Phaze Fantasies Volume 4

Home > Other > Phaze Fantasies Volume 4 > Page 18
Phaze Fantasies Volume 4 Page 18

by Vivien Dean


  They both breathed in relief.

  The ride down was as quick as going up had been, but Dani had no attention for it. “Are they sending police after me?"

  Trev watched the numbers flash by, squeezing her hand gently. “Not police. Security, though. Guys like me."

  "Friends of yours."

  He shrugged. “Maybe some of them."

  Her free hand clutched the strap of her laptop bag. “What are they going to do to me when they catch me?” Fear began to gouge stripes into her guts.

  "Nothing.” Trev gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. “I'm not going to let them get you, Dani. It will be all right, I promise."

  "Like you promised to meet me for coffee?"

  "I mean it.” He enfolded her in his arms, reinforcing his assurances with the solid comfort of his body. “You'll be home in time to get to work."

  "What about you?"

  "I'll be fine."

  Neither of them said what they were thinking. He belonged here. She didn't. And there was no way he could come back with her without doing even more damage. There wasn't going to be a happy ending to this.

  The atrium was busy when they stepped out of the lift, full off people of all ages off to whatever people in this kind of world did everyday. In any other situation, Dani would have been fascinated by them. Now she just eyed them all distrustfully, keeping close to Trev as he guided her across the walkways. “We'll go over to Bowery,” he explained quietly. “They won't expect us to go south, and then they'll be watching the west side walkways. We can slip up to Madison and then in from the east."

  "You're good at this."

  His pale eyes were dark when he looked down at her. “I have good reason to be."

  It was her turn to squeeze his hand.

  They got a couple of questioning looks as they rode the walkways out to the Bowery arcology, Trev's arm tight around her. It was daylight now, and Dani could have gawked at the towering buildings and the overgrown rubble at their bases. Instead she kept constant watch around them for any signs of pursuit. It would be so easy to trap them in these tunnels, with only two directions to go and no other escape available. She was starting to understand why gerbils in those habitrails seemed so tense all the time.

  Another atrium, another change of walkways, and Trev leaned down to her. “Next stop."

  They'd almost made it.

  "Sutcliffe! Stop right there!"

  The voice behind them echoed in the enclosed space. All around them people turned to look, but Trev just grabbed her hand. “Run!"

  Her long legs matched his stride, and the two of them flew along, propelled by the momentum of the moving sidewalk. It was a shock when they reached the end and gravity took hold again, the marble steps startlingly hard beneath her feet. Trev didn't slow, pulling her along into the station.

  Voices and whistles sounded all around the concourse, demanding they stop, but Trev kept on, making a direct line to their corridor and the gateway. “Hurry up!” he shouted, glancing around in panic.

  She forced herself faster, grateful she hadn't bothered with her shoes. There was no way she would have been able to run on these glassy floors in three-inch heels.

  Suddenly Trev twitched and stumbled.

  Startled, Dani tried to catch him just in time to see another fine thread dart through the air to land on him, making him spasm again. “Stop it!” She tried to support him, yanking at the strings hanging from him now, ignoring the dozen men closing in on them fast.

  "Dani!” Trev bellowed, grabbing her shoulders. But instead of supporting himself, he shoved her hard.

  She stumbled backwards, hit the pillowy cushion of the time bubble and tumbled through, falling on her ass in the corridor of Grand Central Station, circa 2007.

  "Trev!” Dani was back on her feet in an instant, leaving her bags behind as she lunged for the rift.

  Before the field around it could grab hold, she was blocked by a stocky form from the other side.

  Riggit.

  "Stay right where you are, Miss Whitehall.” His voice was flat and uninflected, his arms folded sternly over his chest.

  "Get out of my way!” She shoved at him, but he grabbed her arms, holding her in place with a strength she wouldn't have suspected despite her attempts to struggle free. “Trev's in trouble!"

  "The only trouble Trev is in is because of his obsession with you."

  His words stopped her.

  "He couldn't leave well enough alone,” Riggit went on, his words implacable but something softer in his eyes. “He wasn't content just to see you. He had to get to know you, and from there ... That's what's caused all this. Let it end. For both your sakes. For everyone's sake."

  Biting at her lip, she tried to see past him, but he held her back just far enough that all she could see was her own dirty, noisy incarnation of the station. “What will happen to him?"

  "Nothing."

  "You're full of it."

  The man actually smiled at that. “He'll be confined to his home tower, given a job there and restricted from the transport levels. He hasn't committed any crimes. He just needs ... time."

  "Time for what?"

  "Time to forget about you. Which is what you should be doing. I told you before. Go home, Dani Whitehall. You've had an exciting, romantic adventure. Now go back to your real life. There's nothing left for you here."

  "But—"

  A new man stepped into view—older, whipcord slender, his dark hair heavily peppered with white. “Any problems here, Mr. Riggit?"

  "No, sir.” Riggit eyed Dani meaningfully, then ignored her. “Just resolving a loose thread."

  "I see.” Riggit's superior barely glanced at her. “Sutcliffe's surrendered. We're taking him back to Greenwich. I trust you'll see to it we have no more incidents here?"

  "Yes, sir. I'll mind the opening myself."

  "Yes, well...” There was a trace of disdain in his voice as he glanced at Dani again. “See to it."

  "Yes, sir."

  The other man disappeared back into his own time.

  Riggit turned to her again. “Go home."

  "Why are you doing this? You helped us, helped him! I thought you were his friend!"

  "Even in your time, friends keep friends from making dangerous mistakes. Trev's being selfish, thinking only about himself. Never mind the hundreds and thousands of people on both sides endangered by the widening of the tear the two of you caused going back and forth. Be grateful for the time you had, Miss Whitehall. Many people don't even get that much."

  She hadn't thought about the effect they were having on anyone else. Horror gripped her at the thought of what they might have inflicted on innocent people in their own desperate need for each other, followed instantly by a wave of shame.

  Dani had no other choice. She gathered up her bags under Riggit's watchful eye and headed down the tunnel against the flow of morning traffic back to her train. She'd call in sick. There was no way she would be able to work today.

  She made it as far as Jamaica before the tears started.

  * * * *

  Life went on, but Dani felt even less a part of it than she had before. Thinking her life was meaningless without Trev in it was too melodramatic, but even so, everything seemed a little duller, a little less exciting than it had before him.

  Rather than indulge in it, Dani fought against the pull of melancholy that threatened to choke her. She threw herself into work, landing three more big clients who promised to eat up what little remained of her free time. She even made a point of contacting Holly for lunch and drinks. Neither of them spoke about what had happened, Holly because she was probably worried about setting off another fight and Dani because there was no way Holly would believe any of the truth. It was a fragile balance, but at least it was human contact.

  At night Dani dreamed of high, glittering towers and the warm caress of skin and lips.

  Riggit stood in the archway every morning as Dani passed through the terminal. Sh
e didn't look at him, but she knew he was there, watching her, keeping her from trying anything foolish like throwing herself back through the rift to find Trev. It was tempting, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain. Eyes forward, she walked on, never slowing, never looking back.

  Summer faded into fall and brought with it cold rain and the promise of a colder winter. Dani tugged her blazer closer around her and hurried up the hall, not looking forward to having to brave the foul weather for the few blocks it would take to get to the office.

  "Want some coffee?"

  The voice was so achingly familiar that Dani's eyes welled up. Squeezing them tight for a moment, she turned to face the speaker. “No thanks, I don't..."

  It wasn't an illusion.

  Trev leaned against the wall near where she had seen him so many times before, a tall cardboard cup in each hand and a duffel by his feet, his handsome face blooming into a grin as he took in her shock. Pushing off the wall, he sauntered over to her. “I know I'm kind of late with this, but I did promise you a breakfast date."

  "What...” She reached out, unsure, but his chest was real beneath her fingers. She threw herself into his arms, all the tears she had bottled up the past months suddenly bursting forth in happy sobs.

  "Careful, sweetheart, I've got hot coffee here!” Nevertheless he held her as close as his full hands would let him, nosing at her cheek until he found her mouth in a long, hungry kiss.

  "What are you doing here?” she asked in a brief attempt to breathe. “Aren't they looking for you? Do we need to hide?"

  "The only place I want to hide is in your bed, love.” He backed away, leaving her aching at his loss. “But no, no more running.” He stood next to where the rift was, then took a long step sideways.

  She cried out, reaching for him.

  Nothing happened.

  Still grinning mischievously, he hopped back and forth a few times. “All gone,” he assured her. “They fixed it this morning."

  "So you're...” She hesitated, puzzling it through. “Wait, you're stuck here?"

  "Not stuck,” he insisted, his face intense. “Not if you want me."

  "Oh God, Trev!” She was in his arms again in an instant, mouth seeking his, fingers raking his hair, not caring at all about the grins and murmurs of the people passing by. “But why?” she asked finally, reassured marginally about the reality of all this.

  "Riggit.” Trev leaned his forehead against hers. “You were breaking his heart, everyday walking by looking like someone had kicked your pet. Can I get a pet here? We weren't allowed them in the towers, too wasteful on resources. You like pets, don't you?"

  "We can talk about that later,” she said with a glare. “Riggit helped you? But he was so cold about moving on, giving up on you."

  "He's a hardass on the outside, but inside the man's a big romantic. When he got word the scientists had to fix the time rip and were going to implement it today, he smuggled me out of Greenwich and into the station so I could jump through just as they fixed it. No harm to anyone else, and I get to be right where I want to be."

  "Are you sure? I mean God, Trev, you're giving up so much here."

  "Recirculated air, processed food and no you? Yeah, I think I can make the sacrifice.” He lifted the coffee to inhale its aroma. “I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

  Snatching both cups from him, Dani turned to toss them into the nearest trash can before wrapping her arms around him again, enjoying the feel of his free hands settling naturally along the curve of her spine. “Forget about the coffee."

  "But..."

  She silenced him with another melting kiss. “Forget about it. There's time enough for that later."

  He surrendered with a smile, returning her passion in equal measure.

  Grand Central had always been a reminder for Dani of all the things that were good and wonderful in a city like New York.

  Now it was just a little bit better.

  Beneath the Surface

  by Cat Johnson

  Chapter One

  Pussy was all right.

  Really, what heterosexual red-blooded American male didn't appreciate a nice cunt? But right now, Rick would rather have a beer.

  Over the throbbing bass of the music, he couldn't help but realize how sad that thought sounded in his head as the stripper on the stage in front of him bent from the waist and gave him a close up view of her assets. Yup, it was all out there on display for him, shaved clean as a whistle. Smooth as a baby's bottom. Not even a g-string to pretend to hide what she openly showed.

  He never did understand why men liked looking at things they were not allowed to touch. If looking led to fucking then he was all for it, but that was not an option at the moment. Although another glance at the dancer made him realize he probably wouldn't partake even if she offered it up to him right there on a silver platter. Besides that, Rick did not want to be in the spotlight. Not there, not tonight. He needed her to move her little show along now.

  Rick noticed the steroid-pumped bruiser of a bouncer watching him closely from a dimly lit corner as he reached up and slid a single bill into the only garment she wore, a garter at her thigh. She wiggled her ass a few more times in his face as thanks for the tip. He looked on, appropriately appreciative, until she strutted her mile-high heels and enormous high riding and definitely not God-given tits over to the next lucky patron who waved some cash further downstage.

  "Mmm, mmm. Would love to get me some of that."

  Rick had smelled his informant long before he heard the familiar voice near his ear—the guy wore way too much cologne. Sipping casually at his soda while still wishing its bubbles contained hops and barley rather than sugar and caramel coloring, Rick asked without turning around, “Why don't you ever want to meet at a titty bar that serves alcohol?"

  "Cause in the joints that serve liquor the girls aren't totally nude,” the man informed him as if that logic made all the sense in the world. “And this place has private back rooms where the right amount will get you all the way into heaven."

  Rick raised a brow. Personally he would rather drink a brew than see some bush, and he wasn't sure he would qualify what paraded in front of him as heaven, but to each his own. At least the other patrons seemed so enthralled with the show they did not pay much attention to the two of them. If his snitch came through with the information he hoped, the trip across the George Washington Bridge to this God-forsaken strip joint in Fort Lee, New Jersey would have been well worth it.

  The smell of liquor permeated Rick's nostrils over the reek of Smitty the Snitch's cologne. No wonder the guy didn't care there was no alcoholic beverages served on the premises. He probably had a flask hidden in his cheap suit. Whatever. Rick did not plan on being here any longer than he had to, ever-changing unclad female scenery or no. He watched as a new nude replaced the bushless bleached blonde. This one a natural redhead, he assumed, since the carpet matched the drapes, so to speak. She had obviously left the small triangle of curls between her thighs to let patrons know and appreciate the fact she was a true redhead. Her hair color may be natural, but nothing else was. Rick spared a brief thought about how the local plastic surgeons must have made a small fortune on the girls in this place alone.

  His own personal Deep Throat took the empty seat to his right, his eyes never leaving the new girl on stage as he asked, “Do you got what I asked for?"

  Rick slipped the pack of cigarettes he bought on the way there out of his leather jacket and laid it next to his drink ... make that soda. The snitch snatched it up and opened the lid, no doubt grinning when he saw the five twenty-dollar bills Rick had slid into the box. “This will get me what I want in the back room plus some. Thanks."

  Keeping his eyes on the stage, Rick asked, “Do you have what I want?” If this sleaze was willing to turn over information that could get him killed on the streets for the price of a few lap dances and an illegal blow job, or more likely a quick fuck in the private back room with
one of these girls, who was Rick to argue?

  "Yup. Sure do. You ready for this? You ain't gonna believe it."

  Rick was in no mood for this guy's big build up or guessing games. “Try me."

  "Grand Central."

  That revelation halted the drink in Rick's hand halfway to his mouth. He lowered the glass, set it down gently, and fought to not look at his informant. He hated not being able to look into someone's eyes. It was the best gauge he had to tell if they were lying. Rick kept the shock out of his voice when he asked, “Grand Central, as in the train station?"

  "Yup."

  "You sure?"

  He risked one quick glance now and saw the guy grin and nod. “Mmm hmmm. One hundred percent."

  Jesus Christ. Fucking Grand Central Terminal in the middle of damn Manhattan. Rick rose from his seat and said a quick, “Thanks.” He had barely cleared the exit before he pulled his cell phone out and had the numbers punched in. His contact answered on the first ring. Rick dispensed with the pleasantries and cut right to the chase. He said the three words slowly and clearly, letting each one and the ramifications resonate across the cellular airwaves. “Grand. Central. Station."

  "Ah, shit."

  Exactly. Right under their damn fucking noses.

  * * * *

  Beth slowed her pace and, smiling, gazed up at the constellations. Every time she saw them they took her breath away, even now, years later. It did not matter how long ago she had been employed to conserve the crowning glory of this illustrious historical New York City monument, its beauty would never cease to affect her. The Sky Ceiling above the Main Concourse at Grand Central Terminal was the highlight of all the tourist attractions in the city in her opinion, and she couldn't help but consider it hers. Her sweat, her patience, her time—years of it—had brought it back to life.

  Someone whacked into Beth's shoulder hard, pulling her out of her reverie while knocking her bag off of her shoulder. Frowning, she turned to her left and saw one of the many blue-suited cookie cutter businessmen who frequented the train station Monday through Friday.

 

‹ Prev