Dave was probably worried. I told him I’d be back right after school today. I hadn’t counted on making a detour here. Heat wrapped itself around me as thoughts from last night began assaulting me. That kiss on the steps had curled my toes. It was unexpected and intoxicating at the same time.
Who would have thought I would ever be attracted to Dave Brewer or that he would be such an incredible kisser? My attraction initially could be blamed on his post-high school physique: the physical change was remarkable. But the attraction only intensified when I learned what he had gone through: watching his eyes light up when he talked about Mark, and the sadness they hid when he shared how he had been taken from him. I thought it was great that he was helping one of Kravitz’s students who shared a similar history with him. Given the circumstances, my first reaction was that Dave would be callous about the way he had grown up; the fact that he was helping a kid who didn’t have a lot of options was admirable. I felt closer to Dave, or maybe realized that I wanted to be closer to Dave.
No one should lose the one person in the world who loves them back. Dave made a conscious decision to let me into his life last night. I’d bet that what he shared with me he had shared with very few others in his life. The feelings were too raw. I hated that he was so alone. I wanted to find his brother as much as he did.
Chapter 19
Driving toward the west side of town, I knew I should go to Dave’s place, but I couldn’t help driving past Bank Shot on the way there. It was after dusk, and the city was taking on that surreal silvery look in the moonlight. The enormous neon sign of a pool cue pointing at the place’s entrance was like a beacon in the night. I had promised Dave we could both come here and ask around if anyone knew Mark, but I wanted to see for myself that Chris was fine. I turned into the parking lot, but I didn’t look for a parking spot. Chris drove an old orange Dodge pick-up. If I saw it in the parking lot, I’d know he was okay.
I looked at each row slowly: the truck wasn’t here. My stomach lurched. He could have caught a ride in with someone else, or maybe this wasn’t his night to tend bar.
If I went in and either Grey or Teddy were inside, what would I do? Libby had friends at almost every bar we went to, but those were her friends, not necessarily mine. If the two were inside, would I be able to get help from others while we waited for the police to show? I pulled up beside a mountain of snow. Whoever had been clearing the parking lot must have been trying to make a pile that would stay until summer.
Coming to Bank Shot was a bad idea – bad on too many levels. I had nearly talked myself into leaving when I decided that if I went inside and Teddy and Grey weren’t there, I could see when Chris would be working. If Chris were here, I could tell him what had happened, so he could keep an eye out for the two. The best defense was a strong offense, or maybe it was the other way around, but it seemed to fit.
If the police had come to Bank Shot and asked Chris if he had seen the two without giving him details, he would be less inclined to help, knowing that he had been complicit in one of them being hustled. He needed to know what had happened to Libby. No matter how angry he was with her, he wouldn’t let something like this slide.
I looked at my outfit. I wasn’t in Libby’s uniform for hustling pool. The bar was really dark, so most people inside wouldn’t even give me a second look. If I just took a quick peek to see if Chris were there, how dangerous could that be?
The inner turmoil was silenced when I lurched my car forward into a large parking spot near the back of the lot. The parking lot looked mostly bare. As I stood, the walls of my stomach tried squeezing themselves together. I pushed through the nervousness with one foot in front of the other as the front door of the bar beckoned me to it.
Less than ten feet from the front door, a voice called out to me. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite eye Candy.”
I had heard this particular “pet name” at least once a month since I hit puberty. I wheeled around ready to glare at whoever decided to give me grief, when relief flooded me. Dave stood under the glow of the neon light. Butterflies took flight in my stomach, and my unease about going inside eased. “Geeze, you scared me. All done working for the day?”
Dave was all smiles, “I’m always working.” He moved toward me in long strides. He stopped a few feet short of me, making no effort to move closer. Disappointment nibbled at me. It was silly. I had just seen him this morning, but it wasn’t like I was his girlfriend: he had every right to keep a little distance in public. That’s what I tried to tell myself, but memories of him holding me last night had flashed through my mind a good bit of the day today. Images of those few moments on his steps seemed to be on a near constant replay. Maybe he was just shy. I took a tentative step toward him, attempting to close the space between us.
Surprise registered silently in his expression. I didn’t know what he was thinking. Maybe he hadn’t meant to open up so completely to me last night. I forgot my filter and asked, “What? Having second thoughts?”
Dave took a step in my direction, effectively closing the little gap that remained between us. He didn’t touch me, but I felt the warmth of his body a hair’s breadth from mine. In a low sexy voice, he answered, “I have lots of thoughts. Just giving you space so as not to smother you. Glad you don’t need time to warm up to me.”
“After last night, I think we’re past the bashful stage.” I stood on my tip toes and pressed a light kiss to the right of his lips. His cheek was cool and smooth as summer cherries. Holding my position a second or two longer than necessary, Dave took my hint and turned his head, pressing his lips to mine. It wasn’t tentative or restrained: it was an aggressive hungry kiss that promised passion with each press of his lips.
Car lights drove up behind us, effectively interrupting the kiss that felt like a long awaited sequel to the one on his stairs. Dave was breathless, as his eyes darted around the parking lot. “Where’s your car?”
Smiling, I motioned toward the bar’s entrance, “We’ve got time for that later. We’re already here. I want to see if Chris has seen anything.”
Dave’s face looked confused. I took his hand and began walking toward the door. I made it exactly two steps before Dave’s hand boomeranged me back into his arms. His feet were planted. “We’ve got time for it now,” he answered seductively.
He stepped into me, pressing his body wholly against mine in the dim light of the parking lot. The hunger in him grew, even more aggressive than just minutes before. Smug that I had this effect on him, I tugged at his hand a second time and broke the kiss. “This’ll take ten minutes, then we can go back to your place.”
He shook his head in confusion, as if not comprehending what I was telling him. “Man, this is a switch. Usually that’s my line.”
Smirking at him, I asked, “You say that to a lot of girls?” He smirked but didn’t answer. A quick feeling of insecurity washed over me, “You’re not kicking me out, right? I don’t want to overstay my welcome, but there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for another one of your special coffees.”
Dave’s eyes widened fractionally as I felt his muscles tense. Then he asked the strangest question, “Candy, when did I make you coffee?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you. Hot chocolate with an extra shot of caffeine or whatever you call it.”
All hint of flirtation disappeared in front of me when his voice turned serious and he asked, “Are you medicated or something?”
“Um, no. Call it whatever you want, but I’ve got to say that was better than slamming a Red Bull. Breezed through my test without any effort at all this morning.”
Dave continued studying me as if I had just said something absurd. He took a step back from me, eyeing me suspiciously. I got the impression I might have been a disease-riddled leper. “Did I say something wrong? Hey, if you are sensitive about your secret recipe, I’ll keep it on the down low.”
Still confused, he answered, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The loo
k he gave me was strange, as if he really didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. I studied his face: it was Dave. No, it wasn’t! There was no shininess on his head from the glue holding the gash closed. I looked at his clothes: he wasn’t dressed like Dave. I had been through most of Dave’s cabinets and had only seen t-shirts and hoodies. The man before me wore a thick winter wool coat with a dress shirt peeking out from the collar. The word formed on my lips before I knew what I was asking, “Mark?”
He still eyed me suspiciously, but kept his distance. Words poured out of me, “OHMYGOD it’s you. You’re here. Holy crap! I didn’t know that was you. I mean, I know your brother.”
A foreboding look glared at me when he answered icily, “I don’t have a brother.”
Searching for something in his eyes, the playfulness from before was gone. He thought I was running some sort of scam on him or something. “Dave. Your brother is Dave Brewer.”
Without warning, his hand was around my throat and lifting me angrily off the ground. “My brother’s dead, you stupid bitch.”
Air was cut off from my lungs and the constriction on my throat made speaking impossible. Rage showed through his eyes, and had I not been held inches off of the ground, I would have cowered away just from his glare. My legs kicked frantically while he continued holding me in the air, glaring at me. A voice yelled from across the parking lot, “You better put her down, friend.”
I didn’t recognize the voice, and for all I knew, an angel had descended from heaven to intervene on my behalf. Well, most angels wouldn’t wear dirty blue jeans, Carhartt jackets and baseball caps, but I wasn’t about to ridicule this stranger’s wardrobe choices. Mark dropped me and pushed me away from him, landing me squarely on my butt on the frozen asphalt.
Coughing and gagging as my lungs desperately tried to fill with air, I held an arm up feebly as the stranger came to my side and helped me to my feet. The stranger watched Mark who walked off toward the far side of the parking lot, then asked, “Are you okay? Do you need an ambulance?”
My eyes darted around the parking lot. I had lost Mark for a second, but saw the lights flash on a sleek black Mercedes. Still trying to gather air, I launched myself away from the good Samaritan and jogged toward Mark’s car. His expression was still full of fury when he glared in my direction.
I couldn’t catch my breath, so I waved my arms like crazy trying to convince him not to go. It didn’t work because he got in his car, revved the engine, and spun the tires on the ice-packed pavement. I did one of the stupidest things of my life and leaped in front of his on-coming car, despite seeing the rage on his face. The car skidded to a stop within inches of me.
The idea that I would be a new hood ornament for his car should have convinced me to jump out of the way, but after seeing the pain in Dave’s eyes last night, I couldn’t let Mark get away. Mark rolled his window down as his angry voice shouted, “Get out of my way. I’ll flatten you.”
“Dave’s not dead.” I coughed a few more times, my eyes locked hard on his. “Lives here.” A loud wheeze, “He told me about you. I told him I saw you here Tuesday night.”
My heart was still pounding like a jackhammer in my chest, but he had heard me. He didn’t look convinced, but he put the Mercedes in park, opened the door, and stood up. “What do you mean he lives here?”
“He moved here when he was nine. He said you two got separated when he was five. I was supposed to come here with him tonight to try to find you.”
The stranger who had come to my aid was watching the events unfold. He must have thought this better than daytime television because he didn’t budge from the place where he had lifted me off of the asphalt. Mark walked over toward me, disbelief still coloring his expression. “Dave Brewer. My brother? You’re telling me he’s alive and he lives here?”
“Yes. He and I have been friends since high school. He restored my car,” pointing absently at my Chevelle two rows over. “He told me about what happened with the two of you when you were little. How the foster family kept you and gave him back to the state.”
Mark said nothing. As powerful as he had looked to me just minutes before, his whole demeanor had changed. I saw his mouth try to form words several times, but words weren’t coming out. I offered, “I can take you to him. Or give you his phone number. You have no idea how badly he wants to see you.”
Still not believing me, he asked, “He’s alive?”
“Uh, yeah. At least he was when I left for school this morning.” I gave him a smile that he didn’t return. Instead he went back to his car and sat in the driver’s seat. I looked toward the stranger who was still watching with morbid curiosity. I went around to the passenger side of Mark’s car and tapped on the window for him to unlock the door. When he did, I took a seat beside him.
Much the same as last night, I had no idea what words could possibly comfort this brother any more than the words I couldn’t find last night for Dave. When he finally spoke, his voice was absent any emotion, “I’ve got some things I need to take care of. You should go. Don’t tell him you saw me tonight.”
“What? Are you kidding me? Dave was beyond excited when I told him I met you. He would kill me if I lied to him about seeing you tonight.”
“Give me some time. I need to tie up some loose ends before I see him again. You said he lives here?”
“Just let me get him on the phone. Five minutes. Please? Just talk to him for five minutes and let him know you’re okay.” I pulled my cell phone out, scrolling through contacts to find Dave when Mark’s hand closed over mine.
His eyes were sad, which didn’t make any sense. If I called Dave right this second he would be elated. Mark’s reaction to learning that Dave was alive baffled me. Mark looked into my eyes, “So, when you kissed me, you thought. . .you thought I was him?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t even know you.” Embarrassed that I had confused the two, I thought of what Dave’s reaction might be if I shared the parking lot encounter with him. He would probably think it was funny, except that I didn’t know the difference. I was mortified.
He snapped his fingers and scowled. “My loss.”
Strange response. Questions poured in on me. Why wasn’t he pumping me for information on Dave? Why did he think Dave was dead? Why would he choke me like that? Mark had scared me, the same fear that up until now was reserved for Grey and maybe a little for Teddy. Not wanting to elicit an angry reaction, I asked the safest question I could think of, “Why did you think Dave was dead?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re sure it’s my brother? People steal dead people’s identities all the time.”
“He has the same eyes as you. The same cleft chin. Your hair is the same color, too, but yours is just a little longer. No, your appearances are too close not to be brothers.” I studied him for a second longer. Dave had a much less intense personality, but a comment like that could only be offensive if I shared that disparity with Mark. Instead, I offered, “He only lives like ten minutes from here. We could go there now.”
“No.”
“I don’t understand. You don’t want to see him?” Without waiting for any kind of a response I said, “He’s a great guy. He owns his own repair shop – all custom muscle. I know he wants to see you. He told me about you last night.” My voice lowered, “It almost ripped his heart out to share it with me. Please go there with me.”
Mark turned away from me and gazed out into the darkness in front of him. He shook his head as his voice turned to steel, “Not now. Soon. I’ll find him.”
He bobbed his head toward the passenger door, wordlessly dismissing me. I reached for the door handle when the reason I had come in the first place cascaded on me, “Hey, before you go, how well do you know Grey and Teddy?”
Mark’s eyes narrowed. I might well be stepping onto thin ice, but I needed to know. “Teddy was one of the two guys that my roommate and I were playing pool with the other night.”
His expression didn’t change, but he clarified, �
��You two hustled Teddy, right?”
“Sort of. I mean, we needed groceries.”
“Bad move.”
“You know him? Because the police are looking for them now.”
“You might as well be looking for a ghost. He has more identities than a shark has teeth.”
“Can you tell me their last names?”
“Get out.”
Get out? Did Mark know what Grey had done to Libby? What he tried to do to me? Grey had shot Dave, but given Mark’s response to finding out Dave was alive, I wasn’t sure that would make any difference. Mark didn’t wait for my response as he reached across me and pulled the passenger side door handle. His voice commanded, “Now.”
I slid off the seat not sure what to think. I closed the passenger side door as he pulled out of the lot without so much as a second glance in my direction. What had just happened? He thought Dave was dead, but when he found out he was alive, he wanted nothing to do with him? I asked if he had any info on the two scum bags who had turned my life upside down, and he kicked me out of his car? What was Mark involved in?
Tony’s warning from earlier came in loud and clear – he said Mark was worse than Teddy or Grey. What was Mark? A mob boss or something? Teddy had called him “Boss” and had gotten nervous when Mark told him to be respectful to Libby. What had they discussed after we left? Mark knew Libby had hustled Teddy and his little brother.
The same voice from across the parking lot shouted, “Hey! He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
The man still stood where he had helped me up. I shook my head and waved. Glancing toward the entrance, I saw a man walk out of the bar then stand in the shadow to the left of the entrance. As I held my position trying to make my eyes see into the dark corner, a shiver ran up my spine. I took a step toward him, then my whole body stiffened as his face emerged from the shadow: Teddy. Grey was nowhere to be seen, but I’d recognize Teddy anywhere. He blew me a kiss, stuffed a cigarette butt into an ashtray by the door, and disappeared back inside Bank Shot. I ran to my car at the far end of the lot. Reaching into my purse, my fingers latched on to my keys. I pulled them out, fumbling with them in the darkness while looking over my shoulder, trying to see if Teddy was coming after me.
His Frozen Heart Page 19