Part 14 (2/2)

”You'll be safe here tonight. You can call home, get a shower and some hot tea, something to help you chill out... and some rest. My grandfather has some strange ways, but he's a decent old man. Real cool like that.”

She nodded and pulled away from the embrace to stare up at him. ”You'll stay in the house with me, though... I mean... you won't be too far away?”

”Yeah,” he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. She wanted him near? Thought of him like he was some kinda protection or something-a hero? Whoa.

Needing to move or else kiss her, he got off the bike and helped her down. For some reason, she snuggled in close to him, and for some reason, his arm threaded around her waist. They entered the house practically in tandem. His grandfather's Navajo wife looked up, smiled, and brought a pile of towels and clothing forward. She petted the young woman's face and turned to Jose for an introduction. It was only then that he realized he didn't even know her name.

”Uh, we just met, and-”

”I'm Juanita,” the young woman beside him said shyly.

”Oh yeah, I'm Jose,” he said to the woman he'd saved, and then offered his grandfather's wife an apology with his eyes.

The older woman said nothing, just simply handed off the pile of towels and clothing to Juanita, then kissed them both, held their faces for a moment, and left the house to go wait on the porch.

Jose's grandfather nodded toward him. ”My wife will gather with the women to make strong medicine to give to you both, but especially her, the one with the eyes of the night.”

Jose stood very, very still. He knew a little something, as memory served him, about old shaman ways-none of which made him feel comfortable in the least. If an all-female tribal night conclave was being convened to make serious medicine before dawn, then the men would be in a heavy spiritual ritual within a sweat lodge. He and his grandfather shared a knowing glance.

”Do not worry,” his grandfather said, setting his jaw hard as he fetched his gray felt hat with the eagle feather down from the wall. ”You pa.s.sed the first test-she is not dead; you also live unmarked by the beasts. This house cannot be entered by the shadows. Strong medicine keeps the path clear and this home untouched.” He strode toward the door, unfazed. ”Besides, the man with a good heart who played the guitar taught you how to shoot a rifle. He is a good teacher. There is a rifle with special sh.e.l.ls on the mantel.”

Jose nodded. Jack Rider had definitely taught him how to shoot, how to ride, and how to play a little guitar. The reference to his old mentor's presence at the house brought back good memories. But, still, Jose wished his grandfather had decided to stick close to home. He wasn't no punk, but d.a.m.n. They were gonna leave him and Juanita there all by themselves? What if something else wack jumped off? Learning how to shoot a rifle years ago, with a wild-man guitar player while drinking Jack Daniel's and hanging out on bikes, was not exactly commando training!

Jose glimpsed the mantel, and then Juanita. She stood stock-still, like a paralyzed deer caught in the gun-barrel sight of a hunter. Her knuckles were losing color as she clutched the pile of fabrics to her chest. Girlfriend looked like she was about to pa.s.s out, and he couldn't blame her.

”Uh, listen... why don't you call your mom, tell her you're okay? I'll call mine. Then you can get a shower and I'll root around in the fridge to see what's to eat.”

”You know how to shoot that gun?” Her gaze ricocheted from him to the mantel and back.

”Yeah, I'm okay at it.”

She shook her head in a slow, frightened daze. ”I can't go into the bathroom alone... it has a window, right?”

”Yeah, but-”

”Uh-uh! No,” she whispered, panic strangling her voice. ”Please don't leave me alone in any room at any time.”

”But what if you have to pee?” he said, trying not to smile.

”So!” She began walking in a tight circle. ”You can bring the gun in there, stand by the window, keep your back to me, and then when I tell you I'm decent, you can turn around.”

”The bathroom ain't but so big, 'Nita.” He chuckled and raked his fingers through his hair.

She looked up at him, a plea in her eyes. ”What did you call me?”

”'Nita. Why?”

She glanced away, her face flushed. ”That's an old nickname. Only people who know me real well ever call me that.”

He shrugged, new tension threading through him as he stared at her beautiful, stricken face. ”Well, sorta makes sense that we get

real cool real fast, if we're gonna listen to each other pee, don't you think?”

She just stared at him for a second and then burst out laughing. The sound of her voice ran through him and tightened the tense muscles in his spine.

”Good to see you finally relaxing.” He looked down at his grimy, gook-splattered clothes. ”I'll ransack the fridge after I wash up,

on second thought.”

”You're still gonna go in the bathroom with me, with the gun, right?” Her eyes searched his face for a commitment.

”Yeah. No problem,” he said, feeling an odd mixture of nervousness and excitement. This woman didn't know him from Adam,

yet trusted him not to be some weirdo. She was gonna allow him to guard her, naked in a shower, and not try to violate her. Deep. Jose went to the mantel and turned to face her. He watched her shoulders drop an inch in visible relief.

Chapter Three.

The responsibility weighed on him heavily in several ways as he ushered Juanita to the bathroom. Part of him stood taller, felt a sense of quiet, resounding pride that a woman as beautiful as her actually thought of him as some sort of neighborhood knight. Him? A kid from the barrios without any real money beyond chump change to his name? But every glance she offered was filled with awe and respect like he'd never been given by any female eyes. Yet another part of him was extremely worried. What if his grandfather had been wrong and those things that attacked them came back... what if he wasn't able to fend them off this time? What if they hurt her in some way? That outcome was totally unacceptable now, especially when she'd scooted into the bathroom behind him and shut the door, seeking a lock.

”My grandparents don't believe in locks in the house,” Jose said, turning his back to Juanita.

Her eyes darted between him, the window, the door, and the shower. The man hadn't lied; the bathroom was so small that both of them could barely turn around within it, but every horror movie she'd ever seen converged in her rapid pulse.

”Check the shower,” she said, whispering. ”Please.”

Jose flung the curtain back with bravado, brandis.h.i.+ng the weapon, using the rifle barrel to hold back the white plastic. ”It's cool.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. ”Good.”

Perhaps it was the expression of relief on her face or the way the statement had come out on a breathy rush, but it made him need to turn around to pull himself together.

”I'll, uh, just stay like this till you tell me it's cool. Okay?”

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