Page 23 of The Crowing of Hell
“I will, I promise,” I said and disconnected.
Lola was over two hours away, so I decided against getting a taxi. I had the money but preferred to use it for something else. Biting my lip, I tried working out who to call when a knock sounded at my door. I glanced through the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re just the person I need!” I exclaimed on seeing Rooster.
Rooster looked bemused as I dragged on a cardigan and slipped my feet into sandals.
“I am?” he questioned as I grabbed my car keys and handed them to him.
“Yes. A client’s husband has found her, and she needs me. Can you drive? I can’t do it myself because I have a concussion.”
“Yeah, which is why you shouldn’t be chasing off after clients,” Rooster said with a scowl.
“This is a teenage girl running from an abusive man with her kids. You’re going to argue about my injury?” I asked.
As I spoke, Rooster’s face got darker and darker.
“Someone abused a kid like that? I’ll take ya, but I want that fucks details. He’s a dead man walking,” Rooster growled out.
I shut the door behind me and ignored his words. It was best to do so, especially as I was a lawyer.
“Mean it, Kenny, I want that fuck’s name,” Rooster persisted.
“Rooster, I am an officer of the court. Shut the fuck up!” I snapped as we approached my car.
Rooster looked surprised, and then smirked. He bent close to my ear and whispered, “Don’t tell me you’ve not dreamed of offing some of these motherfuckers.”
“I hate you,” I muttered as I carefully lowered myself into the motor.
Rooster laughed. “Sure you do.” He swung into the driver’s seat, adjusted it for his height, and backed out of my drive.
“Head towards the RC Rebirth Trust, I imagine you know where it is,” I said.
“Yes. Your phone is going fuckin’ nuts. Will you answer it?” Rooster demanded.
I pulled it from my purse and saw messages from Mattie.
“It’s Mattie, head of security over there. They managed to get images of the driver parked outside and confirmed it’s the husband. But he fled as the team pounced. Still, with the pictures, we can press the court to issue an arrest warrant for breaching bail and the five restraining orders.”
“Five?” Rooster queried.
My lips tightened in displeasure. “One for the wife andone each for the four kids,” I said in disgust.
“Tell me you’re fuckin’ joking, Kenny,” Rooster exclaimed.
“Wish I was, Roo.”
“I’ll get that motherfucker’s name one way or another,” Rooster muttered.
For once, screw the law, I hoped he did too.
???
When we arrived, the entire building was on lockdown. The carpark had security patrols out, and both our identities were checked against our IDs and then verified with Mattie. Inside, extra protection was present, but a calm atmosphere prevailed, and I wondered if anyone had guessed something had happened.
Mattie met us as we entered.
“Rooster, can you wait in the male guest room, please, hon,” Mattie ordered.