CL Hart -From A Distance (41 page)

"We walked, or rather I dragged you, after you shot that Cobra guy."

Kenzie's hand stopped. She had forgotten that. "I shot Cobra?"

"On the lawn of the library. Once in the chest and once between the eyes."

Kenzie didn't say anything for a long while, but she returned to stroking Cori's hair.

"You don't remember...any of it?"

"A little bit, but most of it is foggy. I guess I just reacted out of instinct," Kenzie said quietly.

"Well, your instincts saved my life."

"I would venture a guess that it saved both of our lives. I do remember the hospital, though, and the microchip...and a nurse. What was her name?"

"Heather."

"Yeah, that's it."

Cori smiled. "But she wasn't a nurse, she was a vet tech."

"Oh." Kenzie's eyebrows rose in question. "A what? You took me to a vet?"

"It's not like I could have dragged you into a real hospital," Cori said defensively.

"You took me to a vet hospital?"

Cori gave her a gentle poke. "Heather saved your life."

Kenzie pondered this information, trying to remember anything else. "How did you convince Heather to help?"

"It was quite easy once I stopped waving a gun in her face."

"What have I created?" Kenzie said with feigned horror.

Cori ignored her teasing. "We owe her, big time. Besides, it was her idea about riding the train. When we were leaving the vet hospital, I spotted a city bus. At first, we were going to put the microchip on the bus, but the more we thought about it, the more we were worried that someone else might get hurt as a result. So, we followed the bus around for a bit and came up with the idea of leaving the microchip in the women's washroom at the Greyhound station. Afterward, we withdrew all of my money from my bank account at a check-cashing place and bought a couple of bus tickets with my ID. Once we had those tickets in hand, we hightailed it out of town on the I-5 in Heather's truck. Next stop was the Anaheim train station and voila, here we are."

Kenzie watched Cori in amazement. "Pretty damn impressive for a student living in Guadalajara."

"It's actually pretty amazing what one can do when their life is danger," Cori said solemnly. "Besides, I still think most of it was luck."

Kenzie raised herself just enough to kiss the top of Cori's head. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything...for looking after me, for saving my life...and yours, for everything." She shifted uncomfortably. "I've never had anyone look out for me like that."

"And?" Cori looked into her eyes and waited.

"I kinda like it," she finally answered.

The skies outside the large window were dark with night and the lighting in the train compartment was dim. Kenzie's moaning woke Cori, and for a moment she wondered where she was. The movement of the train swayed everything back and forth as she got her bearings. Kenzie groaned again and Cori gently placed a hand on her arm. "Shhh, it's okay," she whispered softly into Kenzie's ear.

Kenzie's eyelids fluttered, but did not open as she moaned again. Kenzie could feel a warm hand on her and she could smell the clean scent of shampoo. She hurt. Her entire body ached, but it didn't stop her from shifting a little closer to the warm body. She was surprised that something so soft could make her feel so protected.

Cori felt the movement and brushed the curly hair back from Kenzie's face as she shushed the moans. The tender caress of Cori's hand softened the sounds coming from Kenzie's lips. Cori whispered her name and Kenzie opened her eyes. "Hi." Cori offered a small smile. "Feeling better?"

"I think so," Kenzie said quietly.

Running her hand over Kenzie's flushed cheek and forehead, Cori shook her head. "You're still a little warm, but I don't think your fever is that much of an issue anymore."

"Is that how you check a woman's temperature?" Kenzie's smile was soft and lazy, but her eyes were alert.

There was no immediate change in Cori's expression, but she leaned up on one elbow and pressed her lips firmly against Kenzie's forehead. "No fever."

"Check again."

Their eyes connected in silent communication, each wanting, but both so unsure. Cori broke the stare first. Her eyes traveled down Kenzie's face and stopped on the lips that were waiting. Her movement was slow and very deliberate as she pressed her lips to Kenzie's. It was no surprise to Cori that the waiting lips were soft and warm, and very inviting. The kiss grew more intense and then Cori abruptly pulled back.

Breathless, Kenzie looked to Cori for an explanation. "What? Why did you stop?" Not answering, Cori moved her body away from Kenzie's. "Wait." Kenzie tried to stop her, but she didn't have the strength. "What just happened?" "We have to stop," Cori whispered. "Why?"

Cori leaned down and tenderly kissed the tip of Kenzie's nose. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of it."

"Just give me a minute to catch my breath, and I'll show you what enjoyable really is."

"We can't. I mean...we shouldn't." Cori sat up straighter in the bed while she watched the gamut of emotions on Kenzie's face. "Excuse me?" Kenzie asked in confusion. "I mean..." She took a deep breath and sorted her thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is...we shouldn't be doing this."

"We're both adults, so why the hell not?"

"Because a little more than twenty-four hours ago you were laid out on an operating table, nearly dead. That's why!" Cori's tone was harsher than she meant it to be, and it confirmed what she already knew. "But I want to-"

Cori placed a finger on Kenzie's lips, silencing her words. "I know what you want to do, and believe me, nothing would make me happier... Ah ah." She shook her finger. "Nothing except you getting healthy."

"But-"

"No buts. We need you healthy."

Kenzie leaned back in frustration, her eyebrows drawn in a glare of annoyance.

Cori watched her for a moment, but Kenzie's face turned toward the wall. "You know I'm right," she cajoled without success. Cori waited, slightly amused by Kenzie's apparent pouting. "I'm not going anywhere unless you're by my side. And no matter how this all started...Kenzie, look at me." She turned Kenzie's face to hers. "No matter how this all started, regardless of the circumstances that brought us together..."

The mention of how they met evoked harsh realities that were enough to quell the desire throbbing inside of Kenzie. She closed her eyes to the truth, shutting off Cori's words. She didn't want to be reminded of how all of this had started.

"Kenzie, please look at me," Cori begged. "Look at me, please. I need you to look at me."

It took a moment, but she finally opened her eyes, and herself to Cori.

"I need you to listen. You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know, regardless of how this all started...I need you." Kenzie started to interject but Cori placed her fingers gently on her lips. "Shhh, just listen, 'cause I've never said this to anyone before and I want to be sure you're hearing what I'm saying. We can't change the past. You told me that a while back and it's nothing I didn't already know. And I don't know what the future has in store for us, but I do know...that I care for you. I care what happens to you." She leaned down until she was inches from Kenzie's face. "I care because - well, believe it or not - I think I'm falling in love with you." She moved her fingers from Kenzie's lips and kissed her softly. Pulling away, she looked deeply into Kenzie's eyes. "Make no mistake, I would very much like this to carry on, but right now you need your strength to heal."

In her lifetime, Kenzie could never recall anyone ever saying they loved her, and she was at a loss as to what she should say in response. Did she love Cori back? It was a question she couldn't answer, but Cori didn't seem to be looking for a response. Instead, she kissed her once more and then curled up next to her and snuggled in to sleep, leaving Kenzie to ponder what she had said.

Chapter 18

Cori woke with a start. She looked around to determine what had woken her, and was surprised to see her arms and legs intertwined with Kenzie's. The sun was shining brightly through the hazy window, illuminating the compartment and the woman lying next to her.

A sharp rap on the door answered the question as to what had disturbed her from her sleep. Wiggling out from under Kenzie as quickly as she could, Cori picked up the gun and moved over to the door. She opened it slightly. "Yes?"

"Good morning, ma'am. Morning paper," Steven offered with a slight bow. "And I just wanted to make sure that you've found everything, and your journey thus far has been satisfactory."

"Yes, thank you." She took the paper and tossed it to the counter behind her.

"Am I correct in assuming that you'd like breakfast served in your compartment?"

Cori nodded, but was unsure of what to ask for.

"The 'Starlight Morning Bright' is very popular."

"That would be fine, for two people."

"Coffee, orange juice?"

"Both, thank you."

Steven repeated her order and left. She closed the door and locked it with an audible sigh.

"You handled that well," a low voice said from the bed. "I especially like the gun behind the door...nice touch."

"I had a good teacher."

Kenzie shook her head ruefully. "Of all the things I could teach you, how to handle small arms wasn't at the top of the list."

"The main thing you taught me is how to stay alive, to be more aware of my surroundings. Don't beat yourself up over it, because being alive is at the top of my list." Cori approached the bed. "Anyway, I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, but my pillow left me," Kenzie pulled herself up into a nearly sitting position, "and I got cold...and hungry."

"Steven, our train porter slash steward, will be delivering breakfast shortly," Cori said as she straightened her clothing and unconsciously ran her fingers through her disheveled hair.

"What I need isn't going to be delivered," Kenzie said, a slow smile growing on her face as Cori's cheeks flushed.

"What you need is to get cleaned up and put on a change of clothes," Cori said with a smile of her own.

The train chugged its way over and around the Siskiyou Mountains, heading northward toward Klamath Falls. The sun was coming over the snow peaked mountains and Kenzie watched the beauty of the scenery unfold from one of the seats next to the window.

"You okay?" Cori asked as Kenzie's eyes drifted away from the view.

"Yeah," she said quietly, turning to finish her breakfast.

"What's on your mind?"

Kenzie pushed the remains of her food around the plate with her fork. "My boat," she said with a heavy sigh. "I just can't believe she's gone." She turned and placed her plate on the counter. Her movements were slow, but not as painful as they had been. She settled back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'll be fine...it's just...how did they know about my boat?" A long moment of silence passed between them before Kenzie opened her eyes to the world rolling past. "None of this makes sense, it hasn't from the very beginning, but I do know one thing - Cobra wasn't after just you, he was after us, and now we know how he kept finding us."