Davis, Liz - Slivers of Moonlight (Siren Publishing Classic)

LIZ DAVIS

Copyright © 2012

Chapter 1

Maya was halfway home when her car decided to give her trouble. Strange noises were coming from the engine, and the brakes didn’t seem to be functioning very well. And to top it all off, it was raining. Cold, wet, and miserable, it was the perfect weather for a breakdown. So when she saw a convenience store up ahead, she pulled into the lot and parked. She supposed she could make it home all right, but on a rainy night like this, she didn’t feel very good about taking that chance. Weak brakes and wet roads just didn’t mix.

The rain drummed loudly against the roof of her car, filling the space around her with the sound of its steady beat. Retrieving her cell phone from her purse, she then searched through the menu items and, began flipping through her list of contacts. Her car had been having so many problems lately that she actually had the number for roadside service plugged into her cell. She waited impatiently as the automated voice went through the list of options, and then she pressed the key to speak with a live representative. The person who came on to help her had a thick Southern accent.

“Thank you for contacting roadside service, this is Debbie. How may I help you?”

“My car broke down, and I need to have it towed.”

“No problem, I would be happy to help you. May I have your membership number and name, please?”

Maya gave her all of the information, and once Debbie brought up her account, she gave her an estimate of how long it would take for the tow truck to arrive. Maya thanked her and hung up.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly six thirty. It was a bit chilly in the car, so she stuffed her hands into her pockets to try to keep warm. The heater had stopped working months ago, so she was used to having the tips of her fingers frozen. Sighing, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the rain. Light from the moon shone faintly through the windshield, casting her face in its silvery glow. She wished she were home right now, safe and warm in bed and buried beneath her nice thick comforter. She tried to imagine herself sitting in front of a warm fire, hoping it would make her feel a little better, but it didn’t work very well. She could imagine all she wanted to, but the reality was she was stuck in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven, miles away from home.

Feeling the need to hear a familiar voice, Maya flipped her phone open and searched through the list of contacts until she found the number she was looking for. The line rang and rang, but nobody picked up, so she flipped the phone closed and gave a frustrated sigh. She needed someone to talk to right now, and it would have been nice to hear his voice, but of course, he wasn’t available. He was never there to help her out when she needed him.

She still had a ten-minute wait before the tow truck would arrive, so she decided to go into the convenience store and get a cup of coffee. The rain was still coming down pretty hard, but luckily the jacket she was wearing had a hood, so at least she could protect her hair. Maya pulled her hood over her head and grabbed her purse, allowed a few seconds to prepare herself, and then she opened the car door and made a run for it. She made it to the door of the shop and walked in, grateful for the temporary shelter. Coming to a stop in front of the coffee machine, she then grabbed a Styrofoam cup and filled it up with the hot liquid. She also added a bit of sugar, and then topped it off with some cream. After fitting a top over it, she headed for the cashier and paid for the drink.

As she stepped back outside, an especially strong wind came along, and the power of it whipped her hood back, drenching her hair with water. Walking more quickly, she rushed toward the car. As soon as she reached it, she pulled on the door handle, yet was dismayed to find that it wouldn’t open.

Oh no, please don’t tell me I’ve locked myself out,
she thought.

She was certain she hadn’t locked the door before closing it, but when she tried to open the door a second time, she realized she had.

Unbelievable, Maya. How do you get yourself into these jams?

Fumbling through her purse, she began to look for her keys, but then suddenly realized she wouldn’t find them in there. Peering into the car, she saw that they were still in the ignition, just where she had left them.

So here she was, unable to do anything more than stand out in the rain and get soaked. She supposed she could go back into the store and wait, but she would feel kind of weird just hanging around inside of a 7-Eleven. Still, though, she figured it was better than just standing out here getting drenched. Just as she decided to go into the store and wait, a tow truck pulled into the parking lot. She flagged it down so it could find her, and it came to a stop next to her car. The driver got out of the vehicle and came over to talk to her.

Standing at six feet tall, he had a lean build and handsome face, with a strong, chiseled jaw and structured cheekbones. His hair was shoulder length and pulled back into a ponytail, and as she studied the features of his face, she realized that he was most likely of Native American descent. The name tag embroidered on his shirt identified him as Evan, and as Maya looked into his brown eyes, she saw they were soft and warm.

Giving her a friendly smile, he asked, “Can you start your car and pull it out for me? I need to hook it up so it can be lifted onto the back of the truck.”

She couldn’t help feeling lame as she responded to him, “I can’t get the door open. My keys are locked inside.”

“That’s no problem. I can get them out. I’ll just go back to the truck and get something to help me pop that lock. Be right back.”

Then he ran off, heading back to his truck. She watched as he climbed up into the cab, then got back out and came over to her. She was expecting to see him bring back some type of special tool, but was surprised that the only thing he had was a coat hanger. He also had an umbrella, which he handed over to her. Although she was already soaked, it was still a nice gesture, so she popped the umbrella open and watched him go to work on the lock. After slipping the coat hanger into the crack between the rubber insulation and the window, he jiggled it back and forth a few times. Then he yanked it upward, and the lock clicked open. Maya breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door.

“Hey thanks.”

He smiled at her. “No problem.”

She got into the car and pulled it out of the parking space, positioning it in back of the tow truck so that he could attach the chains to the underside of the bumper. When she got out of the car, she saw him pulling the hook and chains from off the back of the truck. Maya stood off to the side trying to shield herself from the wind and rain, but unfortunately, the small umbrella wasn’t doing too good of a job. Noting her water-soaked hair and clothes, Evan offered a suggestion.

“You can wait in the truck if you like. No need for you to stand out here in the rain.” He glanced over at her, his biceps flexing as he hooked one end of the chain to the underside of the bumper. Then he tested it to make sure it was tightly in place.

Maya walked over to the truck and climbed up toward the cab, which proved to be a bit difficult for her since the truck was so high up off the ground. But once she finally made it up there, she swung her body inside and slammed the door shut. The interior of the truck was nice and warm, and she could smell mint in the air. Glancing at the rearview mirror, Maya noticed there was a small flag hanging from it. The flag featured a red background with a star-shaped design upon it, and the words “Proud to be Oglala” were printed on it in bold white letters.

Looking up into the reflection of the mirror, Maya caught sight of the tow truck driver. She could see him adjusting the straps and chains that would hold the car stable, and as she watched him, she noticed that his uniform was completely soaked. A few strands of hair were plastered against his forehead, and rain was dripping from his face. Yet despite all of this, it didn’t seem as if he cared. In fact, he seemed almost oblivious to the miserable conditions all around him. She didn’t know what it was about watching him work laboriously out in the rain, but something inside of her responded carnally to it. Peeling her eyes away from the rearview mirror, she decided to turn her attention to her own reflection instead.

Maya dug through her purse to find her compact, and once she located it, she pulled it out and flipped it open. When she caught sight of her face, she found herself dismayed at her appearance. Her hair had been pressed into a beautiful style earlier that morning, but it now resembled little more than a disheveled mop. She reached for a jaw clip in her purse, and once it was found, she dug it out and swept her hair up off her shoulders. After securing her locks in place with the hair accessory, she then retrieved a tube of lip gloss and applied some to her lips. These little changes didn’t make very much of a difference, but hey, at least she was making an effort.

There was the sound of the pulley as it was activated, and as Maya looked into the rearview mirror, she could see her car being drawn up onto the flatbed of the truck. Once it was secure and in place, Evan came around to the driver’s side door and climbed in.

“This is some seriously bad weather. It’s really coming down out there!” He grabbed a napkin from the dashboard and wiped off the droplets of water which were clinging to his face.

“Terrible, isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time it rained this hard.”

As if to confirm this fact, fat drops of rain pelted the windshield even harder. Evan turned the key in the ignition and then put the car into drive.

“So, where should I drop the car off?” he asked.

“At my house. I’ll take it in to have it looked at tomorrow.”

“Okay, what’s the address?”

“I’m located right off of Rockridge, on Delancey Street.”

As he plugged the address into his GPS device, a familiar tune drifted through the speakers. It was a song she had loved for years, and was sung by one of those seventies rock bands she was really into.

“Great song.” Her voice provided a welcome break in the silence.

“Yeah, the whole album is really good. So you’re into classic rock, huh?” He gave her a pleased look.

“Yep, lots of great music from that era. I pretty much prefer it to most of the stuff they currently play on the radio.”

“Oh yeah, most definitely. My mom went to see these guys in concert when she was two months pregnant with me. Guess that’s why they’re one of my favorite bands to this day.” He chuckled.

Maya smiled at him, noticing the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed.

She also found herself admiring his dark tan skin and full lips. Judging from the way they looked, she guessed that he would be a pretty good kisser. She certainly wouldn’t mind finding out.

“So what’s wrong with your car?”

She shrugged. “Not sure, really. I heard some weird knocking sounds coming from the engine, though. And there also seems to be something wrong with the brakes.”

“Hmmm. Well, the knocking sounds could be your rod bearings getting loose. And the braking issues could be a result of overheated brake drums. You could be using the wrong kind of brake fluid, too, though. Do you have a good mechanic you could go to?”

“No, not really. I was just going to look through the phone book and find someone. I used to go to this mechanic near my house, but every time I took the car in, it never really seemed to improve. I figured he was probably just cheating me, so I stopped going to him.”

Evan reached onto the dashboard and grabbed a business card, then handed it to her. She felt a little spark as the tips of their fingers touched, and it seemed as if he let his hand linger there just a little longer than necessary. The moment passed quickly, but she found herself wondering if he’d felt it, too.

“You should bring your car into my uncle’s shop, where I work. I could take a look at it for you, if you like.”

“Yeah? That would be great. Thanks.” She slipped the card into her purse.

They rode along in silence for a few moments, and then suddenly the sound of a melodic ringtone filled the air. She looked down at the display screen on her phone and saw that the call was from Dylan, her on-again, off-again boyfriend. She let it ring, not feeling comfortable about carrying on a private conversation in the tow truck. But only a minute passed before the ringtone once again filled the air. She didn’t need to look at the display screen to know that it was Dylan calling again. Some nerve he had. She had been waiting for his call all day, and
now
he finally decided to call her? That was just like him.

Maya stared at the phone in annoyance, amazed how he always seemed to call at the most inopportune times. She wasn’t going to answer. He would just have to wait until she got home. Dylan was too used to getting his way anyhow, and she wanted him to know that she wasn’t always going to be available.

She started to hit the key that would turn her phone off, but just before she had a chance to, the phone rang once again. This time it was more than an annoyance. She was actually starting to feel embarrassed, and noticed from out of the corner of her eye that Evan had turned his gaze on her. No longer able to ignore the insistent ringing, Maya flipped the phone open and spoke into the receiver.