No Such Thing as a Free Ride (21 page)

“Not much. Hardly any.”

“Uh huh. Man, it must be exhausting being you.”

“It’s a full time job, that’s for sure. So what do you need me to do?”

“I’ve got our old band booked for the club in two weeks, but Kenny was dating Gloria, their new lead singer, and, well, let’s just say it didn’t work out, so he wants to know if you’d be willing to fill in until—”

“Until they can find a female singer in the Greater Lehigh Valley that Kenny
hasn’t
slept with and pissed off to the point of no return?”

Paul laughed. “Yeah.”

“Sure,” I said. “Be happy to.”

*****

Just as I was packing up to go home, Nurse Morrison called me back with her friend’s number. I put in a call, leaving a message on her voice mail. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for but felt certain she could help me tie things together. I was deep in thought when my phone rang. It was Crystal.

“I’m bored,” she said by way of greeting.

“Hang on a minute, I’ve got Brad Pitt on the other line. Brad, Crystal says she’s bored. Can you go entertain her for a while?”

“Ha, ha,very funny. First off, he’s not my type. He’s too old. And second, how much longer do I have to stay here? I want to get back to my life.”

As in sleeping on the curb and eating every meal out of a trash can?

“Are they treating you okay?” I asked instead.

“Yeah. Everybody’s really nice. It’s just—”

“I know, kiddo. It’s hard being at the mercy of other people. Even when they’re being kind. Hey, would you be up for a visit tonight?”

“
Really?
I mean, if you want to, I guess that would be okay with me. Could Nick come too?”

“I’ll ask him,” I said, matching her nonchalance. In reality, I was so happy for an excuse to call him I could have done back flips.

I disconnected from Crystal and punched in Nick’s number, but mid-ring I began to panic.

It’s Friday night. What if he has a date? And now by calling him he’ll know I’m free and he’ll think I’m a big loser. He’ll be all, “I’m sorry, my socially deficient friend. We popular people have a tradition of going out on Friday night, in my case, with the opposite sex, for an evening of fine dining followed by fornication.”

Okay, chances are he wouldn’t say that. Nobody in their right mind would. Still, I thought about hanging up, but then there he was on the line and he sounded genuinely pleased to hear from me.

“Hey, darlin’. I was just about to call you. Sal phoned and said Crystal’s getting a little restless. He thinks she could use a visit. Do you have plans for tonight?”

“Nothing I can’t cancel. You know, if the kid needs me. How about you?”

“I’ve got some business to take care of later in the evening, but since it’s out in that direction, I thought I’d stop in and visit with her for a while. How about if I swing by your place and you can follow me out there. The directions are a bit complicated.”

“Sounds good. Give me an hour to walk the dog.”
And find a killer outfit, get my hair highlighted… maybe a boob job…

I decided against the breast augmentation and just went with a clean shirt and a push up bra. That’s really all I had time for. Adrian was chomping at the bit to go for a walk.

At six o’clock at night, the temperature was still in the high 70’s. A flash of lightening shot across the sky and the crack of distant thunder warned of a storm brewing. It served as a backdrop for a wave of anxiety that rose up unexpectedly and settled in the pit of my stomach; a feeling of dread, so strong that I had to run all the way home, cutting short Adrian’s nightly cruise around the neighborhood.

I called my uncle Frankie, just to hear a friendly voice.

“What’s up, hon?” He was still at the gym, in the middle of a workout, from what I could tell. He sounded pretty winded.

“Nothing. Just wanted to say hi.”

He invited me for dinner next week and told me a story about a guy at the gym who posted highlights from his bachelor party on Youtube, and now his bride is asking for a divorce and custody of their pet boa constrictor. It made me laugh, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

There was a knock at the front door which sent spasms of joy through Adrian’s furry little body. He stood on his hind legs pawing at the door as if he sensed someone fabulous was about to enter his domain. I knew how he felt. Nick walked in and neither of us were disappointed.

He was wearing jeans and a short sleeved button down linen shirt that showcased forearms that were lean and muscular. He was wearing his trademark silver wristband, and a silver cross hung from his ear. He reached out to kiss me hello and his shirt sleeve rode up his arm, revealing the Native American tribal symbol tattooed on his shoulder. He was the coolest person in the history of cool and, yet, the least affected by it. He just—
was
.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Um, yeah,” I said, looking vaguely around the room. I picked up my bag and did a mental check for my pepper spray, rape whistle and the set of brass knuckles I got at a yard sale from my neighbor across the street who used to teach middle school.

Nick stopped me at the door. “What’s wrong, Angel?”

“I feel like someone’s watching me.”

Nick slid his hand around to the small of his back and withdrew a .38 caliber pistol from beneath his shirt. His face remained impassive, but I could feel the heightened energy radiating from his body.

“Do you think someone’s in the house?” he asked quietly.

“No,” I said, resting my hand on the arm that held the gun. “I’m sure no one broke in here.”

Nick relaxed and slipped the pistol back into its holster. “Where were you when you began to feel like you were being watched?”

“Outside walking Adrian. It was just a little while ago. All of a sudden it felt like I wasn’t alone—like I was being followed. I can’t explain it,” I ended, sounding like the Delusional Paranoids they make Lifetime movies about.

Nick opened the screen door and stood on the porch, his eyes roving up and down the block. “I don’t see anyone, but you have good instincts, Angel. Don’t discount them.” He closed the door and locked it behind him. “The cops still haven’t located Bunny yet. Could be she’s keeping tabs on you, waiting to make her move.”

I plopped down on the couch, allowing myself a moment of royal self pity. “Well, that’s just great. Christ, you’d think the police would’ve picked her up by now. I mean how hard can it be to find a 5’8” hulk with bright orange hair and a face like a bulldog?”

“You’d be surprised,” Nick said mildly. He sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulder and I leaned into him, drawing comfort from his nearness.

“I’ve got a few people looking for her as well. But homeless kids are very loyal to their street family, so if Bunny wants to disappear, they’ll go to any length to make sure she
doesn’t
get found.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. She’s—she’s scary and abusive and—and—nuts!”

“She’s also the alpha female. As sick as it sounds, Bunny provides leadership and stability for these kids. For all intents and purposes, she’s their mother.”

“Okay,” I said. “Forget what she did to Heather and what she’s threatening to do to me. She probably whacked that poor case worker just for
knowing
Star.”

“You’re not getting an argument from me, darlin’. It’s a sick world, I’ll grant you that. But for most of these kids, it’s business as usual.”

“How did you end up living on the streets, Nick? And how did you get out?”

Nick shifted in his seat, a slight shadow crossing his face. “Let’s stick to one subject at a time. Can you think of anyone else who may be interested in a little
payback
? Someone you may have managed to piss off recently?”

I could think of several, but I knew what he was driving at. “You’ve been talking to Alphonso, haven’t you?” I sighed.

“He’s been talking to me. You really impressed him. That’s saying something. Alphonso doesn’t impress easily.”

“Yeah, well, I think I’m growing on him. Listen, maybe this feeling I had is just the product of an overactive imagination. It probably doesn’t mean anything at all.”

“You don’t really believe that and neither do I.”

Nick stood and put his hand into his pants pocket, extracting a set of keys. He took one off and handed it to me. “If at any time you feel unsafe here, I want you to go over to my place. I may not be back tonight, but the security over there is a little tighter than it is here.”

“Wow. It must be pretty important business if you’re not planning to come home tonight. What’s her name?”
Oh, Holy Jesus! Please let Nick go retroactively deaf so that he didn’t hear what just came out of my mouth. Jeez, this is awkward. But… wait! It doesn’t have to be. I’ll just take it back!

“Um, I didn’t really say that. So, ready to go?”

I grabbed my bag and strode purposefully toward the door. Suddenly, I felt Nick’s arms around my waist, pulling me back against him.

Oh boy, here it comes, the lecture on jealousy, or at the very least, some good natured ribbing. Well, it’s not like I don’t deserve it.

He turned me around and wrapped his arms around me, a smile playing about his lips that was so tender, so sincere it took my breath away.

“Just when I think there are no good surprises left in the world…” He looked deeply into my eyes and sighed. “You continually amaze me in the best possible ways.” Then he lowered his head and kissed me.

Talk about good surprises.

*****

Alphonso was waiting in Nick’s car, a 1964 hunter green Jaguar XKE. He grinned when he saw me and flashed me a hand gesture, signifying our newly formed status as partners in crime. I waved back, glad to be part of the Brotherhood.

I slid behind the wheel of the Le Sabre and we both took off, driving a few blocks out of the way to make sure no one was following us. When it looked like we were clear, we turned the cars around and headed for the Walt Whitman Bridge. The safe house was located somewhere in the south end of Toms River, New Jersey, a quiet beach community to the north of Atlantic City.

It was about an hour’s drive, give or take two for rush hour traffic. I entertained myself by thinking about Nick’s kiss. It was soft and sweet and all too brief. If Janine were here she’d tell me that he’s horribly conflicted.

“Nick doesn’t want to lead you on, but the man can’t help himself,” she’d say. “His feelings for you are too powerful. He can’t resist your womanly charms, so he kisses you like a brother, but in his heart he wants more… much more.”

Yeah. That’s just what Janine would say… if she were living in a Jane Austen novel.

And then there was the way Nick deflected my question about his past. I’d asked him about it before and was always met with the same enigmatic response.

What is he trying so hard to forget? And why won’t I leave it alone? Because the past has a way of propelling itself forward, and unless you’re a really fast runner it ends up biting you in the ass.

I was lost in thought so I was surprised when, an hour and a half later, Nick turned down a narrow deserted road and pulled into the driveway of a sprawling one-story beach house. I followed him into the driveway and cut the engine. Climbing out of the car I breathed deeply, allowing the pure ocean air to fill my lungs.

The house was situated directly on the beach. Slabs of slate were laid down on the sand to create a patchwork pathway. Beach grass grew wild along an old wooden fence. I looked up and saw a flock of seagulls flying overhead.

Alphonso opted to wait in the car, so Nick and I took the path around to the front of the building. Inside, Crystal stood in front of a wall to wall glass window. She spied us and ran to the door.

“Hi,” she yelled, swinging the door wide open. “How do you like my new digs?”

Although it had only been a few days, Crystal looked different, and it took me a moment to figure out why. She was smiling. Gone was the haunted looked she’d sported since that first day at my uncle’s gym. Standing before me was a kid who was well rested, well fed and, even if only temporarily, at peace.

As we entered the house, a yellow lab and her puppy galloped over to say hello. Nick knelt down and scratched the big one behind her ears. She collapsed onto the floor rolling over on her back in unabashed ecstasy.

“That’s Dolly,” Crystal told us, “and this little guy is Elwood. He won’t leave me alone.”

In reality, it looked more like the other way around, but the puppy didn’t seem to mind being the center of Crystal’s attention.

An attractive young woman in her late 20’s walked into the living room. “Hi, I’m Mandy. I sort’ve run things around here. You must be Brandy,” she added, shaking my hand. “Crystal’s told me a lot about you.”

Nick stood up and Mandy made a little sucking noise in the back of her throat. “And
you
must be Nick,” she gulped.

To her credit, she recovered quickly and even managed to acknowledge that I was still in the room. “It’s really nice to meet you… I mean, both of you.”

“Hey,” Crystal interrupted, “Want to see my room?”

We followed her to the back of the house, Dolly and Elwood dutifully trotting after us.

The place was owned by a friend of Sal’s and used, alternately, as a safe-house and an interim crash pad for kids with varying transitional needs. At the moment, Crystal was the only resident. The rest of the bedrooms were occupied by staff. We returned to the living room and I grabbed a seat on the sofa.

“So,” Crystal demanded, returning to form, “are you any closer to finding Star? Or even Bunny? I mean this place is nice and all, but you can’t expect me to stay penned up here forever.”

My first thought was, “Why, you ungrateful little shit,” and I was immediately ashamed of myself. The poor kid probably felt guilty for enjoying the safety and comfort of her temporary home when her best friend was MIA.
Note to self: Stop being such a judgmental bitch.