Page 36 of Kitten Kisses

“You’re going to pay for making me lose my money!” Mike shouted from behind him as he gave chase. “He cut off my fucking trust fund!”

As soon as Alex had enough space, he pivoted around with all his might and slammed the weight of the container into Mike’s head.

The force of the impact was like using a baseball bat and Mike’s head was the goddamn ball. He flew off his feet and collided with the deli sandwiches display, shattering the glass above with his head.

Horrified, Alex stood there frozen as blood poured from Mike’s scalp and covered his face. The bottle slipped from Alex’s grasp and hit the floor with a heavy thump as Mike dropped to his knees, screaming and cradling his injured face.

Snapping out of his shock, Alex raced behind the counter and called for an ambulance just as flashing lights appeared in the parking lot.

It hadn’t been his intention to seriously harm or kill Mike. The only thought in his mind as he swung the bottle was to knock the jackass unconscious or, at the very least, on his ass so Alex could get the hell out of the store.

Just as the doors swished open, a wave of dizziness hit Alex. He held on to the edge of the counter before spinning around and throwing up, his head throbbing with pain.

“Alex!” Slater rushed around the counter, panic evident in his voice. He placed a hand on Alex’s back, waiting for him to stand up straight.

When he did, Slater gasped in shock.

No doubt Alex looked like a mixed bag of hell. He’d been unsuccessful in blocking all the punches Mike had thrown at him, or stopping him from hitting Alex’s head.

And his damn lip throbbed painfully, as did his side from crashing into the chip rack.

“Hummingbird,” Slater whispered, pressing featherlight fingers to Alex’s face. “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry this happened. I was coming to check on you after the call I had to go on.”

The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving Alex shaking. He leaned against his mate’s chest, and then strong arms folded around him, wrapping him up in the safety Alex so desperately needed to feel.

But he wasn’t crying, and that was most likely due to shock.

Mike had every intention of inflicting maximum damage or possibly even killing him.

It was nothing short of a miracle Alex was standing while the paramedics took care of Mike as he lay on the floor, the sounds of his cries echoing through the store.

It had almost been the other way around.

Chapter Nine

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kijani asked as he stepped through Slater’s front door. “I get it, man. It’s eating you up inside that you weren’t there, but do you really want to torture yourself?”

Slater glanced toward the ceiling. Alex was upstairs resting. His mate’s injuries would heal a lot faster since they’d bonded, but the guilt still ate away at him for not being there to stop the attack.

He’d actually been on his way to the gas station to check on Alex but was rerouted to the other side of town for a disturbance call. Slater had pulled up on two drunken humans shouting at each other in the middle of the street.

Had it been over something important? Fuck no. The assholes had been fighting over their favorite football teams and it had taken over an hour to calm them down and send them home.

No sooner had Slater slipped back into his cruiser than he’d gotten the call about the panic button being triggered at Bigman Gas Station. But Slater couldn’t get there any faster because of those drunken idiots, and the other deputies on duty had been tied up with their own calls.

He couldn’t get the sight of Alex’s bruised face out of his mind. His mate’s forearms were also battered, evidence of him trying to defend himself against his attacker.

If only Slater had been there to protect him.

Fucking Mike.

Slater hadn’t wanted to let his mate out of his bed after they’d bonded. It hadn’t set well with him that Alex would be alone and vulnerable in that store, that anyone could walk in and hurt his mate.

Which is exactly what happened.

But, was Slater truly prepared to witness Alex being attacked? Did he want to helplessly watch the moments when his mate was in pain and unable to defend himself?

Why should Alex have to carry the weight of those memories alone? If Slater knew what his mate had endured, he could provide support and understanding.

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