Robyn Amos - Hero At Large

Rennie was so caught up in her thoughts, she forgot Sarita’s instructions. Not sure which of the identical doors led to the club, Rennie exited through the first one she came to.

“Oops,” she exclaimed as three men immediately whirled around. “Sorry, I think I’m lost—”

Somewhere in her subconscious, Rennie knew her mouth had stopped forming words and her lower lip was hanging lamely, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

Rennie had been hit by a wave of recognition so strong, it forced her backward several steps. Blinking rapidly, she tried to pull herself together, struggling to catch her breath. Had that one margarita given her hallucinations? It just couldn’t be….

“Gray? Is that you?” she whispered.

“Rennie…” In the split second it took for Gray to register her presence, several emotions jolted through him like bolts of lightning.

Some of the sensations he was feeling were reflected in her eyes, like the surprise and excitement, the regret…and especially the pain. The sight of her brought an immediate and stabbing ache ten times more intense than what he’d felt each time he’d thought of her over the years.

But one emotion was entirely his own, and it took precedence over all the others. That emotion was raw, undiluted fear.

It kept him rooted to the spot, staring and shaking his head, until someone cleared a throat behind them, launching him into action. He pulled her to him in a brief embrace, and in one motion spun her around to face the door. Taking her elbow, he led her to the corridor. “Now that you know what’s behind door number one, let’s try door number two.”

They were both silent as he guided her to the main room of the club. To avoid losing her in the crowd, he took her hand and pulled her toward a roped-off staircase. “The VIP section of the club is upstairs. It’s much less crowded there.”

Gray didn’t just want to get her to a quiet corner where they could talk, he wanted to get her as far away from the gun shipment as possible. It made him crazy to think about how close she’d come to seeing something she shouldn’t have back there.

He still didn’t know how to process her sudden appearance. When he’d come back to L.A., he hadn’t believed for a second that he might run into Rennie. When she left him to go to college in Texas, he’d been certain she wasn’t coming back.

This was the last place he would have chosen for their reunion.

Gray led her to the bar, releasing her hand, which had been trembling in his. Clearly, she was as nervous at this unexpected meeting as he was. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Just water.”

While he gave her order to Franco, in the mirror he saw her run a self-conscious hand over the back of her hair.

Rennie had nothing to worry about. She looked perfect. As a teenager, she’d been pretty, with lots of potential. As an adult, she was heart-stopping. Especially in that short, clingy little dress she was wearing.

After he handed her the glass, Gray motioned her to a quiet corner table. Once she was seated across from him, she gulped her water, as if to avoid being the first to speak.

He smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. “It’s good to see you.”

She nodded. “Yes, it is. I mean it’s good for me to see you. That is, good to see you, too.”

He couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Yes, I knew what you meant.”

“This is so strange. I was just talking about you to a couple of my girlfriends.”

“Did you come with them tonight?” It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment that she might have come with a date. His eyes darted to her left hand. No wedding band.

“Yes, I did. We’re having a sort of…girls’ night out…thing.”

Gray felt a smile curling his lips again. He’d never seen her this frazzled before. He made another attempt to get her to lighten up. “Are you sure that water isn’t going to your head? Maybe I should have the bartender cut you off for the night. Or maybe you need something stronger. Relax,” he said, touching the back of her hand.

She pulled back as though he’d burned her, then tried to cover her reaction by grabbing her water glass and draining it as if it were a fifth of Scotch. “I know you must think I’m wound too tight, but I wasn’t prepared to see you here. It’s kind of spooky, really. Because, like I said, I was just talking about you. It’s as if you walked right out of my thoughts.”

“You were just talking about me, huh? What did you say?”

She shrugged and then began looking around as though she couldn’t get enough of the blue velvet upholstery, marble floors or scenic ocean tapestries. Clearly she wanted to change the subject.

He opened his mouth to ask her if she’d moved to the city or was just visiting when she turned to him.

“So, how was prison? I mean, how have you been?”

Gray flinched before he could stop himself. He didn’t know who had told her, and it really didn’t matter. The bottom line was that…she knew.

“I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. I don’t know why I blurted that out like that.”

He felt his whole body go cold, and he welcomed the numbness that came with it. Gray raised his gaze to hers. Neither her stunned expression nor the hint of a blush on her mahogany cheeks fazed him. Sure, she hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but he knew exactly what she saw when she looked at him—an overgrown thug and an ex-convict.

The fact that he’d been to prison must have been on her mind the entire time. For all he knew, she’d been acting so rattled out of fear instead of nerves.

His mind replayed the image of her flinching when he’d touched her.

“Don’t apologize. I know why you said it. You want me to tell you it isn’t true, right?”

She seemed to be holding her breath. “Is it?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart. It’s true.”

Rennie chewed on her lower lip. “What happened?”

He laughed. “Well, it was a weapons charge. You see, the police found two hundred Russian assault rifles in my possession, and they just wouldn’t accept ‘I’m a collector’ for an explanation.” He ended with a sarcastic chuckle.

“I don’t think it’s funny.”

“Really, you don’t? Gee, that’s odd, because I thought getting arrested was funny. And getting convicted—that was hilarious. And I thought I would die laughing when they sent me to—”

“That’s enough. You don’t have to make fun of me.”

Gray knew he was being cruel, but he couldn’t stop himself. It surprised him how much resentment he felt toward her at that moment.

Of all the clubs in L.A., why did she have to pick this one? If she’d stayed in Texas, she might never have known if he were dead or alive, but that would still be better than returning to find her worst fears confirmed.

Gray could see her disappointment. Before she left she’d told him how much she believed in him. She was getting out of the inner city, and she’d been certain that he would, too. Instead, she found just the opposite. If she stuck around long enough, she’d discover he’d given an old adage new meaning—if you can’t beat ’em, take over.

“I guess a lot has happened since the last time we saw each other,” she said.

Gray expelled a harsh laugh. “You can say that again.”

Rennie stared at her hands. They were trembling slightly.

Instantly, he felt terrible for upsetting her. None of this was her fault. He couldn’t say anything to change her mind about him. Lying to her was surprisingly easy, but it was killing him that he had to.

He forced himself to get a grip on his temper, taking a moment to study her. Her hair was short now. She’d traded in the ponytails and French braids he remembered for a slick, trendy cut that flattered her gamine features.