Chapter 22

Rachel’s car maneuvered as easily as it took the bursts of acceleration I put it through. I had the blinkers on and used the horn liberally, what good it did me. Most of the other cars in front of me either didn’t care that I was in a hurry, or were blind and deaf. Normally, I would have been worried about getting into a car accident, but I couldn’t afford that now. Literally. I knew Rachel’s car was expensive. I didn’t want to find out how much it would cost to have it repaired, much less have to pay for someone else’s car should I hit anyone. At times, that made me slow down a touch, but then I thought about Eric in the hospital and Grace’s bashed-in front door. If Dan wasn’t responsible for what had happened, then I would personally apologize to him for the accusation. If he was responsible. Well, let’s just hope the police had him in custody by the time I arrived.

I glanced up at the sky again, wondering if Rachel had already reached his place. This made me wonder if Dan was stupid enough to kidnap Grace in such an obvious fashion, kicking in the door to get at her, and simply take her back to his place. Part of me hoped he was that stupid. It would make finding Grace and having him hauled away for kidnapping that much easier.

Another part of me worried that his being arrested wouldn’t be easy, especially if he chose to fight. I knew he had powers, but I didn’t know what those powers were or whether he knew how to use them. If it did come down to a fight, what would he do? What would I do?

It wouldn’t come to a fight. If Dan was stupid enough to try to fight the police, powers or not, he’d be taken down hard. Just because I didn’t watch a lot of television didn’t mean I hadn’t seen COPS and what the police did to someone who resisted arrest. The police had several options: pepper spray, Tasers, and guns. It all depended on how much Dan wanted to resist.

I had to be realistic though. The Detective said that the guy had to be really built to kick in Grace’s door. That had to mean that Dan was stronger than he looked. He wasn’t as big as Luther was, but if his power included strength, I didn’t think he’d have to look that way. Still, even someone who had the strength of a bull couldn’t take a Taser, could they?

I wasn’t paying any attention to speed limits, and maneuvering through traffic wasn’t easy, but I had to get there quickly. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a dozen of calls or more to the police about my driving.

Finally, I spotted my exit and took it. The intersection ahead was clear and the light turned yellow. Rachel’s car drifted around the corner of the intersection, coming close to sliding into the guard rail. It was the most insane thing I had ever done in a car and then let the thought go as I flew through another yellow light.

After less than a quarter mile, I had to slow down so I could see the street signs. When I found it and made a much safer turn onto the street. Ahead of me, there were two police cruisers sitting on the road. I pulled up behind the cruisers. Everything was quiet. Only the sound of my blood pumping through my ears gave me any grief. I got out of Rachel’s car, locked it up, and headed toward the house.

The front door of the house opened as I reached the driveway. Three officers led Dan out of the house. His hands were behind his back, presumably in handcuffs. He was under arrest.

Relief swept through me. He wasn’t going to fight. Good. I looked at the House and wondered if Rachel was inside with Grace or hiding in the backyard. Either way, things were starting to look up.

I watched as the officers lead Dan over the front lawn toward the waiting patrol cars. Dan looked my way with an irritated expression. His aura was a mixture of anger and confusion with a touch of fear thrown in. He saw me and recognition set in. The confusion in his aura cleared up, and his anger overran his fear.

Dan stopped walking and the officers tried to make him move.

Dan grunted and the cuffs snapped.

One of the officers was knocked away from Dan. He hit the open door of a patrol car, slamming it closed, and fell to the ground. He shook his head but wouldn’t be on his feet again for a minute or two.

Dan grabbed the officer on his other arm. He spun with the officer and threw him toward me. The officer hit the ground in front of me, tumbled over, and hit his head on the driveway - hard.

I looked up at Dan. He was focused on me.

Behind him, with his gun drawn, the third officer ordered, “Get down on the ground, now!”

Dan turned to face the other officer. I took the opportunity to study the marks in his aura. Now that I knew how to do it, I couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.

The dark blue was edged with anger. However, shining at the core of his aura were three distinct marks. The one I had known about looked like a hand changing into a variety of melee weapons, clubs, axes, swords, and other hand-held weapons but nothing he could shoot with. The second mark was muscle, proving his strength, but the third was a wall of iron. I had no idea what that meant but I was sure it wouldn’t be good.

Gunshots erupted.

Instinctively, I dropped to the ground, covering the unconscious officer. When I looked up, I saw the third officer standing over Dan’s body. It was over.

Then I realized that Dan still had his aura, which meant he wasn’t dead. It was fuzzy, like someone who was asleep, which probably meant he was only unconscious. So, for now, at least, he was down.

I sat up and looked down at the officer I had covered. He hadn’t moved at all. In fact, blood was slowly spreading out on the driveway from his head. His skull was probably fractured. There was no telling what else was wrong with him.

I screamed for help. “He’s hurt. He hit his head and he’s bleeding.”

The officer by the police cruiser was on his feet, but still looked shaken. His aura, a light coral color, was fuzzy around the edges like he was standing while asleep. The other officer had put his gun away and was watching Dan like he might jump up and grab him. His aura was sea green. Fear and determination rolled through his aura.