Page 101 of Dark Obsession

Marlowe approached them. “A group attacked the bar and Beverly Sue, but we fought them off. Hortense stayed behind to protect Beverly Sue.”

“The dog or the man?” Cody asked.

Marlowe actually grinned. “I may be starting to like you, Cody.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Cody said.

Lucia came up to them, leaning on Gayle. “Gayle called for backup and told them about the cooler.”

“What about the cooler?” Marlowe asked.

“Zenona is inside,” Demetrius said. “And Bastian crushed one of the hinges so the door won’t open.”

“Huh.” Marlowe turned away and went through the swinging door, Liam following close behind.

Demetrius exchanged a look with Cody before standing and waving toward the booth. “Sit down, Lucia.”

“I’m fine,” Lucia said, even as Gayle helped her to the bench.

“For God’s sake,” Gayle said, “you’ve probably got at least one broken rib. Sit the fuck down, will you?”

The loud screech of metal bending followed by a snap and a hiss of air releasing sent Demetrius, Cody, Dave, and Oliver running for the kitchen. Demetrius pushed through the door in time to see Marlowe carrying the thick steel cooler door across the room where she leaned it against the counter. After setting it down, she switched off the burners and twisted a couple of knobs beneath the griddle.

Liam was already inside the cooler, crouching behind the chair and snapping zip ties around her wrists and ankles like they were thread. Demetrius stepped in as well, shivering as he crouched before Zenona. Her skin was pale and her lips tinged with blue, eyes blinking rapidly. The tracks of blood had dried on her neck, and Demetrius wondered just how much Bastian had drank from her.

“Zenona?” He gently patted her cheek. “It’s Demetrius. Can you hear me?”

She murmured something, but didn’t open her eyes. Instead, she started to slip sideways in the chair. Demetrius reached to steady her, but Liam swept her up into his arms, easily carrying her out of the cooler and into the dining room.

Demetrius stood and, before leaving the cooler, he took a box off one of the shelves then followed the others out of kitchen. Liam was carefully placing Zenona on a stretcher a couple of EMTs had positioned out on the sidewalk. They hurriedly pushed her out of sight, and Liam stood watching her go.

Setting the box on the counter, Demetrius tore it open. He grabbed several ice cream bars and went around distributing them. Marlowe refused, and when Demetrius stepped outside to offer one to Liam, he shook his head.

“Thank you for your help,” Demetrius said.

Liam smiled shyly.

“I hope we can become friends.”

Liam nodded, and Demetrius returned to the diner where he found Cody digging into the box himself.

“We’ll have to tell Margie to put this on our tab,” Cody said as he took a massive bite, devouring half of the sandwich at once. He moaned and closed his eyes as he plopped onto a stool.

“I really hope her insurance is paid up,” Dave said, reaching for a second helping.

Demetrius sat beside Cody and took a bite of his own sandwich, leaning his head against Cody’s shoulder as he chewed. The sugar and cream sang through his worn out system.

Marlowe stood in front of them, Liam just behind her.

“Sun will be up in a few hours,” she said. “We have a lot of cleanup to do back at the bar.”

Demetrius stood and extended his hand. “Thank you for helping.”

Marlowe shook with him, her grip cool and dry. “We would have been here sooner, but had our own battle to fight.”

“Understandable,” Demetrius said. “Thanks for everything.”

She nodded. “You’re a good one, Demetrius. I’ve been watching you for a number of years, and I’m glad we’ve finally met.”