TICK TOCK RUN (Romantic Mystery Suspense) (16 page)

Lee set his glass down, then placed a hand across his chest.  He nibbled his lip for the briefest of seconds, as though rehearsing his response.  “I want to catch... stop this maniac as much as you do.  Preferably, before tomorrow.”  The subtle tremor to his voice was a clear indication of backtracking, if ever I’d heard one. 

I jumped up.  “Is this why you’re hanging around me?  Why you offered to let me stay at your house?  To use me as... bait?”   This daunting last word strained my throat. 

“Chelsea!” he snapped, shaking his head a fraction.  “How dare you!”

I edged backwards away from the table.  I glanced out of the window behind me, saw a stream of people walking past and peeking into the bar, then looked back at Lee.  The curtains being open in Lee’s living room made sense now.  “You didn’t leave the curtains open in your house so that we could see if someone was watching me.  It was the other way round.  We have no idea who’s doing this.  What better way is there than to let them know where I’m hiding out... and to let them come for me tomorrow night?” 

Lee stiffened in his seat. 

A young couple, standing by a pillar to our left in the bar, stared at us.  Their whispers were a soft whirr in the background.

“Keep your voice down,” Lee muttered.  “You’re making a scene.”

In the uneasy bar, every step I backed away from Lee felt heavy and slow.  Suspended in a painful uncertainty, I cast my eyes down to the drinks on the table.  “Admit it.  I caught you out.”

“Look, yes,” Lee said.  “I admit that idea did occur to me.  Briefly.  But I would never have allowed anything to—”

Anger popped like fireworks inside me.  I moved back to the table, snatched my glass and chucked wine in his face. 

“Jesus!  What the hell?”  He wiped his eyes and stared up at me, wet hair sticking to his forehead.  His t-shirt was soaked and wine dripped off the tip of his nose.  Most of the people around us stopped chatting, gasped and pinned their eyes on us.

“I thought I could trust you.”  My heart punching, I perched my hands on my hips trying to act brave.  But, in all fairness, I had a sudden longing to dive for cover.  “I’ve been such a goddamn fool.”

“No.  But you’re being an idiot right now!  I just want to know who’s behind this.”

“At any cost, huh?”

“No!  I want justice, but not at your expense!  I would never have done anything unless you agreed.”

I scowled.  “You thought of this idea long ago.  You slipped up.”

“Look... I did consider—”

I grabbed Lee’s wine glass and tipped that on top of his head, too.

“Mother of...” he snarled, swiping his hand across his forehead.

A bunch of people on the next table cracked up laughing.

Lee banged his fist on the table.  It shook.  A pint glass fell off and smashed.  Our bottle of wine toppled over.  Its contents poured onto Lee’s jeans.  He stood the bottle upright and stared at himself.  He looked like he’d been hosed down.  “My god, Chelsea!  Get a grip.  I’m drenched and stink like a tramp.”

I shifted my weight and tapped the glass pane behind me.  “Why don’t you just dangle me out of the window tonight and bring it on early?” 

            Lee stretched a wet hand out towards me.  “You’re not bait, and you never have been.  Now calm down.” 

I stood my ground, held his gaze.  If he broke eye contact first, that would be a sure sign of lying. 

“I’ll find out what happened to my brother with or without you.”  Anger left his voice.  “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.  If you want me to back off… I will.  I don’t need this hassle.  It’s your call.” 

Silence ensued. 

Lee barely blinked while I tried to separate lies and logic.  A crowd started to form around us.  Whispers.  Giggles.  Pointing.  I ignored them and focused on Lee.  Something about the way he looked at me caused a sinking feeling in my stomach.  His face displayed sincerity, or regret, but certainly not threats.  What on earth was going on in that head of his?

He scraped his chair back, stood, and barged through the crowd to the men’s toilets.  A few moments later, the toilet door opened by a foot.  Lee poked his head out, and said, “Is is safe to come back in?”

The couple standing nearest to us sniggered, but when I looked at them, they pretended not to be listening by turning away.

Still standing by the window, I folded my arms and watched Lee as he approached.  When he sat down again, not shouting or even swearing at me for making a spectacle of him, my intuition kicked in.  I dawdled, then finally moved closer.  “Show’s over, everyone.”  I looked down at Lee.  “I’m not happy about it, but I suppose being bait doesn’t necessarily mean you want me to get murdered.” 

“Far from it.  Despite these horrid circumstances and you’re loony outburst.”  He paused, then his voice softened.  “I’ve grown to really like you.  I liked that wine, too.”

For a moment, I searched his eyes, looking for the truth.  “You do?  I mean
me
, not the wine.”

He picked up his drink, tipped the remaining few drops down his throat, then banged the glass onto the table.  “Yes.  I must be off my head.”

I realised he was either genuine, or an über-cool liar with a skill for changing the subject.  Then I noticed his eyes, so gentle, shining in the dim glow of the spot lights.  No one could fake this kind of candid look. 

I broke the awkwardness.  “You’re right.  You do smell like a tramp.  You need a shower.  If you smell that bad tomorrow night, no one would dare break in and kill me.”  I gave a little laugh, decided to trust my intuition and stick with Lee.  I had plenty of time to change my mind before the deadline.  “I believe you don’t want me to get hurt, unless I find a fishing rod stashed in your house near an open window.”

His shoulders bobbed.  He was about to laugh.  “Feel free to look.”

I sat down next to him again, firm in the knowledge that we were on the same page - although maybe on a different line.

“I didn’t intend on drinking,” Lee said.  “But after that, I could really use a glass or two.  We’ll get a taxi back.”  He paused, just a beat.  “Should I ask the barman if he has an umbrella I can borrow, swimming trunks and a shower cap?”

I squeezed my lips together to stop myself giggling, but when Lee burst out laughing, I couldn’t help but join in.  Still laughing, I gave him a playful punch on the arm and leaned my head on his shoulder.  “No.  The wine’s nice.  I won’t be wasting any more of it.  Everything’s just getting to me.  I hate not knowing who’s doing this and what to do about it.”   Not knowing who to be angry at, who to fight, seemed like punching a moving target in the dark. 

He wrapped his arm across my shoulders and squeezed.  I heard a few ‘ahr’ sounds from the people in the bar.  I glanced up at the faces staring at us, then rolled my eyes.  Snuggling up to Lee didn’t feel awkward.  It was almost like hugging Laura, but with an audience. 

“There’s something else going on inside that head of yours, isn’t there?  Besides all this.”  He swept a lock of hair off my face then softened his voice.  “It’s okay.  You don’t have to tell me.  But I figure you are carrying around a hurt with you.  Something you feel you need to... put right.  Same as me, I guess.” 

I wanted to tell him he was right, to open up about the guilt I had over Laura that felt like I’d been lugging a heavy bag round all year, but I didn’t.  I had my ear pressed to the side of his chest and closed my eyes, listening to the rhythm of his heart.  It was soothing like a distant lullaby.  I enjoyed the empty space it created in my head and didn’t want anything to disturb this peaceful moment. 

Lee planted a kiss on my forehead and brushed his finger along my arm, tracing circles over my skin.

For a second I didn’t dare move, unsure of how I wanted to respond.  I was shocked by the unexpected kiss, but twice as shocked by the incredible warmth spreading through my body because of his touch.  This certainly didn’t feel like hugging Laura anymore. 

“Everything’s gonna be just fine,” Lee said, still drawing imaginary shapes on my arm.

I sensed the warmth of his breath near my forehead.  My stomach flipped lightly and I wanted it to stop.  Oh, God!  I swore to myself I would steer clear of men until after Laura’s wedding.  What was I doing? 
Stand up, go to the ladies’ toilet or something
, I yelled in my head.  My heart pounded.  My skin tingled with excitement and nerves.  I willed myself to move, but didn’t.  I knew exactly what these feelings were that I’d tried to ignore earlier, and why I now was unable to speak.  As crazy as it seemed, I began to crave something unwanted, and unexpected, in this menacing situation.

A song kicking in on the duke box broke the tension. 

Lee shuffled, and I managed to let out my tense breath.  I lifted my head off his chest, relieved that he was the one who’d decided to stand up and move away.

I cleared my throat.  “Good idea.  Are you going to the bar?”

But he didn’t stand up.  He twisted around and his face began closing in.  His chestnut eyes appeared bright, as though a light shone on me from behind them. 

I stared in wonder, feeling flushed.  My stomach plummeted like I was zooming down the vertical drop of a rollercoaster at breakneck speed. 

He inched his face nearer until his nose brushed the tip of mine.  I wanted to jerk away, but his gravitational pull kept me there.

He whispered, “I won’t let anything happen to you.  I’ve got your back, Chelsea.” 

The passionate way he said my name caused my heart to dance. 

He angled his head, tilted my chin upwards with his finger, and then we kissed.  He tasted of the salt and vinegar crisps he’d eaten and felt soft against my lips.  I was surprised by the gentleness of his touch, as if too much pressure would bruise me.  Each light sweep of Lee’s lips sent a fresh rush speeding through my veins.  I slid a hand around his neck and kissed him harder.  His sweet, masculine scent smelled amazing up close.  It cut through the smell of the wine and filled my head.  He cupped my cheek with his hand, slipped his tongue into my mouth and kissed me deeper. 

Finally, I’d found something to take my mind off things. 
Christ!  What have I been missing out on all year? 
It felt like my body had been reawakened by a shot of adrenaline.  Caught up in the moment, my mind had cleared of all troubles.  People around us clapped and cheered.  I giggled while kissing him.  But then, as we continued kissing, a dizzying loop of guilt about my past sent my stomach into a dive.  Should I, shouldn’t I?

I jerked away at the same time as Lee did. 

He whisked his hand from my cheek and stiffened in his seat.  Regret was etched across his face, clear as day.  The clapping and laughing around us died down.  The whispers returned.

I crossed my legs away from him.  “I... I don’t want this.” 

“Me neither.  What were we thinking?” 

I folded my arms and stared over my shoulder into the starry night beyond the window.  “I’m sorry.  I should know better.”

“No.  I’m sorry,” he said firmly.  “I’m the one who’s acting like a moron.  We need to stay focused.  No room for distractions.”

“Exactly.  It was a mistake.”

“Won’t happen again.”

“Too right.”  Reasons why I’d allowed myself to get this close to a man again, raced around my head.  I closed my eyes, wanting to forget.  After nearly half a year, I’d allowed myself to break my ‘no men’ rule.

CHAPTER 15

W
e drove back to Lee’s house in silence.  Once indoors, he showed me his room, and he slept in the spare.

It felt like no time at all had passed when a hand rocked me awake.  I was pleased to find Laura perched on the edge of the mattress, smiling in the glow of sunshine.