“Let’s go see,” Kirk said and was out the car and rushing down the street toward the house. As they got closer, it was clear that he was carrying a girl’s body and the detectives drew their weapons.
“Police!” they both shouted.
When he turned and saw them coming, he ran and tried to make it to the house with Kirk and Dawkins behind him. When he noticed that the door had already been kicked in, he went inside and put the unconscious girl down. As quickly as he could, he tried to drag the couch in front of the door, but it was too late for that. When Kirk and Dawkins burst through the door, he tried to run for the kitchen.
“Police!” Dawkins shouted.
“Make sure the girl is all right!” Kirk yelled and ran in the kitchen after him. He got as far as the door before Kirk grabbed him and spun him around.
With a firm grip on his coat, Kirk reached back and punched him. And Kirk kept on punching him in the face, over and over until his face was a bloody mass.
“Kirk, stop!” Dawkins shouted excitedly when she came in the kitchen and saw her partner beating their suspect.
As Kirk swung away, she rushed up behind him. “William!” she shouted again.
And after hitting him twice more, Kirk stopped and let the man’s beaten and bloody body fall to the ground.
As Kirk stood over the body, breathing hard and with blood on his hand, Dawkins knew that this was the part about having her partner’s back.
“He shouldn’t have resisted arrest,” she said. “I’ll call and get a team down here.”
“Right.”
Chapter Twenty-six
It was Sunday afternoon, and like most American families, the Ray’s were about to sit down for dinner. And since they were expecting a guest, Pam was pulling out all the stops. Although she was an excellent cook when she felt like cooking, this wasn’t one of those days. So, Pam called Cuisine and asked Chef Aja if she would mind making something special for the occasion.
The master chef always relished any opportunity to do for The Family that had taken her in, protected her in her darkest hour, and had been so good to her. Aja prepared stuff veal breas
ts with lemon, parsley skillet-roasted fingerling potatoes, seared mushrooms with garlic and thyme, broccoli, and spinach soup with avocado toast.
“Everything is ready to serve,” Pam said, glancing at the clock on the wall in the kitchen.
Bobby put his arms around his wife. “Relax, food is ready, and the table is set. Everything will be fine.”
“I know.”
“Besides, it’s not like she hasn’t been here before, you know,” Bobby said and nibbled on her neck.
“Don’t start, Bobby,” Pam said with a smile and wiggled out of his embrace. When Bobby almost died, they each realized what they had in the other and they have been hot for each other ever since. “And I know she’s been here before, but this is her first time having Sunday dinner with us and I want everything to be perfect.”
Outside the house, Tenikka parked her Benz in the driveway and got out. It was her first time being invited to have dinner with her new family, and she was excited. She rang the bell and when the door opened, it was Pam that let her in and welcomed her. For the first time, Tenikka felt like she was a part of the family, and not her father’s unwanted child, and she had Barbara to thank for it. But there was to be two more surprise guests for dinner.
“Who lives here?” Venus asked as RJ put the car in park.
“I grew up in that house,” he said, and Venus’s eyes bucked wide open. “Come on.”
RJ got out of the car and Venus sat frozen in her seat thinking, Am I really about to meet his family?
RJ opened her door and held out his hand for Venus. “You coming?”
Venus nodded her head, accepted his hand and got out of the car. “Am I about to meet your family?”
“Yes.” RJ rubbed the back of his neck. “I know this is unexpected.” He laughed. “For me too, because I didn’t plan on coming here. But while we were riding, I started thinking about it being Sunday … and Sunday dinner.” RJ took a step closer to her. “I know I should have asked you if this was cool, and if you don’t wanna go in, it’s cool.”
“It’s cool, really. I just wasn’t expecting to meet your family,” Venus said. “If I had, I would have worn something else.” She was wearing a Rebecca Taylor wrap print ruffle dress that Venus got off the last chance rack.
RJ took her hand in his as they walked to the door and took out his key. “Trust me, Venus, they are going to love you,” RJ said, as he opened the door.