But what if his help takes Alejandro away from me?
It was a childish fear, she knew, and that was the reason she’d invited the chief over - it was time to act like an adult and do the right thing. And the right thing was getting Alejandro real help. Before she introduced them, however, she wanted to talk to Grayson in private, while Alejandro was still in the shower.
When Nick knocked just two minutes later, she swallowed and opened the door. “Chief Grayson. Come in.”
“It smells wonderful. And please, call me Nick.” He wore a pair of jeans and the bright red-and-yellow sweater she’d seen him in before. It was hideous, and she couldn’t help admiring the self-confidence it must take to wear it.
“This is for you.” He handed her a yellow rose. She took it and smiled. “I told you not to bring anything.”
“I appreciate you inviting me over.”
“Well, thank you and you’re welcome.” She sniffed the rose.
She glanced at a bottle of honey in his other hand. It had a gold bow on the lid. “This is, uh, for your friend.” His cheeks pinked. “I wasn’t sure what else to get him.”
Madison laughed. “It’s perfect. He loves honey. But how did you know?”
“I was at Roxie’s Diner that morning, remember? I got the impression he’s a big fan.”
Madison felt a little embarrassed. “Oh yeah. Fortunately, his table manners have improved … somewhat.”
Nick laughed.
“After we eat, I’ll show you my father’s collection of stones and fossils, but I wondered if I could talk to you first.”
“Of course.”
She led him into the dining room and he sat, placing the honey bottle in front of him. “It’s about Alejandro.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes.” Madison sat across from him. “He knows you want to ask him some questions about the other night and he’s fine with that, but I just want to tell you a little about him before you meet him.”
He nodded. “I’m all ears.”
“Well … he’s … different. There are things about him that are … unusual.” She paused, thinking of the way his breath frosted when he got angry, the way he’d healed after getting cut by the rosebushes, the fact that his temperature went high whenever he got upset. But she wouldn’t mention any of this. Or the wings. I had to have imagined those. She’d been trying to convince herself of that for a long time now. “He’s not exactly a typical guy. He’s very naive. Childlike.”
“Is he, umm, special?”
Madison took a deep breath. “Yes, but not the way you mean. He’s intelligent, but it’s as if more than his past was erased. Like he’s forgotten how to be ... human. I’ve been researching amnesia, and this isn’t typical at all.”
“And he hasn’t been to a doctor yet?”
“He refuses. Absolutely refuses.”
“I see. Well, I’m looking forward to getting to know him.”
Down the hall, the bathroom door clicked open, and Madison and Nick saw Alejandro’s bare ass as he disappeared into Madison’s bedroom.
“Oh, dear God.” Madison put her head in her hands.
“I didn’t need to get to know him that well.” Nick chuckled.
She shook her head. “It’s everything I can do to keep him dressed. I’m so sorry. This is very embarrassing. He hates clothes.”
Nick laughed. “I guess they don’t call him the Disrobed Daredevil for nothing.” He snorted another laugh. “You don’t see that at every dinner party you attend.”
Despite herself, Madison laughed with him.
“And was that a parrot on his shoulder?”
Madison laughed harder now, nodding. “It was.”
“I get the feeling this is going to be a very interesting evening.”
“Oh, you have no idea what you’re in for, Nick.”
* * *
The first thing Nick noticed about the young man was his eyes. At first glance they appeared to be gray, but closer, he realized with surprise that they were silver. It was an eye color he’d never seen before yet it did not seem unnatural exactly. Nick had not noticed this in the pictures he’d seen online or that morning at Roxie’s Diner.
He stood and held out his hand. “Nick Grayson. Pleased to meet you.”
Alejandro stared at his hand a moment, then gave it a pat. “I am Alejandro.”
Madison watched them, her interest and anxiety apparent, then when Alejandro pulled his chair out and sat, she said, “I hope you’re both hungry. I’ve made enough to feed a football team,” and disappeared into the kitchen where she began loading plates.
The second thing Nick noticed about Alejandro was his scent. Though he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t coming from kitchen, Nick caught the distinct aroma of barbecue and doubted the lasagna had any such fragrance. When Madison placed the plates in front of them and he smelled the garlicky tang of lasagna sauce, he was convinced the young man across from him was somehow emanating the smell of grilled spare ribs. It wasn’t unpleasant - it was Nick’s favorite smell - but it was strange.
“Thank you,” said Nick to Madison. “This looks delicious.”
“You’re wel-” Before she could finish, a new voice - a mechanical voice - rang out.
“Who’s a pretty boy?” It was the parrot, which Alejandro had placed in his cage in the living room.
“That’s Pirate,” said Madison. “He likes to remind everyone that he’s a pretty boy.” She gave Nick an awkward smile. “He seems to feel insecure when he’s not with Alejandro and that makes him talk more. If it bothers you, I can put him in the bedroom.”
“Not at all. I like birds just fine.” He blew on his lasagna and bit into it. It was gooey, salty, and hot enough to burn the blue fuck out of his mouth - but the pain was divine. “Good stuff.” He swallowed fast, trying not to show discomfort, certain that it took at least two layers of skin off his esophagus on the way down. As he chased it with half a glass of ice water, the pasta hit his stomach and he let it smolder there a few moments before trying his next bite. He glanced at Alejandro, who was pushing things around on his plate, his silvery eyes fixed on the bottle of honey.
“That’s for you.” Nick pushed the honey toward Alejandro. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought the guy’s eyes turned a little more silver as he smiled.
“For me?”
“Yes. It’s just a thank you. You know, for inviting me.”
Alejandro was pulling the gold bow off the top when Madison placed a hand over his. “We can have that for dessert, okay?”
“But you don’t like it as much as I do.”
“No, but you can have it for dessert.”
Alejandro looked confused. “But you said we can have it for dessert.”
“By we I meant you.”
Nick’s gaze moved back and forth between them.
Alejandro sighed. “Okay.” He had the kind of face Nick figured artist’s sought out, other men envied, and women of all ages adored. Nick pegged him at somewhere between twenty and twenty-three, though his mannerisms suggested someone much younger.
He held his fork the way a toddler would, his fist tight around the handle, and he seemed to be taking great care to raise the lasagna to his mouth without incident. He kept glancing at Madison, as if for approval. She smiled and gave him a barely perceptible nod. Only then did he bite into the forkful of lasagna. He chewed, looking bored, and Nick was startled that the heat of it had no apparent effect on him.
He decided it was time to break the ice. Noting the insignia on Alejandro’s brown hoodie, he said, “Winkie the Golden Hedgehog. It seems I can’t get away from that little guy.” He smiled and bit into his lasagna. It was still hot as hellfire and he blinked back tears of pain.
Smart girl that she was, Madison still hadn’t touched her pasta. “Tis the season. They splatter those posters everywhere when the Founder’s Day Fair is coming up.”
“I’ve noticed. Nick couldn’t wait for them to take t
he damned things down - they attracted graffiti like nobody’s business. He thought of all the domestic disputes these past days. “Are the townspeople always so on edge as the fair approaches?” He figured this would be a great lead-in to his questions for Alejandro.
“What do you mean?” asked Madison.
Alejandro chewed, still staring at the honey.
Nick envied the young man his apparently deadened nerve endings, wishing he could eat his own lasagna. “It’s been nuts these past days. I figured it must have to do with all the excitement of the fair. Otherwise, there’s an unusually high crime rate for such a small population.”
“There are a lot of contests - baking, livestock, and the like,” said Madison. “I guess the competition gets to some of them.” She blew on a forkful of pasta but didn’t eat it. “It does seem a lot crazier than usual this year.”
So it isn’t always like this. Nick had figured as much. He couldn’t imagine there being this much rivalry over a few blue ribbons. He cleared his throat. “Alejandro, I wanted to ask you about what happened on Saturday.”
“Okay.” Alejandro shoveled a loaded forkful of steaming goop into his mouth and Nick nearly winced in pain for him.
“How did you happen upon the woman in the alley?”
“I heard her.”
“You were out walking?”
“No, I was here.”
Nick blinked. He glanced at Madison. She shrugged. “You heard her from here?”
Alejandro nodded. “I was on the roof.”
“The roof?”
Madison spoke quickly. “He sometimes climbs onto the roof. He … likes the view of the town.”
“I see.” Nick watched the man closely. He was relaxed, displaying no signs of dishonesty. “And what did you hear the woman say?”
“She was asking for help. And I knew a man was following her.”
It was several miles from the O’Riley residence to the 7-11 where Darcy Cromwell had been attacked; there was no way he could have heard her, not even if the woman had been screaming bloody murder. Nick hadn’t heard her, and he’d been right next door. He glanced between Madison and Alejandro, looking for signs of a lie, but no one was tipping their hand. “I don’t understand. How did you hear her from all the way up … on the roof?”
Alejandro shrugged. “I do not know.”
Nick stared. No one spoke. This was getting him nowhere and he decided to move on. “So you heard the woman screaming and-”
“She was not screaming,” said Alejandro. “She was asking for help.”
“So you heard her … asking for help, and then what did you do?”
Alejandro eyed the bottle of honey with longing and forked more lasagna into his mouth. “I ran to her.”
“And what happened when you got there?”
“I helped her.”
“Helped her? Helped her how?”
“I made that man leave her alone.”
“Did you … beat him up?”
“No, I pulled him off her and told him to leave.” He paused. “And then he left.”
There was something hidden in that pause, some bit of information that set Nick’s instincts on alert. “And that’s all? You asked him to leave and he left?”
Madison glanced between them, her lasagna forgotten.
“Yes,” said Alejandro.
“Where did the man go?”
“He ran away.”
Madison cleared her throat. “Have you found the guy?”
“No. We know who he is,” said Nick, “but he’s fallen off the radar. We’re keeping our eyes open.”
Alejandro blinked at Nick. “Why do you want to find him?”
Now it was Nick’s turn to blink.
“He is a bad man,” said Alejandro. “You should not try to find him.”
It occurred to Nick that perhaps Alejandro had killed the guy and hidden the body. Then he recalled the Festus Crawley sightings that had been reported. The man was alive and Alejandro was not a murderer. Nick trusted his instincts. “We have to find him.”
“But why?” Alejandro asked.
“So he doesn’t do the same thing to someone else.”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know?”
Alejandro shrugged. “I just do.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Madison shifted in her seat and cleared her throat. “I hope you’re not suggesting Alejandro harmed the man in some way, Chief. He saved that woman’s life.”
Nick held his hands up. “Not at all. I’m just curious and-”
“You are a chief?” asked Alejandro.
“I told you that, Alejandro,” said Madison.
“I’m the chief of police,” Nick replied.
“That other man,” said Alejandro. “He is a police.”
“What other man?”
“Clint Horace. And he is bad.” Alejandro paused. “He was being mean to Madison, that is why I hurt him.”
Nick’s brows shot up. “You did that to him?”
Alejandro nodded.
Madison spoke up. “Clint and I went out, just once, months ago. I mentioned this to you before - he was very aggressive. He’s been kind of stalking me since then and … he showed up at the new club, Mephistopheles on Saturday. He cornered me and … there was an altercation. But Alejandro was just defending me. Clint was … he was trying to rape me.”
“Why didn’t you file a report?” asked Nick.
Madison gave him a look that said, Well, duh. “As Clint likes to remind me, he is the police. No offense, but I don’t trust law enforcement.” She paused, hesitant. “My mother had some unpaid parking tickets. Clint has been threatening to make me pay them - or take away my license. I can’t afford either.”
Nick stared. “He said that?”
She nodded. “He’s been saying it for months.”
Nick’s jaw tensed. “You’re not responsible for your mother’s outstanding tickets, and-”
“But it’s the same car.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Nick shook his head. “He lied to you.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“I promise Clint won’t be a problem for you anymore. You should be able to trust the law.” One more reason to fire the bastard. As if he needed one. Personally, Nick wanted to shake Alejandro’s hand - or offer him a hand-pat, anyway - for breaking Horace’s face.
“Thank you,” said Madison.
Nick smiled and took a bite of pasta. Now, it was just right. “This lasagna is amazing, Madison.” And it was.
“Kiss my ass!” came the robotic parrot-voice from the other room.
Nick, nearly choking, broke into laughter.
Alejandro, however, was not laughing. He stared at the front door, stiff, intense.
* * *
Dette’s plan was simple: If she was too drunk to drive, Maddy would have no choice but to let her spend the night. It had worked last weekend.
She’d already had a few when she arrived at Madison’s front door. She felt drunker than she’d intended - but she’d really needed those drinks after closing up the shop - it had been that kind of day. She knew Madison was having the chief of police over for dinner. Dette hadn’t been invited. But that won’t stop me.
She needed to see Alejandro again. Who the hell does he think he is, turning me down and making me feel like road kill? She cleared her throat and raised a hand to knock, thought better of it, and stepped in. Nearly tripping on the rug, she steadied herself in the doorway. “Sorry I’m late!”
Madison and the chief both stared. Alejandro wouldn’t look at her.
“I brought salad!” Dette waved a bag of greens then made her way into the kitchen and pulled a plate and a large salad bowl from the cupboard. She only teetered a little.
Madison looked gobsmacked.
It’s my outfit. It was the same skimpy one Madison had made her cover with sweats. Maddy’s always been jealous of my body.
“Dette,
” said Madison. “I didn’t realize you were coming.”
“Of course I came! I wouldn’t miss your dinner party for anything, Maddy.” She pulled out the chair between the cop and Alejandro, steadying herself as she sat, ignoring the way Alejandro prickled at her. She plunked her plate and the salad bowl down on the table then hefted her large handbag onto the floor, before ripping the bag of salad open and dumping the wilted lettuce - it was day-old and half-price at 7-11. Most of it landed in the bowl. Fisting the stray greens, she placed them on top, then pushed the bowl to the center of the table. “Oh, fucking hell! I forgot dressing!”
“Dette!” Madison glowered at her.
Dette clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she said to the cop. “I have such a dirty mouth.”
He gave her an uncomfortable smile. “I hope you took a taxi here; I don’t want to arrest you for drunk driving.”
Dette giggled, swatting at him playfully. “It’s nice seeing you again, too, Officer …”
“Grayson. Chief Grayson.” He brought a forkful of lasagna to his mouth, watching her.
Dette stared at his hands; they looked strong and were large enough to suggest he was big in other places, too. If she hadn’t been here for Alejandro, she wouldn’t mind getting handcuffed by this cop at all. “That sure is a … bright sweater, Chief. It reminds me of mustard and ketchup.” She laughed. “You look like a big hot dog. I’d eat you right up!”
The cop didn’t reply.
I need to flatter him a little. “It’s a shame to cover up all those muscles, though! Are you sure you’re not overheated in that thing?”
“I think you’re overheated, Dette,” said Madison.
Dette ignored her and looked at the pasta. It spun in her bleary vision. “Oh, Maddy, this looks delish! I feel bad for only bringing salad!”
Madison glowered.
“Maddy’s always been better in the kitchen than me,” Dette told the cop, pointedly avoiding Alejandro when she added, “My talents are best appreciated in other rooms.”
His face reddened. Dette could tell he was getting turned on.
“Dette.” Madison’s voice was sharp. “May I speak to you? Alone.”
“Oh, Maddy, not now.” Dette dished up lasagna. “We’ll have time to talk after we eat. I’m starved!” She loaded her plate, glancing at Alejandro. “Hello, there, Allie. I haven’t seen you in days.”
The Angel Alejandro Page 35