James Moore - Blood Red

Yes, grateful; because now the one person she’d met recently who was becoming a friend wasn’t suddenly looking at her like she was a whore. In the grander scheme of things, it wouldn’t matter all that much what Ben Kirby thought of her, but it was still nice to have a guy she could talk to who didn’t seem desperate to get into her pants.

They arranged to meet at the Windbreakers, a very fine dining establishment known for their excellent food and atrocious costs. He brought her a pair of diamond earrings that was beyond excessive, and gave her a matching necklace as well. She thanked him politely, and warmed up a small amount. They had a nice meal, with excellent food, just a little wine, and some decent conversation. Of course he had to mention his wife again and the misery she was putting him through, but that came with the territory.

After dinner, she made him beg again; in the bedroom she made him beg as well. She did not stay the night with him in his hotel suite. He wanted her to, but she had school in the morning.

She left Monkey Boy’s portion of the money in the drop slot of his front door. She knew the signs that Tom was getting antsy. She also knew the best way to get him to behave was to keep her end of the bargain they’d struck some time back.

She kept the diamonds. They were hers. Any apologies that had to be made were made to her, and not to the prick who thought he owned her.

She didn’t feel like going home, and she was far from tired. So it was off to the diner. Sally was probably working, and Sally was normally good for a few jokes while she ate.

No one was more surprised than she was to find Ben there. It was a nice surprise, but unexpected.

He was leaning over his laptop and typing furiously. His fingers moved so fast she would have thought the keyboard would catch fire. She slipped in across from him, moving as carefully as she could, amused by how intent he was on his typing.

When he finally looked up, he actually jumped in his seat. “Hey!” He looked embarrassed. “I mean, hi.”

She laughed, and reached across the table to graze his hand with her fingers. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You just looked so intent I didn’t want to disturb your work.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just… gathering my thoughts.”

“Did you get what you were looking for? For your friend?” She didn’t have to clarify. He knew what she was talking about.

“Yes.” A quick flash of a smile that degraded into a yawn. “Excuse me. I did get it. I’m going to tell her tomorrow.” He rubbed at his eyes for a second and stared at her. After a second he remembered it wasn’t polite to stare and looked greedily at his now empty coffee cup.

“You’re sweet to go through all of that.” He blushed. She had never known anyone who blushed as often as he did. She looked around and waved to Sally, who had been taking a large order from a group of businessmen. Sally smiled and nodded as Maggie made a few gestures for food, coffee, and a refill over here.

“Why are you staring at me, Ben?”

If she thought he’d blushed before, she was mistaken. He was red all the way to his ears when she asked. It was cruel, maybe, but she couldn’t help teasing him just a bit. He almost begged for a good teasing.

“Sorry. Really, I am. You just took me off guard and I’ve never seen you dressed that way.”

Maggie hadn’t even really given her clothing any consideration. She was dressed for a night out, and once the wardrobe had been chosen it was the last thing she thought about. The dress she was wearing was a formal little black thing that clung to all of her curves. She liked it and saved it for special occasions.

“I had a dinner date. Is it too much?”

“No. No, not at all.” He was doing a wonderful job of not stammering.

She laughed and playfully swatted his arm. “Down, boy. It’s just me under all of this goop.” She gestured to her face and the makeup she had carefully applied earlier. “I’ll be back in regular clothes tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well, don’t go changing on my behalf. You look beautiful.” He stared at his monitor as he said it, and then closed the screen so he could look at her properly.

“Well, thanks. It’s always nice to be appreciated.”

Sally set down her omelet and coffee, then topped off Ben’s cup. After she’d walked away to handle the businessmen, Ben smiled and poured a few spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee.

“I didn’t expect to find you here, Ben. Why the change of scenery?”

“Because if I stared at my walls for another minute, I’d go crazy.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No. I also ran out of coffee.”

Maggie laughed. It was nice to know she wasn’t being stalked. She’d had enough of that to last her a lifetime.

It was nice to relax. It was beyond nice to be able to just be herself around a guy. Ben was sweet and he was cute, she was going to have to watch herself around him. She couldn’t afford to fall for anyone. Her plans for the future did not include being in a relationship; at least not for a while.

They went to the apartment building together, then to their separate apartments almost immediately after they reached them. She paused long enough to give Ben another kiss on the cheek. After that, she slept. It had been a very difficult day and a taxing night. She needed the rest. There were more names on Jason Soulis’s list, and she had school to consider.

Teddy wanted to go look for Avery. Kelli could see it in every move he made and every pace he took around the house. His parents had decided he needed to recover his strength and she couldn’t exactly disagree with the idea. While he seemed far stronger than he had the day before, he was still looking as pale as a ghost.

“Honey, we can’t go looking for Avery.” Damn, it hurt to look at his disappointment. “You’re just not strong enough yet.”

“But I am, Kelli!” His voice was shrill and he looked like he was going to cry. She knew the feeling. Avery was a little munchkin and he was always in trouble, but he was also a sweet kid.

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you get on a good coat and we can drive around for a while, okay? Maybe we’ll spot something or even see Avery.”

He didn’t have the energy to jump and cheer, but he gave it the old college try. They left the house ten minutes later, both of them bundled up in heavy coats against the risk of deeply cold rain. The day was overcast and the air was promising a downpour before it was all said and done.

Kelli drove carefully, minding the speed limit more than she usually did. Teddy rested his forehead against the passenger’s side window and looked out at the street and the houses that they drove past. His body barely moved, but she could see his eyes reflected in the glass and could see that he was desperately searching for any sign that Avery might be nearby.

Just past the last of the houses on the Cliff Walk drive, they came to a small patch of woods. There was a squad car parked in the small turnaround area, and a tall, dark-haired policeman was looking over four cardboard boxes with a look of quiet fury etched into his plain features. For just a moment, she imagined she could see discarded, bloody clothing in the boxes and Kelli drove a little faster. There was something about the cop that gave her a bad vibe.

“Do you think he’s dead, Kelli?”

“What? Oh no, sweetie. I think maybe he just got lost.” Did she think Avery was dead? She hoped he wasn’t. He was a sweet kid, and she knew Teddy would be devastated.

She thought about his face when she’d busted them with the girly magazine. Avery was a vivacious boy and he wasn’t afraid of very much in the world. That could be a big benefit, but it could also be a dangerous way to live. Avery Tripp might very well be dead, and she hated that she couldn’t get the notion out of her mind.