Page 59 of Midnight Racers

My eyes closed and I tried to fight the thought that by bringing her here I had crossed a threshold I hadn’t been ready to breach. Yet, it was the only option that made sense. My need to protect her overwhelmed the privacy I normally craved.

Now Charlotte was in my home, in my bed, her cat living in my conservatory.

I should be freaked out, but instead, a calmness washed over me that she was safe and in my arms. If I hadn’t been there tonight, Charlotte would have been raped or murdered in her bed. Evil was out there, polluting the world and demanding sacrifices. I had killed for her tonight and I would never regret that, as Charlotte was mine alone to protect.

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Chapter Twenty

Charlotte

Flynn paced around the house in his low-riding black training bottoms, his phone stuck to his ear as he brought Jordan up-to-date about last night. It reminded me of a wildlife documentary with a feral animal prowling around its natural environment. His muscles moved as he paced, his free hand pushing his hair back in a familiar gesture.

I’d let Pixie into the kitchen with me while I sipped on my coffee to try and wake myself up since I was suffering from a severe lack of sleep. She sat on a breakfast stool like she’d just escaped ancient Egypt and was holding us all in contempt. She refused to even look at her favourite toy that she took everywhere with her.

“I need some air,” I muttered, once again feeling the walls begin to close around me.

I could hear Jordan’s raised voice from the other end of the phone as I stopped to press a kiss on Flynn’s shoulder on the way past. His fingers captured mine to tug me back and kiss me on the lips so softly that I blinked in shock.

He lived in the countryside, and I could hear cows mooing in the background. There were no engines to suggest any cars or other people close to us. Birds sang happily in the trees, reciting the stories of their ancestors.

I’d noticed a large pond at the back of the property when looking out the rear bedroom window this morning. This house did not match Flynn, since he seemed to be all modern mechanics and life in the fast lane. This spoke of finding inner peace and stepping away from the world for a while.

I stood and inhaled a huge lungful of fresh air, desperately trying to get rid of the memories of three dead bodies lined up on my kitchen floor. The middle one had been left there by me.

Panic flared over me, and pressure built in my chest. Unshed tears burned the backs of my eyes. I was a murderer. Someone no longer lived in this world because I had taken his life.

How was I supposed to live with myself?

Lost in my thoughts of death and murder, I wandered toward the pond at the back of the property. The sun shining through the trees created shadows on the ground, the scent of fresh grass as I walked over it.

The two large, white creatures stood close to the pond watching me. At first, I thought they were two big ducks or something since I had zero knowledge of native birds. The one closest to me lowered it long neck and hissed, making me falter for a moment. The other one padded forward a few steps and I swear it narrowed its eyes at me.

I wasn’t sure if it was all the adrenalin from last night, but fear churned deep in my stomach. In tandem, they lowered their long necks and opened their wings. I froze, thinking they were just frightened by my presence until they started to charge toward me.

Holy fucking hell!

I turned and sprinted back to the house, screaming for Flynn as I felt the first hit of those powerful wings that nearly knocked me on my face. He came flying out of the house, horror on his face and a gun in his hand.

“Matilda! Mavis! Stop!” He put himself between me and the two winged menaces. They stopped in front of him like two docile birds out for a dander. “I forgot to warn you they were out here.”

“What the fuck are they?” I demanded.

Flynn’s eyes widened and he glanced at the two massive birds with bad tempers and wings for weapons. “My geese, Matilda and Mavis. Gran always said hers were better than a watchdog. When I bought this place, I got them since I used to sit with Gran’s when I was younger. She didn’t have cats or dogs.”

I held my hand out and the one closest to me snapped its beak at me.

“I think we might have to get them treats since you’ve upset them,” Flynn said.

I had upset them?I scurried back into the house before they decided to attack again, and watched as Flynn retrieved frozen peas from the freezer and put some into the microwave for a few seconds.

“Come on,” he said. “They are a sucker for peas, and will be your best friend by the end of eating them.”

I doubted that. Cerberus wasn’t a three-headed dog, someone must have gotten that wrong. It was a three headed goose with wings that could break a bone. And who called their demonic pets Matilda and Mavis?

“Here, girls,” Flynn said in a low, soothing voice. “Come and meet Charlotte.”

I eyed them warily, shoving my hands behind my back so that they couldn’t rip a finger or two off. They waddled forward to beg for treats and rub their head against Flynn.

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