UNEXPECTED compile (4 page)

Heat flooded her cheeks as she uncurled her fingers from his T-shirt. The fabric retained the dents where her clutching fists had been. She smoothed over them with her palms, the muscles of his chest solid and warm beneath her touch, ribs springing with each inhalation. Her hands lingered, fascinated by the sensation, until his chuckle reverberated beneath her hands.

The fire in her cheeks ratcheted up to inferno level. She slid away from him, putting much-needed space between her and his sinful body. What the hell was her problem? She appreciated hot guys as much as the next girl, but she didn’t go around kissing them or feeling them up.

“Damn, girl,” was all he said. The look of amusement had slid from his face and turned into something primal and disconcerting.

To her relief, the bus rounded the corner and pulled to the curb with the squeal of brakes. A loud hiss and a clunk followed as the doors opened. She stood and scrambled for her bus pass in the depths of her purse.

“Are you coming?” She paused on the steps of the bus. Unable to look him in the eyes after her embarrassing display, she focused on the dimple in his scruffy chin.

“Nope. I think I’m going to walk,” Randy said. “I’ll see you around.”

The bus lurched from the curb. She slid into a window seat and watched him walk away, hands in his pockets, long legs eating up the pavement, until the bus rounded the corner, and he disappeared from sight.

CHAPTER 4

Karly trudged up the trash-strewn stairs to her apartment, feet sore and legs aching. Humidity dripped from the stair railing. She breathed through her mouth to avoid the putrid stench coming from the second floor. The muscles in her thighs burned from flight after flight of steps. Why, oh why, had she taken a seventh-floor apartment in a building whose elevator never worked? The angry voice of Mr. Gonzalez, who lived in the apartment beneath hers, leaked through the thin walls as he berated his wife.

A one-bedroom efficiency on the city's lower east side was the best she could afford on her minimal income and still go to school. God willing, it was only temporary. Someday she would live in a real house with Emma. Somewhere that didn’t smell like pee or Chinese food from the restaurant downstairs.

With head down and one hand in her purse, she rifled through the compartments in search of her door key and cursed her disorganization. It seemed like every other day she was losing something. Last week it had been her car keys. Monday it had been her left contact lens. She groaned in frustration and dug deeper into the handbag.

That was when she noticed it. The angry red tag from the electric company hanging on her apartment door. Panic knotted her stomach.
Notice of Disconnect—Final Notice
. She tore the tag from the door and ripped it into pieces. Inside the apartment, she slammed the door shut and rested against it, too weary to walk another step. The tattered remnants of the notice slipped through her fingers and fluttered to the floor. She slid down the door to the worn linoleum and drew her knees to her chest.

If she wasn’t fucked before, she was now. How in the world could she care for Emma when she couldn’t even care for herself?

“Hold it together,” she muttered aloud and swiped at the tears with the back of her hand. For one fleeting moment of insanity, she considered running to Mitch, and begging for his help. He had his own responsibilities to shoulder with a baby on the way. Despite her desperation, adding to his burden was selfish and irresponsible.

Life seemed composed entirely of unpleasantness like worry over things she couldn’t control, the stress of stretching every dollar beyond its capacity, working shitty jobs that paid too little, and swallowing her pride to take handouts from friends and strangers. She swiped away a rogue tear and choked back the guilt. It seemed a small sacrifice for Emma. Mustering her strength, she picked herself up from the floor. Tomorrow would be better. She had ten days to pay the electric bill. A lot could happen in the space of ten days. If she didn’t hold on to hope, she’d have nothing.

Exhausted from the day’s fiasco, she ran a tub full of hot water and lit half a dozen candles to brighten the darkness. As she stared at the crack in the ceiling above the tub, her thoughts turned to Randy. God, he was hot. Too bad she wasn’t in the market for a fling. He would be just what the doctor ordered.

She trailed a hand along the ridge of her collarbone and over the mound of her breast at the thought of his wide shoulders and stubbled jaw. Her nipple tightened beneath her palm. She rolled it between thumb and finger, gasping at the sting of pleasure. With her other hand, she stroked down the swell of her belly to the narrow strip of curls between her legs. A moan slipped from her parted lips as she pictured his hands on her body and his lips doing things to her down there, the rasp of bearded stubble on the inside of her thighs, her begging him for more, his throaty voice whispering dirty commands in her ear…

She lay in bed glassy-eyed for a long time afterward. Her fingers had done nothing to quell the sexual tension inspired by the unexpected kiss at the bus stop. A stray breeze ventured in through the open window and carried on it the occasional voice of one of her neighbors or a television. When pink and orange streaked the eastern sky, she closed her eyes and thought no more.

Sometime in late morning, Karly’s phone shattered a deep and dreamless sleep. Disoriented, she rubbed her eyes and groped for her cell. The sound of Ally’s voice brought a smile to her lips.

“Hey, girl,” Ally said.

“What’s new, Suzy Q?” Karly replied, lips curving upward at their standard greeting.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re still going to Felony with me tonight. Or did you forget? You didn’t answer any of my texts.” Ally was knee-deep in a sexcapade with Randy’s friend Jack, the manager of Felony Bar. Karly couldn’t blame her. Jack might possibly be the ultimate bad boy with his panty-dropping grin and rock star looks.

“I’m sorry. I did forget. I want to go, but…” She wavered, embarrassed by her pitiful situation. “To be honest, Al, things are pretty tight right now, and I wanted to ship a care package to Emma. She’s growing out of her clothes every other day.” Her gaze flicked to the pink backpack and fuzzy sweater on the dresser. Every few weeks, she sent Emma a little something, knowing her parents were less than generous with their time and money.

“Since when did a pretty girl like you need money to go out on a Friday night?” Ally asked brightly. “Jack put our names at the door so we don’t have to pay cover. Once we get inside, you’ll have guys falling over each other to buy you drinks.”

“I don’t know.” She bit her lower lip. Ally had a great job, drove a BMW, and lived in historic Old Towne. She had no idea the amount of planning and work it took to make ends meet. “And this is my only night off for the next two weeks.”

“Exactly,” Ally replied. “I’m not going take no for an answer. Now, get your ass over here, and we’ll call a cab from my place. My treat.”

“Well…” Karly heaved a sigh as duty warred with conscience. A night out to clear her head and think about something other than bills, money, and Emma might save her sanity.

“I’ll feed you,” Ally said, her tone wheedling. “How about steak and a baked potato? On the grill?”

At the mention of food, Karly’s empty stomach growled. “Fine. I’m in,” she replied and sat up in bed, her interest in life renewed. “I do need it. Badly.”

“Late night?”

“Shitty night.” Without divulging the details of Jerome, she highlighted the evening, focusing on Emma, Mitch, and the disconnect notice.

She could feel Ally’s scowl through the phone. “You need a new job. You’re so much better than The Scotsman. Have you been looking? What about that job at the newspaper?”

“Not interested. They wanted someone with experience.” Karly sighed. “It seems a degree in English literature isn’t very viable in this city. At least not without a masters of some kind.”

“Stick with it. Get your teaching certificate, and they’ll be knocking down your door. You’ve made it this far. And I’m so proud of you. You can do it, Karly. You can’t get discouraged now when you’re so close.”

Did Ally know how badly she’d needed to hear those words? Her throat thickened, and she swallowed hard to force down the lump. “You’re right. I can do this.” The words brought the sting of tears to her eyes. She swiped at them with the back of her hand. Time for a subject matter change. “Jack’s friend, Randy, was there last night.”

“Randy Mackenzie? Really?” Ally’s tone brightened with interest. “Now there’s a guy with a story to tell. What was he doing?”

“I don’t know. He was alone. Drinking water. He seems really nice,” Karly replied cautiously. “I liked him.”

“Did you see that scar on his neck? Wicked.” Ally sucked in an audible breath.

Karly’s fingers curled at the memory of his hard chest beneath her hands and the taste of his kiss. Her lips curved into a secret smile. “I kissed him, and I have to admit it was pretty hot.”

Karly heard the muffled sound of voices in Ally’s office as she spoke with her receptionist. “Sure, Penny. I’ll be with her in a minute. Sorry, Karls. I’ve got a meeting in a few.” She cleared her throat. “Excuse me? Did you just say you kissed him? Seriously? Damn, girl. I wish I had your balls."

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty embarrassed about it.”

“You keep telling me to go for it with Jack. Maybe you need to take a little of your own advice.”

The idea of repressed Ally dispensing advice about men made her snort with amusement. “I don’t have time right now for a relationship. I need to focus on school and Emma."

"All work and no play makes Karly a dull girl,” Ally chimed. “I miss fun, crazy Karly. I want her back. I hate seeing you tired and sad all the time. And ever since London, you've been a little...off."

London?
Just like that, Jerome reared his ugly head again. She tapped the phone against her forehead to knock out the disparaging thoughts. How could she possibly tell Ally about her relationship with Jerome or explain the sickening self-loathing it inspired? Ally, with her black-and-white attitude toward the world, would never understand.

A fierce knock at the door caused her to flinch, and she nearly dropped the phone.

“Someone’s here, Al. I’ve got to go. I’ll text you later, okay?”

Karly scrambled out of the disheveled bed and trotted to the door wearing a T-shirt and panties, dropping the phone onto the coffee table on her way. No one ever came to her apartment. Not even Ally. She was careful to keep her friends away so they wouldn’t know just how pathetic her life really was. She glanced through the peephole to find Mitch standing in the hallway, dressed in his blue police uniform, an irritated scowl on his face.

“Hang on. I’ll be right there,” she shouted. “I’m not dressed.”

Mitch pounded on the door again. The pictures on the wall rattled from the impact. Mr. Gonzalez pounded on the ceiling directly below her feet. She pulled on a pair of sweats, scowled, and stomped on the floor in reply.

“I said hold on,” she grumbled and flung open the door. Mitch pushed into the apartment followed by a small, pale shadow.
Emma.
Karly fell to her knees and pulled her into her arms. She felt so thin, almost as if her bones might snap with too much force. The little girl wrapped her arms around Karly and held on for dear life. It was the best feeling in the world.

“Hey, jelly bean, I’ve missed you,” Karly said. “What are you doing here?”

“I tried to call,” Mitch snapped, “but your cell went to voice mail.” He didn’t pause for an explanation but continued in his usual steamroller fashion. “She ran away. One of my buddies from Precinct 12 picked her up at the bus stop and called me.”

“I was coming to see you,” Emma said into the crook of Karly’s neck. “I know you said to be strong, but I just couldn’t take it any longer.”

“Oh, honey, it’s okay.” Karly stroked the length of Emma’s back, smoothing down the long strawberry curls so like her own. She pulled back a little so she could smile reassuringly at Emma, but the smile faded from her lips with one glance at the little girl’s face. An ugly green smudge on the pale cheek and a swollen bottom lip brought tears to Karly’s eyes.

“Did he hit you?” Karly’s voice shrilled into the next octave. “Look at me, Emma. Did the bastard hit you?”

Emma’s beautiful blue eyes filled with tears. “No, he tried, but I kicked him in the nuts like you showed me.” Karly bit her lip to hold back a smile while her chest constricted with remorse. “I climbed out the bedroom window and fell. And then I ran to the bus stop so I could come here.” Emma tugged on a strand of Karly’s hair. “Am I in trouble?”

“No. You aren’t in trouble.” Anguish, unlike anything she had ever known, squeezed her insides. She should have been there to stop him. She should have done more to protect this precious child. With a flood of fierce emotion, she wrapped Emma in her arms, wishing she could take away all the hurt and fear with one hug.

“Stop it, Karly. You’re squashing me,” Emma protested and tried to wriggle free.

“And I suppose you didn’t do anything about it?” Karly turned her rage and indignation onto her brother. “You’re just going to let him get away with this? Let him beat her until she’s broken like Mom?” The flames of fury consumed every thought until she saw nothing but red. “Well, I’m not. If you don’t do anything about it, then I will.”