The Dangerous Hero

by Barlow, Linda

  She nodded. Her father had always been a huge, powerful, dominating figure in her life. Her mother used to say he should have been born in an earlier century. He would have made a good king.

  "But why would he do that? He must have known how much I liked you. Why would he deliberately scuttle the connection that was growing between us?"

  "Maybe he just couldn’t deal with the idea of me a prospective lover for his little girl. When things took that twist, he freaked."

  "So he really spied on us that day? That totally creeps me out."

  "It creeped me out too. In retrospect, though, maybe it's not so surprising. He had that telescope mounted on the porch overlooking the beach, remember? The one he used to watch the stars and the ships on the horizon? And possibly the neighbors?"

  "Oh my god. You mean he's like, a voyeur?"

  He shrugged. "I'm just saying. He was into that stuff, spy-cams and electronic surveillance. It's in all his books."

  He was right. Unlike Stephen's books, her father's mystery novels were contemporary stories that relied on high tech police procedure to uncover the murderer. It boggled her mind to think that her father had intruded into something so intimate and personal.

  "I never gave him any reason to use his surveillance gear on me. I didn't even go out on dates when I was staying with him."

  "All the more reason, I guess, for him to think you were too young. I should have called his bluff, but I was intimidated. He had been my teacher and I had a lot of respect for him. I was also writing my first novel at the time, and I guess I thought that if I defied him, he would trash my work and maybe put up hurdles that would make it hard for me to get published."

  "You didn't fight for me," she said quietly.

  He shook his head, looking somber. "No, I didn't. I would have, I think, if it hadn't all seemed like such a dream. Until that afternoon, we hadn't…I’d never thought of you that way. You were just this teenage girl, Percy's daughter, cute and friendly, with a huge, mischievous grin, and fun to chat with when I wasn't taking shop with your dad. I'm still not sure how you transformed into the breathtakingly sexy young woman who made my head spin."

  The compliment made her flush again, but the emotion inspiring it was much nicer. "My father never even told me that he had confronted you. He said I should forget about you because you were getting married. I believed it. I felt betrayed."

  "I’m sorry."

  "I guess it’s him I should blame, not you."

  "In fairness, I don’t know whether Percy knew my marriage plans had been called off. It wasn't the sort of thing I ever discussed with him." He paused. "I guess I can’t rule out the possibility that he thought I was still engaged. He was probably just trying to protect you."

  It was something, she thought. She would have hated to believe that her father had lied to her about that. "He was always over-protective. I suppose, in a way, he was right. I still had college ahead of me. You were too old for me."

  "Then." Leaning forward a bit, he pinned her with his vivid green gaze. "The same objection can't be made now."

  There was something about his low, husky voice that just screamed sex, sex, and more sex. She felt herself swaying toward him just as she had in the elevator, wanted to get closer, and cursing the table for being in the way. There must be other objections that could be made now, she thought, scrambling to think of one.

  "But now," she said, "we have a different problem."

  His brows arched in that sardonic gesture that he did so well. "And what might that be?"

  "I don't like your books," she said, smiling.

  "Ah. Now that is unfortunate. I don't see it as a problem, though. My books don't come to bed with me. In fact, I have a library in my home where my books can be all snugly locked away, out of your sight, lest they offend your feminist sensibilities."

  Viola wished her heart would not persist in beating so frantically. Had he just invited her to his home? Sounded like it. And to his bed. Where did he live? How long would it take to get there?

  Her heart might be fluttering for him, but her brain was operating on its own wavelength. Without any conscious forethought she said, "But what if your books do come to bed with you? Aren't your stories part of you? Isn't Bartholomew Giles part of you?"

  He tiled his head to one side, considering. "I admit that it's an intriguing question. Where do our stories come from? When I sit down at the computer to write, I have no idea what's going to pour out of me over the course of the next few hours. Why do I write about certain subjects? I don't know. I'm not sure any author knows."

  "It must have been a conscious choice, though, to create a hero who behaves like a villain. Usually it's the bad guys who rape, torture, and kill."

  "It's a narrative risk. That's part of what makes it fun. I have to find some way to keep my readers interested in Bart, even if he horrifies them. If there isn’t some tiny way in which they can sympathize with him, they'll probably throw the book at the wall."

  "My sympathies are always for the unfortunate women he abuses, no matter how much treason they've committed against the crown."

  "It's not always a woman."

  Their food arrived, interrupting the conversation briefly. When the dishes were all placed on the table and the waiter moved away, Stephen said, "Bart has a rigid sense of justice. There are rules he follows to the letter. The rules are there to protect the Queen and ensure the stability of her government. People who break the rules are punished."

  "So there's no place for mercy in his worldview?"

  "None. To show mercy because the prisoner is a woman would not make any sense to him. She has reason, just the same as any man. She chose to violate the rules, so she should suffer just the same as any man. It's pretty egalitarian."

  She hadn't looked at it from that perspective. She wasn't sure she bought the argument, but it did provide some insight into Bartholomew Giles's character. "With each book I keep wondering if maybe you're going to redeem Bart somehow."

  "Redemption? Screw that. He's a sadistic, unrepentant bastard who has dedicated his life to keeping Elizabeth Tudor safe on her throne. He'll kill for her, but he'll also die for her because she's the only thing that gives his life meaning."

  "Are you saying he loves the Queen?"

  He paused, considering. After a few moments, he shook his head. "I don't think he’s capable of love."

  For no reason that she could explain, Viola began to feel uneasy. It was probably not a great idea to spend one's first date with the man she was crushing on criticizing the books he had written and the character he had created. What author wanted to hear that?

  So she smiled and changed the subject, asking, "Did you ever manage to learn to windsurf? Your first lesson didn't go too well, if I remember correctly. I was probably a lousy teacher."

  The faint line that had formed in the middle of his forehead during the Bart discussion smoothed out instantly. "I'll have you know that I now have mad windsurfing skills. Come down to the Cape with me, and I'll show you."

  "Is that where you live? On the Cape?"

  "Yup. I have a house on the beach."

  "I’d love to see it someday," she heard herself say.

  Stephen returned her smile with about a year’s worth of compound interest. "Then see it someday you shall, Viola."

  * * *

  The rest of the meal passed in a pleasant haze. Viola was never sure afterwards what she had eaten, or how it had tasted. The conversation never lagged; one subject flowed easily into the next. They discovered that they shared a lot of interests. When she gingerly sounded him out on his political views, she was relieved to find that they had no major disagreements, even though he continued to tease her about her supposedly radical feminism. "I'm not radical," she protested. "You're just being a guy."

  "Guilty as charged."

  They ordered dessert and coffee not because either of them cared what they were eating but because it was a way to prolong the meal. Viola was now regrett
ing that she had insisted on meeting him at the restaurant since it meant that they had two separate cars. She didn't want this meeting to end. Should she invite him back to her place? If he was staying at Jeff Slayton's, he couldn't very well invite her back there. Anyway, he and Jeff presumably had plans.

  Almost as if he were reading her mind, he said, "So, there’s this thing at Jeff’s this evening. It’s why I stayed in town after that panel discussion at the college yesterday."

  "What thing is that?"

  "A party. Or, a sort of gaming reunion."

  "A gaming reunion?"

  "It's one of those geek things," he said with a chuckle. "Internet gaming, MMOs and such. You know what those are?"

  "Um, yeah. Have you forgotten how I could kick your ass at computer games a decade ago?"

  "Some humiliations a man never forgets! Have you ever played Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Hunt The Night City?"

  "Sure. I even raid, occasionally."

  "Okay, that's it, you can book the church and order the flowers. We're getting married."

  She giggled. "I might have known. You writers sit alone in front of your computers all day to work, and you keep right on sitting there when you need entertainment. Am I right?"

  "Pretty much."

  "So you and Jeff used to game together in college?"

  "Yup, but the reason we really got into it was that another of our friends, Max, is a game designer. Among other things. He worked on a couple of games so famous that even non gamers have heard of them, and later he built an empire doing software design."

  "Is Max one of the guys who's going to be at this party?'

  "Supposedly, but who knows, with Max. He’s kind of a phantom. Another old friend, Nick, might be there, if he's back in the country. Nick's an archaeologist who's usually out on dig somewhere. "

  "So it's you, Jeff, Max, and Nick?"

  "And Kate, if she can make it. She’s a theater actress in Boston, and she may be doing a play, I’m not sure. I hope she can come, since she's our main healer."

  "That figures! You only let the girl gamer play if she heals?"

  "I suppose you refuse to heal?"

  "I like doing damage. DPS for the win!"

  "Why am I not surprised?" he said, grinning. "So, do you want to come with me tonight and maybe do some damage?"

  Was he inviting her to his reunion? "Sure, but, would that be appropriate? Sounds like you’re going to be partying with your old friends. I wouldn’t want to intrude on that."

  "Nah, it’s fine. We're all friendly. Kate has a new guy, so you won’t be the only addition to our merry little gang. Anyway, you already know Jeff."

  "Does Jeff have a girlfriend?"

  "Jeff doesn’t have girlfriends; he has projects."

  "Projects?"

  "Sort of like fixer-upper houses? All these damaged women are attracted to Jeff. He helps them get their act together. He’s good at that. Jeff’s very calm and centered. He also collects stray dogs and cats."

  "So what happens to these damaged women when he finishes fixing them up? He dumps them for the next project?"

  "I think it’s more that they dump him. They spread their damaged wings and off they fly. He mopes around for a while. In fact, he’s been moping more than usual lately. A few months ago, he had an accident that really shook him up. He’s been evaluating his life, or something, ever since."

  "Was that last fall? I remember seeing him on crutches, but I didn’t know him well back then."

  "Yup. He was cleaning his gutters, and he fell off his roof. Fortunately, he broke his leg and not his neck. I wish he’d find a woman who’s right for him—Jeff’s a great guy who deserves to be happy."

  "What about you?" she heard herself asking. Damn. How did that slip out?

  He tilted his head to one side. "Are you asking if I have a girlfriend? I don’t. Last one was a few months ago. I’ve been in the throes of writing my next book. I’m behind schedule. Normally this would be 'chain me to my computer' time, but I couldn’t miss this thing with my friends, so here I am. It’s all very serendipitous, coming back to Rolling Meadows and finding you again."

  As they left the restaurant, Stephen walked her to her car. He stood close by, with his hands jammed into his pockets while she unlocked it. "I’m going to help Jeff clean up his house and stock up on stuff to eat. How about if I come by your place and pick you up around six?"

  This meant he would have to drive her home when the party was over. She considered telling him she would prefer to drive herself over to Jeff’s, but before she could speak, he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Just lips—no other contact. He kept his hands fisted in his jeans’ pockets as if determined not to grab her again.

  But as their lips locked, heat blasted through her entire body. She held on to the door of her car to keep herself from tackling the poor guy in the parking lot. When he pulled his head back, his eyes were laughing. "I don’t know exactly what this is," he said softly, "but it’s smokin’ hot."

  Chapter 6

  "So have you and Stephen been seeing each other long?" asked the pretty, dark-haired woman who had been introduced to Viola as Kate Kingsley. She and Kate were in the large country kitchen of the old farmhouse in Rolling Meadows where Jeff Slayton lived. Kate was brewing a pot of tea. Viola liked her already—she was warm and friendly, and quick to laugh.

  "Actually, no," Viola said. "It's sort of our first date."

  "No way! He introduced you as if he'd known you for years."

  "We used to know each other a long time ago. He was my father's student." And, while Kate listened with interest, she gave a brief explanation of Stephen's relationship with her father and her own fledgling friendship with him. "I was still a teenager at the time, and I regarded him as a crony of Dad's. I thought he was engaged."

  Kate poured them both a cup of tea and brought them to the kitchen table. The guys were drinking beer in the living room and watching an early season baseball game on the big screen TV. "You know, I'd forgotten all about that. He was engaged for a while during our senior year." She looked thoughtful. "I was getting married right after graduation, and Stephen was briefly into the marriage thing, too. Fortunately, he came to his senses. I don't think he was ready to get married then."

  Kate had married then, if Viola understood correctly. "Stephen told me about your husband's death. I was sorry to hear it. That must have been terrible for you, to lose him at such a young age."

  "Yes." Her bright face had clouded, and Viola wasn't sure if she ought to have mentioned it. But after a few moments Kate added, "The guys all pitched in to take care of me when Arthur died. They were awesome; I don't know what I would have done without them. Even so, I was out of it for a long time."

  "But no longer?" Viola had been much struck by Kate's current boyfriend, Daniel, a tall, powerful man with a slightly intimidating manner. He was the producer of a TV/Internet program, Facts and Fantasies, which exposed consumer fraud and other sorts of chicanery. Viola had never seen the program, but she had heard of it. Daniel was pleasant enough, but he seemed very intense. Kate, however, was easy-going, with a light of humor dancing in her eyes, so perhaps it was a case of opposites attract.

  She smiled now, casting a glance towards the living room where her lover was cheering on the Red Sox with the rest of the men. "Everything changed when Daniel came into my life," she said.

  They chatted a bit, with Kate filling her in on who her old friends were and what they were like. Max and Nick hadn't shown up. Max never showed up, Kate said with a laugh, and as for Nick, no one had heard from him lately. "I think he's in Turkey. He hasn't been around much lately."

  Viola was dying to ask Kate what she knew about Stephen's personal life, but she couldn't, of course. Maybe if they sat out here long enough, enjoying their woman to woman tète a tète, some interesting tidbits would emerge.

  Sure enough, somewhere into their second cup of tea, Kate said, "I hope you won't be offended if
I ask this, but—" she paused, wincing a bit. "No, I can't."

  "Sure you can," Viola said, grinning. "I don't get offended easily, so fear not."

  Kate gave her a playful smile and said, "It's just that Stephen's last girlfriend was a little, I don’t know, odd. Unconventional. Did he tell you about her?"

  "Only that he hasn't had a serious girlfriend for a while. Yesterday was the first time we'd met in almost nine years, so we haven't had the time to quiz each other on our romantic history."

  "He'd probably strangle me if he knew I was saying anything."

  Viola laughed. She liked Kate. "Spill, girl. What was so odd about the ex?"

  "Well, she was gorgeous, but that wasn't the odd thing. She had a rather unusual style. She wore those Lady Gaga-type high heels that look like torture boots. Not to mention a skimpy wardrobe that always seemed to be on the verge of malfunctioning."

  Viola giggled. "I guess that's normal in certain circles."

  "Yeah, she was artsy. I work in the theatre, and I am accustomed to people who express themselves in bizarre ways. Even so, Melanie was out there on the edge. Plus, she was nothing like you. I mean, I already feel as if I know you even though we've just met. You're smart and self-confident, very much your own woman. You don't seem like the type who's going to let Sir Stephen push you around." She raised an eyebrow mischievously, "Unless you want to, of course."

  Viola smiled, but she felt a twinge of unease. What was she getting at? Stephen was clearly a confident male who might be a bit domineering, but there was also a lightness about him, an easy offhandedness that softened that tendency of his. "Does he like to push women around?"

  Kate laughed softly, saying, "To the extent that all males like to have their own way, sure. But, no. I don't think he does. Not all the time, anyway. Despite the extreme fashion statement, though, the ex deferred to him in everything. I always got the feeling that she was barely restraining herself from bowing or dropping to her knees whenever he entered the room."