Shutter & Catalina’s Story, Coming 2021!
CHAPTER ONE
Catalina
I had just hung up a call from an absolutely adorable little boy who’d called 9-1-1 to order a pizza. Most days, my job consisted of some really terrifying moments in a person’s life, but today had been a sweet one.
“Cat, there’s a little girl asking for you,” my boss, Melonie, said as she rushed to my desk. She was the supervisor for our department and typically walked the floor, headset on ready to jump in and help if anyone needed her. “Line one.”
I answered the call, “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“Cat,” a quiet voice sniffed.
“Yes, this is Catalina. Who’s this?”
“Nova,” she whispered. “Mama’s sleeping. I can’t wake her up.”
Nova was Darlene’s six-year-old daughter. Darlene was the ex-girlfriend of one of my best friends on the planet and even though Silas wasn’t Nova’s father, and had broken up with Darlene two years ago, he still had a relationship with Nova.
My stomach churned. “Okay, honey. Do you know if Mama fell over?”
“I don’t know,” she said on a sob. “Mama, wake up. She’s cold. Imma get a blanket.”
Shit.
“No, baby, don’t get her a blanket, okay? Just stay on the line with m. I’m sending help.”
My fingers flew over the keyboard as I dispatched everyone I could think of.
“Can you call Shutter? I don’t know his number and Mama’s phone is broken.”
“How are you calling me?”
“There is a phone on the wall.”
I remember Darlene mentioning once that she had a land line in case of an emergency because the home address always popped up on our screens. With a cell phone, it was a crapshoot.
“Good girl. Okay, sweetie. Let me get an ambulance to you first, then I’ll call Shutter.”
“Mama, wake up,” she cried.
“Honey, I need you to scoot away from Mama,” I directed, pulling out my phone. I scrolled to Silas’s phone number and handed the phone to Melonie. “Tell Silas that Darlene’s hurt.”
I was the only one who called Shutter by his real name, Silas. I needed to feel as though we had something special, even though we were just friends. He was Shutter to everyone in the world, but to me, just me, he was Silas.
Melonie nodded, and put my phone to her ear.
“I don’t want to leave her,” Nova sniffed. “She’s so cold, Cat.”
“Okay, sweetness, it’s okay,” I said. “Did someone come into the house?”
“I don’t think so,” she rasped.
“I need to make sure you’re safe.”
“There’s no one else here,” she said. “Imma get bandaids.”
“Baby, why do you need to get bandaids?”
“She has owies.”
“Nova, baby, I need you not to touch Mama anymore, okay? Can you sit in the hall?”
“But then she’ll be all alone,” she whispered. “I hear sirens.”
“Good, baby. Stay on the line with me, but can you go open the door for the ambulance?”
“I’m scared.”
“I know, honey, but help is coming. Shutter will there soon, too.”
“Okay,” she said, and I waited, hearing movement as she unlocked the door. “Shadow,” she squealed.
Oh, thank god.
I heard a crash and figured she’d dropped the phone.
“Nova?” I called.
“This is Nolan Grant, SFD.”
“Hello Nolan Grant, this Catalina Grant.”
“Hey, sis. I’ve got Nova. Shutter’s pulling up now. I’m gonna hang up.”
“Okay,” I said, ending the call and facing Melonie.
She handed me my phone and I set it back on my desk. “Thanks.”
“Holy crap, Cat,” Melonie said, and I nodded. She’d been listening to the call, keeping her microphone muted, so she’d heard it all.
“Right?” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to take a little break, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely,” she said.
I snagged my phone off the desk and headed to the quiet room. Now came the agonizing part of waiting for Silas to call me. And I’d wait because I knew that he’d call me as soon as he could, but most importantly, I knew he’d take care of Nova. He was an enforcer for the Dogs of Fire MC out of Savannah, and he was my very best friend.
He seemed to always be close, both physically and emotionally, whenever I needed him. I’d discovered a couple of weeks ago it was because my brother had asked him to watch after me. And even though I was pissed my brother had taken it upon himself to ‘protect’ me against my will, I’d had a really bad date who’d attacked me in my old apartment and Silas had rushed in to rescue me.
Dale had walked me in and promptly forced his face into mine, kissing me hard and fast, and even though I tried to push him away, he continued with the onslaught.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped.
“I just bought you dinner and drinks. My turn for some reciprocity.”
“Get off me!” I demanded and made a run for my bedroom.
He followed, and I fought him with all I had. We continued to tussle for several minutes until he was suddenly lifted away from me.
“Not today, dickhead,” Nolan growled. My brother wrapped my arm around his neck, and dragged him up.
Silas, Nolan’s club brother, grabbed me and guided me out of the room.
“You’re here too?” I squeaked, and Silas growled.
“What the fuck happened?” he asked.
“Bad date,” I replied.
Silas scowled, lifting my chin and studying my face as my brother continued to fight with Dale. The walls were thin, to say the least, so I heard almost every word.
“Shut the fuck up,” Nolan ordered.
“Get off me,” Dale said on a whimper.
“If you ever come near my sister again, I will make it so you shit in a bag, do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Dale said. “Just get off me.”
“I know where you live now,” Nolan said. “Dale Dawson. I also have your social security number because not only are you an asshole, you’re a moron and you should keep that shit locked up.”
“I’m gonna call the cops,” Dale threatened, and I glanced up at Silas.
Silas grinned. Dale could call the cops, but then he’d just go to jail for attacking me, so it was an empty threat.
“Do it. Make my fuckin’ day,” my brother hissed.
“He always did want to be Clint Eastwood,” I whispered to Silas, who laughed silently.
“You can’t go around attacking innocent men,” Dale continued.
“And you can’t go around attacking innocent women,” Nolan countered.
“She wanted it.”
I gasped. “I did not.”
“Come into the kitchen,” Silas suggested.
We walked into the kitchen just as Doom walked into my apartment.
“In the back?” he asked, and Silas nodded.