CHAPTER 3

               Destiny never thought that she would be more terrified than when she was almost raped with a possibility of murder a decade earlier. But when she saw a masked man slam her pregnant Amy into the wall and then come at her unborn baby with a knife, she was seized with a moment of paralyzing terror. Then the Spirit of God combined with adrenaline released her from paralysis. She catapulted up the stairs faster than she thought herself capable and attacked the attacker.

               She saw a flash of silver before she felt the heat and sting on her cheek as she smashed into him. The masked coward stabbed at her again, but she grabbed his knife wielding wrist with both of her hands. With his free arm, he smashed his fist into her nose. She heard a crack a second before she felt the pain and was blinded by a kaleidoscope of blurry. No wonder cartoons show stars over the head when a character has been conked.

               Destiny barely comprehended him trying to strike her again when he stopped and looked at Dirk charging up the stairs. The reprobate fled, but Dirk tended to his unconscious wife as well as Destiny instead of giving chase. For somebody so panicked, Dirk was amazingly smooth and calm. He checked his wife’s pulse and then looked at Destiny horrified. She knew why. She could feel blood streaming over her lips and dripping onto her chest.

               “How bad are you Dee?” Dirk asked as he whipped off his t shirt and gently put it over her knife wounded cheek.

               “I’ll survive, I think,” she moaned as she pressed part of his shirt hard into her cut and another part softer into her nose. “How’s Amy?”

               “She’s got a good pulse,” he replied with intense calm as he scooped Amy up into his arms as if she were light as a pillow. “Let’s get you two to the hospital.”

               Dirk limped as he carried his beautiful, pregnant wife down the stairs and into Bentley Bonnano’s old pickup truck. Destiny followed clutching Dirk’s t shirt to her face. The hospital was a blur. When the emergency room saw a shirtless man carrying an unconscious pregnant woman with a bloody faced woman following, they came to full attention. Brock was stunned when he saw Destiny right after she was stitched up and her nose straightened. She was numbed in more ways than one with whatever narcotics they had given her. Because of her broken nose, she had two black eyes. When she saw the stunned look on Brock’s face, combined with the drugs numbing her pain as well as her brain, she giggled. A relieved look came over his face and he kissed her.

               “Have you seen Amy?” Destiny asked after their lips separated.

               “Yeah, she has a headache, but she and the baby are fine otherwise.”

               “Thank God,” Destiny replied with a sigh, paused and then giggled.

               “Well, you seem to be doing pretty good, considering.”

               “Oh, I’m just fine,” she replied dreamily. “As long as Amy and the baby…” She trailed off as she fell asleep.

               Destiny was concerned with how agitated Brock was in the days following the attack. He was on the phone a lot and she could feel her soul mate’s tension. She knew he was trying to figure out who attacked Amy via FBI agent Nora Medora. She hoped he would leave it up to her to apprehend the culprits. However, a couple of days later when he left with a rare hostile attitude, Destiny checked where Brock thought he had a secret gun hidden.  It was gone. She began to pray in earnest.

               Brock told her everything when he returned. After he confessed how he relished being cruel but stopped himself from his desired violence, he broke down. Destiny had seen Brock weep a couple of times and knew it made him very uncomfortable. But this time, he downright sobbed as he related his temptation to not only kill again, but torture. He described the emotions he felt when he saw what happened to Amy, Dirk and herself. She felt an icy chill run up her spine when he related that Amy’s half-sister, Lexi Gomez, was possibly behind the attack.

               Thankfully Brock turned this aspect over to Nora Medora. Not only was she Brock’s former girlfriend,  but the two former lovers would have married if Nora had agreed. Lucky for Destiny, she got cold feet and left him at the altar. You might think she wouldn’t want Brock associating with his ex, but Nora was a super cop who was married to her career. She couldn’t think of anyone better suited to help them. A couple days after Brock confronted the attackers, Destiny discovered Nora on their doorstep. Although, Destiny kept jealousy at bay, dealing with Nora Medora was not a stroll through a flower garden.

               “How are ya, Dee?” Nora asked as she peeled off aviator sunglasses.

               “Hi Nora, come in,” Destiny invited. “It’s good to see you.”

               “Is it?” She asked as she stepped past her into the Storm’s home. Destiny felt herself flush. Nora’s tough, brisk manner  intimidated her. Nora looked smart in a charcoal colored business suit with a skirt that rose half a foot above her knees showing off her shapely, muscular legs. She had let her glossy black hair grow out just past her shoulders and she wore dark red lipstick. It was the most makeup Destiny had ever seen her wear. Although she was a great looking female, this look was the most feminine she had ever appeared in Destiny’s presence. She was preparing to stammer a reply to Nora when Brock came galloping down the stairs.

               “Hey, Medora,” Brock grinned.

               “Hey, Storm,” Nora smiled coyly.

               “Look at you. What’s this?” He asked as he tugged at a strand of her hair.

               “What’s what?” she replied with a frown as she swatted his hand away.

               “And this?” He said as he grasped her just above the chin and caused her lips to pucker.

               In a flash, Nora twisted Brock’s wrist in unnatural fashion. He groaned loudly and went down on one knee. “Good to see ya,” Brock said with a grimace.

               “You too,” Nora said cheerily as she released him.

               Nora and Brock had been in a relationship for approximately six years. The fact that the two were always more like buddies rather than lovers gave Destiny some comfort.

               “So, I tracked down Lexi Gomez and we had a little chat,” Nora said with hands on her hips. Destiny noticed she wore New Balance running shoes rather than heels. “She claims she had nothing to do with it. The thing is, I believe her. She claims to have cut off ties with Jezebel Black. She also gave me the name and possible location of a guy who has been in contact with Jezebel Black. It turns out this guy has an outstanding warrant for arrest. He happens to be on the F.B.I.’s most wanted list. I’m on my way to brief with a swat team. We hope to arrest this creep tonight.”

               “How can a guy on the F.B.I.’s most wanted list communicate with a woman in federal prison?” Brock asked.

               “Through the cover of other people,” Nora explained. “Including Lexi Gomez. She admitted being a pigeon for her sister and this felon in the past.”

               “Isn’t that a crime?” I asked.

               Nora shrugged. “Her information was critical. Sometimes you have to turn the other cheek with illegal activity if you want to bring justice to more serious crimes. Lexi also claims she never intended her sister Amy to be raped by those four guys a year ago. She says she just wanted them to scare her. She didn’t think the guys would actually assault her.”

               “I was there,” Brock said testily. “Trust me, they had every intention of violently assaulting Amy.”

               “I know,” Nora shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

               “You’re just saying what?” Brock barked. “That we should all give Lexi a big hug and kiss and tell her we see it was just a little prank gone awry?”

               Nora folded her arms and sighed.

               “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Brock said incredulously.

               “I thought your religion was all about love and forgiveness?” Nora asked.

               “It is, and we do,” Brock said as he frowned and folded his arms. “But that doesn’t mean we have to like, trust, or respect somebody like Lexi Gomez or Jezebel Black. So, tell me this Nora. I’ve known you to be the ultimate cynic and skeptic when it comes to humanity and religion. How come you seem to have somebody like Lexi’s back?”

               “You do know I spent more than a year undercover in Jezebel’s cult,” Nora declared sternly.

               “Yeah, of course,” Brock replied. “What’s your point?”

               “I got to know both of the twisted sisters pretty well,” Nora said sternly. “Somebody like Jezebel is pure evil. Somebody like Lexi is misguided and a lost soul. Tell me. When Jezebel attempted to murder her own sister in a human sacrifice ritual, do you recall Lexi being in attendance?”

               “Well, um, no,” Brock stammered.

               “As a matter of fact,” Nora continued. “I happen to know first hand that as soon as Jezebel and the cult began to make plans to execute Amy, Lexi stopped attending. Not only that, she went to the local authorities and told them about the plan to kidnap and kill Amy.”

               “You’re kidding!” Brock exclaimed. “Why didn’t they do anything? Bentley might still be alive!”

               “Hold on Storm,” Nora said as she closed her eyes and put her hands up in a stop gesture. “You can’t blame the local cops. A known stripper and prostitute comes marching in talking satanic cults and human sacrifice. Plus it was on record that she was suspected of setting up this same sister to be gang raped. To them she was simply a mental case.”

               Brock looked at his wife with a confused expression. “She’s right, honey,” Destiny said.

               “Look, I gotta run,” Nora said as she turned to leave and then spoke over her shoulder as she went through the door. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can how the raid goes down.”

               “Well, she can certainly give a person a lot to think about in a matter of minutes,” Brock said with a dry chuckle.

               “Yes she can,” Destiny mumbled.