She launched into an attack, committing herself to the motion as she saw the other man start to run forward, then hesitate as she set her body and whipped her leg around in a roundhouse kick just as the man with the gun went to pull the trigger.
“Hey!”
Her foot struck the weapon as it fired, and it spun out of his hand to land past where Kerry was standing. Dar didn’t wait for him to react.
She back kicked him as she continued around in a circle, then straightened and reached for his arms as he reeled, grabbing him and turning to throw him over her shoulder to the ground.
Kerry broke out of her frozen fear and ran over to the gun, kicking it as hard as she could and sending it spinning away from them over the edge of the overpass where it skipped down out of sight. She turned to find the two men running away, back toward the bus, and a pair of headlights headed straight for them. Then Dar’s arms enfolded her and
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they were on the side of the road, safe for the moment, though her heart was beating so fast she was lightheaded. “Oh my God.”
“That’s it.” Dar sounded a bit out of breath herself. “I’m taking today off the damn calendar.” She glared past Kerry at the oncoming car. “Stupid city. Stupid bastards. Stupid…”
The car pulled even with her, and the sheets of rain parted to reveal a cab. “Hey! There you are!” The cabbie stuck his head out of his window. “I was lookin for ya! They made me get off the ramp, you know?” He looked around. “You shouldn’ta come down here, y’know?
It’s dangerous.’
“Thanks.” Dar opened the back door and threw Kerry’s bag in, then ushered her partner in after it. “Think you can get us back to my hotel without anything else happening?”
The cabbie rolled his window up and gave them a dubious look in the mirror. “I dunno, lady. It’s New York, y’know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
He put the car in gear. “You wanna stop by the corner there at the liquor store?”
“No.”
“You sure? You look like you could use a drink.”
“They probably don’t sell milk.” Dar propped her head up on one hand as Kerry curled herself up next to her and buried her face against Dar’s chest. “Thanks anyway.”
The cabbie looked at her in the mirror again, but just shook his head instead of answering and got down to the business of driving.
Dar exhaled, and rested her cheek against Kerry’s damp hair. “You okay?”
“No, I suck,” Kerry replied. “But if I can stay like this until we get to the hotel, I might be able to get up to the room without freaking out.”
She slowly let out a long breath. “Uuuuhhhhggggggh.” She felt Dar give her a kiss on the head and for a minute her world narrowed down to the sound of her lover’s heartbeat as she let the blare of horns and the sound of the rain fade out.
Dar felt her tension ease as Kerry relaxed against her. She pushed the wet hair from her eyes and stared unseeing at the passing lights, hoping the rest of the night would hold far more comfort and far less excitement.
What was it about her life anyway? Couldn’t she even have a damn business meeting go on without six kinds of calamity happening? “Hey Ker?”“Mm?”
“You think I attract trouble?”
Kerry was silent for a long moment. “Well,” she finally said. “You attracted me.”
“Ah.” Dar grunted softly. “Good point.”
“I can’t even imagine what that says about what I attract.”
40
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“Hey!”
They both chuckled tiredly, and sat back to watch the city go by.
“THANKS.” DAR SCRIBBLED her name on the room service bill, then shooed the waiter out, shutting the heavy door behind him. She turned and regarded Kerry in silence for a moment, and then walked over to the tray on the table. Kerry was curled up in one of the leather chairs, propping up her head with one hand as she gazed out the windows at the city lights.
“Ker?” Dar picked up a cup of hot chocolate and walked over to her, holding it out invitingly.
“Mm...thanks.” Kerry accepted it, turning in the chair to face Dar as she sat down next to her. “I think my insides have stopped shaking, at least.” She raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. “God, I’ve never been so scared in my life, Dar. What a night.”
“I’ve had a couple of moments in the air, but nothing like that,” Dar said. “Makes you glad to be on the ground though.”
Kerry took a sip of her chocolate, licking her lips free of the foamy topping. “Boy, does it ever.”
Dar pulled her knees up and circled them with one arm, sipping on the glass of milk she held in her free hand. “Yeah. I...” She hesitated, and then shook her head. “Been a long day for both of us, huh?”
“Between my flight and you beating off armed robbers? Yeah.”
Kerry eyed her partner. “Should we call the police?”
Dar just looked at her.
“Yeah, I know. Two guys in hoods, with a gun, and you beat them up and made them run away. We’ll be at the station until tomorrow morning.” Kerry sighed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“If we’d have gave him our wallets, we’d have had to walk back to this God damned hotel and I just was not in the mood,” Dar replied.
“Stupid stockholders, pain in the ass New York salesmen, my…” She paused. “Too long of a damn day.”
Kerry watched her over the rim of her cup. “I picked up my voice mail. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” she said, changing the subject. “You sounded weird.”
Dar got up and walked over to the table, selecting a shrimp chip and scooping up some crab dip with it. She put it into her mouth and chewed slowly, aware of the curious eyes on her back. Her attack of nerves had now taken on another, even stranger cast, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about it. “Ah...I just had a strange idea and I wanted to run it by you,” she answered casually. “Nothing important.”
There was a rustle of fabric and leather, then the soft sounds of bare feet on carpet before a warm hand touched her back. Taking a breath, Dar turned and faced Kerry.
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“Well...it’s important enough for you to lie to me about it,” Kerry stated with quiet bluntness. “And I, um...don’t think you’ve ever done that to me before.” She laid both hands against Dar’s stomach and leaned into her. “Honey, don’t do this to me right now. I can’t handle it.” She said. “Just tell me. Was it that guy? Did something happen?”
“What guy?” Dar frowned. “Oh. Bob? No.”
Kerry lifted her head and peered up at her.
Dar inhaled sharply, responding to the look in Kerry’s eyes. “It’s not...what you think. I just...right before I called you, I had this...this fit,” she said. “It was like I was going nuts or something.”
Kerry’s expression altered into one of mild alarm. “A fit?”
Upset, Dar sat down on the arm of the nearby chair and ran her hand through her hair. “It was like a..a panic attack or...but I’ve never had that before, and I know I’m not...”
Kerry slid between her lover’s knees and let her forearms rest on Dar’s shoulders. “Were you scared?”
Dar nodded unhappily. “I was totally freaking out,” she said.
“Right in the middle of dinner with Bob. He drove me back here, must have thought I was losing my mind.”
“Wow,” Kerry murmured. “That’s really not like you.” She leaned against her partner as she felt Dar’s shoulders tense.
“Yeah, no kidding.” Dar put her hands on Kerry’s hips. “So I called you, but when you didn’t pick up I went to check your flight and saw you were delayed.”
“Did you know why?”
Dar nodded. “I called and bullied the airline into telling me,” she admitted. “I just felt like there was something wrong and frankly it got my mind off my going crazy.”
“You felt like there was something wrong…you mean, with me?”
Dar nodded, then frowned. “That sounds weird. I don’t mean…hell, I don’t know what I mean.”
Kerry took out her cell phone and examined the memory. Her brow creased. “When did it happen?” she asked suddenly. “Do you remember what time? When you got…when you freaked out?”
“Um...after eight, I guess. Quarter after, something like that.” Dar shrugged.
“Quarter after?” Kerry said. “Quarter after eight?”
“Yeah.” Dar nodded. “Why?”
Kerry’s gaze went inward for a long moment. “That’s just the time the plane got into trouble,” she murmured. “And I was scared poopless.” She looked up into Dar’s eyes, searching them. “Did you know?”
Dar frowned. “Kerry, I’m not a psychic,” she protested. “I’m not even a good guesser.”
“No, I know.” Kerry leaned her forehead against her lover’s. “It’s just a very strange coincidence, don’t you think? I mean, there I am, up 42
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in an airplane, nearly out of my mind I’m so scared, and thinking about you, and here you are...”
“Urmf,” Dar grunted. “That is weird.” She considered in silence for a bit. “Hell, I’d rather think it was that than I was going nuts, though,”
she admitted. “I thought maybe I was starting to lose it.”
Kerry rubbed her thumb along Dar’s scalp, just behind her ear.
“Have you ever had a panic attack?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so. You’re just not the type.” Kerry managed a chuckle. “Though I know you’ve been a little stressed lately.”
“Mm.” Dar circled Kerry’s waist with both arms and pulled her close.
“Now, I’ll admit to having several panic attacks on that plane. All I could think of was never seeing you again,” Kerry whispered into her ear. “And I wasn’t nearly ready for that.” She put her head down on Dar’s shoulder, a perceptible catch in her voice on the last few words. “I wasn’t near as worried about dying as I was about leaving you.”
“Ah, Ker.” Dar could feel the shaking in her partner’s body, and she sat back, pulling Kerry into her lap. “Easy, babe. I’m here.”
Dar’s nerves had settled now that she had an odd, though infinitely preferable alternative to her recent fears. She dismissed the concern and concentrated on soothing Kerry, rubbing her back with gentle fingers.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, feeling the jerks as Kerry started crying. “It’s okay.”
Kerry buried her face against Dar’s shoulder and simply let it all out as Dar rocked them both in a careful rhythm. “Oh my God, that so sucked.” She exhaled. “Ugh.”
“Yeah, I know.” Dar gave her a hug. “Just let it go.”
She finally ended up with a headache but a lot less stress wound up in her body, and she rested against Dar for a while after the tears had dried. “Wow,” she sniffled. “Sorry. I got you wet.”
“No problem.” Dar gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’m glad I was here for you. Okay now?” She rubbed the back of Kerry’s neck and felt the tension relax under her fingers as Kerry let her head fall to rest against Dar’s shoulder.
“Yeah, now.” Kerry circled Dar with both arms and hugged her.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and that storm’ll never stop.”
Dar returned the hug, her eyes studying the outside darkness thoughtfully. “Want me to go instead?” she offered. “I’m sure it’ll just make their damn Thanksgiving having me show up there.”
For a long moment, Kerry didn’t answer. Then she drew in a deep breath and let it out. “No,” she said. “It’s my job, Dar. I’ll take care of it.”
Dar gave her a gentle pat on the side. “Well, bad as it was, at least you ended up here. Wanna watch the meeting and critique me again?”
“Sure.” But Kerry showed no signs of wanting to move out of Dar’s
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arms, and they nestled quietly together with just the sound of the ticking wall clock behind them, as the rain continued to beat on the window outside.
KERRY LEANED BACK against the wall, letting the fragrant steam fill her lungs. One thing about the Marriott, she acknowledged; they always had nice hot showers. She let the pounding spray thrum along her back, easing the headache she still had even after a good night’s sleep.
In Dar’s presence.
Kerry exhaled. She’d called the airport and found that the airways were open again. A flight was available for her at noon. She’d booked it, but with a reluctant heart and a sense of trepidation she tried hard to hide from her lover.
You’re not a baby, stop acting like one,
she told herself sternly, picking up Dar’s tube of body wash and squeezing some into her hand.
A blast of cool air made her pause, then smile as Dar joined her in the shower. The clouds of steam parted and writhed around the tall, tanned form, and instead of putting the gel on herself, Kerry applied it to her showermate. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Dar amiably reciprocated, scrubbing the back of Kerry’s shoulders. “Weather’s cleared.”
Kerry swallowed. “I know.” She drew in a breath. “I...um...booked a noon flight out to Chicago,” she said. “Hope I have better luck than I did last night.”
Hands cupped her face and she had to look up to meet pale blue eyes peering down at her through the mist, and she felt as though Dar could see right through her, to the fear she was holding inside, and it made her feel a little ashamed of herself.
For heaven’s sake, Kerrison. It’s just a damn airplane,
her conscience chided her.
You’ve been on dozens of them and that was the first time
anything had ever happened, so what the hell’s the problem with you?
Damn nightmares.
Kerry exhaled, swallowing a sudden lump in her throat.
“You don’t sound thrilled,” Dar commented.
“I’m not,” Kerry admitted softly. She hesitated a long moment, and hated herself for the weakness. “Dar, can I ask you a favor? As my boss?”
Dar looked down at herself, then at Kerry. She smiled.
“I’m serious.”
“Sure,” Dar answered.
“You know I never ask you to butt in.”
“You never do.”
Kerry studied the angular profile watching her, knowing the words would be a disappointment. “I’m asking,” she said. “Can you fix it so I 44
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don’t have to go out there?”
Dar considered the request very seriously. The situation needed resolution and they were out of time for temporary patches. Alastair even knew about it, and she’d committed to resolving the problem in front of him, and Bob. What was it she’d said, that her people expected to have to travel? She looked down into Kerry’s eyes and saw the shame there, and the awareness of what she was asking.