She took the phone and made the call.
When she was through, Crash took the phone and pulled the battery out, tossing it into the drawer. Then he grabbed another phone, loaded a battery and typed a number into it. He handed it to her. “For emergencies. I have to go out for a while. If you need me, my number’s in there.”
“You’re leaving me here alone?” She had a panicked look on her face that pulled at Crash’s heart.
“Princess, you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t leave you, if I didn’t believe that. Nobody gets in downstairs without the code to that door. It’s made of steel, babe, and there are no windows on the first floor. Its solid brick all the way around. The only way up is the elevator, and only you can send it down. The fire escape has a retractable ladder. And most importantly, he doesn’t have a clue where you are.”
“You’re sure?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Babe.” He took a step toward her and put his hands on her upper arms. “You did good. Dumping the car. Your phone. Taking a cab from the other side of the mall. Hell, going to Cole in the first place. You were smart. About all of it.” He dropped his head, looking into her eyes. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
She stared up at him.
“Shannon, you can trust me. I swear.”
She nodded.
The vulnerable look in her eyes as she gave her trust to him, something he could tell wasn’t easy for her, touched him. It had him wanting to pull her into his arms, but that would possibly lead to something else, and he didn’t have time right now. His hands rubbed up and down her upper arms and then dropped away. “Okay. Good.” Was that disappointment he saw flash for a moment in her eyes? Shit, he was probably only seeing what he hoped to see. He stepped back and moved to one of the barstools. Pulling his cut off the back, he slipped it on, then walked to the elevator. “I?
?ll arm the alarm from downstairs and send the elevator back up. When it comes up, you throw this red switch to the left, and it’s locked in place.” He pointed to something in the elevator.
She nodded. “How long will you be?”
“I don’t know. Not too long, I hope.” He slammed the gate closed. As the elevator began descending he smiled and said, “Figure something out for dinner.”
Shannon watched the elevator descend. She shook her head, rolling her eyes and grumbled, “He says, from behind the safety of a metal gate.”
“I heard that,” came the response up the elevator shaft. The gate clanked open, and then he sent it back up to her. She threw the switch, locking it on the second floor. A moment later she heard the steel door rolling up and his bike fire up. The door rolled down with a clank, and she could hear the bike roaring away in the distance. And then there was silence.
Turning she took in the empty loft. She ran her hands up and down her arms. Was she really safe here? She wanted to believe him. The place seemed safe enough. It was locked up like a fortress, she’d give him that. But what if Nicklaus had had her followed? What if he knew about the cab? What if he’d bribed the driver for the location where he’d dropped off the ‘pretty blonde’? All kinds of crazy thoughts started running through her head. She knew she was being paranoid, but considering all she’d been through, she had good reason. Nicklaus was nothing, if not determined, and she didn’t think he’d give up so easily. Not until he found her.
Her eyes fell on the tarp covered thing in the corner, and she wondered what it was. Well, Crash wasn’t around, so she’d might as well have a peek. She walked over and lifted a corner, looking under it. Frowning she pulled it back for a better look. What the…? She pulled the tarp completely off and stood staring, speechless. It was a beautiful metal sculpture. Now why would he buy it and then keep it covered? Why would anyone cover anything this beautiful?
And then she realized it wasn’t finished. My God. Had…had Crash…made this? Stunned, she backed away, and then retreated to the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee and stood at the island, staring at the sculpture. That man was such a puzzle. And the pieces just didn’t fit together. Shaking her head, she took her coffee and walked back to the bedroom.
As she walked through the doorway, one of the strands of paperclips snagged on her sweater, which then made her spill the coffee on her white leggings. “Damn it!”
Not only were her leggings ruined, but her sweater as well. Pissed off, she slammed the mug down on the dresser, and then in a fit, she grabbed the stupid paperclips and started yanking the strands down. Who makes a beaded-curtain out of paperclips, for God’s sake? How ridiculous. She rolled them all up in a ball, like tangled Christmas lights and threw them in the wastebasket. Stupid things. She looked down at the arm of her sweater. It was snagged beyond repair. Fabulous! She’d might as well toss it in the trash, too. Stomping over to her suitcase, she rummaged through it looking for something else to wear.
CHAPTER FIVE
Crash pulled up at the Queen of Hearts. The guys were standing in the parking lot, smoking. Cole was leaning back on his bike, his ass parked on his seat. Crash cut his bike off and walked over to him.
Cole looked up at him, a sly grin on his face. “You get you some coffee this mornin’?”
Crash’s eyes cut to the others, knowing they’d told him all about that fiasco. He grunted.
“She all settled?”
“If settled means a shit-ton of chick crap all over my bathroom sink, then, yeah, she’s settled.”
Cole let out a laugh. “High maintenance, brother. You called it.”
“Can we get this done, so I can get back before she redecorates the place?”
“Yeah, we can ‘get this done’,” Cole chuckled. He nodded over his shoulder toward the door. Crash’s eyes followed the direction of his gaze. “Artie upgraded the muscle at the door.” He stood and ground out his cigarette.
Crash saw the two bouncers standing, one on either side of the door. Musclebound body builders. He snorted, if it’s one thing he knew about bodybuilders it was that they were shit fighters. He looked over at Red Dog and Wolf. “You take the one on the right.” He looked at Green. “We got the guy on the left.”