Part 17 (1/2)
”There's a pretty good gap at the bottom. If they get desperate, they can stick their noses down there.”
We heard a thump and dull clang from within. Someone had tripped over a bucket. Matheus. .h.i.t the door a few times and yelled to be let out.
We climbed upstairs. ”Sure it won't be too noisy?”
”I'll make certain no one bothers them.”
”Thanks. I'll go see if Bobbi's all right and work out what to do with them.”
”I'll be in the lobby.”
Four floors later I was back in Bobbi's apartment. She was just giving Marza a drink, then ran over to me, her arms open. We held on to each other, not speaking for a long while. Marza finished her gla.s.s, put it on a table, and stood.”No more rehearsal tonight. I'm calling a cab.”
Bobbi whispered, ”She was really shook, can you take her home? Would you mind?”
When she looked at me like that I wouldn't mind walking over hot coals, or even taking Marza home. ”If you'll be okay.”
”I'll be fine. Marza...”
She got in my car and said nothing for the next ten minutes except to give directions. We stopped in front of her apartment building and I waited to see if she wanted me to walk her in or not.
”We're here,” I said when she didn't move.
She stopped boring a hole in the winds.h.i.+eld and tried it with me. I was getting another once-over, and the reappraisal was even more critical. ”Why were they after you?”
”I told you.”
”The truth this time.”
I shook my head.
”Are you with the gangs?”
”No. This is some old business that followed me from New York. The guy is crazy, you saw that.”
”Yes, I saw that. So what was it about? Why come after you with a couple of crosses? Why call you those names?”
”I said the guy's nuts. Can you account for all the stuff Pruitt lets out?”
”Madison's preoccupied with politics and being paranoid, so what is your friend preoccupied with?”
”With trying to blow my head off.”
”And what happens to Bobbi when he comes back?”
”They're after me, not her.”
”They were holding all of us. Do you think he won't try again?”
”He won't get the chance. I'm going to have a little talk with him tonight and straighten things out. Bobbi will be okay. I promise.”
”I hope you mean that. I don't want her hurt. Not by them or you, you know what I mean? She's a beautiful girl and that's attracted the wrong kind of men to her in the past. Did she tell you what the last one was like and what happened to him?”
”I know all about it,” I said truthfully.
”Good, because that's what I want to see her free from. You have no right to bring it all back.”
She had some guts. If I'd really been like Slick Morelli, she was courting some broken teeth. ”I don't plan to. I'm on your side.”
She was anything but convinced, but there was no way I could prove my sincerity except to go back and deal with the problem. She gave me a ”we'll see” shrug and got out. I waited until she was inside and drove a beeline back to Bobbi.
She unlocked the door after hearing my voice. ”I thought you'd never get back.”
”Same here.”
”Thanks for taking her, Jack.”
She was hugging me again. It was becoming a habit, a very nice one. Then it was time for my reaction and I couldn't stop it. My arms moved on their own, wrapping around her and lifting her from the floor. I held her hard, as much for warmth as for comfort. I was cold from the inside out and shaking all over.
”Jack? What is it? What's wrong?”
It was a long time before I had the strength of will to release her. I was d.a.m.ned near to crying. ”That idiot... I was afraid he'd kill you.”
Her light fingers stroked my brows and lids. ”But he didn't. Everything's okay. He wasn't even aiming at me.”
”He didn't have to, the bullets would have gone right through me. His silver is no more use against me than any other metal.”
”You mean the bullets-”
”They're metal. The silver makes no difference. He's gotten vampires mixed up with other folklore.”
”His cross held you back, though,” she said in a small voice.
”That was acting.” I looked around. She'd been cleaning up. The coffee service was gone and there was a throw rug covering the bullet furrow in the floor. On the table was Braxton's cross. He'd dropped it in the tussle with Phil. I carefully closed my hand over it and held it up for her to see. ”There, nothing happens and it's made of silver.”
”But why not?””I guess it's because G.o.d doesn't work the way Braxton thinks he should.” I opened my hand and let her regard what lay in it. ”I'm not evil, Bobbi. I have no fear of this, but I was afraid of losing you and can only thank G.o.d you're safe.”
She came into my arms again and this time we did not let I carried her to bed and tucked her in, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She was always a little sleepy afterward, regardless of how little I took from her. I sat next to her on top of the spread and kissed a few spots that had been missed earlier and made her giggle.
”d.a.m.n, you're good.”
”So are you.”
”Do you have to go?”
”There's some unfinished business downstairs. Say, how did Phil know to come up here, anyway?”