Page 45 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck

Drest stared at my bloody hand. His attention returned to my uncle right before he launched himself at him. He tackled Nile and began beating the hell out of him. “You…ever…touch her again…and I’ll…”

The courtroom that had felt isolated from the rest of the world, suddenly burst to life as men came rushing in from all points of entrance. Rhys was one of them. He looked as if he’d been jumped by a gang of ten men. His lip was split open, and he had cuts and abrasions all over him. His suit jacket was missing, and his dress shirt was bloody and torn. He saw me and his eyes widened. “Rachael!”

“I’m okay,” I said fast as Drest continued to pummel my uncle while Nile laughed. “Stop Drest. Please.”

Rhys, along with the men Drest had first arrived with, went at him and Nile. They yanked him off my uncle, only to have Drest break free and go at Nile again.

It took those men and several others to finally pry Drest off my uncle. They dragged Drest back as he pointed and shouted obscenities at Nile.

My uncle grinned, and blood coated his teeth and dripped from his split lip. It was as if this outcome had been the one that he’d been counting on from the start. That his entire goal had been to provoke Drest. Had Goodfellow been right? Was this Nile’s attempt at getting a mistrial or officially labeled insane? If so, Drest was still playing right into my uncle’s hands.

“Drest, no more, please!” I begged, trying to go for him only to have Goodfellow keep me back.

Drest composed himself enough to merely glare at Nile.

My uncle’s attention slid to me. He winked and put his arms out as another of the men cuffed him. Nile kept his gaze locked on me. “I’ll be seeing you very soon.”

“The hell you will!” shouted Drest, earning him another round of being restrained by the other men.

One of the men, who had long dark red hair, grinned. “Tell me again that there is nothing between you and her.”

“Farin, leave it,” snapped the man with horrible fashion choices.

Rhys leaned, whispering something to Drest. Whatever he said seemed to help Drest control himself—slightly.

I sighed in relief.

Nile smirked. “Remember this, dear niece. The day that you sided with the enemy. You will pay for this crime against your family for the rest of your days. You could have stood by my side as you are, but you’ve made it very clear what needs to happen. You need to die and then I can bring you back even better than you are.”

Drest roared. “You even think of—”

Goodfellow pointed at Drest, cutting him off. “Shut the hell up. Rachael, come on. We’re leaving.”

I hurried toward Drest.

He shrugged off the men who had been restraining him. When he looked at me, an array of emotions showed for a split second before his gaze went as hard as my uncle’s was capable of being. He jutted out his chin. “Don’t,” he said as I made a move to touch him.

I tensed, trying again to touch him.

He dodged my touch, his expression remaining hard. “Ms. Frankenstein, go with the prosecutor. He’ll assure your hand is checked. Rhys, go with them.”

I drew up short. “Drest?”

“Detective Bright,” he corrected, his posture and stance warning me against getting closer.

I took a deep breath and teared up, unsure how it was we’d gone from laughing together and sharing a passion-induced moment in the wine cellar to this—cold and unfeeling. “R-right. Of course.”

He didn’t leave or even move. He just watched me, seeming as if he wanted to say something else, but was holding back.

“Detective,” I managed, though I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to say, only that I hated the divide that was between us emotionally.

“What do you want?” he asked, the cords in his neck working overtime.

I dug deep, finding my resolve. A snort broke free of me. “Fromyou? Absolutely nothing, Detective Bright.”

He flinched.

“Henry was right about you, Detective Bright,” I said as Goodfellow came to my side. “They told me never to trust you or anyone like you. They told me how much you and your kind hate us. Funny, that means Nile was right too. Guess I should have listened to my family.”

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