Page 37 of Hell on an Angel
“Dino is, but Chuckie’s wounded and will be charged with attempted murder of a Native person. Also, they damaged Maliki’s house.”
“I was so scared,” Kennedy admitted.
Cree leaned back so he could look at her face. He wanted to see her eyes, to know she was okay. “Where were you?”
Kennedy leaned back, smiling up at Cree. Taking his hand, she walked him back into the bathroom. Stepping over the rug, she opened the closet door and pointed to the spot at the top. “I was sitting up there.”
Leaning into the closet, he looked all the way up. The light filtering into the tiny closet barely illuminated the lower shelves, so he had to strain to see there were more going higher up, disappearing into the darkness. “How did you even think of that?”
She shrugged. “When I was little, I had to hide a lot. No one ever looks up when they’re searching for you.”
“No, they don’t.” He smirked, thinking his woman was one smart iskwew.”
“Cree, Kennedy.”
Cree pulled Kennedy out of the bathroom, making sure she stayed clear of Dino’s body. Walking back into the living room, he called out to his cousin, “Right here, Maliki.”
Cree’s cousin stared at Kennedy. “Are you okay?”
“At the moment, I’m good.” She watched as other police officers came into the house. An ambulance pulled into the yard, and two men brought in a gurney. Kennedy stepped out of the way as Maliki directed them to Dino’s body. Cree escorted her outside so she didn’t have to witness any more than she already had.
Sitting in Maliki’s cruiser, Cree and Kennedy waited until the scene had been cleared. They watched as Maliki walked out with their belongings, and when he opened the door and handed the bags off, Cree inquired what was going on. “Are we leaving?”
“It’s an active crime scene. I packed your stuff. The department will put you up at a safe house until you leave the reservation.” Maliki heard his name called by one of the other officers.
“Give me a second.”
Forty minutes later, they pulled up in front of another small cabin. Sliding out of the car, the now exhausted Kennedy stumbled her way inside. It was nothing like the last one, she noticed, but more similar to the one back in Hill City. Cree kissed her head. “Stay inside. I don’t want you seen. I’m gonna grab the stuff from Maliki’s car,” he told her.
Kennedy watched the two men walk back outside. Sitting on the sofa, she realized she still had the guns holstered at her back. Her sweater had dropped over them when Cree pulled her into his arms. Pulling them from her waistband, she also tugged the phone from her bra. Looking at the screen, she was thankful she had asked for it.
Chapter Twenty-One
With Dino dead and Chuckie in the hospital, Kennedy felt relief for the first time in weeks. It felt like she’d been on the run for years. The one person she wanted to talk to was her brother.
Staring at the phone in her hand, Kennedy wondered if Stephen would still want her to come to Montreal. Or would he tell Cree to take her back to Reno and let the cops handle Mr. Angelini?
“What ya thinking over there?” Cree asked her.
“I was thinking of calling Stephen.”
“Player would like to hear from you. I’m going outside to look around for a few minutes.” Cree saw her eyes shoot to his. “Everything’s fine. I’m just wanting to give you some privacy.”
Kennedy wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone when she spoke to Stephen. “You can stay.”
“Nah, you talk to your brother. Make sure to tell him when we’re leaving and the direction we’re heading.” Cree needed to take a look around the house. The idea that local men helped Dino and Chuckie made him nervous. It all went back to that damn girl in South Dakota, he just knew it.
“I will.” Kennedy gave him a smile.
Cree glanced out the window and saw the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. “How about later we go out for dinner? The weather has lightened up.” He’d have to call Maliki for a lift so he could pick up the bike.
“I’d love that.” She watched Cree walk out and went back to staring at the phone. “Fuck it,” she mumbled as she punched the number into the phone. With her heart pounding in her ears and her hands shaking, Kennedy listened to the phone ringing.
“Yeah” came her brother’s voice.
“Stephen?”
“Kennedy?”
