Part 17 (2/2)

”Are you ready?”

Kristen shook her head. ”I told you I can't go. It's late and I have to-”

”Leave in timeto catch your bus by seven, right?” That he knew her plansstunnedKristen into silence. Rose turned and looked at her. ”Bus? You'releaving, child?”

”I-I... Yes. I'm going ... home.”

”She's not leaving, Ma. She'sgoing to miss the busbecause I'm taking her on a boat ride and then out to supper. We'll be back late.”

Kristen faced Blu, furious that he was taking charge as if he had the right. ”I'm not going anywhere with you. And I certainly canleave town anytimeI wish.”

”Running's a mistake.”

”And staying here is getting me nowhere.” Kristen moved past Blu, took Amanda from Roseand headed into the bedroom. She heard footsteps behind her and when she turned to shut the door in Blu's face,it was Rose standing there. ”I'm sorry, Mrs. duFray. You must think I'm terrible, taking advantage of your generosity and lying to your face. Blu's right, I was going to slip off in the night without even a thank-you.”

”If that's true, I'd say it was the act of someone who is desperate,” Rose said. ”Are you desperate, child?”

”Yes. Yes, I am.”

Rose reached out and touched Kristen's arm. ”Then let my son help, child. I can't imagine trusting Amanda's lifeor yourswith anyone else. In your heart, I think you know that's true.”

Kristen lowered hervoice. ”You don't understand,he and I... We-”

”I think I understand more than you think. My advice, child, is to go on the boat ride, and if you still want to leave tomorrow, buy another bus ticket. Whatcould it hurt to stay over one more day? Unless your feelings for my son have changed since you read those newspaper articles in my sc.r.a.pbook? In which case, I think you might be wise to catch that bus tonight.”

Chapter 13.

As Blu steered theNightwing toward Paradise Point,he again wondered what his mother had said to get Angel to change her mind and to agree to have supper with him. He hadn't expected her to willingly walk out of the fish market with him, but he was certainly glad it had worked out that way.

He checked his watch, thenglanced over towhere she sat a few feet away. She hadn't said a word to him, hadn't even looked his way, but he'd beenstudying herin small doses. He could see now that she had her grandpa's eyes, couldeven see a little bit ofCurt in her-they had the same haircolor.

The evening was warm and the friendly music coming from the waterfront was meant to lure boats ash.o.r.e. Blu backed off the accelerator as they rounded the point and the little fis.h.i.+ng community of Crawford'sCorner came into sight. Turning theNightwing toward the pier, he said, ”We'll eat here,” then gesturedtothe old barbecue shack known for its mouth-watering ribs and the best sweet-potato steak fries on the point.

He watched as Angel a.s.sessed the shack with its sagging screen door and agingfront porch. He won dered ifthe place seemed familiar, but she didn't sayanything, just stared.

It dawned on him that she just might be viewing hischoice of restaurants with disappointment. Angel had spent three years being waited on by maids and cooks, and though she hadn't beenbrought upthat way, he reminded himself that she couldn't remember those simpler times.

He said, ”Theplace doesn't looklike much from the outside but Smokey sure can barbecue ribs.”

His comment took her attention away from the shack and brought it to him. ”This place reminds me of a small eatery on the island. Like this,it never lookedlike much from the outside, but the islanders always said it had the most wonderful food. Salva...” She looked back at the ribshack, ”Salva never let me go there. I tried to tell him that good food wasn't about how s.h.i.+ny thewindows were, but who was in the kitchen cooking. Only he never agreed to takemethere.” She slid off the leather seat and came to her feet. ”Do you knowif they have crab cakes on themenu?”

The question surprised him, and Blu found himself smiling. He never smiled in public. It was Margo's pet peeve-his sister had call it his inhumanside. But showing emotion in public hadn't fit his old line of work. And even now, though he hadn't worked for Patch for a year,he found it difficult to let himself relax.

Reining in his smile, hesaid, ”I know for a fact that crab cakes are on Paul Fallow's menu. He hasn't changed it in ten years.”

She didn't appear to recognizeher old boss's name,just like she hadn't second-glanced any of the landmarks where she'd grown up. That hadn't been the reason Blu had brought her here-to force her memory-but he had been prepared for it if it should happen. Actually, he had mixed emotions about it. Oh, he wanted her to remember, just not yet-not until he had Maland bagged.

”They're not mushy, are they?”

”What?”

”The cakes? Mushy?”

Blu shook his head. ”No.”

”Then I'm sure I'll like them.”

She wa.s.suddenly ahead of him, out of the boat andon her way to the front door. Blu followedwith one sure-footed leap tothe dock that put him a half stridebehind her. His eyes locked on her jeans-clad backside and he took a moment to appreciate the small perfect shape, then his mind was moving on, remembering afew nightsago when she was straddling himand ... driving him, his hands all over her satin-smooth curves.

In an instant hewas stone-hard, the memory kick-starting his heart rate andsending his bloodon another race throughout his body.

The reality was that he wanted her again. Badly.Now. In an hour.After midnight. Tomorrow. The next day, and the next. It didn't matter when or where, or how often, Blu decided, he would never be able to get enough of her. She was flowing through his veins now. He was definitely struggling with thephysical end ofloving her, but.i.t went a whole lot deeper. While oneside of his brain wanted to keep Angel in his bed twenty-four hours a day, the other side wanted to keephis promiseto her to send Maland to h.e.l.l and set her free-free as a bird.

And as birds so often do, they fly away. Blu admitted he wasn't ready for that, but he would have to be, because the one thing he was going to do was put Angel's needs first.

He caughtup to her on the slat-board steps and theyscaled themtogether. He opened the screen door andas heushered her inside, he took a quick glance around the plain dining room. Most of the tables were taken, but a few remained. There was loud music with a Cajunflavor coming from theback room, and Blu bent his head to Angel's ear. ”You pick,” he instructed, thenfollowed her as she chosean out-of-the-way spot neara window that overlooked Paradise Point.

They settledinto their chairs. A waitress appeared aminute later, delivering water and menus. When she returned, Angel orderedcrab cakes, and Blu chose the barbecue ribs and sweet-potato fries. Alone again, shesaid,”So why am Ihere, Blu Devil? Forwhat reasonhave you decided to take a married woman with a childand no memory out to supper?”

She was back to using his nickname and it irritated Blu more than he would have liked. ”We need to talk,” he drawled. ”To settle this.”

”'This'? Which 'this'are we talking about?”

She wastoo cold suddenly. Blu reached out and stoleher hand. ”Dammit, stop going formythroat, and listen.”

She pulled her hand away and tucked it in her lapbeneath the table. ”You left,d.a.m.n you. You said you wouldn't, and then you turned and left. Well, I'm going to leave, too.”

Her face revealed her disappointment, how much his leaving had hurt her. As youth often does, she had vented quickly and openly.

It made Blu feel worse than he already did. ”Yesterday I went out for some air and when I got back you were gone. I know it looked like I was walking, but I never-”

”Liar.”

Blu swore softly. ”I needed air. It was a h.e.l.luva shock, dammit.”

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