Knight In Black Leather by Gail Dayton (people reading books .txt) 📗

of reality already, and Eli's attempt to put up a wall between them had her spitting mad.

"A woman's life is in danger," she said. "Whoever, whatever she is, she doesn't deserve to be murdered. I can't just sit here doing nothing and wait for her to die. Can you?"

Eli wiped a hand across his mouth, like he was trying to wipe away a bad taste, his eyes dark with anger. "Is that what you think?"

"No. I can see it's eating you up inside, thinking you can't help her. It's doing me the same way."

"It's dangerous."

"So is driving down the freeway. That's how my husband died. And I still drive."

Eli looked away, hiding his eyes from her. Was he considering it? She didn't know whether to argue further or keep quiet and let him think.

His forehead creased as he scowled. "I don't like the idea of you down there in the kind of places I'd have to go."

She didn't much like the idea either, but it was necessary.

"We might not find anything," he said, finally looking back at her. "She might die anyway."

She met his gaze, trying to hide the combination of relief and fear she felt--relief that he seemed to be giving in and fear of what could happen now that he had. "I know," she said. "But at least we'll have tried. We'll have done something."

Eli held her gaze a long moment. Marilyn willed him to see her determination. Then again--maybe he couldn't. "If you don't come with me, I'll go by myself. Who knows what kind of trouble I could get into?"

"Don't be stupid. You don't have a clue where to look."

"I can start where you were mugged. One of the kids at the youth center might know something."

His scowl came back and he swore. "Get your coat."

She waited for Eli to dress first, helping him pull the T-shirt on over his cast.

"At least your car will blend in with the neighborhood," Eli muttered as he got in. He angled his crutch into the space in front of him, working with it until it wasn't wedged in tight anywhere.

"Why don't you put that in the back seat, like you did last time?" Marilyn pulled out of the tiny lot and headed for the freeway. "Where do I need to go?"

"Start out on the street where we met. Tee won't be there, but that bar is where Flash hangs most of the time--his center of operations. I don't think she'll be too far away." He didn't move the crutch, just gripped it tighter.

"Isn't that in your way?"

"This?" He hefted the crutch. "It's exactly where I want it. Aluminum bends, but it does the job."

Marilyn had to think a minute before she realized the "job" he meant referred to using the medical device as a weapon, and she shivered. Not from the cold.

She wasn't changing her mind, if that was his intent, to scare her into going home. Even if he was simply holding onto the crutch as a weapon because it was his first, instinctive thought--which scared her a whole lot more--she would still drive Eli where he needed to go.

Her reflexes were shot and her reaction time stunk. She would be a terrible getaway driver. But Eli would be even slower. Probably. Maybe not. Maybe all she could provide was moral support, which he probably didn't need or want from her, but he was getting it anyway.

"Marilyn?"

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you okay? Are you...well, feeling okay?"

"You mean, like am I sick or something?" What was he getting at?

He made a face, shook his head. "No. Not--you looked upset."

"I am. I'm mad enough to chew nails. I'm mad and I'm scared and I'm--I am upset, okay?"

"Okay." He did that male thing when confronted by an angry woman--shut his mouth and tried to become invisible.

"Mostly I'm mad at this Flash person, but you get some of it. I know you don't want me here, but that's too damn bad. I'm here and you're not getting rid of me. Live with it."

Eli fell silent as they entered the Squirrel Hill tunnel. Halfway through, he spoke. "It's smart to be scared. It keeps you on your toes, helps you focus, see what's around you. As long as you don't let it take you over--"

"Fine." Marilyn held onto her anger with all her mental grip. She had a feeling that if she let it go, the fear might just do that.

They'd emerged from the tunnel and hit heavier traffic before Eli spoke again. "Why are you still mad at me? You're here, aren't you? You won."

"But you'd rather I wasn't, right?" Marilyn put on her brakes when the car in front did, hoping the guy behind her could stop in time.

"You couldn't get hurt if you were home."

"Sure." She believed him. But was that really why he didn't want--? Oh, never mind. Again she could feel Eli staring. It made her skin feel prickly.

"Is all this attitude about Teresa?" He sounded surprised. "Look, there's nothi--"

"None of my business." It wasn't. She didn't care a bit who this Teresa might be to Eli. "I understand that having me along might make things uncomfortable between you, but we have to find her first. Make sure she's alive. You can explain later, make her understand."

"There's nothing to explain because there's nothing like that between us. Never was." Eli fidgeted. "Okay, yeah, we were lovers. Long time ago. Off and on. But we weren't ever in love, nothing like that. We're friends. She's the--well, there are things that go back years. I owe her. Even if she can't stop screwing up her life."

Marilyn felt her face heat and silently cursed the blush. The relief she felt at Eli's totally unnecessary explanation embarrassed her. It was endurable as long as nobody knew she was embarrassed, and that stupid blush had to go and let the whole world know it.

Besides, she didn't care if this Teresa woman was Eli's lover or not. It wasn't like Marilyn was interested in him