Across The Hall (45 page)

I brushed my face against her neck just up under her ear. I knew this drove her crazy, and I loved to drive her crazy.

“Why don’t you try on one of your gifts from Kerri?” I whispered to her as I continued to move along her neck. I felt her tremble in my arms. Then

she let out the sexiest little moan and I knew soon I’d be taking that black thing off her.

Sylvia and I slept in after the late night we had. I questioned her again about going to work, but she insisted that she wanted to. It was only 10am

to 2pm. It wasn’t that long. I reluctantly walked her to work. It just felt off to me. I told myself it was just because I didn’t want her to go so I was finding

excuses to keep her home. I never did tel her how I felt about it. I didn’t want her to needlessly worry about something while she already had so

much she was dealing with just being there.

I met Kerri and Reed on the steps of the apartment as I was walking up. They were going out shopping. Kerri wanted to exchange some of the

gifts she got at Christmas and they needed to go get groceries. I told them to have a good time and reminded Reed to cal me when he got back. I

figured he told Kerri what was going on when she didn’t question why I wanted him to cal .

I stopped by Sloane’s just to let him know that I was going to cal the attorney and I would come see him after I had some advice. I had thought

over his plan this morning while Sylvia was getting ready and came to the conclusion that it real y was the best route to go. Before I did that, I

wanted to be assured that there was no way he would be getting out any time soon. I wasn’t about to do anything that could potential y cause him to

be even more irrational and vindictive.

Sloane said he would check in with me later. He and Kai were going to do some laundry and he would come up when they were done. I teased

him about it. Reed had told me al about Sloane and Kai’s laundry adventures in the basement laundry room. It seemed Kai had a thing for the

washing machine.

I decided to go to Sylvia’s instead of my place when I got upstairs. I told her I would look around for the pendant today while she was at work.

First, I needed to cal Dad to get the number for the attorney. Both he and mom knew what was going on. I fil ed them in when I talked to them on

New Year’s Day. They were both concerned. Mom, of course, wanted both of us to stay with them. I refused. I didn’t want to lead Beau anywhere

near my parents place. I hoped he hadn’t already been around there.

After a lengthy conversation with Dad I was final y able to cal the attorney. Of course, he was in a meeting and would have to cal me back later.

Sometimes it seemed like al I did was wait for things. I went into the bedroom and pul ed the dresser out again and looked al around the floor,

running my hands along the carpet in hopes that it was just sunk in a little and my hand would catch it. No luck with that. I moved it back and looked

through al the drawers. When I didn’t find it in there, I checked the dirty clothes in the hamper. It wasn’t in there, either. It had to be around

somewhere.

I started to look around the room but noticed that it was already 1:30. I stil needed to shower before I went to get Sylvia. I would probably end up

driving over to get her. That would give me a little extra time. I threw my shirt and socks in the hamper in her bedroom and headed into the bathroom

to shower. I was stil thinking about the lost pendant when I stepped under the hot spray. I stood there a few minutes and just let the hot water

cascade over me. I was absentmindedly watching a trickle of water run down the shower wal when one of Beau’s texts came to mind.
I have what

ur looking for.
I have what ur looking for.
It played on repeat in my head until the light bulb flashed on. At the time I figured it was just al uding to the

fact that he thought he was right for her. Now I was fairly certain it was about the pendant. If that was the case, and it had to be, that meant he had

broken into her apartment.

That now gave us something to go on to get that anti-harassment order. I would have smiled if it weren’t so damn creepy knowing that he had

been in her apartment. I wondered how many times he had done that and what else could be missing. I hurried and soaped off and washed my hair.

I did a quick rinse off and shut the water off. I was going to take Sylvia straight to the Clerk of Courts office after I picked her up so she could fil out

the paperwork, and then to the police. I grabbed the towel and started to dry off when I heard a knock at the door. It was about time Sloane showed

up. I needed to tel him about the new development. I just grabbed my jeans off the floor and pul ed them on quick. I could come back in and change

after I let him in. I didn’t want him to leave thinking that I already left to get Sylvia.

I walked to the door running my hands through my hair. I hadn’t dried it off very wel and it was stil dripping on me. The pounding on the door

continued and it was loud enough that I changed my mind. It sounded more like Reed. I was surprised he was back already. I would have thought

Kerri would have kept him out al day.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” As soon as I cal ed it out I groaned recal ing the first time I answered the door for Reed. I turned the knob, expecting a

lame “that’s what she said” comment. I opened the door partway only to have it kicked wide open, swinging back against the wal and bouncing off

it. I stood, slightly stunned for a fraction of a heartbeat, staring at an enraged Beau.

He swung at me once, missed, then fol owed through with the other fist. I didn’t even have time to think about it. When his left fist lashed out, I

pivoted back on my right foot, pushing his attack aside and letting his momentum take him away from me.

He recovered quickly, and tried to throw an elbow behind him to catch me where he thought I’d be. I wasn’t.

I slid my left foot across the floor to his other side, sweeping hard with my right leg into the back of his knees. I realized a fraction of a second too

late that he wasn’t going to hit the ground like I’d thought he would. He turned and lunged at me, his left hand grabbing my throat.

I staggered back. I was surprised at how powerful he was, like a wild animal. I hunched my back so it was my shoulders that slammed into the

wal rather than the back of my head. He brought his other fist around in a roundhouse towards my cheekbone. I got my hand up in time to grab his

wrist. I wasn’t strong enough to stop the punch, but I was able to direct it up, connecting him with the crown of my head. I winced. It stil hurt like hel .

The pressure of the punch pushing against his other hand at my neck made my world go white for a moment. I’d narrowly saved myself from being

knocked out. For a brief moment, we stood there at an impasse. His hand held my neck, and my hand held his other fist. Our eyes met, and I saw

his rage change to something else.

That’s when it dawned on me: For al his bul ying and bravado, he wasn’t actual y a very good fighter. He’d never had to be. He depended on

being a mean sonofabitch, and on people either running or going down after his initial onslaught. He didn’t have a second move. The look in his

eyes was uncertainty. If I’d had time to smile, I would have.

It occurred to him just then to try to drive a knee into my groin. I caught it with my own knee, then fol owed through by viciously planting my heel in

the soft muscle above the knee he was standing on. He stumbled back, letting go of my neck. He bumped into the bookshelf Sylvia had against the

wal near the door, knocking off several items. I heard the sound of breaking glass, but I didn’t check to see what it was.

This was my chance. It was time to go to work.

I’d kept my right leg up, and as soon as I got the separation I needed, I pivoted my hips and drove a kick into his midsection. He tried to grab the

leg, but I managed to awkwardly swing my right hand sidelong into his jaw, and he let go. I swiveled around into a round kick, digging the bal of my

left foot into the side of his already damaged right knee. Arm fol owed leg. I fol owed through with a left upper cut, then a solid right cross to the

nose. I heard the crack, and it started gushing blood. Continuing my spinning motion, I kicked with my right foot at the free-floating ribs below the left

arm, which he’d started to pul back for a punch. As he brought his arm down instinctively, I planted my right foot and spun around on it. Keeping my

left leg straight, I catapulted it around, heel first, towards his head. I’d underestimated Beau. He’d stepped into the kick, so instead of catching his

face with my heel, I smacked into it with my calf. He wrapped an arm up to catch the kick. Off-balance and highly vulnerable, I windmil ed my arms

slightly as I tried to get back the advantage.

Luckily, that’s when the damage I’d done on his knee paid off. As he moved to twist me off my feet, his right leg buckled under him. He had to let

go of my ankle to keep his balance, and I knew it was nearly over. Planting my left foot in front of him, I stepped forward. I led with my left upper-cut

again -- not very creative, I thought absently, but he wasn’t arguing. The punch to the underside of his chin stood him up straight, and I settled back

into a wide-footed back stance my instructor would have been proud of. I briefly flashed back to a board-breaking clinic, taking a split second to

compose myself and picturing that board laid across Beau’s chest. I shifted my weight from my back leg to my front and rotated ankles, hips,

shoulders, and wrists. I pushed every ounce of force my body could muster through the square inch of my first two knuckles, and struck directly into

his sternum.

He was already on his heels, and my punch sent him reeling backwards, arms flailing, into the doorway. He hit the door frame unevenly, head

first, and bounced off it out into the hal . I heard a thud as he hit the floor.

I’d never punched a human being that hard in my life. But instead of being fil ed with revulsion, I found that al I wanted was to hit him again. I knew

I couldn’t give him time to recover. I stepped forward, preparing myself for the worst.

I heard Sloane cal my name from the stairs, but I didn’t take my eyes off the bloody mess that was Beau. He would be sneaky enough to pul a

fake-out until my attention was elsewhere and then rise up and came at me again. Then again, a punch with that much force probably did some

major damage to his lungs and ribs, possibly even his heart. I couldn’t find it in me to be care.

I kept watching him as I ordered, “Sloane, cal the cops.” I was breathing rapidly the adrenalin coursing through my veins. The whole altercation

only lasted a couple minutes, but it had me pumped as if it were an entire workout.

“I already did, man. They’re on the way. What the hel happened?” I flicked a glance over to him and saw that he was standing on the landing

trying to keep Kai behind him. She was peeking out from behind his back.

“Did you kil him?” She asked in alarm. “He’s not moving.”

“No, he’s stil breathing.” Sloane assured her.

He cautiously stepped forward and leaned over Beau. I was ready to attack if he tried anything. When he didn’t move, I became slightly alarmed.

Sloane kicked at him and he stil didn’t move.

“Kai, you better cal for an ambulance too,” I said in a harsh tone.

Kai pul ed out her cel phone and dialed. She moved to the second floor as she talked.

Sloane looked up at me. “How hard did you hit him?” His voice was ful of awe.

“Pretty damn hard, but I don’t think that’s what did it. He hit his head on the door frame as he went down.”

Sloane was stil looking me over. “Are you okay? You’re covered in blood.”

I looked down at my naked chest for the first time and noticed the blood spattered across it. It made me conscious of the sticky mess. “Yeah. It’s

not mine.” I smirked at Sloane. It felt fucking awesome to know I’d made that bastard bleed.

“So what the hel happened?” Sloane asked as he straightened up and looked around me into the apartment.

I turned and surveyed the mess for the first time. There were some books, picture frames and other broken knick-knacks on the floor. I cringed

and hoped that it was nothing special to Sylvia. I would replace anything that was broken.

“I heard a knock at the door and thought it was you or Reed, so I went to open it and Beau kicked it open and swung at me. It just went from

there.” I shrugged, not real y knowing how to describe what happened.

Sloane nodded as he looked between Beau and myself with slight disbelief. “I missed a cal from Reed while we were in the laundry room. He

told me to cal the cops and get them to the apartment. Beau had been to see Sylvia and left her and she was worried about you. We heard the

crashing sounds as I was checking the voice mail. Kai cal ed the cops on her cel .”

I heard the sirens at the same time Kai appeared at the top of the steps. She threw something at me and I felt something warm and wet hit me in

the chest. I grabbed at it with my hands and looked down to see the wash cloth.

“You need to clean up the blood before Sylvia sees you. She’s on her way.” Thank God Kai thinks of everything. Sylvia would freak if she saw the

blood on me.

I thanked her and washed it off before tossing it behind me into the apartment.

The cops came rushing up the stairs and we al moved aside to let them through. The EMTs were right behind them and they went to work on

Beau while the cops pul ed the rest of us off to the side. I cooperated with them, answering al their questions. I told him about Beau kicking in the