Part 18 (1/2)
She stared out the window. ”Imagine lying in a stranger's bed and being told that kind of news. Then learning a few weeks later that you're pregnant.” She faced him again. ”Yes, I'd say, it was a h.e.l.luva shock.”
Her point hit Blu square between the eyes, and he felt like a royal a.s.s. He reached out and snared her other hand-the vulnerable one she hadn't buried in her lap. He brought it to his lips and, forgetting that the Blu Devil didn't kiss in public any more than he smiled, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. ”I'm sorry, baby.”
It was at that exact moment that Curt Aldwin steppedinto the dining room. Blu caught sight ofAngel's brother out of the corner of his eye while his lips were still pressed against her hand. He released her slowly,watching as Curt's gaze locked on him, then s.h.i.+fted to his sister. On recognition, his face turned the color of a corpse ready for the morgue. He scrambled for the back hall moments later.
Blu knew where the hall led. ”I'll be right back.Don't go anywhere.” He eyed Angel a moment, added, ”Say you'll be here when I get back.”
”I'll be here. You said the crab cakes weren't mushy.”
Her comment made him smile, but by the time Blu had made it down the back hall he was stone sober. He found Angel's brother in the bathroom splas.h.i.+ng cold water on his face. As Curt looked up from the sink, Blu's image filled the mirror.
”Oh, Jesus!”
”You don't look so good, Curt. You look like you've just seen a ghost.”
”How did you get hold of her? Does she know that I-”
”That you sold her out?” Blu's eyes turned black.
”Hesaid she would have everything she could ever want. That she'd live like a princess.”
”Keep singing.” Blu put his hands on Curt's scrawnyshoulders and squeezed.
”Okay, I acceptedmoney. I admit it.I needed the cash, dammit!”
Blu squeezed harder. ”Keep talking.”
”Ah-hh!I-I told Maland when and where shewould be on the water with Ben that day. But I swear, I wasn't involved in killing Ben. I didn't know about that until after. I swear!”
So it hadn't been an accident, after all. The stormhad blown inat the right time. Salva had gotten lucky. Blu dug his thumbs into the cords of Curt's neck. ”How much did you sell her for, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d?”
Curt groaned, blinked to stay conscious. ”Twenty! Twenty thousand. You're dead,” he gasped in pain. ”You put Salva's brother in prison. Now you're messing with his property. You're so dead.”
Blu felt an overwhelming urge to break every bone in Curt Aldwin's body. But that didn't fit into his plans, and so he settled for a left to Curt's midsection. Angel's brother crumbled like a dry m.u.f.fin. Then he half lifted, half dragged Curt into a bathroom stall and slammed him down on the toilet. ”You stay there, Curt. Don't go nowhere. Someone's going to come and take you for a ride. You be sitting right there when he shows up, understand? Or do you want metobreak both your kneestomake sure?”
”Oh, G.o.d! Oh, Jesus! I'm goingtobe sick!”
Blu stepped back as Curt leaned over and puked. Smiling inside, he decided there were days when he did enjoy being the Blu Devil.
”I'll stay,” Curt promised, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and holding his stomach as he hung on the edge of the toilet seat. ”I'll stay.” ”You're smart, Curt. That is, for a dumb little son of a b.i.t.c.h. You better start praying that things turn out myway from here on out, or you'll be sc.r.a.ping more up off the floor than your liver. You think about that while you're waiting for my friend.”
Blu used the phone in the hall, then returnedtothe table. Five minutes later he watched as Brodie Hewitt sauntered into the eatery and made his way to the men's bathroom at Smokey Joe's.
As muscular as Blu, but not quite as tall, the foreman for the duFray Devils took one lookatCurt, then swallowed the toothpick he was picking apart with his teeth. ”You should have flushed yourself, boy, while you had the chance. It might have been a tightfit,but where you're goin', the smell's twice as ripe.”
* * * Life's a dance, Krissy. You keep moving and don't look back. Just keep moving. Dance forward, Krissy. Always dance forward. Kristen had just finished her crab cakes when the voice-an aging male voice-recited the words inside her head. She sat back and let the plain-spoken words send a s.h.i.+ver up her spine. She knew the voice, knew it for its comfort capabilities. But there was no face or name to go with the liquid-warm comfort that wrapped around her heart.
She glanced around, wondering if this place had opened up a memory vein inside her head, but there was nothing else. Nothing.
”Angel? Did you hear me?”
Kristen shoved her braid off her shoulder and focused on Blu. ”I heard. You want me to let you call the
shots for the next forty-eight hours. Why?”
”I'm waiting on some information. It's goingtotake a couple of days to hear back.”
”Information?” Kristen couldn't help but look surprised. ”From who?”
”I can't say.”
She glanced at the bandage on his arm, then the faint red mark still on his neck. Suddenly Kristen
understood. Blu had called her naive. And she had been until now. ”How do I know you're not lying just tokeep me in town?”
”And why would I do that?”
Kristen didn't have an answer.
”I told you before-”
She cut in. ”You told me that you're the right man to trust. I know what you said. But you didn't tell me why. What makes you so special,Blu Devil? Why should I trust you over anyone else? Come on, tough guy, what's your secret?”
She waited for himtotell her, but she knew he wasn't going to. For some reason he didn't want her to know about his past. Why?
”Give me two days.”
”That's it? That's all you're going to say?”
”No. I don't think I mentioned Tiny yesterday. He was the guy at Lema's we named the Hulk.
Remember?” ”You don't havetoexplain about Tiny. Sister Marian already told me about her brother and why he waschasing after me that night you...” Kristen hesitatedbecauseall she could think of to say wasThat night you kissed me. And she wasn't going to mention anything physical that they had shared. Finally she said,”Sister Marian said she sent him after me to watch mybackside. Ah, I mean...” One of his dark eyebrows arched, then he did something totally unexpected-he smiled again. ”Did you tell the good sister it wasn't necessary? That you already have theDevil watching your backside?” Kristen glanced around and caught several women watching them-or rather, watchinghim. Their suddeninterest was more than just mild curiosity, and she knew why-Blu's smile was breathtaking. Thewomen were as surprised and fascinated by the s.e.xy smile as she was. She said, ”Close your mouth.” ”What?” Kristen didn't want himtoknow she was having a moment of jealous rage, so she tried for sarcasm. ”I don't think this crowd is usedtobeing blinded by the sight of your teeth.”
She had no reasontofeel the slightest bit jealous. Feeling possessive of him was just plain stupid. To hide what she was feeling, Kristen directed her gaze out the window.
”What's wrong?”