Catharsis (Book 2): Catalyst by D. Andrew Campbell Page A

encounter.  Not him.  Remember that, Catarina.  There's a difference between liking a person and respecting them."
                "I was weak and unprepared for him last time.  I wasn't at full strength.  He got lucky."  The excuses pour out of me before I can throttle them back.  Breathing in, I pause and then continue, "It's not going to happen again.  He's not going to beat me twice, Ren.  I'll guarantee that."
                "That's fine, kiddo.  But remember to go into this with your eyes open.  He's formidable."
                Kiddo?   The thought of him calling me something like that makes me want to start giggling again.
                The light turns green, and I floor the bike through the intersection and off towards Chadwick's neighborhood.  But I can't let that comment go.
                "Kiddo?"  I ask as the houses fly past me.  "You called me 'kiddo'?"
                "Yes, I did Catarina," and I can hear the smile in his voice.  "It's not pleasant when someone belittles you, is it?”
                Chuckling, I say, "Actually, it just made me laugh.  But I understand your point.
                "Anyway, any updates on surfer boy in the last few hours since I left?  Is there still a police presence?"
                "Glad you asked," he tells me and I can hear his fingers gently clacking on a keyboard somewhere back at the warehouse.  "The officers are still at his house, and they haven't filed anything new since the incident after you left.  Apparently he is keeping his head down and quiet for now."
                “So nothing came from the explosion?  They just accepted his story and walked away?  What kind of police work is that?”
                “They have respect for him, too, Cat,” he says in that same baritone voice.  “Remember, this isn’t their first time dealing with him.  Or his craftiness.  They have to be cautious.  And careful.
                "He's smart, Cat, and the cops know it.  If they make a poor case for going in and then actually find something, he'd find a way to get it thrown out of court.  He's done it before.  They'd lose a good shot at evidence.  It's not worth the risk.  Their hands are tied here."
                "But mine aren't," I growl.  "I don't need to be careful or worry about probable cause.  And I know he's guilty.  I heard it in his voice.  I smelled it on him.  I don't need anything more than that."
                "I'll disagree with you on the 'careful' part, but the rest of that is spot on.  That's why I brought him to your attention in the first place."
                "So he's at home and waiting for me, right now?"
                "I don't know about the 'waiting for you' part, but he hasn't left.  At least not according to the guys in the car parked in front of his house."
                "Oh, he's waiting on me, Ren.  I know it.  He thinks he can beat me," I say and smile as I slow the bike and turn onto the street that goes behind his house.  "But he's wrong.  He won't win this time."
     
     
    CHAPTER NINETEEN
                Parking my bike in front of a house that looks deserted for the night, I dismount and do my best to get my bearings.  My best plan would be to wait and watch and get an idea about this guy before proceeding, but I'm too hyped up with energy to do that.  I don't want to wait and let this fuel be wasted sitting around my warehouse.  I want to put it to good use.  And I really want that use to be focused on making Chadwick Morrin pay for what he's done to those girls.  I want to attack him and hurt him and unleash the pent-up fury of the last couple of hours upon him.
                I'm pretty sure this is the road that I used as my escape path earlier, but since I was blind when I stumbled away I can't tell for sure.  And when