Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

My heart was suddenly in a vice grip of fear.

Could he have slipped away while I was asleep?

In that case, could he be… involved in this recent spate of murders?

I shot out of bed, threw on my clothes, and dashed out of the hotel room to the front desk.

“Hi, did you happen to see my husband leave the hotel?” I asked.

The young clerk shook her head, “I’m sorry, it’s been so busy…”

“He’s half–and–half, a really handsome man,” I said, trying to jog her memory.

Her mouth cracked open, “Oh, you mean that handsome dude? He should have been…“.

She quickly pulled out her phone and whispered, “He was so good–looking that I sneakily took a photo and posted it on Facebook.”

“He left around midnight,” she said with certainty.

The time stamp on her Facebook post read 12:03 AM.

Panic set in. He had left just as I fell asleep.

It was now past three in the morning. He had had more than enough time to do something terrible in more than three hours.

I hurried out of the hotel, and when I looked around with a twirl of emotions, I suddenly felt lost.

What was I supposed to do if Colin was really mixed up in these murders?

As I stumbled forward with a messy head, my phone rang.

It was Robin.

My anxiety spiked. Was I afraid the police had caught Colin at the crime scene, or that another murder had taken place? I had no idea.

“Hello?” I said, steadying my breath.

“Come down to the Amber River Road police station,” Robin sounded exasperated.

“The police station?” I stuttered.

“As his guardian, aren’t you supposed to keep an eye on him? Why let him go out in the middle of the night picking fights?” Robin’s voice was low and tense.

If the cops there weren’t old buddies of his, Colin would’ve been detained by now.

“Fight?” I hailed a cab, puzzled.

“He decked Dexter, smashed up Dexter’s car, and the icing on the cake, he rallied a pack of

strays and got Dexter’s bodyguards bitten.” Robin was practically grinding his teeth, “Do you get that if he were a regular Joe, he’d be looking at jail time?”

I was bombarded with questions.

“Colin was beating up Dexter in the middle of the night? He also smashed his car and set dogs on people?” eded a moment to process.

Was this the reason he had insisted I stay in a hotel last night–to have it out with Dexter?

“More than one got bitten. It seems like those guys were staking out near the Langley estate, probably surveilling or planning something against you,” Robin continued with a sigh. “They got away, so let’s call it self–defense for now. But Dexter and his driver were waiting at the Langley’s gate for you. They got caught in the crossfire.”

I went silent.

So he wasn’t out committing murder; he’d gone home to settle a score. No wonder he’d mentioned a few times how Dexter had pushed him.-

Was this some kind of vendetta?

I held my forehead, embarrassed, “I’m on my way. Can you keep an eye on him for me?”

At the police station entrance. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

As the guardian, I was liable for the damages to Dexter’s car and the medical bills for his bodyguards.

The Langleys could afford it, so that wasn’t my worry.

What concerned me was that Colin had truly gotten under Dexter’s skin this time.

“Foebe Larson, you sure know how to handle your own,” Dexter spat as he stood outside the station, pointing at me through gritted teeth. “Keep your rabid dog on a leash.”

He was warning me by calling Colin a rabid dog.

“Instead of staying at the hospital with Melody, you prowl around our house barking. What breed does that make you?” I shot back, glaring at Colin who was cowering behind the door, too scared to face me.