“Got it,” he grunts. He’s holding a ring of keys in one hand. He looks at me for a moment, then bursts out in a grin as if nothing at all is wrong. “That jacket suits you.”
Before I can answer, he grabs my hand and runs so fast I nearly fall as I try to match his long strides. He leads me through a back room, down a flight of stairs, and into the cellar.
“Rich, we’re trapped down here!” I exclaim, terrified. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“Lock the door,” he tells me. “Brace it. We can’t have them breaking in before we’re ready.”
“Ready? Ready for what?”
“Just go!”
I scramble to the door and slam it shut. I think I can hear footsteps above us. I look around desperately for something to put against the door. There’s a shelf of preserves beside me. I heave it down with all my strength. It crashes to the floor.
“Jesus Christ!” Rich screams. “Why not announce to them we’re down here a little louder next time, huh?”
“Sorry,” I say, abashed. He’s right to get angry, though. It’s just—well, I’ve never had experience with these types of situations before!
I shove the shelf toward the door. Every inch it moves seems to sap half my strength. By the time it’s in place, there’s not a muscle left in my body that isn’t burning. I can definitely hear footsteps above us now. Mel’s barking continues, audible even through the floor.
I hear a resounding clang of metal striking metal behind me. I spin around. Rich is standing in front of a locked shed. I hadn’t noticed it before. I have no idea why it’s here.
Rich raises something over his head, and brings it down against the lock. Another metallic clang echoes through the room. A flash of light lets me see that Rich is attacking the lock with a fire axe.
My eyes dart over the cellar. I notice something hanging on the far wall. I run to it, grab it from its hook, and hand it to Rich. “Here.”
Rich turns. “What?” Then he sees the shape in my hands. “Bolt cutters. Where did you find these?”
“I can be handy in a tight spot.” I show him all my teeth.
“I’m beginning to learn that.” He takes the cutters from me, flexes them against the thinnest part of the lock, and presses down hard. The metal snaps with a twang.
Rich throws the doors of the shed open. Inside are two dirt bikes. I look at him incredulously. “Bikes? That’s your grand plan?”
“We’ll take the trails behind the house,” Rich says. He surprises me by slamming the fire axe into the tires of one of the bikes. “There’s no way they’ll be able to follow us in a car.”
“How did you know the bikes were here?”
“They belong to Amanda’s brothers.”
“Great,” I say, seeing one glaring flaw in his plan. “And how do you propose we get out of the cellar?”
Rich points over my shoulder. I glance back—and feel like a complete idiot. There’s another set of stairs leading to a pair of those horizontal basement doors. I can see the puddle of water beneath it from the rain.
Rich grins and sticks one of the keys into the bike. The engine roars to life. “Open those doors,” he tells me, “and get on.”
Chapter Twelve
I cling to Rich’s body as the bike flies over the uneven forest ground. Rich maneuvers over the trails like he’s been off-roading his whole life. Maybe he has. I still know very little about him.
I feel like I’ve been caught in some bad action movie. But the constant pounding of blood in my ears tells me this is real. The wind stinging my eyes tells me this is real. Rich’s hard body in front of me tells me this is real. And the fact that my heart leaps to my throat every time the bike lifts into the air tells me this is very, very real.
Rich slows down after half an hour. We’re deep in the woods, so the trees are keeping the worst of the rain off. “I don’t think they’re following us,” he says.
“That’s a relief,” I sigh.
“You can let go now, by the way.” He looks over his shoulder at me. “You’re squeezing so tight I can barely breathe.” His eyes flicker to mine. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I unknot my arms from around his waist, and find them stiff and cramped. I flex them a few times at the elbow to work some circulation back. “Now what?”
“Now, we continue on.”
***
Hours later, we’re riding along an empty stretch of highway. Rich had found a trail that led out of the forest and connected to the main roads. The rain had let up recently. Before doing so, however, it had soaked my leather jacket so much it feels like I am carrying a carcass on my shoulders.
I see the lights of a town coming up in the distance. More cars start to pass us. Rich takes an exit and drives through the streets before pulling into a half-empty parking lot. There’s a small, dark building in one corner. A sign hangs over the door: The Blackbear Pub.
“What are we doing here?” I ask as I swing my legs off the motorcycle.
“Food,” Rich replies. “Warmth. Information. I have to figure out where we are. Come on.”
When he opens the doors, a blast of hot air greets me. Hot air, loud music, and hundreds of overlapping voices. It had been impossible to tell from outside, but this place is packed.
Rich doesn’t wait for the hostess. He grabs my hand and pulls me through the crowd. We go straight to the bar. There are a pair of empty stools near the corner. We take them.
The bartender is a long-legged, bubbly blonde with a fake tan, fake boobs, and fake lashes. She darts over as soon as she sees Rich. “What can I get for you, honey?” she drawls in a lilting, Southern accent that she probably thinks is sexy.
I roll my eyes. I don’t think she even realizes Rich and I came together. Well, I’ve dealt with her kind in California plenty of times before.
“Two burgers,” Rich says, making a point of looking my way before turning his attention back to the bartender. “And two Guinesses. No.” He shakes his head. “Wait. We’re going to need something stronger than that. Get me a Three Wise Men. And a Dry Manhattan, on the rocks.” He winks at me. “Right?”
“Yeah,” I say, surprised that he remembers the drink I had ordered the night we’d met. Most guys don’t pay attention to things like that.
“Sure,” the blonde says. The smile she gives us becomes as fake as the rest of her. Realizing Rich didn’t come here alone seems to have dampened her enthusiasm.
We get our drinks soon after. Rich empties the shooter in a single swig and slams the glass back on the table. He turns to me. “I’m going to go scope out the place a bit. Get a feel for the kind of people in town. See if I can find us a room for the night. You’ll be okay by yourself?”
“I’ve done just fine my whole life before you showed up.” I didn’t mean for my words to sound scathing, but that’s how they come out. “I think I’ll manage.”
Rich grunts, opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something… then clicks his jaw shut and disappears into the crowd.
I’m left alone to nurse my drink. The food comes a few minutes later. It’s greasy and fattening and cheap, and I know I’ll regret eating it later, but right now it’s the only comfort I have.
I look over my shoulder to see if I can spot Rich. But, I can’t find him anywhere. Maybe I should apologize when he returns. I take a long sip of my Manhattan. After all, it’s not just me who’s gone through a lot of stress lately, I remind myself.
A hand on the small of my back alerts me to his presence. “Rich, I…”
The words die on my tongue as I turn around.
The man standing behind me is not Rich. He’s shorter, for one, and his hair is the color of ash, for another. He’s not clean-shaven as Rich usually is, either. Maybe half a week of stubble lines his cheeks and chin, but the spot above his lip is bare. His hair is cropped up in a messy faux-hawk. He’s wider than Rich, too. From where I’m sitting the added girth looks to be all muscle, not fat.
“All alone?” the stranger muses in a deep, rumbling bass. He speaks slowly and quietly, like he’s got everything under control. Somehow, his words are clear over the boisterous sounds of the bar. “I noticed you sitting alone for a good ten minutes. A woman as stunning as you should not be left by herself for that long.” He lowers his voice and leans in to whisper in my ear, “There are sharks around.”
I’m tempted to laugh in his face. “Stunning”? With my soaked jacket, wind-blown hair, and lips greasy from the burger? Either this guy’s got the world’s biggest beer-goggles on, or he’s making an extremely misguided effort to ingratiate himself to me.
Were it not for the alcohol hitting my bloodstream, I probably would have laughed, too. Instead, I decide to humor him.
“If there are sharks around,” I say, “then what does that make you?”
He laughs as he slides smoothly into Rich’s spot. His hand doesn’t leave my back. “My dear,” he confides, “I am the biggest one of all.”
I find myself grinning at his remark. I bring the straw to my lips and take a sip to give myself time to look him over. He’s got a good face, I decide, if somewhat ordinary. I can tell from his body that he takes care of himself. His manner is cool and confident. His words are clear, and his eyes are sharp, which means he didn’t rely on liquid courage to come talk to me. That’s a big plus in my book.
The man reaches up and touches a strand of hair beside my face. The warmth of the back of his hand against my cheek sends an unexpected thrill through me. “You know,” he says, “I would not ordinarily say something like this, but your hair…” he pauses to meet my gaze, “…and your eyes… remind me very much of a girl I loved a long time ago. The only one I have ever been able to love.”
“What a shame to have loved only once,” I play along. This might be the biggest bullshit I’ve ever heard, but sometimes it’s fun to pretend. “She must have broken your heart quite badly for you to refuse to allow anyone else in.”
His expression fills with sorrow. “She hurt me, it’s true,” he chokes. His hand shifts a fraction of an inch to brush lightly against my cheek. “But I would do it all again if it gave me the chance to meet someone as beautiful as you.”
This time, I can’t hold in my laughter. The man looks completely taken aback. “Does that ever work?” I ask, trying not to choke on my drink.
He recovers quickly, and grins easily at me. “You tell me. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried such an elaborate approach.” He lifts his hand to his forehead in a gesture of exaggerated sorrow. “Woe is me! I am in possession of a broken heart, and only your love can make it whole again!” He brings his hand down, smiles, and winks. “Et cetera, et cetera.”
I laugh. Not at him, but with him. I like his sense of humor. And he’s got the confidence to back it up. “What’s your name?” I ask. “I’m P—”
“What the hell is going on here?”
I spin around to find Rich glaring at the man I had been talking to. He looks just about ready to kill him. That means I’ve pissed him off. Good. It’s no more than he deserves for pushing me away so crudely back at Amanda’s garage.
“Oh, hello, Rich,” I say, my voice all dewy innocence. “I was just having a pleasant conversation with a new friend. This is…”
“Kevin,” the man says casually, holding out a hand toward Rich. “Nice to meet you, bro.”
“Kevin,” Rich snarls. He ignores the outstretched arm. “I’m going to give you three seconds to get away from Penelope.”
“Penelope?” Kevin asks. “That’s her name?” He looks over at me. “Is this guy your boyfriend?”
I look at Rich. I can see the angry tightness in his jaw and neck. “No,” I say, tossing my hair and leaning toward Kevin. “No, he’s not.”
Kevin smiles sweetly at Rich. “You’re not. So, I can see no reason why you should tell me whether or not I can speak to her. Unless the lady objects to my company…?” he trails off and I shake my head. “No? Good. In that case, I’ll stay right here. Oh, but there’s a group of girls who just walked in. Maybe you can try your luck over there.”
Kevin turns to me, dismissing Rich completely.
“Kevin,” Rich says coldly. “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. Get. Away. From. Her.”
Kevin shakes his head, irritated. He turns back to Rich. “You just don’t get it, do you, bro? You may have been talking to Penelope before, but you left her alone and blew your chance. Now, why don’t you just fuck off and find somebody else to bother?”
I didn’t think it was possible for Rich’s face to become any harder. But it just does. He looks like he wants to kill Kevin, skin him, and defile his body in the worst possible way. “Listen to me,” Rich begins dangerously.
Kevin surges to his feet. “No, you listen.” Standing face-to-face like that, I can see Kevin only gives up half an inch to Rich. If that. “There are certain rules to this place. Certain etiquettes. Now, I’ve never seen you here before. That makes you an outsider. I’ll give you a break this time. We can pretend you don’t know any better. But if you ever interrupt me again, I will make sure you don’t leave the Blackbear in one piece.” He shoves Rich by the shoulder. “Got it?”
There are times in life when you realize you’ve just made a grave mistake. Times that go by in the blink of an eye, where you wish you’d only been a little smarter, a little more prescient. In those times you understand that, had you done so, you could have prevented a disaster.
This is one of those times. I should not have egged Rich on.
Rich’s face twists into an inferno of absolute rage. Before Kevin can even pull his hand back, Rich twists to the side and grabs it. He uses Kevin’s forward momentum to pull him off his feet, then kicks out a foot to send Kevin sprawling to the floor.
Shocked gasps sound from all around us. A space quickly clears out as people step back. Kevin looks up from the floor in disbelief. Then he roars and swings a haymaker at Rich’s face.
Mayhem erupts around me. I don’t see what happens next. The braver members of the crowd rush in to break up the fight. I can hear Kevin cursing, and the sickening sounds of punches being landed.
I try to push through the bodies, but they’re too tightly packed. I’m too small.
Suddenly, the way parts before me. I stumble into the middle of a ring of people.
Four men are holding Rich back. He’s struggling against them so fiercely that I’m afraid he might break through. On the other side, only two are needed to restrain Kevin. Blood is pouring from his nose.
“There’s the bitch!” he screams when he sees me. “The little cunt started the whole thing!”
“What, her?” I hear a condescending voice from somewhere behind me. I recognize it as the bartender’s. “Please! She’s not worth anybody throwing a single punch over. You might as well tell us you’ve been fighting over a dirty rag!”
I hear a rousing series of gibes from other women in the crowd. My cheeks flush hot with anger. I spin around, ready to confront the bartender… but somebody big and bulky catches me by the shoulders.
“Out you go!” a thick voice rumbles above me. The bouncer. He picks me up and carries me to the doors with all the care he might give a log. All the delicacy, too. “You’ve caused enough trouble in here, little mouse.”
Mouse? My mouth moves to come up with a retort, but before I’m given the chance I’m all but tossed out to the street. A second later, a sputtering, angry Rich gets shoved out beside me.
The doors slam shut on us, cutting off the jeers and laughter from within.
“Great,” I mutter, picking myself up. “Tossed out like a bag of trash. Thanks a lot, Rich.”
He turns on me. One side of his face is starting to swell. I hadn’t realized he’d taken a blow. “Me? What the hell were you doing talking to that guy in the first place?”
“What, now I can’t talk to people, either?” I fire back. “You don’t own me!”
“You should have seen the
way he was looking at you. It was disgusting. If you had any idea what he was thinking…”
“I’m not some scared virgin, Rich! Of course I knew what he was thinking!”
“Then you should have turned him away!”
“Oh, just like I turned you away the night we met. Right?” My breaths are coming fast, now. My heart is pounding. “Why would I ever listen to you?”
“I swear to God, Penny, I leave you alone for five minutes and you manage to find yourself trouble!” He throws his hands into the air. “Why can’t you just take care of yourself?”
“I told you, I’d been doing a damn fine job of it before you came along! What gives you the right to say who I can and cannot talk to? If I recall, I’m not the one who threw the first punch!”
“The bastard deserved it,” Rich says. “To see the way he was ogling you…”
“And what do you care if he was?” I snap. “It’s like I told him: You and I aren’t dating. You were ready to leave me with Amanda just a few hours ago, remember?”
“Yeah, well things change!” He jabs a finger at me. “It looks like you got your wish now, doesn’t it?” He gives a full-on, malicious smile. “Now you’re stuck with me. Just like you wanted.”
“Whatever.” I shove past him. “I can’t deal with this shit right now.”
I’m halfway through the parking lot before he calls out, “Penny, wait.”
I stop and take a deep breath. I’m not ready to talk to him. Not with so much going through my mind. I want—no, I need—nothing more than a few hours alone, away from all this madness, to sort everything out. To understand how I really feel about Rich.
I hear him stop behind me. I stiffen slightly when he puts his hands on my upper arms and steps into me. I can smell him in the clear night: That musky, deep, and completely male scent that belong only to him.
“I don’t need your protection,” I whisper softly. My voice trembles.
“I know.” He places his chin on the top of my head. His hands cover both of mine.
For a long moment, the two of us stay like that. My body seems to want to melt into his. I don’t know if I should be enjoying the quiet embrace as much as I do.
Change of Heart Page 16
