Ash Return of the Beast

CHAPTER 46



Sky City, New Mexico…

Tocho checked his watch. It was 9 p.m., his shift was over and he expected Ravenwood to show up any minute. He clocked out and poured himself a shot of tequila. She walked in just as he was about to lift the glass but the sight of her stopped him in mid-motion. They had exchanged photos by email and he had thought to himself that she looked pretty good after all these years. But now, in the glow of the glittering casino lights she looked more than just pretty good. In her black, western-styled shirt with white brocade down the sleeves and the slim-fitting black denim pants over a pair of stylish ox blood red western boots, she looked like something out of a Hollywood movie. Or the cover of Maxim magazine. He sucked the shot down in a single gulp and without taking his eyes off her he slowly set the empty glass on the bar.

She walked up to him and tucked one side of her long hair back behind her ear. Then she crossed both of her hands over her heart. “In lak’ech ala k’in,” she said, knowing he would understand. It was an ancient Mayan greeting meaning ‘I am another you’ or ‘I am you and you are me’.

He returned the greeting then looked her up and down and laughed. He felt entirely under-dressed in his faded blue jeans and denim shirt with the cuffs beginning to fray at the edges. “You’re not exactly another me. Look at you.” His voice had a deep, resonant tone. He’d often been told he should be in radio. “Good god, girl. You look great.”

She actually blushed. “You don’t look so bad, yourself, mister.”

“Liar. So how you been? Man, it’s good to see you.” He nodded toward the bottle. “Drink?”

“Sure, why not.”

“My place?”

“How far is it?”

“Less than a minute. Unless you’re half shit-faced. That can add a minute or two.”

“What?”

He shot a glance upward. “I live upstairs. Small studio apartment. Cheap rent. You got a place to stay?”

“How convenient. But, yes, thanks. I got a room at the hotel.”

He nodded. “Damn. Just my luck.”

Ravenwood laughed but she wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.

“Well,” he said, pushing himself away from the bar. “Let me show you my humble abode.” He snatched the bottle of tequila off the bar. “Follow me.”