Gossip fodder and too many lovers and flunking classes in
college because he couldn’t be bothered to get up before noon.
Parties and drinking and fast cars and faster women and stupid
stunts. Community service for a drunk and disorderly charge that
his brother refused to take care of. Kevin had a long and colorful
history of personal idiocy and reckless behavior.
But when this mysterious woman climbed into
his car, he knew he was about to find out what real trouble
looked like.
Chapter
9
Dani stood under the hot water, let it blast
her neck and shoulders and all the knots collected in the muscles
there. Her first shower, upon arriving, had been to clean off the
blood and soot and grime. Afterward, she’d fallen into the guest
room’s bed and slept better than she had in no telling how long.
Maybe ever. She woke stiff and sore from the fighting, so she used
that to justify a second shower to herself. Being clean, not having
to rush, using products that smelled good enough to eat, wrapping
her body in a huge fluffy towel with another just for her hair – it
was absolute bliss.
She stepped out of the bathroom, thankfully
covered by the biggest, softest towel she’d ever used, right as
Kevin Moynihan opened the guest room door.
“Oh, sorry.” He kept his gaze on her face. “I
knocked but there was no answer.” He had two department store
shopping bags in one hand and a newspaper under the other arm.
“I’ve got some things for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He drew his eyebrows together, his expression
uncertain. “Your clothes were in bad shape. Covered in blood. I
felt it best they be destroyed, so I threw them into the building
incinerator.”
She gaped at him, incredulous. “You destroyed
my stuff?”
Kevin came further into the room and set the
bags on the bed then held out the newspaper. She glanced down at it
then back up at him. He nodded. Blowing out a breath, she took the
paper and unfolded it.
Front page, below the fold. Several
paragraphs of not much of anything but she read them all. The
Russians weren’t cooperating with police, which didn’t surprise
her. Cops were speculating it had to do with a turf war but had no
clues leading to any suspects. There was no hint in the story that
all that damage had been done by one lone woman.
“Like I said, I thought it best to destroy
your clothes.” Kevin studied her, his blue eyes just as vivid
behind a pair of glasses as without.
He had destroyed evidence. He’d made himself
an accomplice. God. So she’d helped this guy, that didn’t mean he
owed her anything. Much less putting himself on the line like that.
She crumpled the newspaper and pushed it at him. “I never should
have gotten in your car.”
“You needed help.” He put the paper on a
table by the window.
“What I need is to leave.”
“No, I think you should stay.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“You’re exhausted. You were hurt last night.
I don’t know how you’re even alive, but I’ll save those questions
for later.”
Oh, shit. He’d be getting precisely zero
answers.
“Some of them survived,” he said. “They may
have seen your face. They’ll be looking for you.”
“Which is exactly why I need to get out of
here. You don’t want to get caught up in something like this.”
“No, I don’t. But you need help. Do you have
any other friends you can go to?”
He had her there. She could only do so much
alone. Besides, she was tired of having to choose between starving
or stealing.
“Stay for a day, maybe two. Get some rest.
You’re covered in bruises.” He gestured at her arms, mottled with
purple. “Just hang out here and take it easy.”
A day, maybe two. They’d be looking for her
in the South Side. This swank penthouse was half a city away. Hell,
it might as well have been on the moon, as much as it had in common
with Lincoln Heights and Cabrini. She pointed at the bags on the
bed. “I’m guessing that’s clothes.” He
college because he couldn’t be bothered to get up before noon.
Parties and drinking and fast cars and faster women and stupid
stunts. Community service for a drunk and disorderly charge that
his brother refused to take care of. Kevin had a long and colorful
history of personal idiocy and reckless behavior.
But when this mysterious woman climbed into
his car, he knew he was about to find out what real trouble
looked like.
Chapter
9
Dani stood under the hot water, let it blast
her neck and shoulders and all the knots collected in the muscles
there. Her first shower, upon arriving, had been to clean off the
blood and soot and grime. Afterward, she’d fallen into the guest
room’s bed and slept better than she had in no telling how long.
Maybe ever. She woke stiff and sore from the fighting, so she used
that to justify a second shower to herself. Being clean, not having
to rush, using products that smelled good enough to eat, wrapping
her body in a huge fluffy towel with another just for her hair – it
was absolute bliss.
She stepped out of the bathroom, thankfully
covered by the biggest, softest towel she’d ever used, right as
Kevin Moynihan opened the guest room door.
“Oh, sorry.” He kept his gaze on her face. “I
knocked but there was no answer.” He had two department store
shopping bags in one hand and a newspaper under the other arm.
“I’ve got some things for you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He drew his eyebrows together, his expression
uncertain. “Your clothes were in bad shape. Covered in blood. I
felt it best they be destroyed, so I threw them into the building
incinerator.”
She gaped at him, incredulous. “You destroyed
my stuff?”
Kevin came further into the room and set the
bags on the bed then held out the newspaper. She glanced down at it
then back up at him. He nodded. Blowing out a breath, she took the
paper and unfolded it.
Front page, below the fold. Several
paragraphs of not much of anything but she read them all. The
Russians weren’t cooperating with police, which didn’t surprise
her. Cops were speculating it had to do with a turf war but had no
clues leading to any suspects. There was no hint in the story that
all that damage had been done by one lone woman.
“Like I said, I thought it best to destroy
your clothes.” Kevin studied her, his blue eyes just as vivid
behind a pair of glasses as without.
He had destroyed evidence. He’d made himself
an accomplice. God. So she’d helped this guy, that didn’t mean he
owed her anything. Much less putting himself on the line like that.
She crumpled the newspaper and pushed it at him. “I never should
have gotten in your car.”
“You needed help.” He put the paper on a
table by the window.
“What I need is to leave.”
“No, I think you should stay.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“You’re exhausted. You were hurt last night.
I don’t know how you’re even alive, but I’ll save those questions
for later.”
Oh, shit. He’d be getting precisely zero
answers.
“Some of them survived,” he said. “They may
have seen your face. They’ll be looking for you.”
“Which is exactly why I need to get out of
here. You don’t want to get caught up in something like this.”
“No, I don’t. But you need help. Do you have
any other friends you can go to?”
He had her there. She could only do so much
alone. Besides, she was tired of having to choose between starving
or stealing.
“Stay for a day, maybe two. Get some rest.
You’re covered in bruises.” He gestured at her arms, mottled with
purple. “Just hang out here and take it easy.”
A day, maybe two. They’d be looking for her
in the South Side. This swank penthouse was half a city away. Hell,
it might as well have been on the moon, as much as it had in common
with Lincoln Heights and Cabrini. She pointed at the bags on the
bed. “I’m guessing that’s clothes.” He
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