Dark Star

by Roslyn Holcomb

  Their rescuer then rushed back out to help her mother up from the ground as a curious crowd began to gather around. He grabbed their packages and then herded them both to the curb. With a talent only a few possess, he hailed a taxi that stopped immediately right in front of him.

  “Tonya, you and your mom go back to the hotel and stay there,” the man said handing the driver a wad of bills.

  “Wait, wait a minute,” Anita said. “What about the police? Shouldn’t we call?”

  “It’ll be taken care of. You two just need to get out of here.” With that, he slammed the door closed and then slapped one of his meaty hands on top of the taxi. The driver took off at the silent command.

  Tonya collapsed back on the seat turning her head to see where the mystery man was going. She watched as he walked back over to the unconscious attackers. Another man, shorter with dark curly hair joined him. Her breath whistled between her teeth. Could it be? From this distance it was impossible to tell, especially since he had his back to her, but she was almost convinced it was Nate Randolph. Two sightings in two days were too much of a coincidence. But what on earth would he be doing here? Her first instinct was to tell the taxi to turn around so she could get to the bottom of this mystery, but then she turned to her mother who had sustained some scrapes and bruises from the encounter. Her own arm still throbbed and she knew she’d have a doozy of a bruise the next day. It would be ridiculous to subject her mother to possible danger just to indulge her overactive imagination. It wasn’t Nate. It couldn’t be.

  Anita waved her away. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m not even bleeding. Nothing a little Neosporin won’t take care of when we get back to the hotel. Who was that man and why were those muggers trying to drag you away?”

  Tonya shook her head. “I have no idea. I assumed they were going to rape me. But who commits rape in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight?”

  “This is just too strange. I can’t even imagine what Reuben will make of it. He always says I attract trouble wherever I go. I’m starting to believe him.”

  “You don’t attract trouble, you make trouble, but somehow I don’t think I can blame this one on you. Did you see the other man? The one who showed up to help the one who saved us?”

  “There were two of them? No, I only saw the one with the long locks. What about him?”

  “Never mind. It’s not important,” Tonya said.

  “Don’t you think we should’ve called the law?” her mother asked.

  “Probably, but I guess it’s too late now. Right now I just want to get back to the hotel and lie down before my meeting.”

  Her mother frowned in concern, but said nothing more. Tonya lay back on the seat, the bruises from her fight with the attacker were really hurting now and she wanted nothing so much as a warm shower and a couple of Advil. Thanking God for the stranger she closed her eyes, which sprang open almost immediately when a thought sliced through the adrenaline fog that had surrounded her since the attack began.

  How had he known her name? And who was the other man?

  * * * * *

  Tonya woke with a start, somehow aware that she wasn’t alone in the room. “Mama?” she called out, though she also knew that it wasn’t her mother’s presence she felt. For one thing, Anita always smelled of Opium, a fragrance she’d worn for so long it seemed to have seeped into her pores. And for another, she always felt comforted when her mother was around, and right now she felt anything but comfortable. Tonya immediately sat up reaching for the lamp in almost the same motion. Skittish from the attack earlier that day, she was panting from the fear that nearly choked off her breathing. Even so, she’d be damned if she’d be raped and murdered without a fight. Her outstretched arm was grabbed in a bruising grip before she could flip on the light. She swung blindly with her other arm; her left hook connecting with the side of someone’s head. She twisted wildly, trying to free her body from the covers and raising her foot to kick her attacker away.

  Fear left her breathless and unable to scream. Still she fought with all her might. Somehow she’d managed to get in another blow when suddenly another man grabbed the first man. Struggling to see in the dim light, Tonya watched as the second man struck the first man with a brutal uppercut and then another blow before he grabbed his neck in both hands. In what seemed like only seconds, the man sank to the floor unconscious -- or maybe dead. She wasn’t altogether sure, but she did know that none of these people belonged in her room. Without missing a beat, she began swinging her fists wildly, connecting a couple of times as the man was only shielding his face, not trying to hit her in return.

  “Goddamnit, Onion, cut it out. Cut it out. I’m not going to hurt you. Ow! Don’t hit me again, goddamnit. I’m trying to save you.”

  Tonya hissed. Onion? No one called her that bu -- “Nate?” she whispered not trusting what her ears were telling her. That voice. The unlikely combination of south Alabama and Paris blended to make a unique accent to say the least. His voice was as familiar to her as her own face, though it had been more than a decade since she’d last heard it. Memories undimmed by the years flooded back. Her senses were inundated with him. The feel of his body pressing her down on the bed. His scent. Sensory memories that were as distinctive as his voice. “Nate?” she said again, still rattled by the notion. With the hand still over her mouth, the word barely came out as squeak but apparently he understood because he moved the hand. “Nate.” It was a statement now as she squinted in the dim light making out his features.

  “Live and in color,” came the sardonic response.

  For a moment, Tonya seriously wondered if she hadn’t been slipped some hallucinogenic drug. Certainly it would make more sense than believing that Nate Randolph, her first lover, had somehow turned up in her room in the middle of the night.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, automatically matching his soft tone. This situation was bad enough; it could only be made worse by having her mother show up.

  “I told you. Rescuing you from the bad guys.”

  “How do I know you’re not a bad guy?”

  “Sorry little sister, I left my white hat at home. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  “I haven’t seen you in years. Why on earth should I trust you?”

  “Because as bad as you might think I am, this guy,” he nodded toward the unconscious form on the floor, “is worse. And the one that hired him makes me look like a Boy Scout.” He casually dropped beside her on the bed.

  Tonya sucked in a breath. His words rang with an air of truth she had no trouble believing. But no way in hell was she staying in bed with Nate. She sprang to her feet. She’d been so rattled by his nearness that it took a moment for the rest of his words to penetrate. Coming after her? Who on earth would be coming after her? Aside from her editor, she couldn’t fathom anyone being out for her blood.

  “I do love your sleeping attire sweetheart,” he said, looking her up and down.

  Tonya suddenly became aware that she was clad only in a soft cotton tank top and the scantiest briefs she could find -- she hated wearing panties. They irritated the scar left from the fibroid surgery she’d had several years ago.

  “Close your eyes, Dare,” Nate said. That was when Tonya became aware of another man on the other side of the room.

  “The hell you say. I haven’t seen anything this delicious since you blew up that strip club. What a waste,” the other man said with a sad shake of his dreadlocked head.

  “That was an accident,” Nate said, sounding peeved.

  Tonya looked from one man to the other in the dim light, not believing that Nate and some dude were carrying on a conversation like this in her room in the middle of the night. “Who is that?” she asked gesturing toward the other man. “He rescued us from the mugging today. What is he doing here? What’s going on?”

  “That’s Deringer, my uh, traveling companion.” Nate gestured toward the man who was still lying on the floor. “Dare, you want to do something w
ith this guy?”

  Deringer nodded, then walked over to the man. After searching him thoroughly and removing several weapons he lifted the man over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold and walked out the door with him.

  Deringer was a tall man whose dreadlocks hung midway down his back. He’d clipped them at the nape of his neck with what appeared to be a large leather barrette. Tonya had a brief moment of envy, as she’d never found a barrette strong enough to hold her own locks. Maybe we could go shopping, she thought as she held back a giggle. Clearly she was becoming a bit hysterical because really, was this any time to be thinking about hair? The hairstyle indicated that he might be black, but his complexion was considerably lighter than Nate’s, but then so was hers. With a summer tan Nate could pass for almost any ethnicity. In college everyone assumed he was Jewish or maybe Arab. Some thought he might be biracial. Few guessed he was white, even the ones who knew him well.

  The years hadn’t been particularly kind to him -- the large sable brown eyes were still the same -- framed by impossibly long lashes and punctuated by heavy dark brows, but the lines around them were new, as was the deep sadness she sensed about him. Lines bracketed the full sensuous mouth as well. His hair was cut shorter than when she knew him, but it was apparent that he still didn’t bother much with it and the inky curls were left to run riot over his head.

  Tonya sighed. “You guys do realize this place is full of security, don’t you? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Not anymore,” Nate said with a casual yawn, as he stretched out more comfortably on the bed. “I told you, we’re here to rescue you. This mattress is awesome, by the way. Love the life you’re leading, Onion. Five-star hotels do have their perks.”

  Tonya frowned. What on earth had they done with the guards? Lots of celebrities were staying at the hotel and there had to have been tons of security personnel. Suddenly, she had a sinking feeling as she visualized dead bodies all over the place. Terror, which had abated once she recognized Nate’s voice, was back in full force. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and quickly put it on. “What in the hell is going on? Why are you here? Who was that other man? What do you mean you’re here to rescue me? Rescue me from what?”

  “We’re taking you with us. Otherwise a really bad dude is coming after you, little sister,” Nate said.

  “You mean like the muggers today? They weren’t really muggers were they? And the man you just...he’s not dead is he?” She shuddered as she realized she really didn’t want to know the answer. “Wait, don’t answer that. Who are these people? And why are they coming after me?” she said.

  Nate reached out and took her hand as though making an effort to comfort her. “I know all this stuff is bizarre and hard to deal with, but we’ll take care of you.”

  Tonya just shook her head, too panicked at the moment to form a response. Just then, Deringer slipped back into the room and took up a position near the door. Amazing how quickly the man could dispose of a body. Was the other man dead? And what had he done with him?

  “I see your mom is still with Reuben,” Nate said, still lounging on the bed.

  Tonya’s mind scurried as she tried to keep up with the subject change. “You went to my mama’s room? Is she okay?”

  “Of course she’s okay. What do you think I am?” Then he laughed derisively. “Don’t answer that. We went to the other woman’s room, too. It’s a big suite.” Nate shrugged. “I didn’t know you had an entourage. I couldn’t figure out which room was yours,” he continued and even had the nerve to sound a trifle miffed.

  “Who is the other woman? She’s absolutely gorgeous. I wanted to bring her too, but Nate wouldn’t let me,” Dare interjected.

  “That’s our operations manager, Roshonda,” Tonya answered automatically.

  “Trust me, little brother, the one we’re taking is going to be more than enough trouble,” Nate said. “Okay, little sister, we’ve got to get going.”

  “Why should I go anywhere with you? Why should I take your word that I’m in danger?”

  “What the hell do you think that guy was going to do to you? Invite you to an all night bid whist game? He came here to kill you, and if you don’t leave somebody is going to succeed. And even if I have to kill everyone in this hotel and take you out trussed up like my love slave I’m not leaving without you...In fact, I’d probably enjoy it,” he said with a suggestive leer.

  Tonya sucked in a deep breath as his words sank in. She realized that she’d started feeling safe once she recognized Nate. Even though she hadn’t seen him in years, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, at least not physically. Now she had to deal with the fact that these men were dangerous. Hallucinogenic drugs. Someone had definitely slipped her some hallucinogenic drugs. Struggling to make even the slightest sense of the situation, she decided to simply stop asking questions.

  Nate rose slowly from the bed. “So why don’t you get dressed -- you’re a bit of a distraction -- and come with us? I promise I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

  Tonya paused, tempted to tell him to go to hell, but she knew Nate well enough to know that Hades would require snow plows before he would do anything before he was ready. Besides what was her other option? The man that they’d somehow made disappear was all too real. As were the muggers from earlier that day. Though it didn’t make even the slightest bit of sense, she had to accept that somebody was out to do her in. Also, she didn’t doubt for a moment that Nate would follow through on exactly what he said. Despite their banter and the casual air about them, both men had the hardened faces and sharp eyes that she’d seen when she interviewed combat veterans. It wouldn’t pay to cross them. She stalked over to the dresser and grabbed the first article of clothing that fell under her hands. Fortunately it was a pair of jeans. She pulled an oversized T-shirt over her head. “Satisfied?”

  “Not by a long shot,” he said, giving her a lingering look. His companion cleared his throat and Nate shook his head as though coming out of a stupor. He continued in a huskier tone. “Can you pull together a few things to take with us? We’ve neutralized security here, but it doesn’t pay to take chances. Oh, and be sure to bring that dress you had on tonight. I really like it.”

  Tonya turned with a gasp. “You were at the party! I knew I saw you.”

  “You wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for that dress. Watching you in it took me out of my game and I forgot what I was doing,” he said with a smile. “By the way, he dyes his hair.”

  “Wha--Who dyes his hair?” Tonya stared at him, dumbfounded by the non sequitur.

  “That kid you were talking to and kissed at the party. That’s not his real name either. Who the hell would name their kid Badger? And what’s with you and these young dudes anyway? Aren’t you a little young to be getting your cougar on? And who was that other boy who was practically eating you alive? I’ve got socks older than him.”

  “Were you always this crazy, or did you recently sustain a brain injury?”

  “I’ve always been crazy where you’re concerned. You were just too young to recognize it,” Nate said.

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Deringer muttered under his breath. Tonya was too flabbergasted to respond to either comment.

  “Now get packed, it’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter Three

  Escaping from the hotel was not nearly as difficult as Tonya had assumed it would be. As they sneaked down the back stairs, she tried not to think about the guards that Nate and Deringer had “neutralized.” The stairs opened onto an alley behind the hotel where she saw that the men had stashed an escape vehicle, a sleek four-door sedan. In the dim light it looked black, but could’ve been dark green or blue. Nate took point with Deringer covering their exit. Suddenly, just as they reached the vehicle, strange men rushed toward them from around the corner. Tonya gasped, as she saw nothing but black nothingness where the men’s faces should’ve been. It took her a moment to realize they wore ninja-style masks. It didn’t take
nearly as long to see that they were armed to the teeth. Nate grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him toward the car. Deringer pulled what looked like an Uzi from...somewhere and started firing repeatedly at the pursuing men while she and Nate ran as quickly as possible toward the car. Nate snatched the rear door open and threw her inside and her soft-sided suitcase after her.

  “Get down,” he said unnecessarily. Tonya was so terrified that she almost immediately curled into a fetal position the minute her backside hit the floorboard. Her ears were ringing so loudly from the gunfire she could barely hear anything. The sound reverberated between the two buildings on either side of the narrow alley and intensified in volume. She’d have to remember that in her next book -- gunfire is incredibly loud. Nate pulled a large automatic handgun out of his backpack and immediately began firing at the men chasing them. Tonya assumed that he was providing cover, because before long Deringer climbed into the driver’s seat while Nate joined her in the rear of the car. They crouched there even though there was no more gunfire as Deringer burned rubber speeding out of the alley.

  Tonya struggled to regain her composure without succumbing to an overwhelming need to sob. What on earth was going on? Deringer had slowed the car to an inconspicuous rate of speed, and Nate rose up from the floor of the car. She watched as he looked repeatedly out the back window.

  “I think we shook them, little brother,” he said to Deringer. “I thought you said you’d cleared the building?”

  “I did clear the building, those guys had just arrived. I saw their car when we pulled out of the alley. They’d parked on the street,” Deringer said.

  Nate shook his head. “Damn, hadn’t thought about that.” He looked down to meet Tonya’s eyes. “You can come up now Onion, the coast is clear.”

  Tonya hesitated. Seriously, she felt a lot safer exactly where she was, but pride stiffened her spine and she got off the floor to sit down on the vehicle’s plush leather seat. She took a moment to fasten her seatbelt. It would be a damned shame to survive a gun battle only to die in a car accident. Given the way Deringer had been driving anything was possible. She struggled to regain her equilibrium, as anger was quickly overtook the terror she’d felt when those men first appeared. Nothing pissed her off like being afraid. She gave Nate a baleful glare. “Okay, start talking. What was all that about?”