April Fools (9 page)

She only hesitated a moment, to test the air, to listen for footsteps, or an engine approaching through cover of night --

And then, dazed, Belinda began to run.

"Cobbs!"

Belinda staggered up to the front door and fell against the bell. The handle was locked. There were lights on inside but she couldn't hear anyone, and Sasha wasn't barking.

"Cobbs, please let me in!"

She stepped back dizzily and nearly fell off the porch.

The back. Maybe the patio door isn't locked.

It took a while to follow the sprawling layout of the house, and when she finally came up against a wall of shrubbery, it took another ten minutes to find a way to get through. She didn't even know why she'd come back to the house -- all she knew was that she couldn't wait alone on a dark corner for the bus, and at least Cobbs was here --

"Cobbs! Please let me in! It's Belinda!"

She saw the opening then.

With a sob of relief, she fell onto the patio -- saw the tall, stiff figure framed in the kitchen doorway --

"Oh, Cobbs," she cried, "something terrible happened --"

But it wasn't Cobbs who pulled himself from the shadows, his features caught in the light from the room behind him.

It was Adam.

And now Belinda looked clearly into his face.

It was a cruel face -- and even without the mutilations, she sensed that it would still be a cruel face, for the cruelty looked back at her from deep, deep in his eyes. She saw the stitches lacing his sunken cheeks, his forehead, and his chin -- the purple-yellow bruises around his black, fathomless eyes -- the lines of pain etched jaggedly and permanently into his rugged features. He was the Adam in the photograph . . . and yet he was chillingly different.

"You don't give up, do you?" Adam sounded amused and -- Belinda realized uneasily -- not particularly surprised to see her. *Well, take a good look. Remember it in your dreams."

Something moved near his neck, and as Belinda's eyes were drawn to the subtle motion, she was horrified to see a snake hanging there.

"Someone ..." With an effort, she looked away. "I think someone was following me. ..." And now her eyes moved slowly over his legs, his feet, over his cane, and his strong, gentle hands gripping it. Even in his condition, there was something so sensual about him that it was almost magnetic.

"Following you?" Adam's eyes widened slightly. His mouth curled at the comers. "You should be

more careful going out at night. All alone. Anything could happen."

Belinda forced her gaze out onto the patio. "Where's Cobbs?"

"At the store. But please come in. Maybe I can help."

"No." Her voice quivered, though she fought to control it. "No. Just call a cab for me, please."

There was a moment's hesitation as his eyes flicked over her.

"You're bleeding. Come inside." Adam limped slowly into the kitchen, but Belinda stayed where she was.

"Just please call a cab."

"We'd better take care of your face first. You wouldn't want to end up looking hke me, now, would you?" He disappeared from her view, returning a minute later with a bottle of alcohol and some cotton. Belinda swallowed, forcing down her fear. The snake's trail brushed over the table.

ril go in and make the call myself . . . Fll leave the door open . . .

"This person following you," Adam said slowly, unscrewing the cap on the bottle, "what did he look like?"

"I didn't see him."

"Oh . . . pity. Then there wasn't anything about him you recognized."

"He was in a car," Behnda said shakily. "He started after me, but then he stopped. He put the headlights on."

Adam balanced himself against the table . . . tipped the bottle onto some cotton.

"How lucky you got away."

*When he turned the headlights off, I ran -- I got back into the park and came here --" She broke off suddenly, her attention caught by something shiny lying on a counter near a back door.

A set of keys.

"Where does that door go to?" she asked quietly.

Adam's glance was disinterested. "The garage. Don't worry, Belinda, you can run in any direction and get away from me quite easily." He pushed back a chair, made a mock bow. "Sit down."

"I'd rather stand."

His eyes fastened on her face, and with an effort she held his gaze. It seemed forever that he watched her. At last she gave in to his stare and sat, a chill working up her spine as the snake crawled slowly over his chest.

"Such a mess," Adam scolded gently. "You should stay away from shortcuts."

Belinda glanced at him sharply, searching his face, finding nothing. He ran one cotton swab slowly down her cheek. She felt fire and ice and her hands gripped the edge of the table.

"How do you know that?" she asked weakly. "How do you know about the shortcut?"

"Cobbs told me." There was a sharp sting as he held the cotton against her skin. "You should be more careful, Behnda. You could get hurt."

She bit her lip, trying not to look at him. His

expert fingers worked slowly up each side of her / face . . . methodical. . . deliberate. His touch was light -- almost teasing -- yet underneath she felt cold steel, a frightening strength barely held in check.

"Please don't do any more. My mom can take care of it --"

"Your mom's not home. She's working double shifts at the hospital, and she doesn't get off till seven a.m. The rest of the time . . . you're all alone in the house."

Behnda's heart jumped, her grip tightening on the table edge. Did I tell him that? Did Cobbs? How does he know?

"I know a lot about you, Belinda." Adam's fingers lingered against her cheek. His other hand shd slowly down her neck, sending shivers through her, until it finally clamped down upon her shoulder. "And isn't it strange . . . but I keep feeling I've seen you somewhere before?"

She couldn't move.

Suddenly she was so terrified that all she could hear was her own frantically beating pulse. A scream struggled into her throat -- her voice came out over it, shrill and broken.

"I ... I don't see how you could --"

"You sound nervous, Belinda." To her horror he leaned down, slowly, into her face. She could feel his calm, even breath . . . the chill from his eyes. "And I'm trying to figure out," he whispered, "just what it is about me that makes you feel that way?"

Around his neck the snake roused . . . body puUing into itself . . . head slowly lifting. Its forked tongue darted inches from her face.

"Yes . . ." Adam murmured, "you'd be surprised at the things I know."

"You're hurting me," she whispered.

"Am I?" The black eyes lifted. "Oh. Sorry."

"What's going on in here?" The voice came unexpectedly from the doorway, and as Noel stood there surveying the scene, an angry frown crossed his face. "Belinda -- are you all right? What happened?"

"Oh, Noel --" It was all she could do to keep from throwing herself into his arms. As she stumbled from the table she saw his eyes settle furiously on Adam.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get that thing away from her."

"Belinda's shaking," Adam said, half smiling. "I think I scared her."

"What happened?" Noel demanded again. He didn't look at all in the mood for Adam's games, and as Belinda got to him, he caught her by the shoulders, reviewing her disheveled appearance with dismay. "Look at your face -- what -- ?"

She shook her head. "I'm okay, really. Someone scared me in the park and --"

"She took a shortcut." Adam slid a caress over the snake's supple body. "She should know better. There're all kinds of weird people out there."

"Come on." Noel put his arm around her, flashing Adam a cold stare. "I'll take you home."

"But we haven't had a chance to talk yet, " Adam

said with mock pleading. "She's always asking me about my accident -- now that she's seen this amazing face, she should know how it happened."

"Come on," Noel said again, but once more Adam's voice stopped them.

"You probably wouldn't know the place, Belinda -- it's not even around here. In fact, it's a two-hour drive away."

"Please," Belinda tugged on Noel's sleeve. "Let's go now."

"What's the matter?" Adam smiled. "Is the suspense too much for you?"

Noel's eyes sparked dangerously. "Cut it out, Adam. I don't know what you're trying to prove, but --."

"I don't have to prove anything. Here's proof." Adam pointed to his face ... to his legs. "And here --"

"Take me home," Belinda mumbled.

"What's the matter, Belinda? I thought you wanted to hear all the gory details --"

"Please, Adam, I don't want to know --"

"How my father screamed? I haven't told you yet about my father screaming --"

"Stop it --"

"I was just picking them up at the airport. Dad and dear old Gloria. I live around there, you know. They wanted to see me, so I offered to drive them home. ... It was raining, I think ..."

"Adam, stop it!"

"Ever been sliced through your face? Ever had your legs crushed -- ?"

"Don't, Adam, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Belinda began to cry, and Noel shoved her through the door, throwing a murderous look over his shoulder.

"Jesus, Adam, how do you live with yourself--"

"I cover the mirrors." A slow, chilling smile crawled over his face. The snake slid over his shoulder . . . down his arm. "And by the way," he murmured, shaking his head slowly . . . slowly . . . "Why do you think Behnda looks so famihar to me? Do you think I could have seen her somewhere before?"

"God, Belinda, Fm sorry. I don't know what gets into him."

Belinda, huddled in her corner of the front seat, shook her head miserably. "It's okay." Oh, Noel, I need to tell you, but I can't -- what am I going to do? "I just want to go home.'*

"Back up a minute. I want to know what happened tonight in the park."

"Someone was chasing me. Someone in a car -- well, not chasing me, exactly -- I mean, they sat there with the headlights on and --" She glanced at him, determined not to start crying. "I'm not making any sense at all. Never mind. Nothing happened and I'm all right and --"

"I don't call that 'all right.' " Noel put one hand carefully to her face. "Shouldn't you go to a doctor or something?"

"It's just a scrape -- I fell down in the parking lot, that's all." She rubbed the raw places on her palms and blurted out, "Does Adam ever get out of the house?"

Noel looked at her in surprise. "Only when Cobbs takes him."

"But what about this evening? Was he out this evening?"

"Cobbs was," Noel sounded puzzled. "Adam's been home all day. Why?"

"Oh ... no reason . . . I . . ." She pressed her mouth into a thin hne. "No reason, it's -- what's so funny?"

Noel, struggling to hide a smile, had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry ... it just sounded so funny -- like maybe Adam escapes when no one's watching."

Even BeUnda had to laugh at that, but Noel's next comment stopped her cold.

"Why'd you ask that, anyway? You almost sound as if you suspect him of something."

"Well, of course I don't. Why should I?" She wished Noel would stop asking questions; she was getting all confused. Even now she could see Adam's face . . . the shrewd look in his eyes as he'd thrown things out at her so easily. It wasn't the first time he'd toyed with her. It was something he was good at.

It was something he enjoyed.

"Hey, you okay?"

She jumped as Noel's hand closed over her own, then gave him an embarrassed smile.

"Just a little nervous."

"After what happened, I can understand why. Look, Belinda, if Adam makes you that upset . . . if you don't want to come back to the house anymore

. . . well, personally I think Adam just gets a kick out of scaring people --"

She nodded tiredly. "So I shouldn't give him the satisfaction."

"He probably wouldn't pick on you so much if he thought it didn't bother you."

"You're right -- I don't want him to think he's intimidating me -- and besides, I promised your mother --"

"Forget that. She hates Adam anyway; it won't matter to her." He changed lanes and checked the rearview mirror. "And speaking of Mom, I'm kind of surprised I haven't heard from her. New York must have been more interesting than she thought."

Belinda nodded without hearing.

It can't be the same wreck . . . it's just too much of a coincidence, and no matter what Adam, says, I won't believe it --

"Belinda?" Noel glanced at her, half laughing. "Did you fall asleep on me just then?"

"Oh, sorry." Belinda tried to smile. "My mind just wandered off for a minute."

"You need to get some rest," Noel said gently. "Being with Adam very long can't be good for your health."

"The gate," Belinda said suddenly, and again Noel cast her a wary look. "The gate to your house -- when I ran back, it was open." Open. Like he was waiting for me.

Noel shook his head. "It couldn't have been. That gate's never open."

"But it was tonight. I walked right in."

Noel looked puzzled. "Maybe Cobbs left it open accidentally when he left. It's not very likely . . . but it is possible, I guess. Poor old guy's pretty upset about Fred."

Belinda wasn't convinced. "Yes ... I guess so "

"So what about the gate?" Noel turned into her driveway and let the motor idle. "There must be some perfectly logical reason why all of a sudden you're so worried about our gate." The look he gave her was amused, and Belinda blushed.

"I just wouldn't want anyone wandering in, that's all," she said lamely. "It's not safe . . . and Adam's there alone sometimes -- and --"

"Ah. So now we're concerned about Adam."

Belinda couldn't tell if Noel was teasing or a trifle put out. Quickly she added, "Well, he can't run, can he? If someone broke in and went after him?"

"No, he can't run. He can't even get around without that cane. Going up and down those stairs is pure torture for him."

"Well, then, see? You should just make sure the gate's locked so Adam doesn't get hurt."

"Right." Noel cast her a strange look. "By all means, my first priority will be for Adam's safety."