next time the ground won't feel so good."

The man scrambled into his car and sped off, leaving black tire marks on the driveway..

"Thank you." Helen stood on the porch of the shelter and assessed her. Her face was still in kind lines but her eyes were shrewd.

Alex chewed the inside of her lip.

How much she had seen?

"Every now and then we're tricked into giving away the location to some husband or boyfriend.  Are you all right?" Helen asked.

"Tired, not hurt.  See you in the morning." Alex walked past her into the shelter and back into her assigned bedroom.

If she saw the whole thing, Miss Crenshaw can chew on my super powers tonight. She seems like a sensible sort. I'm going to bed.

***

"Gabe, I suggest that you go to bed." Doctor Dewey may have used the word 'suggest' but it was a command.

"It's no use. I'll never sleep."  Gabe didn't turn around, just stood and stared out the window. "It was my only chance.  Why did Rile destroy it?  I never hoped to be able to make it all up to Alex. To have her forget the horrible things that happened to her, including the ones that I did, and start all over. To be able to show her how much I loved her, to do all the things I should have so that even if she did remember in time, maybe, just maybe she would forgive me. I could have killed him. Why did he force her to remember? Didn't he realize how much he was hurting her? Is he that selfish to do that to her to drive her away from me?"