Chasing Adonis (15 page)

Adara Berros was unlike any woman he’d ever met before—part
Xena, Warrior Princess and part Rapunzel. He found it a heady combination.

“If you’d like, I could call my sensei. Or you could just
bring the boy down to the dojo for a trial class. It’s Tao Wu Karate in
Riverview.”

He rose to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Maybe later.
Right now, we have to get you to the safe house.”

And me as far away from you as possible before I get in
over my head…

Chapter Fourteen

“I’m not staying here.”

The room at the Seven Knights Motel gave new meaning to the
term, “seedy.” Heavy drapes in a dingy gold color were drawn back to allow
slivers of light from the late afternoon sun to penetrate the grime-coated
window. Still, the illumination did the room no justice.

In fact, it only served to enhance the large brown stains on
the threadbare indoor/outdoor carpeting and the deep scars on the faux walnut
furniture. Even with the door closed, traffic whizzed by on the highway
outside, rattling the windows and shaking the lamps on the cockeyed
nightstands. The odor of old grease, mixed with a sickening sweet bug spray,
sent her stomach pitching.

This was a safe house? It might be safe, but it certainly
wasn’t pretty. Nor was it very clean.

While the room’s ugliness assaulted her senses on all
fronts, her brain made a quick decision. Unh-uh. No way. Not in a million years
would she lay her head on that filthy pillow or slide her body between sheets
she imagined were as sanitary as everything else in this place.

“If this is how you treat witnesses,” she said, stifling a
shiver of disgust, “I’d hate to see the prison cells.”

Shane offered her a half-smile, confirming her suspicion
that convicts had better living quarters than the county offered her. “I’m
sorry, Adara. I didn’t realize—”

“Don’t apologize. Just get me out of here.”

“I can’t. It may not be the Taj Mahal, but it’s safe.”

“Yeah, well there are more important things than safety.” A
dark brown insect scurried across the floor, and she stamped her foot. The
collision between her sneaker and the bug elicited a squishy crackle that made
her wince. “Like living without cockroaches. Forget it, Shane. I’ll find my own
safe house. I’ll even pay for it, but I’m not staying here.”

A frown crossed his features as he stared at the squashed
carcass near her feet. “No. You won’t pay for it.” He let out a sigh as he
opened the door and drew her back outside. “I will.”

The bright sunlight momentarily blinded her after the gloom
of the accommodations, and she instinctively reached for Shane’s arm to steady
herself. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

He smiled and released her grip. “You won’t. I’ll take you
someplace else and deal with the consequences later. But I have to warn you, it
can’t be a high-profile place. No four-star hotel with a huge marble lobby and
dripping chandeliers. For our purposes, smaller is better.”

“Size doesn’t matter.” Heat infused her cheeks at the
unintentional double entendre. “So long as it’s clean.”

He stroked his chin. “I think we can accommodate you there.
Come on.”

~~~~

The Bayside Inn overlooked the Great South Bay in
Harborfield. Aside from the spectacular waterviews, it had two qualities that
made it perfect for their current needs. It was clean, and Shane had known the
owner since childhood. He and Ron Grogan found themselves one behind the other
whenever they were lined up in alphabetical order throughout twelve years of
school. Such a connection made them easy friends. More importantly, all these
years later, he trusted Ron to respect and maintain the secrecy needed to keep
Adara safe.

“Here we are,” he announced as he stopped outside Room 26.
“Your new, but temporary, home.”

He pushed open the door and stepped aside to allow her a
chance to see the place for herself. The room resembled a miniature apartment
with a tiny living area, dining table for two, and a kitchenette containing a
single wall of cabinets, a microwave, coffeemaker, and mini refrigerator. Wide
windows let in an expanse of light as well as panoramic vistas of the bay,
easily seen from the couch.

“Oh, this is more like it,” she exclaimed, wandering toward
the magnificent view. “Thank you, Shane. This is almost like being on vacation
at some exotic resort.”

Pride washed over him at the sound of her pleasure. For some
strange reason, he enjoyed seeing her smile—the way it lit up her whole face,
lending her eyes a glow that warmed his insides. 

“The bedroom’s in the back here,” he said, carrying her
suitcases with him down the short hall.

The same exterior view bathed the queen-sized bed in golden
light. While reveling in her happiness with his choice, he placed one suitcase
on the rack in the corner and the other next to it, averting his face from her
in order to hide his own smile.

When he gained control of his expressions again, he turned
back to face her. “You should be pretty comfortable here. I changed your name
again. You’re now Lisa Whitman. The cabinets in the kitchen hold cooking
utensils as well as dishes and silverware. So all you need is food, and you’ll
be all set. There’s a small market about a block away from here. We can pick up
some necessities right now, if you’d like.”

Her smile dimmed, and he swore the sun diminished as well.
“You’ve done so much for me already. It’s nearly seven o’clock. Go home. I’ll
be all right until tomorrow.”

“You sure?”

She nodded.

“Okay. But if you need anything—anything at all—ask Ron.
He’ll be here all night. And I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to check
on you.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, studying her face for any fear
or distress. Her features remained clear and unlined. Too bad. He would have
liked a reason to stay.

“Okay, then,” he said instead. “Goodnight.”

She walked with him to the door, and he dropped the room key
on the dining table on his way out. “Goodnight, Shane. And thanks.”

Her smile widened again, and the breath left his lungs as if
he’d been punched in the gut. Time to leave before he did something stupid.
Like try to kiss her again.

~~~~

The first thing Adara did after Shane left was take a long,
hot shower. Between the attacker in her apartment and the filth of that other
hellhole, her pores had absorbed too much stench, and she needed to feel clean
again. Thoroughly scrubbed and refreshed, she wrapped herself in her fluffy
terry cloth robe and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Eight o’clock. Only twelve hours or so until Shane came
back. What would she possibly due to fill the void?

Her stomach growled like a feral animal on the prowl,
reminding her that she’d eaten nothing since the attempt to swallow the egg
white omelet earlier. Maybe she should have taken Shane up on his offer to go
to the market.

But, no. She’d never been a burden to any man before, and
she wouldn’t start now. Especially not now. So, what to do about a meal? She
recalled seeing a series of vending machines tucked in an alcove on the way to
her room. That would have to suffice as a take-out restaurant, she thought as
she quickly discarded the robe and tossed a sundress over her head.

She slipped into her shoes then found her purse on the couch
where she’d dropped it earlier. Much like an archaeologist seeking evidence of
an ancient culture, she dug into the bottom of the bag for spare change. Her
expedition rewarded her with four quarters and six dimes. Hopefully, that would
be enough to buy a package of cheese crackers and a soda. Neither nourishing
nor filling, but the best she could do until tomorrow.

After retrieving the room key from the table, she strolled
outside, locking the door firmly behind her. It was a beautiful night. The sky
was filled with diamond white stars, and a slight tang of salt tinged the cool
breeze blowing off the bay. Underneath it all, the faint hum of her room’s air
conditioner and the buzz of crickets hiding in the tall grasses pleasantly
broke the night’s stillness.

While she walked along the outdoor deck, she said a silent
prayer of thanks to Shane for finding her this haven. Where was he now? Was he
home? What did “home” look like for him? A house with a white picket fence like
in her fantasy? Probably not.

He struck her more as a condo or townhouse owner, no fuss or
muss. He’d have stark white walls with modern conveniences galore on the
inside. Black leather couches and glass and chrome tables. On the outside, she
pictured a manicured garden with grass neatly trimmed by employees of the
homeowner’s association. Definitely, a condo owner.

Reaching the alcove with the vending machines, Adara studied
her options. The soda cost a precious dollar of her hoard, but she really
needed the jolt of caffeine. Fig bars, however, were a mere fifty cents. That
would have to suffice.

With her meager dinner purchased, she strolled back to her
room, but stopped short when she noticed a tall, blond man leaning against her
doorframe.

“Ted?”

“Hello, my angel.” He wore another white linen suit, this
time with a turquoise dress shirt. In his right hand, he held up a plastic
shopping bag. “I brought you a few things to make your exile more comfortable.”

“H-how did you find me?”

Chapter Fifteen

After picking up Tyler at his mother’s, Shane drove the
three miles home, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Adara. He should
have stayed with her. At the very least, he should have posted a cruiser
outside the inn. According to Lou, the assailant from her apartment had
lawyered up immediately upon reaching the precinct and refused to cooperate.
His rap sheet indicated that he was indeed on Cherry’s payroll, and Shane
didn’t for one second believe the attack was an isolated incident.

Thank God Ron could be trusted to keep an eye on her tonight.
Tomorrow, he’d have to come up with a better plan.

Which reminded him, he still hadn’t informed his commander
of her move to the Bayside. Oh, well. Tomorrow was soon enough. Everything else
could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he had to concentrate on the little boy
sitting at the dining room table, an untouched bowl of macaroni and cheese
before him.

“How was school today, Tyler?”

“Good,” Tyler replied, eyes downcast.

“What’d you do?”

“Nothin’.”

Shane sighed his frustration. The same routine played out
every evening. Getting Tyler to open up and talk about anything was impossible.
He prayed Adara was right about karate giving him power. For now, he’d settle
for the topic giving him a voice—or at least, sparking some kind of interest in
the child’s passivity.

“Hey, guess what?”

Tyler stopped poking at the orange macaroni in his bowl long
enough to look up.

“I was talking to a lady today who thinks you might enjoy
learning karate. What do you think of that?”

“Like Prufrock?”

Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of Prufrock? The
taco-eating superhero on Tyler’s favorite cartoon, who fought bad guys with his
rapid-fire karate moves, was the ideal role model to inspire the child.

“Yeah, just like Prufrock. So what do you think? Would you
like to try?”

He shrugged his tiny shoulders. “I’m not very strong.”

“Not right now, you’re not. But Prufrock wasn’t strong when
he first started, either. Remember? When Penn found him in the garbage can, he
was just a little baby dinosaur. But after a while, with Penn’s help, he grew
bigger and stronger. And now, no one messes with him.”

Forming his fingers into claws, Shane hissed at his nephew
with a not-too-ferocious look on his face. It had the desired effect; Tyler
giggled. Quick as a blink, though, his expression reverted to blankness again.

Oh, no you don’t. I’m going to get a sustained reaction
out of you if it kills me…

“Well?” He poked the boy’s shoulder, hoping to jar something
loose.

“It might be cool.”

Not good enough, Tyler. I’ll have to up the ante.

“It
might
be cool? You wouldn’t sound so
disinterested if you’d seen what I saw. There’s a lady I’m working with, and
she’s kind of tiny. Well, today I saw her knock a man twice her size onto the
ground. She had him rolling around in pain in no time. I swear, he didn’t know
what hit him.”

“Was it a bad man?” Tyler’s question came out a frightened
whisper.

Shit. How best to answer that without terrifying the child?

Tyler knew what Shane did for a living. In happier times, he
used to brag about his uncle, who fought bad guys. Shane had even visited the
boy’s preschool to talk to the children about staying away from strangers.

Still, these days he didn’t want Tyler thinking that the
world was filled with nothing but bad guys. Then again, if he knew that Adara
had flattened a bad guy with karate, would that give him the impetus to take
the classes seriously? He shook his head in confusion. Too bad no one gave
guardians a How-to manual when they accepted responsibility for a child.
Substitute
Parenting for Dummies
. It would probably be a bestseller.

Since a guidebook wasn’t an option, maybe he should consider
joining his mother at those LVOM meetings. A lot of children were orphaned or
transferred to guardians after a murder in the family. Surely someone in that
organization—at least one other person—must have overcome some of the hurdles
he faced with Tyler.

Unfortunately, at the moment, no easy solution lay at hand.
He’d just have to wing it, something at which he was getting extraordinarily
good these days.

“Yes, he was a bad man,” he said solemnly. “And I was in the
next room, too far away to help. But she didn’t need me. She had him moaning in
pain before I could even get there. Fifteen seconds flat.”