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“You heard the lady,” he growled, and both EMTs nodded and backed off.
Even the pushy fucker.Good news for him.The Lion wasn’t happy, but he lost interest in him once Rami turned to escort her back to the store and the scene of the attack.He would see to it, she was okay.
“Officers, please report what you’ve found,” Rami addressed the two uniformed cops on scene.
“Yes, Detective,” Officer Gotes, one of the beat cops from the station, nodded, “Officer McCulley and I responded to a 10-11L.When we arrived, we found Ms.Donato on the ground, obvious signs of an attack-”
“Were you unconscious?”he asked, biting his tongue to keep back his snarl of outrage.
“Um, a little,” she nodded, “the alarm went off as soon as the two men broke the glass window.These two officers arrived within minutes.”
“What happened from your perspective?”Rami asked, watching her face closely for signs of pain or discomfort.
He held her elbow gently with one hand and led her to an empty table.Ignoring the tingles that traveled through his body at the slight, platonic touch, he held out her chair and waited for her to take a seat.
It was one of two small tables that had been added to the tiny bakery since she’d started working there.Meant for the customer who wanted to sit and have his or her coffee and pastry before heading out.Nice personal touch, he thought, and hoped like hell she was really going to buy the place from Mr.D’Angelo.The idea of her leaving was unthinkable despite having just met the pretty Southern baker.
Rami turned slightly to get control of himself.Couldn’t very well interview a victim with a semi hard-on, now, could he?
He stepped over the broken glass, and felled racks of baked goods, signaling to the two officers to have someone clean up right away.No fucking way was she going to risk injury cleaning that up.
Bastards, his beast roared.They’d done a number on the place.Judging from the way she avoided eye contact, staring at the table, Rami could tell, she was shook up.Poor thing.His need to comfort her was damn near overwhelming.
“Do you need some time before we talk about it?”
“You’re sweet, thanks.I just need a minute to sit.If that’s okay?”
“Of course,” he returned watching relief spread across her face.
He waited while she closed her eyes and breathed in and out.The rise and fall of her chest, the way her brows furrowed, everything about her, called out the most masculine part of him.Rami had to fight his instinct to get up and take her in his arms.
Shit.This was getting out of hand, and it was only the second time he’d seen the female.He better focus on the crime.Clearing his throat, Rami looked around the destroyed room.
It was a good thing the 135thscanned all incoming calls for supernatural threats and headed them off before the human authorities arrived.The bakery had undoubtedly been targeted by supes, Wolves, to be precise.
Rami’s Lion had picked up the unmistakable scent of urine outside the front door.The assholes had marked the place.A punk gang move to tell others this was their territory.The same identifier that had been left at several other B&Es around town.Mutts thought they were the shit.
Not fucking likely, his beast argued.
“Thank you,” Noemi said, interrupting his increasingly agitated thoughts.
Why should he get so worked up over a normal getting a knock on the head?It wasn’t something he wanted to look at too closely.He nodded and handed her the ice pack he’d taken from the EMT, waiting for her to begin.
Part of detective work was getting the story from all angles.True, his enhanced senses had already solvedwhodunnit, but her perspective would perhaps fill in some of the why.At any rate, his Lion wasn’t ready to go anywhere just yet.
“Okay, well, I suppose I should start with what I was doing.”
“That would be fine,” he murmured, letting that sultry accent of hers wash over him.
“I was in the dry storage closet in the back, getting some ingredients for homemade apple dumplings, when I heard a crash-”
“What’s an apple dumpling?”he interrupted, head cocked to one side.
“Oh,” she blushed a becoming shade of pink, “I guess that’s not a New York staple, huh?Believe it or not, growing up that was anortherndessert.We’d traveled to Virginia and pick some up there for 4thof July fireworks near the capital,” Noemi cleared her throat, “Anyway, think of it as an individual apple pie.Instead of dicing the fruit, I core and peel it, leaving the apple whole.Then, I add cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little something extra,” she added with a wink, “Surround it with a hand-rolled, extra-buttery, extra-flaky pastry dough, and bake.I’m calling it a ‘little Big Apple’ on the menu.Just heat up and serve with ice cream, and I guarantee your tastebuds will thank you.”
“Sounds excellent,” he growled, “Where you from originally again?”
“South Carolina.”
