The Vegan and the Wolf by Julie Steimle (red white and royal blue hardcover txt) 📕

What came out of Audry’s mouth was the briefest recitation over the events from the day she broke up with Harlin Nichols to the present. She summed up most of it as ‘daily stalking’ and menacing. She listed his abuses with red cheeks, struggling not to avert her eyes from the judge. The judge interrupted her a few times to ask about bruising or any other physical damage. The judge also interrupted asking for Audry to explain why she assumed Harlin was the one who had slashed her tires. But when Audry brought up the most recent event, adding the threat Harlin made toward Rick Deacon, the judge raised her eyebrows. “Rick Deacon?”

Audry cringed. “Howard Richard Deacon the Third.”

Staring more, the judge said, with a look to the side where a female police cadet was standing in with a bailiff as part of in field training, “Did the petitioner have an affair with Howard Richard Deacon the Third?”

Resisting the urge to moan, Audry said, “No. I hardly know him. He is more like a passing acquaintance. I just did my Master’s research on his land. I barely spoke to him.”

The judge glanced at the police cadet again who gazed back with the minutest shrug. They probably knew something about the Deacons that Audry didn’t.

“I see.” The judge then went back to reading the petition.

And in the next two seconds she granted Audry a temporary order of protection.

Relieved, Audry nearly floated on air when she walked out to pick up the copy of the order of protection from the clerk. A court date was set for Harlin to defend himself in the case. But in the meantime, as soon as Vincent could deliver the papers, Audry would have temporary legal protection from Harlin Nichols.

As they walked together out of the building, Audry saw that one female cadet-in-training in the lobby. She was talking with a tall dark-haired police officer in a Crime Scene Unit jacket. With them was that guy, Matthew Calamori—Rick’s friend. Audry remembered then that he was New York Police officer. He had confirmed it when someone asked at the lodge half a year ago. She had never really expected to see him again though.

The woman police cadet gestured toward Audry, and Matthew looked. He immediately recognized her, but did not do anything except answer the police cadet. An almost immediate reaction came from both the cadet and the homicide cop. Both looked surprised, if not amazed for some reason. Audry could not hear what he was saying.

“It is pretty late,” Vincent said as he walked with her. “Do you want me to take you to dinner, or meet you tomorrow again for lunch after I have served him his papers? I need to get an affidavit of service notarized either way.”

Audy shrugged, feeling subdued. The light floaty feeling of accomplishment was ebbing, and reality was setting in. She had done it. Papers would be served to Harlin within the next twenty-four hours. And then what? What would he do?

“Hey, Audry,” Vincent said. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of people are watching out for you. You’re going to be ok.”

She nodded.

Vincent decided to take her home rather than stop by a restaurant. Audry was too distracted and he needed to get back to his hotel. He still had a lot of work to do. He just hadn’t told her so she would not worry. But Audry knew.

Audry arrived home still feeling anxious. She dragged her feet through the doorway, her mind racing over everything.

How would Harlin react? It wasn’t like she didn’t know the risks of getting a restraining order against a person. Law-abiding people would respect such an order, though they might resent it. But a person no longer following logic would not care a bit for a piece of paper ordering him to stay away from his target. There were plenty of cases where a woman got violently assaulted after a restraining order was delivered.

“Are you ok?” Laura approached her, coming in from the kitchen to there Audry was in her room.

Audry lifted her head from her pillow and shook her head. “I’m scared.”

Chapter Four

“I heard what you just did and it is brilliant.” Silvia had rushed up to Audry’s apartment that morning, bursting into her kitchen all decked out in a weird polka dot black-and-white dress. “Finally you have got some backbone.”

Audry moaned over her bowl of orange juice and muesli. Silvia was the nearly last person she had wanted to see that morning. The night before she had had disturbing dreams—Silvia and Harlin, among other people, were in them. “What do you want?”

Annoyed, Silvia replied, “To congratulate you. And to offer you my services.”

Wendy, who was cooking at the stove in her pink bathrobe and pjs, paled.

Tricia’s eyes widened. She stared up from her spot at the table where she was reading from her book.

And Laura, who was doing yoga in the living room, fell over.

“What? No!” Audry pulled back from her.

Huffing, Silvia pulled out a chair and sat next to her, her dark eyes shining out from her heavy gothic makeup. “Why not? Our scumbag ex is not going to like getting a restraining order. You know it, and I know it. I can feel the worry coming from you.”

Audry groaned, resting her forehead against her hand and her elbow on the table.

“You had nightmares last night, didn’t you?” Silvia asked, enjoying this a bit too much.

Audry’s eyes widened. She drew in a breath. She wasn’t superstitious, but Silvia’s intuition entirely creeped her out just then. In the dream, Silvia had marched into the school’s Earth Week celebrations dressed like a cross between Elvira and Morticia Addams. With her came a posse of sexy girls in black go-go boots and miniskirts, all of them with witch hats, creepy pentagrams, and bloody gothic silver knives. Silvia also had tried to offer her services in the dream.

“Did you do something to her?” Wendy snapped, clutching the spatula in her hand as if she would use it as a weapon.

Silvia shot her a dirty look. “No. But I know Audry is an empathic person. She’s sensitive to things that happen around her, and deeply intuitive—though a little ignorant.”

That sent shivers down Audry’s skin. Though she did not see herself as ignorant, the rest rang through her like a bell, resonating with her deepest gut feelings that even her hairs stood up. Her own mother had said she was incredibly intuitive. It was also why Audry liked nature and animals so much. She could almost feel their pain.

“Now, tell me about the dream,” Silvia said, turning to her. “I can help you.”

“No…” Audry rose, hands raised and backing up from the goth girl.

Silvia chuckled, her eyes gazing wryly on her. “What? Am I in it?”

Massaging a hand to her forehead, Audry was really freaking out now. It was almost like Silvia could see through her, and not in a nice way. She retreated further, shaking her head. “Can you just leave?”

Moaning, Silvia rose. “Fine. But really, I can help you.”

“To do what?” Wendy snapped, moving forward to put herself between Audry and Silvia. She was larger than Silvia, though not as frightening. Wendy was usually a softie.

Smirking at her, Silvia said, “I could curse Harlin for you.”

All of Audry’s roommates stared at her.

Audry groaned. This was bad. And stupid.

“Are you crazy?” Tricia protested, pointing her yogurt covered spoon at her.

Shooting her a particularly dirty look, Silvia replied slowly, “No. But I think you are.”

Bristling, Tricia would have shot an argument back, but Wendy and Audry pulled her away. Tricia wasn’t always wise about the fights she took on and wasn’t thinking about whom she was arguing with.

“Ok, fine.” Silvia backed toward the door, dragging her feet in spiky platform shoes over the tile. “I see you want your space. But really, if you really want help, I can give it to you. I actually have studied dream interpretation, and if anything it could give you relief.”

She turned to go out, though she was slow about as if giving them a second chance to change their minds.

It worked

Laura stopped her. “Wait.” She then turned to Audry, “Just tell her. We can all try to interpret it. Dreams are nothing more than your subconscious sorting out thoughts at night anyway.”

Which, as Audry thought about it, was probably true. Laura had a clear head. She was probably right.

Silvia looked back, smirking with pleasure at Laura—either because she got what she wanted, or that she too saw Laura as wise. She then looked to Audry, waiting.

Audry’s face felt hot. It was embarrassing. Unlike the other gals, she didn’t really like talking about personal things. Yet she said, “Ok. You were in my dream. You said some freaky things yesterday—which by the way, I still don’t believe in. But ok… in the dream you did what you are asking right now, only you offered to kill Harlin and make his death look like an accident.”

Her roommates stared.

That was some subconscious.

But Silvia burst into laughter. She nodded to herself as if that was a good idea.

“But the answer is no,” Audry said to make sure Silvia understood her. “I don’t want that kind of help.”

“Suit yourself,” Silvia replied, hands up as if surrendering. But she was extremely amused. “What else? It was a nightmare, wasn’t it? That’s not scary enough. Not for you. You’ve dealt with wolves in close spaces after all.”

It was unsettling how Silvia really did know the core of her. That part had been weird, but not scary. Sitting down against the edge of the table and folding her arms, Audry continued, her mind going over the dream, trying to dig out the details that really bugged her. “Um… my grandfather showed up with practically the same offer, only he had a shotgun.”

Nodding, Silvia kept chuckling. Audry could tell she was imagining what she was carrying in the dream. That still wasn’t scary enough, though.

“But then it went really bad,” Audry murmured shuddering. “Harlin was hiding under my bed. He yanked me underneath with him… and he was going to pull a Ted Bundy on me—if you know what I mean. I was fighting him off, but then some policemen burst into the room and saved me. The crazy thing was, they were carrying swords instead of guns. You know, swords like what your brother had….”

She looked to Silvia who seemed to go a little pale at those words. She didn’t know why

“Anyway, one of them was this lady cop I saw yesterday when I got the restraining order. They grabbed Harlin and hauled him away. But this guy I met at the Deacons’ ski lodge was there among the police,” Audry murmured, thinking about him—that Italian man. She shook her head. “The thing is, I actually saw him yesterday at the courthouse talking to that lady cop—which is why I think he was in the dream.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Silvia said, raising a hand. “Is this just some random guy you bumped into at the ski lodge, or one of Howie’s friends?”

“Howie?” Wendy and Tricia and Laura exchanged looks.

Audry cringed, hanging her shoulders. “You’re not going to tell me this cop is one