Jed
McMurtry is a police officer, who is recuperating from a knife wound,
sustained in the line of duty. Strange things start to happen, not
the least of which is finding out that someone has been watching his
house. The last thing he's expecting is to meet Cora Surrey.
He
woke in a cold sweat to the sound of someone knocking on his front
door. Stiff and uncomfortable, he slipped on a pair of gym shorts and
hobbled to the living room. Whoever it was hadn't stopped knocking.
"I'm
coming!" he bellowed. "Give it a fucking rest!"
Usually, only his brother or cousins made that much noise. The
knocking continued. "Jesus, what's the problem?" He flung
open the door without paying attention.
A
tall blonde nearly slapped him in the face. She looked angry and Jed
was at a loss to know who she was. It wasn't one of Vivica's cousins.
He knew them all with varying degrees of familiarity and was on good
terms with them. This woman looked as if she wanted to rip his lungs
out through his anus.
"May
I help you?"
"I
hope to God so. Are you Jed?"
"Yeah.
Who are you?"
"Milly's
granddaughter, Cora. I've got a bone to pick with you."
"Can
it wait? I just woke up. I need to rock a serious piss. Sit." He
pointed to the couch.
Cora
hesitated on the threshold before following him inside. She slammed
his door shut with an impressive thud. Jed went to the small bathroom
a few feet away. When he came back out, she was still standing by the
door, tapping her foot impatiently. Jed nodded to her and wandered
into the kitchen. Cora stalked after him.
"Excuse
me! I want to talk to you."
"Talk
in here. I need coffee. You want?" He held up the pot.
Cora's
frown turned puzzled. "Don't you want to know why I'm here?"
"I
figure you'll get to it. In the meantime, you woke me up. I didn't
sleep very well and I need caffeine. Have a seat." He nodded to
the table and wandered, still shirtless and barefoot, to the coffee
pot.
Cora
didn't speak while he went through the routine of preparing his
coffee. He poured two mugs, added cream and sugar and brought them to
the table. He grimaced as he sat. Cora's expression changed from
angry to concerned when she saw him flinch. Jed took a gulp of his
coffee and waited for her to speak. She took a tentative sip,
followed by another, before riveting him with her glare.
"Did
you know Grandma is holed up in her master bedroom closet?"
Jed
arched an eyebrow. "No. And?"
"She
said you told her to do it!"
Jed
frowned, reviewing conversations he'd had with Milly. "Nope. I
told her to find a spot in the house where she felt safe, but I
didn't specifically say she was to hide in the closet."
"But
she said...!"
Jed
held up his hand as if directing traffic. Amazingly, Cora stopped
talking.
"Your
grandmother has been uneasy since Bear died. She called me at three
o'clock one morning in full freak out mode. I told her to find a safe
spot and wait until I called her. I'm guessing that the closet
represents that to her. I never told her to stay there."
Cora's
face softened. "I guess I owe you an apology," she admitted
with a slight laugh.
Jed
raised an eyebrow.
"I
said some awful things."
Jed
shook his head, confused. Cora tilted her head from side to side.
"While
you were in the bathroom," she added.
"So,
you slandered an injured man? Wow, you're kinda cruel, Miss Cora."
She
laughed hard, throwing back her head. Her long, blonde curls fell
around her face and shoulders in a sunny waterfall. Her green eyes
sparkled as she giggled. "Oh, I'm a total bitch. I came over
here to rip you a new asshole."
Jed
glanced behind himself, rising from his chair as he looked at his
ass. "I don't need another one. This one works fine. Thanks,
though. I know who to call if it ever stops up."
"I
can't tell you how pissed off I was when I got over here."
"Did
Milly tell you what I do for a living?"
Cora
shook her head.
"I'm
a cop. Believe me, I could tell."
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
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