Beautiful Beast

Not nearly as well as he was going to know her.

“She was just attacked out front.”

He suffered through the pat-down and rose slowly when the officer told him to get up. By then they could both hear the approaching siren. The attacker had had plenty of time to disappear.

“Okay to remove my helmet?”

“No.”

This man was no rookie. A helmet could be thrown.

Minutes later Gabe was relieved to see Cassiopia standing out front with a pair of neighbors. She appeared shaken, but unhurt. A marked police cruiser, lights flashing, pulled up. The female officer exchanged greetings with the man at his back.

“You can take it off now,” the cop told him.

Gabe removed the helmet slowly and waited. They didn’t seem to notice Cassiopia’s shocked surprise at seeing him. The cop at his back spoke before she could say anything that would have landed him in handcuffs.

“Cassy, do you know this guy?”

Instead of denouncing him, she nodded.

“Gabriel Lowe. He went after the man who grabbed my purse.”

Gabe sensed the officer putting away his weapon.

“You can lower your hands now.”

Faces continued to appear in windows as a second cruiser joined the first. A small crowd gathered to listen while Cassiopia explained what had happened. Then it was Gabe’s turn. The cops eyed his scar and treated him with wary respect as he explained his assumption that the person had gone in through the nearest gate and jumped the fence into the next yard.

“I only saw you,” her neighbor stated.

A third unit pulled into the parking area.

“He’s probably long gone, but we’d better do a sweep,” the female officer suggested.

Eventually, Gabe was allowed to retrieve his bike from the side yard. As he walked it back to the parking lot Cassiopia strode over to him.

“You followed me home!”

“No need for thanks.”

“Thank you?” She bristled.

“You’re welcome. And you might want to lower your voice unless you want to explain to the cops how we know each other.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Gabe waited.

She fumed, but lowered her voice. “Why did you follow me?”

“To see where you were going. Do you know who attacked you?”

“Of course not! You heard me tell the police he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a scarf over his face.”

There was no use pointing out that the one didn’t negate the other.

“Is your roommate home?”

“I don’t have a roommate.” She blinked in sudden comprehension. “Oh. The hair dye. Betsy moved out last month. She got married.”

He scowled. He didn’t like thinking about Cassiopia alone and vulnerable inside that town house.

“You might want to stay somewhere else tonight.”

“Why? He already got my purse. The house is safe. My keys were in my hand so he didn’t get them. It all happened so fast I didn’t have time to go for his eyes with them.”

She would have done it, too.

“You believe it was a simple purse snatching?”

“Of cour—”

Her eyes turned to saucers. Her voice dropped even lower.

“No one knew I was going to your place tonight.”

“Not even Beacher?”

“You think that was Beacher?”

Though obviously shocked by the idea, her words were barely above a whisper.

“No.” Gabe shook his head decisively. “Too thin. Most likely a teenager or a woman.”

“A woman!”

Gabe shrugged. “Who else knew your plan tonight?”

“No one.”

Unfortunately, he believed her. “Then someone is watching you, too.”

A flash of fear.

“What do you mean? Why do you assume this wasn’t—?”

“Ms. Richards?”