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Before he left, he’d check on the security guards he’d ordered to be placed in front of their house. No way he’d be taking any more chances with her life. He had plans for their future and selfishly hoped they’d be sharing them soon.
Chapter Thirty-one
After dropping Honey off, Luke made sure all was in place before leaving. He waved to her mother and Bernie through the window and then hesitated before heading back to his truck. On the front steps, he watched as the striking beauty held the doorknob and waited, her silhouette inflaming his senses.
Tongue-tied, he wasn’t sure what to say. How to end the evening. He knew what he wanted to do, but he’d not start something he couldn’t finish. Christ, while standing outside her house, he wondered how many years it had been since he’d taken a girl home and had to say goodnight on the front step.
He instantly accepted the truth. He’d never had a normal date with a girl where he’d dropped her off after an evening out and hoped for a kiss goodnight. Most of his dates ended up at his joint with the two sleeping together before she’d leave.
“Thanks for bringing me home.” Honey’s thick voice had his antenna up. She appeared as nervous as he felt.
Trying to lighten the mood, he stuck his hands in his back pockets and shuffled his feet on purpose. “So… I’m not used to bringing a girl home this way. You’ll have to help me out. Do I ask for a kiss now?”
Laughing, she stepped closer, reached up, and put her lips to his cheek. “Goodnight, Luke. And thanks again, for jumping in before I got badly hurt.”
He sensed something in her words and instantly stiffened. “But you did get hurt, didn’t you? Where?”
“I’m fine. My arm where I fell took a hit but considering what could have happened, I’ll survive.” Her hand covered the injury near her elbow, and she rubbed it.
“Let me see.” Instant worry came across strongly.
“No. Really. It’s minor. I’ll live.” She brushed his reaching hands away.
Unable to withstand her resistance, he pulled her into his arms in the old Luke-take-charge way and nestled her face to his neck. He whispered into her curls. “That monster’s lucky he didn’t hurt you worse, or I’d have killed him.”
Before he let her reply, he wrenched away and strode to his truck, not looking back. Feeling her eyes on him, he just kept going until he’d driven away. Then he pulled over on the next block, covered his face, and allowed his body to tremble with the angst of what might have been.
How fucking close he’d come to losing her drove him crazy. Made the sickness rise in his tight gut.
His fault… she’d put herself in harm’s way for him.
For him.
Jesus!
***
Eventually, driving back to the city lights, Luke parked his truck, pulled on a dark hoodie that would hide his sidearm, and placed a tuke over his hair to pull low on his forehead. Hoping his disguise worked for anyone identifying him as Luke Stone the singer, he moved through the downtown crowds.
Glad he hadn’t shaved for a few days so he appeared kind of scruffy, and pretending to be drunk with pain, he stopped a lot of wandering loners to ask if they knew where he could find Zed.
Zeroing in on the partiers who looked particularly high on some sort of drug, he’s stopped them to wheedle, “I need something to tide me over, friend. Help me find my man, Zed?”
He got a lot of don’t knows and even a few pushes and snubs but finally one of the bums came through. “He’s down by the river, bro. And he’s smokin’.”
Taking that to mean Zed must be drunker than usual, Luke made his way down to where he knew the homeless vagrants often hung out. Still pretending to be intoxicated, he kept his eyes open for any signs of life. Over and over, he came across derelicts out of their minds, and he moved on. He had no time for anyone other than Zed.
Hearing a female begging for help, he closed in and found just the person he wanted. A disheveled woman, maybe in her thirties but could have been ten years younger if not for the wear and tear the drugs had wrought, pulled at a man’s frame. “Zed, baby, give me one for now and I swear I’ll bring you back the money. I just need to get strong so I can hustle. Come on, man. I’m begging you.”
“Told you, Sadie, same as yesterday. Git away from me now, girl.”
“I’ll make you feel real good, Zed. You know I can. I just need a little pick-me-up.”
As Luke listened, he heard Zed let out a screech before he lunged at the woman dancing away with his bottle now in her hand. She held it out of his reach, skipping back from him, saying. “Give me a couple pills, and I’ll give you back this here booze. Come now, baby.”
Before Zed could retaliate, Luke stepped into the opening, grabbed the bottle from her hand and put it behind him. Then he took out a twenty and passed it into her groping hands. “Get lost.” His words didn’t need to be repeated. Giggling with glee, she ran.
Turning, Luke saw Zed struggling to rise, lurching his way, and Luke showing he didn’t present any danger sat down on the grass and put the bottle out between them… closer to Zed. “Here.”
