The Awakening by Dirk Patton

Author:Dirk Patton [Patton, Dirk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reaper Ranch Press LLC
Published: 2019-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Thirty-Two

It was a warm evening and people were out, enjoying the weather. After circling the block several times, Liam gave up and wheeled into a spot three blocks away from the ice cream shop Katarina had specified. They held hands as they walked past high-rise residential buildings, finally pushing into the crowded store.

With oversized cups mounded high, they found seats at a scattering of tables on the sidewalk. Liam watched in amusement as she dug in, apparently delighting in the simple pleasure.

“Ohhhh.”

Katarina had quickly eaten several bites and paused, rubbing a spot on her forehead.

“Brain freeze?” Liam asked with a laugh.

“It’s not funny!”

“Yes, it is.”

“You were right. You are an asshole,” Katarina said, still rubbing the spot.

“You’ve only scratched the surface,” he chuckled.

They ate in comfortable silence, watching the parade of humanity pass by. Katarina finished first and without asking, took Liam’s bowl and polished it off.

“That something I’d better get used to?” he asked with an arched brow and an air of mock indignation.

“I do have redeeming qualities,” she said sweetly.

Laughing again, he gathered their empty containers and tossed them in a trash can. She took his hand and they began slowly strolling towards his truck. It was dark, now, and being a weeknight, the streets had emptied as people settled in at home.

Ahead, a man walked out of an upscale apartment building, turning towards them when he reached the sidewalk. Katarina frowned when she saw the burning eyes of a demon, then came to a hard stop when she recognized the human face. It was the man she’d watched kill the little dog!

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked.

He followed Katarina’s stare. The man stopped when he realized they were looking at him. For a few moments, no one moved.

“Katarina?”

Liam released her hand and put his on the butt of his holstered pistol. His attention was fully on the man as he opened some space from Katarina in case he had to fight.

“Katarina! Talk to me!” he hissed.

The man suddenly spun and ran. Before Liam knew what was happening, Katarina was in hot pursuit. With a curse, he raced after her, calling for her to stop. At mid-block, the man disappeared into a narrow alley and Liam was able to grab Katarina’s arm before she could blindly charge around the corner into darkness.

“I have to catch him!” she cried, ripping her arm free and dashing into the alley.

“Goddamn it!”

Liam drew his weapon and followed. He could see her blonde hair, faintly glowing in the dark, but the man she’d been pursuing wasn’t in sight. Katarina began to slow and he latched onto her upper arm, this time holding tight enough to prevent her from breaking free.

“What the hell?” he asked, eyes searching for the man.

“I’ll explain---”

There was the scrape of metal on pavement, then Liam was hammered across the upper back by a heavy pipe. Staggering forward, he pulled Katarina with him, pushing her so she was shielded from the attacker by his body. The man advanced, faintly visible as he moved to the middle of the alley and raised the pipe over his head to deliver another blow.

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