Page 67 of Fatal Attraction

Man.

Gold.

Antlers.

Man.

Gold.

Antlers.

I gasped once it all clicked, and Phoenix must have figured it out too because when I turned to him, he was gone, gunning it down the hallwaylike his ass was on fire. There was a man on the security footage wearing a deer mask. It had antlers and was smothered in golden flecks. I remember because I’d spent most of last night refreshing my memory, before I’d gotten the call about Carter. This guy had made it past Carter that night and was stopped by…

Son of a fucking bitch!

FELIX.

I started to move, but then Dr. Giles’s hand wrapped around my forearm, tugging me back.

“Why does Phoenix smell like he ingested an entire saloon?”

I sighed, frankly a bit surprised he hadn’t commented on it sooner. “He was face down on the floor when I found him last night.”

The doctor’s mouth puckered; brows spread high toward his thinning hairline. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?”

“As much as I appreciate the offer, Doc, this isn’t my first rodeo. Coping through his grief has always been one of Phoenix’s worst nightmares. If there’s anyone who can help him through it, it’s me. Just take care of Carter. Tell him we’ll be back to see him as soon as we can.”

Dr. Giles nodded, then reached up to grasp my shoulder, his eyes stirring with empathy. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. I’ll call you anything changes with Carter.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“Good luck, Spike.”

I sadly glanced at Carter’s door, then back at Dr. Giles. I didn’t want to leave him like this, not without letting him know Phoenix and I had gotten his message. Something in me trusted Dr. Giles would relay the missive though, so I offered the doctor a nod and then hurriedly jogged down the hall after Phoenix, pausing long enough to wait for the outer doors leading to the lobby to open.

With my phone tightfisted in my right hand, I had Felix’s number pulled up by the time I made it to the parking lot. Just as I was about to tap theCALL button, something equivalent to metal crunching penetrated the air in a furiousBANG. I froze, completely rattled, and carefully scanned through the parking lot, zeroing near where I’d parked my car.

Phoenix had some random guy by the throat, pinned down against the hood.

“PHOENIX!”

I took off, cursing when I tripped over my feet and caught myself, running faster when I saw Phoenix’s right elbow swing back, his roar filling the air as his knuckles made wincing impact with the guy’s jaw.

“PHOENIX! STOP!”

I didn’t know what the fuck was happening, but what I did know was that whatever it was must have been bad because Phoenix wasn’t backing down. It took me having to tackle his ass to the ground to get him to listen to me.

“It’s Karl,” he growled through bared teeth, the sound of it sending a chill spider-walking down my spine. “It’s fucking Karl!”

I shoved Phoenix away then and was instantly on my feet, stalking over to the man sprawled out against the hood, groaning as he cupped his jaw. Rage burst through me like an electrical charge, and as I snatched the bastard up by his black T-shirt, tugging him close so we were eye level, I looked him dead in the eyes and said, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Karl tried to speak, but my fist impulsively smashed against his face and knocked his head back, silencing whatever bullshit he was about to spill.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” I snarled. “You’re supposed to be in witness protection!”

I’d almost hit him again. The bastard deserved it, he really fucking did, but the last fucking thing I needed was to lose my job. So, I unhanded him, watching with my chest heaving as he swiped his hand across his nose and jaw, checking for traces of blood. Phoenix remained behind me, but he didn’t dare move a muscle.

“I know I am,” Karl furiously chided. He spat on the pavement, wincing as he exercised his jaw in a circle. “But I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. Not while Charlotte is still missing. Ben’s been keeping up with Carter’s condition. He called me this morning and told me Carter woke up last night. I came here to talk to him. To see if he remembered.”

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