Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #2: Books 5-8 (A Dead Cold Box Set) Blake Banner (read out loud books txt) 📖

He staggered back a bit, but it wasn’t enough to get him away from the three venomous crosses I delivered to his face, right, left, right. By the time he hit the ground, I already had my piece in my hand. They heard me cock it. My voice was real cold with anger when I asked them, “Is he worth dying for?” They didn’t move. “I didn’t think so. Now, pull your pants down and lie on your bellies with your hands behind your heads.” They hesitated. I shrugged. “Alternatively I blow your kneecaps off. You choose.”

They chose to pull down their pants and lie on their bellies with their white asses in the air.

I put Dehan in the car, slammed the door and climbed in the other side. They were still lying there as I pulled out onto Lefthand Canyon Drive and headed back toward Seven Hills.

Thirteen

For a while, the only sound was the growl of the engine. I kept my eyes on the rearview mirror, waiting for the headlamps to appear, trying to think what I would do if they came after us. But all there was was blackness, and ahead, the hazy funnels of light, casting the blacktop into sharp relief, and making demons out of the tall pines that loomed over the road.

Pretty soon, we came to Lickskillet Road. I slowed, killed the lights, and crawled onto the dirt track, climbing slowly, bumping and grinding, until we came to the crossroads at Gold Hill. There I turned left and headed for Seven Hills at a steady twenty miles per hour. After five minutes, I put my headlamps on again and accelerated.

I glanced at Dehan. She had an idiot smile on her face that made me laugh. She said, “That was so cool.”

“What was?”

“You were like, a hero, defending my honor. Nobody has ever done that for me, Stone.” She giggled. “You are my hero.” She giggled again.

“Glad to hear it, kiddo.”

She turned her dopey smile on me. “Am I your princess?”

“Sure. You know it.”

“Like a fairy tale.”

“Yup.”

She heaved a huge sigh. “All I ever wanted.” I didn’t answer and we drove in silence. “Does that sound weird to you?”

“What?”

“All I ever wanted.” Before I could answer she said it again, exaggerating all the vowel sounds. “Aall Aye Ehvah Oo-On-tEd. Aall Aye Ehvah Oo-On-tEd. It’s so weird.”

She started giggling again. Soon, the giggles became helpless laughter, which eventually subsided into a blissful sigh. “Aall Aye Ehvah Oo-On-tEd… Have I let you down?”

“Not at all.”

“Coz that’s the last thing Aye Ehvah Oo-On-tEd.”

She subsided into helpless laughter again.

Ahead, the soft glow of Seven Hills appeared over the wooded slopes. I said quietly, “We’re almost there.”

She returned to her dopey smile. “Hmmm…that sounds nice. Almost there. There. There is that place where we all want to be. And that is where my hero is taking me. There. Almost there.”

I pulled into the lot and helped her out of the car. She embraced my right arm and rested her head on my shoulder as we climbed the steps to the reception. It dawned on me that Ned had not given us a second room yet. We had been out all day and he had obviously forgotten in the evening. There was no one on reception when we entered and, looking at the state she was in, it struck me it might be wise not to leave her alone.

We got to the room and I sat her on the bed to take her boots off, then helped her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She was unsteady on her feet.

“How many puffs did you take, Dehan?”

“Three.”

“Is that all? How come you’re so stoned?”

She giggled. “Stoned. That’s your name. Three for every one that everybody else took.”

She made her way unsteadily back to the bed while I brushed my teeth. I could hear her voice through the open door.

“We’re friends, Stone. More than friends. Pals, buddies, compadres, partners… You’re my hero. I’m your princess…”

I was chuckling to myself, thinking how embarrassed she was going to be in the morning. I stepped out of the bathroom and froze. She had her blouse off and was pulling off her jeans. She grinned at me and waved a finger in a negative gesture. “Oh no, mister. I am leaving my bra and panties on. No funny stuff, Mister Hero.”

She rolled back onto the bed and slipped under the covers. To my relief, she seemed to go straight off to sleep. I took off my shoes but left the rest of my clothes on and got in under the covers. I switched off the light and closed my eyes.

That was when she flung her arm around me, snuggled up and murmured, “Aall Aye Ehvah Oo-On-tEd.” And began softly to snore.

Dehan slept like a log. I slept little and fitfully. At six, I slipped out from under her arm and went into the bathroom to shower. I shaved gratefully and restored order to my hair, then dressed in my usual clothes. I checked my messages on my laptop, but there was nothing yet regarding Kathleen’s credit card, phone, and email records.

At seven I went down and ordered bacon, eggs, and a gallon of coffee. I didn’t expect Dehan before nine, possibly later, but she appeared at half past seven and ordered the same as me, with extra toast and a jug of fresh orange juice. She sat at the table without saying anything and finally looked at me. I couldn’t help smiling.

“Good morning, princess.”

“Stone, I am so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t sweat it.”

The waitress came with her orange juice and coffee and refilled my cup while she was there. When she’d gone, Dehan