TWELVE
Aurora took one last look around her quarters, resisting the temptation to bury herself between the covers refuse to leave. “It has to be done,” she told herself firmly, adjusting her bag on her shoulder and striding towards the door.
She left the cabin and made her way through the hallways, feeling the shifts in the yacht’s movements as they approached the marina.
Khaleel was standing out on the deck, watching the ocean behind them. When Aurora emerged from the interior, he turned to greet her. “Are you sure that you want to go back?” he asked. “I mean, I could just get someone to refuel the yacht and we could go somewhere else.”
“I’m sure,” she said, smiling ruefully.
The weather had changed; thick clouds obscured the afternoon sun, and and a squally, cold wind blew around her, making Aurora shiver. Her skirt and blouse—the same outfit she’d been wearing when she boarded—were not meant for the stiff breeze and chill air.
Khaleel frowned at the sight of her shivering and shrugged off his jacket. “Here, take this.”
“No—no, please,” Aurora said, forestalling him. “I’ll be fine once I get inland.”
“I insist,” Khaleel said. “I have a thousand more just like it.”
He draped the jacket over her shoulders and Aurora bit back any argument, thinking that if nothing else happened, she at least had a memento of one of the kindest men she had ever met. Aurora slid her arms into the sleeves, pulling the jacket closer around her body; it smelled of Khaleel’s cologne and soap, and she breathed in the scent as surreptitiously as possible.
A moment later, acting on impulse, Aurora threw her arms around Khaleel, briefly pressing her face to his shoulder in a hug of gratitude, feeling the tingling burn in her eyes as her emotions overwhelmed her. Khaleel’s arms wound around her, holding her close, and Aurora thought that if she could somehow manage to just not let go of him, everything in her life would be all right. She pressed her body against his, savoring the contact, storing the feeling of his heat in her memory, to save for a moment when she might need the comfort.
Then she broke away, stepping back from him as one of the crew announced that they were at port. “I can’t keep running,” Aurora said, her throat tightening with a mixture of sadness at parting from Khaleel and fear at what lay ahead of her.
“I understand,” Khaleel said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Good luck to you, Aurora.”
Aurora swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, turning away from him before her eyes could betray her. She felt the tears welling up, and hurriedly walked away from Khaleel, finding the ramp that led down to the dock and walking down it without allowing herself to glance behind her.
When she was fairly certain that she couldn’t be seen from the boat, Aurora rubbed at her eyes, wiping away the few tears that had managed to slip free, and took a deep breath. I’ll probably never see him again, she thought sadly. There's over a million people in this city and the only person I want to see will be out of here in a few hours. She sighed and reached into her bag, finding her phone. She had to go forward with her plans; it was now or never.
THIRTEEN
Aurora found the phone number that Jon had called her from and took a deep breath, walking away from the docks and tapping the “call back” icon. She decided that if she were going to go through with confronting the loan shark, it would be best to do it as quickly as possible. If I’m going to get beaten up, the sooner it happens, the sooner it will be over.
“Hello?”
Aurora started at the unfamiliar voice. “I’m looking for Jon,” she said quickly. “If I have the wrong number…”
“What do you want with Jon?”
Aurora’s hands trembled, but she kept her voice level. “My name is Aurora Evans,” she said. “I need to meet with him.”
There was the sound of muffled conversation on the other end of the line. “He’s a busy man,” the stranger on the other end said. “Where are you and when can you meet?”
Aurora glanced at the screen to check the time. “That depends where he wants to meet me,” she told the man. “I’m…” she pressed her lips together. “I’m not all that close to downtown.” Again she heard the muffled speaking on the other end; she couldn’t make out what was being said.
“He says he’ll meet you by Vagabond at five,” the man said finally. “If you don’t show…”
“He’ll just track me down anyway, I know,” Aurora said irritably. “Why would I call to set up a meeting if I didn’t intend to show?”
“It happens all the time,” the man on the other end said. “Just be there.” He ended the call and Aurora sighed, thinking that, at the very least, she was one step closer to finding the way out of her situation.
She found the closest bus stop and waited, wondering what Khaleel was doing; whether he’d simply sailed away again, or if he was staying somewhere in the city. Aurora hugged the jacket closer to her as the bus approached, and felt something clunk against her leg. That’s strange, she thought, shifting the fabric of the jacket. There was something in the left pocket, she was certain of it. Aurora glanced into her purse and saw that she hadn’t put her phone in the pocket; what could be in the jacket then?
Aurora paid her fare and walked to the back of the bus, lost in thought. The bus lumbered into motion and Aurora sat down heavily, breathing shallowly to avoid smelling the exhaust and other odors.
She reached into her pocket, glancing around to make sure no one was watching her, and her fingers closed around something. It was a medium-sized jeweler’s box, and Aurora’s confusion deepened. She glanced around furtively, and then, turning so that the box was concealed from any prying eyes.
Aurora opened the box to reveal a watch—not just any watch, but the very one she had considered stealing from Khaleel, not two days before.