The women stopped walking for a moment and Keilana glanced up at Billie and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand. Furiously, I rubbed the fog from my window so I could get a better look at them. I had no idea what they were saying, but their body language told me all I needed to know. Ugh.
Another gust of wind shook the car, and I watched as a strong gust tore the paper out of Russ’s hand, sending it into the gravel a few feet from him. It instantly stuck to the ground and he tried to peel it up with wet, clumsy fingers. “Get out of there, Russ!” I whispered to myself. “Get out!” He kept fiddling with the paper as Keilana and Billie got closer and closer. “Oh no.”
He finally gave up on it and started looking inside the car. He tried the door, and I could see him futilely yanking on the handle. It was locked and he was focusing his attention there and not on his surroundings.
“Shit!” Quietly, I snuck out of my car, blinking the rain back when it poured down my face. I stayed low to the ground as I crept between the parked cars. I had to warn Russ or everything would be ruined. The warm rain plastered my hair to my forehead and my clothes stuck uncomfortably to my body after just a few seconds.
I made it to Russ just ahead of Keilana and Billie. “Go. Get out of here!” I whispered as loudly as I dared.
Russ glanced in the direction I was hiding, confused by the disembodied voice. “Who’s there?” He looked harder into the shadows. “Belinda?”
I managed to squeeze out, “Run!” a split second before it was too late.
“That’s my car,” Keilana said to Russ. Her mouth sounded cottony dry and she and Billie stopped well back from him as Keilana appraised Russ warily.
Like night and day, there stood Billie. Her entire body vibrated. Coiled, she was more than ready for a confrontation. Simply put, she looked like a hellcat with PMS. I had been too far away to see it before, but she was also sporting a white bandage on one cheek.
“Can I help you?” Keilana’s voice quivered a little as she spoke, betraying her unease.
“Hi,” Russ smiled and tried to stick his hands in his pocket, but his wet jeans had sucked themselves to his body and wouldn’t cooperate. He ended up awkwardly hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking back on his heels. “I don’t need any help. But thanks. My ... uh ... best friend had his BMW stolen last week. We’ve been looking for it and I thought this might be it.” He shrugged. “Guess I was wrong.”
I nodded approvingly. A decent cover story.
Russ waggled his fingers at the women. He took a step forward. “Okay, I’ll just be going now.”
“You were trying to steal her car!” Billie accused, taking a menacing step forward. “You son of a bitch! I saw you looking inside the car and checking the doors. You were going to take it!”
“Billie,” Keilana said worriedly, “for God’s sake, he was leaving.” She spoke through clenched teeth. “Let him go.” She tried to restrain Billie without getting too close to Russ herself.
Good girl, I thought. She was smart to be cautious.
“You’re mistaken,” Russ said calmly. “I was just looking and since it’s obviously not my friend’s car, I’ll be on my way.” Once again, he started to walk away.
“Stay right here!” Billie ordered, blocking his path and holding her umbrella out like a sword.
Keilana shivered as the rain suddenly began pelting her.
Billie shook the umbrella at Russ. “I’m calling the cops.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, and then cursed a blue streak when she discovered the battery was dead. In a fit of anger, she threw the phone to the ground, sending shards of plastic into a nearby puddle and against the BMW’s bumper.
Even in the wan light, I could see the whites of Keilana’s eyes grow. “Jesus, Billie. Calm down,” she said. “The guy told us why he was checking out my car. What are you doing?” She put a calming hand on Billie’s shoulder. “Let him leave.”
Billie’s face twisted in rage. “No way.” Her eyes drilled holes in Russ as rivulets of water dripped from her chin and cheeks. Her bandage was soaked now and dark with what I guessed was rehydrating blood. “I’m sick of you bastards making it impossible to park here. I can’t stand it!”
Then something inside Billie seemed to snap and she swung her umbrella at Russ over and over, connecting with a few powerful swipes. “You thieving asshole!” Another hit. “You think you can do anything you want?” Smack on the shoulder. “You think you can treat women this way?”
I winced as a particularly vicious blow landed on the top of his head. This really wasn’t Russ’s day.
“Billie!” Keilana screamed and tried to pull her friend off Russ, who was covering his head with his arms and hands and yelling for Billie to stop.
My hands balled into fists and released. My heart thudding loudly, I pressed my back against the quarter panel of an old Chevy truck, torn. I wanted to help Russ, but that would shoot my cover to hell. Still, he was my best friend. Crap, I whispered internally. I drew in a deep breath to stand and make my presence known when Billie tossed her umbrella aside, reached inside her purse, and pulled out a small pistol.
She pointed it right at Russ.
I swear to God I almost had a heart attack. I actually felt my chest seize up. Time stood still and for a fraction of a minute, everyone just stared at each other in shock and horror.
Billie seemed to be just as surprised as everyone else.
I glanced out at the street and although I could see people walking by, I realized that the streetlights were too far away for us to be visible to them.
“Holy shit!” Russ exclaimed, snapping out of his trance. “You’re cr-cr-crazy!”
“Don’t even think about going anywhere,” Billie panted, waving the gun erratically. “Don’t even think it!”
Russ, for once in his life, obeyed without comment. He held his hands up as though he was being robbed.
“Okay,” Billie handed the gun to a stunned Keilana. “I’m going to that club”—she jerked her head sideways—“to call the cops. You watch him.” She sneered in Russ’s direction. “Shoot him if he tries to move, all right?”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Why did Billie have to get Keilana more involved in this than she already was? But I felt a tiny measure of relief in the belief that Russ would be safer with Keilana holding the gun than Billie.
Still, Russ had to be peeing in his pants because I was fighting the urge myself.
“Okay,” Keilana said evenly, her voice eerily calm. “I’ll watch him.”
A shiver chased its way down my spine and I wondered if I’d made a colossal miscalculation about Russ’s chances with Keilana.
“You go call the police,” she continued, coolly. “I think there is a pay phone in the very back by the ladies’ room.”
Billie flipped Russ the bird and took off toward the dance club.
I looked skyward in appeal. Please don’t let her shoot me or Russ. Once again I was about to stand when Keilana’s shoulders sagged dramatically and she moaned.
I froze.
She was soaked to the bone and she shuddered a little, even though the rain was warm. “I can’t believe this night. I’m so sorry,” she promised Russ. “My friend has had a horrible time of it. Some guy pawed her and hurt her pretty badly. I think she’s in shock. She’s not normally like this.”
I don’t know if Russ even heard what Keilana was saying. His eyes were trained on the gun in her hands. Keilana saw where he was looking and promptly turned the gun on herself, holding it by the barrel and pointing it at her own chest.
My eyes turned to saucers and for the second time tonight my heart felt like it was going to implode. Was she insane? What was she doing carrying a loaded gun like that?
Keilana smiled reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid. It’s not a real gun. It’s just a very convincing toy. Billie keeps it to scare off the jerks, but she’d never really hurt anyone. See?” She pulled the trigger and both Russ and I both jerked at the movement and muted
click.
But there was no gunshot and Keilana was still standing there.
I was so lightheaded with relief that I had to sit back on my heels and breathe deeply to keep from keeling over. For what had to be a full minute, stars danced in front of my eyes, tiny pinpoints of light on a sea of black velvet.
Salt stung my tongue and lips as the rain washed the sweat from my face.
But Russ still looked suspicious of Keilana. God, what more did he want her to do?
Keilana took a step closer to him, approaching him slowly, the way you would a skittish colt ... or someone your friend just beat with an umbrella and then threatened to shoot. “Are you okay?”
Her voice was soothing and warm and I could see Russ’s body relax as he unconsciously responded to it. “She didn’t hurt you with her umbrella, did she? God, I’m sorry. If she hurt you I can call a doctor or take you to the emergency room. Or—”
“No,” Russ interrupted, lowering hands that were still shaking. I think he was finally gathering his wits and, to his credit, he didn’t look like he was going to have a stroke anymore.
I was going to be buying him hamburgers for the next hundred years and he wasn’t even going to have to ask.
“She scared about ten”—he chuckled somewhat frantically—“no, make that twenty years off my life, but I think I’m okay.” He let out a ragged breath and nodded a few times, as if reassuring himself that what he’d just said was true.
“Thank goodness.” Keilana’s relief was just as evident. “You’d better get going then. I don’t care if you were trying to steal my car, you’ve been through enough tonight.”
“But I wasn’t—”
Keilana shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.” She made a shooing motion. “Go before she gets back. And again, I’m really, really sorry.” She stepped aside giving Russ a wide berth.
He didn’t hesitate; he bolted out of the parking lot faster than I’ve ever seen him move, and in seconds, the street swallowed him up.
Keilana watched him go, then leaned against the trunk of her car and let her backpack drop gently to the ground. I knew I should be more curious about what was inside it. It was out of place here in The Devil’s Belly, and in a case that sorely lacked clues, it was calling to me ... loudly. But even so, all I could really think about was her.
She lifted her face skyward and let the rain pound against it and after a moment she smoothed her long, dark hair back from her face. Her eyes were closed tight, her mouth open, and her throat working as she slowly drank in the water.
The sight was surprisingly erotic and I watched her for a long moment, holding my breath, my heart pounding the entire time.
She scrubbed her face with both hands and I wasn’t sure whether she was washing away tears, nervous sweat, or just the incredible stress of the moment. But it seemed to work because it wasn’t long before she repositioned herself into a slightly more relaxed stance.
The flashing neon lights made her normally pale skin glow an almost iridescent white, and for the first time tonight the frenzied strains of hard rock music coming from one of the clubs eased its way into my consciousness.
Keilana looked almost otherworldly and I felt myself being drawn closer to her as if by magic. If I reached out, I could almost ... almost touch her.
With a soft sigh, she focused on the toy gun in her hands, flipping it over a few times as if deciding what to do. I was a little surprised when she dropped it to the ground and gave it a good stomp.
I heard the plastic crack just before Keilana kicked the gun and sent it sliding over the gravel and under a nearby van. I guess she was already too wet to bother coming in out of the rain or picking up the umbrella, so she just sat there on the trunk of her car, her arms wrapped around herself in mute comfort as she waited.
Billie was going to be livid, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
With every fiber of my being I longed to pull Keilana into a fierce embrace. I’d never felt anything as strong in my life and I honestly wasn’t sure that I could clamp down on my desire to wrap her in my arms. I was so proud of how she’d handled things and how she’d been kind to Russ, even when she figured him for a thief.
I wanted to press my lips to her wet hair and murmur the sort of things you hear in mushy love songs that make you want to roll your eyes and burst out laughing. I craved the feeling of her warm body against mine and longed to gently stroke her back.
Now that I thought of it, selling my soul seemed like more than a fair price if that’s what it took to make her smile again.
And in that instant I knew. Shaken, I plopped down onto the gravel, not even feeling the water I was sitting in. I didn’t have a crush on Keilana Poppenhouse. Oh, man, it was so much worse than that.
I was falling in love with her.
Oh, boy.
yx
When I’m right, I’m right. Billie was pissed when she got back to the car. It seems the police had declined her demand to come arrest someone for looking at Keilana’s car, and now, not only had Keilana let the would-be thief escape, but she’d somehow lost Billie’s fake gun in the process. Poor Billie.
The women argued vehemently for a few minutes, then, much to my disgust, the fuss ended with Billie bursting into tears and Keilana comforting her with a compassionate hug that went on far too long.
Sometime during the evil embrace, I retreated to the safety of my Mustang, determined not to lose them or the black backpack that Keilana had put into her trunk before leaving. Russ, I told myself, would want me to stick with the case no matter what. And more importantly, I wanted some answers and I was tired of waiting to get them.
I actually had to work hard to keep up with Keilana as she and Billie raced down the wet city streets. My mood had turned brighter and even the rain had shifted from a series of fitful downpours to a gentle sprinkle. Everyone I cared about was okay and even though I couldn’t have gotten wetter if I jumped into a swimming pool, the chase was on again.
For the moment, life was good.
I was about three cars behind Keilana at a traffic light and had just taken a big bite of my wilted cheeseburger when Russ’s cell phone rang. I decided it was fate that I wouldn’t get any dinner tonight and I tossed my burger onto the passenger seat. It took some wrangling, but I was able to grab the phone from the back seat before traffic began moving again.
I pressed it to my ear, not needing to look to know who was calling. “Hello, Russ, you unlucky bastard.”
“That bitch was crazy!”
“I can’t disagree with that.” I merged on the 5.
“Did you see what she did?”
“I was only about five feet away from the whole thing, Russ. Of course I saw it.” I felt a pang of worry. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said dismissively. “Did you see the backpack?”
I chuckled. “You’re like a dog who’s been teased with a whiff of a juicy bone.”
“And just what are you doing at this very moment?”
I smiled. “Chasing the bone.”
“Atta girl. Let me know what you find. I mean it. Don’t make me wait too long.”
“Will do, Russ. Take a cab back to my place and I’ll pay you back for the fare, okay?”
“Don’t lose them.”
My smile turned feral. “Never.”
About fifteen more minutes and Keilana and Billie pulled into the driveway of a surprisingly nice, if tiny, bungalow. Billie’s house? I slowly drove past them, then killed my headlights and parked on the street a few houses away.
“Nooo!” I moaned. Keilana was digging in her trunk. “Not the backpack.”
More digging.
“Not the backpack.”
Keilana shut her truck and she and Billie headed toward the house.
“Oooooh.” I sighed. “There goes the backpack.” Well, at least I wouldn’t be rooting around our campus cottage for it or picking the lock of Keilana’s BMW. I’d be breaking into that red-haire
d bitch’s house, instead.
The more I thought about that ... the more I liked it.
yx
I decided not to bother stewing outside of Billie’s house, in the pathetic hope that Keilana wouldn’t decide to stay the night. So I drove back to campus, deep in thought. So much had happened so quickly that my head was still spinning.
It was well after two a.m. by the time I heard Keilana’s key slide into the cottage door.
I looked up from the television program I’d been half-watching and tried to pretend not to be relieved to see her. “Hi.” She wasn’t, of course, carrying the backpack. I couldn’t be that lucky.
She smiled weakly at me. “Hi.” Then she glanced up at the clock and frowned. “You weren’t waiting up for me, were you?” She tossed her keys on a small table near the door. “Didn’t you get my note?”
“I got it. I wasn’t waiting up for you. I was just watching ... um ...”—I glanced at the TV to see what was on and could only sigh—“an infomercial on Viagra for women.” Fuck.
She shook her head and laughed softly. She walked into the bedroom, but continued talking, the words floating over the half wall that separated the two rooms. “What did you do tonight?”
I saw her blouse hit the floor and turned my head. Temptation, thy name is Keilana. “Not much. I met a friend and we drove around San Diego. You?”
There was a long pause.
“You remember my friend Billie?” she finally asked in a quiet voice.
My eyes turned to slits. “Yeah. I remember her.”
“We spent the evening together.”
“Are you sleeping with her?” I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth. Why, oh why, had I said that out loud?
Keilana poked her head into the living room and looked at me with wide eyes. “What?”
“Uhh ...” It was too late to suck the words back in now. Relentlessly, I picked the sofa, focusing on one teeny spot. “Is she, you know”—I glanced up, sure I looked as foolish as I felt—“your girlfriend?”
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