Titanium (4 page)

Sergeant Brian stood around six feet tall, was probably in his
early fifties, and had short salt-and-pepper hair that reminded me of
my dad. He sat in Riley's recliner and listened intently to her entire
story without interrupting, though he did make some notes.

When she finished, he took the floor. "First off, no key in the
turtle."

"I'd never."

"Good. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Good to know.

"Your parents?"

"They live in a suburb of Dallas."

"Have you called them?"

"No, and I don't plan to. At least not yet."

Brian didn't challenge her. "You two are together?" He
flicked a finger to indicate that he referred to me. I waited for her
answer, too.

"We met for the first time tonight."

The cop took that in stride and focused on me. "What are
you? Twenty, twenty-one?"

"Twenty-three, sir."

"Military?"

"Medical discharge in January."

"And you enlisted when?"

"I was nineteen."

Sergeant Brian nodded as if those questions were actually
pertinent to the current situation and turned his attention to Riley
again. "Are you absolutely sure you didn't have a class with this
Jason guy?"

"Ye--" She hesitated. "Actually, no. Some of the basic classes
were huge. He could easily have been in one of them, especially since
I don't really know what he looks like."

I could tell the question had upset her and guessed why. She
could pass Jason and his homies in a hallway come Monday and not
even know it.

"Can you think of a reason why he or anyone else would
come after you? Do you have a disgruntled ex? Have you turned
down a wannabe boyfriend? Ignored any guys trying to get your
attention?"

"No."

"Height of your attacker?"

She thought about it. "Um--"

"Jason and I were heads even, which would put him at six-
one," I told him. "The jerk she's calling 'tall guy' was maybe an inch
over that. 'Short guy' couldn't have been over five-seven."

"Hair and eyes?"

"They were wearing weird contacts. All black," Riley said.
"And they all had their hoods up."

Sergeant Brian glanced at me for confirmation and got my
nod. "Was there anything special about any of your assailants
besides the zombie face paint? A tic, a limp? Did you see any jewelry?
Tats? Scars, moles, cuts or scrapes, fever blisters on any of
them?"

"No."

I helped her out again. "Jason had an earring and some kind
of Asian symbol on his neck that I'm pretty sure I've seen before. Tall
guy had a wispy mustache. Shorty had this look." I rubbed my scruffy
chin.

"Did anyone touch your car door?" Sergeant Brian asked her
next.

She thought back. "Don't think so. Jason did touch my
keys."

"Yeah, but he had on gloves," I told them.

Riley sighed, visibly distressed that she hadn't been more
help.

Sergeant Brian scribbled something before he shut the little
notebook he'd been writing in. "At this point, there's not much I can
do except contact mall security and review any video they might
have." He stood, as did we. "Speaking as a father of two girls, I
believe you should think about moving to another neighborhood.
There are some reasonable apartments on the east side that are new
and taking renters. Or maybe you should consider university
housing."

"My aunt put me on a waiting list." Her expression revealed
she wasn't thrilled to be there.

"At the least, you should change those locks. There are
several twenty-four-seven locksmiths in the city. Pricey, but you
need to get it done as soon as possible or sleep somewhere else
tonight."

"I'll take care of it for her," I said.

Sergeant Brian looked at me for a couple of moments and
patted my shoulder before catching Riley's eye. "You're very lucky
this guy here follows hunches."

"Believe me, I know."

"If I were you, I'd vary my routine just to be safe. If you think
of anything you haven't told me, call this number." He handed her a
card, but not before he wrote another number on the back of it. "This
is my personal cell and my email address. Don't hesitate to use
either. I won't mind." His gaze narrowed slightly. "Sure you don't
want to call your folks? If you were mine, I'd want to know."

"I promise I will if anything else happens."

"Okay." Sergeant Brian left us, pausing on the porch to scan
the area just as I'd done earlier. With a shake of his head that
could've meant he'd come to the same bad conclusion, he walked to
his car and left.

I stared at the card. "I can't believe he gave me his personal
phone number."

"He really wants you to use it, by the way. Now I'm going to
make a Wal-Mart run. Will you be okay?"

"Yes, because I'm coming, too." Snatching up my purse, I
followed him to his truck.

Later, while Zander changed out the locks I'd paid for, I
wore out the threadbare beige carpet even more with my pacing. I
wanted to be brave, but all I could think about was how scared I'd
been in the parking lot. The fact that I would never feel safe again
saddened and infuriated me. Although I didn't want to let those
creeps change the way I looked at the world, they somehow
had.

Did they know it? Was that the whole point of the attack? To
frighten me? Had they done the same thing to other girls? Was it fun
for them? I watched Zander, who was on his right knee with the
other at a slightly awkward angle that looked uncomfortable. I
remembered the way he'd walked in the food court, with his gait
slightly off. Though he'd seemed okay afterward, I now wondered if
it was his leg that had been hurt in Afghanistan.

I sat on my couch, my thoughts on the fighting overseas and
my eyes on Zander, who'd shed his hoodie at some point and now
wore a white T-shirt that showed off how fit he was. War was so
cruel. No one ever really won. I wished I knew more of his story. He'd
indicated that a military career wasn't his parents' wish for him. Yet
he'd enlisted anyway and served three years. That made him my
kind of guy. After all, I'd chosen my public health major because I
wanted to make a difference in people's lives.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Zander glance at me. I
realized he was making sure that I wasn't watching when he got up,
so I made it a point not to stare directly at him. His struggling a little
seemed to confirm my guess that his leg was the problem. I hoped it
was a wound that would soon heal so he could get back to his
life.

"All done." He joined me on the couch, wincing slightly as he
sat. I pretended not to notice.

"How long have you been officially out of the army?" I
asked.

"MEB referred me to the PEB last January. I was discharged
a month later."

"MEB being?"

"Medical Evaluation Board. PEB is Physical Evaluation
Board."

"How long have you been living in San Antonio?"

"Three months."

"Are you working?"

"I'm not cleared for it yet, but I may have something lined up
for when I am. Haven't made up my mind on that." He glanced at his
watch and winced. "Are you handing out tacos today?"

"No."

"Good. You can catch up on your sleep."

That was so not happening, but I didn't tell him that. "Do
you want something to drink before you go? Coffee? Hot chocolate?
Coke?"

"No more coffee for me. How about a Coke?"

The thought of being alone in the house made my stomach
churn as I went into my kitchen to fill a glass with ice. I poured his
drink and waited for the fizz to retreat, my mind a million miles
away. I thought of my aunt and uncle and almost wished I was back
in the tiny bedroom I'd shared with Jilly, my twelve-year-old cousin.
At least I'd be safe, but at the cost of my privacy and
independence.

"Riley?"

I screamed and whirled to face Zander, who'd sneaked up on
me without meaning to. I tried to laugh off my overreaction, but it
sounded forced even to me. "Sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I handed him the Coke. "I have cookies."

"What kind?"

"Oatmeal and raisin. Homemade."

"I'd take a couple."

I gave them to him. We walked back to the living room and
sat again on the ugly tan corduroy couch that had come with the
apartment, an empty cushion between us.

Jason took a bite of cookie. "This is excellent. Er, are you
going to be all right here alone? I mean, I could stay--"

"
Oh my God
. Would you?
If your trailer is
really a dump, my spare bedroom is bound to better. You'd save me a
crap load of bother renting it out and make me feel safer in the
bargain." I registered his shocked expression. "What?"

"I meant I'd stand guard while you sleep today."

"Oops." My cheeks felt scorched, sure indication they were
red. Why? Because I'd moved the guy into my apartment when all he
meant to do was hang around for a little longer. Completely
humiliated, I played with a tear in the arm rest.

"Look at me."

I couldn't bear to.

"Riley, look at me."

I gazed into kind, golden-brown eyes rimmed with thick
lashes.

"Are you afraid of being here alone?"

"I'm fine. Just shaken up."

"You're lying."

I opened my mouth to protest. He touched a finger to my
lips.

"I can always tell.
Always.
"

"Another trick you learned in basic training?" I laughed until
I realized he hadn't even cracked a smile. "Wait...for real?"

He nodded. "It's a gift."

"Are you saying you read minds?" I watched paranormal TV
regularly and totally believed in psychics even if I'd never met
one.

"Not exactly. I mean, I can't tell what you're thinking now.
But I know without a doubt that you lied when you told me you were
fine. That's why I enlisted, Riley. I had this amazing talent that was
going to waste because my parents thought it was useless."

"Is that what you did while you were in Afghanistan? Figure
out if people were telling the truth?"

He nodded once. "I was a very handy man to have around
during an interrogation."

"I can't believe they'd ever discharge someone as valuable
as you. Wouldn't some kind of medical leave have been better? I
mean, there is such a thing, isn't there?"

Zander didn't respond to that.

Hm. "May I test you on the lying thing?"

"Go for it."

"My favorite color is pink."

"Ennnk!"
He sounded just like a wrong-answer
buzzer on a game show.

"I love VW bugs."

"Yet you drive a Honda."

"Only until I win the lottery. Um...I've ridden an
elephant."

"No shit. Where?"

"Zoo. I want to be a writer when I grow up."

"Ennk!"

"I think you're totally hot."

His mouth fell open.

"Last one...I adore my job."

"Ennk!"

"Wow. I'm stunned. So when you said Sergeant Brian really
wouldn't mind my calling, you meant it."

He nodded again.

"And when you told Jason he was lying about stalking me,
you meant that, too."

"Roger that."

I shivered and hugged myself. "I might as well come clean,
then." I looked him in the eye once more. "I'm scared to death that
Jason may show up, yes, but I'm even more worried that I'll never
feel safe again. Is this your problem? No. Do I wish you'd pack up all
your stuff and move in anyway? Yes. As if finding the perfect
housemate wasn't daunting enough, I'm now worried I might open
my door to a zombie or his girlfriend and not even know it. But
you've got your own set of problems, and your place probably isn't
the dump you say it is."

"Actually, my 'place' smells like wet dog, I have roaches
older than me that dynamite wouldn't faze, and the spoon next door
is a Deadhead who plays his music way too loud."

"Spoon?"

"Former military cook. So, since I can tell you're serious, I
accept your invitation to share rent. And just so you know, I do not
have an ulterior motive."

I sighed very dramatically. "Just my luck."

His obvious surprise told me he knew that was true.
Wishing I hadn't revealed so much way too soon, I jumped up. "Then
that's settled. Whew! I don't have to put up all those notices all over
campus or worry that I'm making a bad choice. When are you
moving in?"

"Not before we get some rest." He stood up, too, and
stretched. "I don't have much stuff, but it'll still be a hassle I'm not up
for at the moment."

I can't believe we're doing this.

Was it crazy? Yes. But not any crazier than advertising and
trying to pick a renter from a pool of total strangers, especially now
that I'd been attacked. At least I knew a few things about Zander, the
most important ones being he'd served his country and saved my
life.

"My bedroom is the one in the front of the house. You can
have the other one, which is actually larger, though the bed isn't. We
can share groceries or not. You pick. I believe in divvying up
housework, even laundry, and won't mind if we wash our clothes
together. Though I have little brothers and am familiar with guy
junk, I'd rather you didn't walk around naked. I won't either, of
course."

"Bummer."

I ignored that. "I'd prefer you didn't have sex with anyone
while I'm here, a rule that won't apply if I'm the one you're having it
with. That could get awkward really fast."

"Us having sex?"

"No, you having it with someone else and me overhearing it.
I subscribe to the local paper because I'm a news junkie. You're
welcome to read it first if you get up earlier than I do." I thought for a
second. "I guess that's all. Unless you want to add something. It'd
only be fair, after all."

His topaz eyes twinkled. "If I think of something, I'll let you
know."