Midnight's Kiss
Page 49
The biker shook his head. “Never. I did indulge in too much Southern Comfort last night. Is that a problem?”
Julian gave him a faint smile. “Not at all.”
Melly startled as one of the other men touched her shoulder. “Ms. Aindris, why don’t you come outside now? It’ll give us a little more room to maneuver down here.”
He was one of the older bikers, with long gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. His simple kindness brought a flood of moisture to her eyes. Uncertainly, she turned back to Julian, who said in her head, Go on, baby. I’ll be out as soon as I can.
Sniffing, she nodded and rose to her feet. After such a massive dump of adrenaline into her bloodstream, she felt suddenly bereft of energy and direction, and she stumbled. Taking her gently by the elbow, the gray-haired biker steadied her as they walked back to the tunnel opening.
Several faces peered down at them. “She’s coming up,” said the gray-haired man. “Help her out.”
Two men reached down. She took their offered hands, and they hoisted her up. As her feet left the tunnel floor, she said, “I need my bag.”
“Is it a purse?” The gray-haired man looked around.
“No, it’s a grocery bag.” Her voice wobbled.
“I’ll hand it up to you,” he promised.
Outside, she managed to stay mobile until she could collapse in a heap against the warehouse wall. Somebody handed her the grocery bag. Somebody else tucked a leather jacket around her shoulders. The interior lining was still warm from being worn, and she huddled into it gratefully, shivering while she dug into the bag for the two remaining bottles of water. She drank until she couldn’t hold any more liquid.
Now that the most urgent of the drama had eased, the bikers gave her plenty of personal space. They grouped together nearby, looking her way often, several of them smoking cigarettes as they talked in low voices. A few left. Others climbed down into the tunnel to donate blood to Julian.
Melly searched the cloudless sky overhead. It was going to be a bright sunny day. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.
A shadow fell, and her biker squatted beside her. He asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m taking a moment.”
He dropped something in her lap. She looked down. It was a smartphone. He told her, “It’s unlocked and the bill’s paid until the end of the month. No contract, unlimited phone and text. I think there’s about half a gigabyte left on the web.”
“Thank you.” Her fingers closed over it too tightly. When her hand started to shake, she forced her grip to ease. The phone wasn’t going to vanish into thin air.
His dark gaze lingered on her white-knuckled grip. He heaved a sigh. “Leonard is trying to convince me that I have a conscience.”
Looking in the direction of his gesture, her gaze connected with that of the gray-haired man, who gave her a nod while he drew on a cigarette.
She asked her biker, “How’s that working out for you?”
“It’s inconvenient.” He rubbed his face. “Look, I know you were in a bad way and desperate to find help. You don’t have to pay me the thirty grand you promised.”
She nodded and looked up at the sky again. After a moment, she said, “I made a deal with you, and I’m willing to stick by it. After all, you’ve lived up to your end of the bargain. I do have a phone and a loaded gun.”
“You’re also wearing my jacket,” he pointed out.
She pulled the collar close. “It’s my jacket now, right?”
“I guess it is.” He exhaled in a silent snort and nodded toward the Harley. The helmet she had borrowed was perched on the saddle. “You know, at a generous estimate it’s worth maybe fifteen grand. I’ve used it hard, but I’ve also kept it well maintained.”
“Good to know. How much gas does it have?”
“Three quarters of a tank.”
That was more than enough fuel. Riding the bike, she and Julian could be at his house in Nob Hill in twenty minutes or so, depending on traffic.
If it weren’t for the cloudless, sunny morning.
She looked up at the sky again. “How about twenty instead of thirty? You’ll still be making a good profit.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What’s your PayPal address?”
When he told her, she used the phone to log on to her PayPal account and went through the steps to pay him. His email address was simple and no-nonsense – his first and last name. She said, “Done. Thank you, Keenan.”
He dropped the keys to the Harley into her lap and shook her hand. “It’s yours. I’ll sign the title over to you and messenger it to… Where do you want me to send it?”
“If you deliver it to Julian’s house in San Francisco, he’ll see that I get it.”
“Fair enough.” With a shrug, he stood and walked toward the other bikers.
Watching him walk away, she considered his laconic attitude and reluctant decency, and she thought she might be crushing on him just a little.
Two more men emerged from the tunnel, drawing her attention. Then Julian appeared in a catlike leap. He was every bit as filthy as she was and entirely healed, and he moved with an extraordinary, predatory grace. Aside from the sheer power of his physicality, he had a massive, forceful presence that made all the other men pale in comparison.
Watching him, she thought, so much for my little crush.
What she felt for Julian eclipsed everything else. Everything.
A pity her feelings couldn’t tell her what she should do about them.
As she watched, he looked around the scene warily. The area where she sat was still in deep shadow, so he approached to crouch at her side.
“I bought a bike,” she told him. Her voice was unsteady again. “And a helmet, and a jacket. But I didn’t think about gloves, and your neck would be exposed. I think we’re going to have to wait for a car after all, and there’s no way I’m going to leave you again, so we’re going to have to break into one of the buildings to either wait out the day or wait for a ride, because Julian, I cannot go back down into that hole or I will go insane.”
Midway through her speech, he gripped her arms.
“Melly, stop.” He pulled her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, huddling against him. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and said into her hair, “You don’t have to try to fix everything, damn it. You can rely on me. I’ll handle this. And no, we’re not going to wait for a ride or for daylight to fade. We have too much to do.”
Julian gave him a faint smile. “Not at all.”
Melly startled as one of the other men touched her shoulder. “Ms. Aindris, why don’t you come outside now? It’ll give us a little more room to maneuver down here.”
He was one of the older bikers, with long gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. His simple kindness brought a flood of moisture to her eyes. Uncertainly, she turned back to Julian, who said in her head, Go on, baby. I’ll be out as soon as I can.
Sniffing, she nodded and rose to her feet. After such a massive dump of adrenaline into her bloodstream, she felt suddenly bereft of energy and direction, and she stumbled. Taking her gently by the elbow, the gray-haired biker steadied her as they walked back to the tunnel opening.
Several faces peered down at them. “She’s coming up,” said the gray-haired man. “Help her out.”
Two men reached down. She took their offered hands, and they hoisted her up. As her feet left the tunnel floor, she said, “I need my bag.”
“Is it a purse?” The gray-haired man looked around.
“No, it’s a grocery bag.” Her voice wobbled.
“I’ll hand it up to you,” he promised.
Outside, she managed to stay mobile until she could collapse in a heap against the warehouse wall. Somebody handed her the grocery bag. Somebody else tucked a leather jacket around her shoulders. The interior lining was still warm from being worn, and she huddled into it gratefully, shivering while she dug into the bag for the two remaining bottles of water. She drank until she couldn’t hold any more liquid.
Now that the most urgent of the drama had eased, the bikers gave her plenty of personal space. They grouped together nearby, looking her way often, several of them smoking cigarettes as they talked in low voices. A few left. Others climbed down into the tunnel to donate blood to Julian.
Melly searched the cloudless sky overhead. It was going to be a bright sunny day. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.
A shadow fell, and her biker squatted beside her. He asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m taking a moment.”
He dropped something in her lap. She looked down. It was a smartphone. He told her, “It’s unlocked and the bill’s paid until the end of the month. No contract, unlimited phone and text. I think there’s about half a gigabyte left on the web.”
“Thank you.” Her fingers closed over it too tightly. When her hand started to shake, she forced her grip to ease. The phone wasn’t going to vanish into thin air.
His dark gaze lingered on her white-knuckled grip. He heaved a sigh. “Leonard is trying to convince me that I have a conscience.”
Looking in the direction of his gesture, her gaze connected with that of the gray-haired man, who gave her a nod while he drew on a cigarette.
She asked her biker, “How’s that working out for you?”
“It’s inconvenient.” He rubbed his face. “Look, I know you were in a bad way and desperate to find help. You don’t have to pay me the thirty grand you promised.”
She nodded and looked up at the sky again. After a moment, she said, “I made a deal with you, and I’m willing to stick by it. After all, you’ve lived up to your end of the bargain. I do have a phone and a loaded gun.”
“You’re also wearing my jacket,” he pointed out.
She pulled the collar close. “It’s my jacket now, right?”
“I guess it is.” He exhaled in a silent snort and nodded toward the Harley. The helmet she had borrowed was perched on the saddle. “You know, at a generous estimate it’s worth maybe fifteen grand. I’ve used it hard, but I’ve also kept it well maintained.”
“Good to know. How much gas does it have?”
“Three quarters of a tank.”
That was more than enough fuel. Riding the bike, she and Julian could be at his house in Nob Hill in twenty minutes or so, depending on traffic.
If it weren’t for the cloudless, sunny morning.
She looked up at the sky again. “How about twenty instead of thirty? You’ll still be making a good profit.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“What’s your PayPal address?”
When he told her, she used the phone to log on to her PayPal account and went through the steps to pay him. His email address was simple and no-nonsense – his first and last name. She said, “Done. Thank you, Keenan.”
He dropped the keys to the Harley into her lap and shook her hand. “It’s yours. I’ll sign the title over to you and messenger it to… Where do you want me to send it?”
“If you deliver it to Julian’s house in San Francisco, he’ll see that I get it.”
“Fair enough.” With a shrug, he stood and walked toward the other bikers.
Watching him walk away, she considered his laconic attitude and reluctant decency, and she thought she might be crushing on him just a little.
Two more men emerged from the tunnel, drawing her attention. Then Julian appeared in a catlike leap. He was every bit as filthy as she was and entirely healed, and he moved with an extraordinary, predatory grace. Aside from the sheer power of his physicality, he had a massive, forceful presence that made all the other men pale in comparison.
Watching him, she thought, so much for my little crush.
What she felt for Julian eclipsed everything else. Everything.
A pity her feelings couldn’t tell her what she should do about them.
As she watched, he looked around the scene warily. The area where she sat was still in deep shadow, so he approached to crouch at her side.
“I bought a bike,” she told him. Her voice was unsteady again. “And a helmet, and a jacket. But I didn’t think about gloves, and your neck would be exposed. I think we’re going to have to wait for a car after all, and there’s no way I’m going to leave you again, so we’re going to have to break into one of the buildings to either wait out the day or wait for a ride, because Julian, I cannot go back down into that hole or I will go insane.”
Midway through her speech, he gripped her arms.
“Melly, stop.” He pulled her against his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, huddling against him. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and said into her hair, “You don’t have to try to fix everything, damn it. You can rely on me. I’ll handle this. And no, we’re not going to wait for a ride or for daylight to fade. We have too much to do.”
