As soon as she stepped outside she recognized Dugan. She pulled the lapels of her camel coat tight against the wind and took the red runner toward the limo.
“Ms. Keats,” he greeted and opened the door for her.
“Good morning, Dugan.” She slid into the warmth of the car. Lucian was waiting for her. Folding the newspaper he was reading, he inspected her from head to toe.
“Your hair’s wet.”
“And my eyes are blue. Where are we going?”
He didn’t appreciate her comment. “It’s November, Evelyn. Do you enjoy pneumonia?”
“Not particularly, but you didn’t leave me much choice with your demands for promptness.”
He looked back at his paper. “I can see this morning will be full of your charming wit.”
The limo pulled away from the curb, and they rode in silence. The sound of newspaper pages turning interrupted the stillness of the ride every few minutes. The city rolled by quietly, buffeted by the sleek glass of the car, and appearing somewhat artificial.
“Care to read a section of the paper?” Lucian asked.
“No, thank you.”
“We need to stop by my office before we get to where we’re going.”
Scout nodded her understanding.
“I plan on introducing you to some colleagues this morning, Evelyn.”
“You’re working?”
“I’m always working.”
They arrived at a tall building in a section of the city she wasn’t familiar with. The door of the limo opened and Lucian climbed out. She scooted over toward the door to follow when he turned and said, “I shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.” The door shut in her face.
Scout spent the time snooping around the limo and testing each button. She found an apple in a small refrigerated compartment and ate it. She wasn’t sure what to do with the core, so she wrapped it in a napkin and held it in her lap.
When she found the radio, her fingers rolled the dial until locating a station that wasn’t fuzzy. Accidentally pressing the wrong button, the music cut off and a grinding sound came on.
“Crap.” She panicked, but a second later music came on again. There must be a CD in the player somewhere.
Soft, jazzy-sounding vocals filled the limo. Sitting back, she listened, realizing the words were being sung in a different language, but it was still nice. Her booted feet tapped as she waited for Lucian.
Finally the door opened and she spotted Lucian exiting the building with a stack of papers in his hands. His strides were confident and people seemed to defer to him. He climbed into the limo and smiled.
“Now we can go.”
As Dugan drove she noticed the buildings grow farther and farther apart and the sidewalks become less populated with people. The denseness of Folsom eased and suddenly there were houses and grass and then they were speeding along a raised section of highway.
“Are we still in Folsom?”
“No.”
Panic filled her as they left the city she had never been outside of. She felt powerless as if she were being whisked away without choice. A sense of getting lost choked her as her world slipped farther and farther out of view, until the tall skyscrapers she’d grown up under were nothing more than specks along the horizon.
“Evelyn?”
She didn’t want to turn away from the remaining view of the city, fearing if she lost sight of it she’d never find her way back home.
“Evelyn, what’s the matter?”
“You didn’t tell me we were leaving the city.”
“Does it matter? We’ll be back by tonight.” His words only slightly reassured her. “Come here.”
She jerked her gaze from the window and faced him. His papers were all neatly tucked away in a briefcase and he patted the space beside him on the bench seat. Hesitantly, she looked back out the window one last time and moved to his side.
His fingers undid the buttons of her coat and slid it off her shoulders. “You’re tense.” His thumbs pressed into the back of her neck and rubbed in firm, but gentle circles. Her shoulders slowly relaxed as he soothed the tension out of her muscles.
His touch moved up to her bun and tentatively turned the knot of hair.
“Take this out.”
Her fingers unraveled the rubber band and her hair uncoiled down her back.
“I prefer your hair down.”
Fingers sifted through the brunette strands, parting and separating the long locks over her shoulders. Her hair was different since she’d had it cut, softer, smoother at the ends. Lucian continued to play with her hair until he’d coaxed her into leaning into his shoulder. His fingertips delicately traced whorls over her collarbone. It was nice.
The music played and they fell into a much more welcome silence than how the ride had started out.
“I want you to spend the night with me tonight, Evelyn.”
She prided herself on hiding any physical reaction to his words. “Okay.”
“I’ve thought about Vivian’s cryptic warning and decided there’s no use postponing the inevitable.” She silently agreed with him.