“Why?”
“Because you used to say it with so much contempt your lip curled. I know you don’t say it like that now, but I guess it still bothers me a little,” she admitted.
He didn’t reply right away. “Alright then,” he said softly. “From now on, I’ll try not to call you that, but I can’t promise that I won’t slip from time to time. Fair enough?”
She nodded her head. A sharp crack of lightning lit up the sky and Christy gave a cry and burrowed deeper into his side.
"Another weird fact," she said, her voice sounding muffled against his shirt. "I'm deathly afraid of storms." And apparently not at all shaken by knowing the man I think I'm falling in love with just murdered a man right under my nose.
With his left hand on the wheel he awkwardly disengaged from the embrace and brought her chin up to his face. "You'll never have to be afraid of anything, Christy. Ever."
She gazed into his eyes and before returning them to the road he saw her subtle nod. "Sleep, baby," he told her. "We have another hour."
She laid her head warily on his right thigh and moments later he recognized the breathing of someone who'd fallen into a deep and instantaneous slumber.
"Another weird fact," he whispered to no one. He glanced down at her silky white blonde hair, the gentle rise of her breasts as she steadily inhaled and exhaled, and the soft curve of her neck where it rose to meet her perfect jaw. "I've never been in love." Until now. He turned on the radio and after fiddling with the stations, he settled on “Already Gone” by the Eagles. After all, he told himself, I’m beginning to think it’s true.
Anthony saw Lourdes locking his front door as he pulled into his driveway. X had caught up with him by the time he exited the Alley. Anthony pressed on his garage door remote and one of the three bay doors quietly rolled up. After parking Christy's car inside, X made his way toward the truck. Anthony roused Christy from sleep and marched her past Lourdes, aiming at leaving her to sleep in the bedroom. "I'll be in soon," he told an exhausted and weary Christy.
"Did I have any visitors?" Anthony asked the woman who stood there and watched as he shut the door behind Christy. X had walked up to them and stood now with his arms crossed.
"Yes, Mr. Anthony. Several."
His brows knitted.
"The police came with a paper but I told them they didn't need one. They could look all they wanted. They showed me the pretty girl's picture. I told them she must be the friend you said was missing and that you were out looking for her."
Anthony nodded approvingly.
"The other men, they did not bring a paper. They insisted on speaking with you and did not believe me when I said you weren't here. They said they worked for the girl's father and he thought you might have his daughter or know where she was. Again, they show a picture and again I tell them you were out trying to find her," she managed in her broken English.
Anthony and X exchanged glances. "You're sure they said they worked for her father?" Anthony asked Lourdes.
She nodded.
"Yes, and they look around too, but like I told the others, no one is here and I never seen the pretty girl before."
She gave Anthony a look that said she understood that should someone happen to ask her again, she would deny having seen Christy.
"And, I brought some things you like to eat. They are in your refrigerator and freezer."
After Anthony thanked and paid her, Lourdes started to walk away when she turned around. "Mr. Anthony, I know it is not my business, but the pretty girl's face..." She paused and looked away.
"I'm taking care of her, Lourdes. No one will ever hurt her again," he told her.
"I knew you would do the right thing, Mr. Anthony. I knew you would. It is time for you to settle down. She would be a good one, yes?"
"You're a romantic, Lourdes," Anthony replied.
"Ah, but so are you, Mr. Anthony. So are you. You just don't know it."
Chapter Nineteen
Naples, Florida 1978
After saying goodbye to X, Anthony found Christy passed out on top of the bedspread. He took a blanket and covered her. He lay down next to her, but sleep wouldn't come. He stared at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was almost four o'clock and he could hear another storm as a low rumble of thunder announced itself. She stirred and inched her way toward him as if subconsciously seeking warmth and safety. He extended his arm and pulled her close. She murmured something into his chest as her hand found its way to his stomach. He sucked in his breath, knowing she was asleep, but the thought of her hand going lower caused an all too familiar ache in his groin. One that he would need to relieve soon.
His restlessness caused his mind to wander down unfamiliar paths. Was he really developing feelings for the woman whose hand was splayed across his stomach or was it something else? Something carnal? Was he confusing physical desire with emotional yearning and would ten minutes with a woman provide an answer? He knew he was horny and had been too long without female companionship, but he had a hard time believing he could mistake physical desire or need for actual want and longing. Then again, he'd never cared for a woman before. How would he recognize the difference? His mind was a jumble of confusion laced with a tad of self-anger at not understanding his own feelings.
He knew what he had to do. He would have X come back to the house tomorrow to stay with Christy while he paid a visit to the camp. He would burn off some of his pent-up testosterone between Shasta's legs, get his brain back where it needed to be and return to business as usual. He was just horny. The testosterone build up was messing with his head.
Satisfied with his new revelation, he smiled as he let out a long breath, certain that sleep would overtake him. But it didn't, and by six o'clock he'd already called X to come back to his house. He met him at the door with a scowl, telling X that Christy was sleeping and he would be back in an hour.
He drove to the camp and headed straight for what was originally the office and camp administrator's cabin. It had all the conveniences of a small home and was usually where he found Shasta. He'd noticed that several bikes were in front of one of the bunkhouses. Hopefully he wouldn't have to drag her away from someone else's bed. He walked inside and flipped on the light switch.