Lovers Not Friends

‘That’s not necessary.’ She tried to smile, but found it was beyond her. ‘One of the policemen said he would take me home.’

‘I’m taking you home,’ Blade said tonelessly, his eyes veiled as she glanced his way. ‘And don’t argue, Amy, not tonight, not now.’ There was something in the complete lack of expression in both face and voice that stopped the protest she had been about to make more effectively than anything else could have done.

‘All right.’ Her voice was small. ‘I’ll get my jacket.’ One thing was blazing in her mind above anything else as they walked out to the car. He could have been killed tonight and it would have been through protecting her. It would have been her fault. Somehow she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, she should have known better. Perhaps something she had said or done had made the gang act as they did? She just didn’t know any more. Perhaps her aunt and uncle had been right after all, that she was bad, vile, a snare to trip men up and bring out the beast in them?

She brushed her hair back from her face with a weary hopeless gesture as she slipped into the car. She was so tired, so deathly tired and everything had gone so horribly wrong …

‘Don’t start thinking any of that was your fault.’ He had read her mind, but she should have expected it, she thought miserably. His discernment was terrifying. ‘Those animals are not fit to draw breath. In every generation a few foul specimens like that rear their heads, but thankfully they are few and far between. They see something beautiful and they want to possess and destroy. They’ll never be any good for anything.’

His voice was icy cold with contempt, and she remembered with a little shiver how he had moved very close to Beef as two policemen had frogmarched the sullen youth out of the door. ‘Just a minute.’ His face had been on a level with the scowling countenance in front of him and his voice had been low and rapier-sharp. ‘If you ever, ever, come near me or mine again, I shall make you wish you’d never been born. Got it?’ He moved a shade nearer, his eyes blazing. ‘But I shall do it my way, understand? And my fingers reach a very long way indeed, sonny. The world wouldn’t be big enough for you to hide. And you’d want to hide.’ The twist to his lips couldn’t have been described as a smile. ‘You’d pray that you could hide. To be locked away somewhere safe would seem sweet.’

The police had looked less than thrilled at the blatant threat, and Beef and his cronies hadn’t looked too pleased either as they had left, almost dragging the policemen with them.

‘Would you really hurt them, Blade? If they came back?’ She looked at him quietly.

‘Yes.’ He spared her a fleeting glance as he started the powerful engine. ‘I didn’t grow up in an American mining town without learning a few nasty tricks, Amy, and also making the odd dubious contact. Now I’m not particularly proud of that part of my life, but if I have to use it to protect what’s mine I’ll do so.’ He smiled grimly. ‘But they won’t be back. Beef is just crazy enough to recognise someone more crazy than himself. And I was crazy tonight. When I saw that slug holding you—’ He stopped abruptly. ‘Let’s say I’d have done whatever was necessary, and leave it at that.’

‘I’m sorry, Blade.’ Her voice was a small painful whisper, and he shook his head irritably as he negotiated a difficult bend.

‘There’s no need, get that into your head. You didn’t do anything wrong. Forget all the rubbish you were fed before you met me, and trust me. I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours some of the time, but one thing I do know. None of this was your fault. What you’re feeling now, thousands of other victims of mindless violence have felt. That they somehow contributed to the circumstances. That they should have been somewhere else, acted differently, dressed differently, whatever. It’s rubbish. You were innocent, totally innocent, and they acted out of their own greed and darkness. You understand me? Do you understand me, Amy?’ The last words demanded a reply, and she nodded weakly.

‘If you say so.’

‘Good girl.’ His eyes flashed over her white face before returning to the dark road. ‘I’m taking you back to my place for the night, OK? I’ll sleep on the couch if that makes you feel better.’ It didn’t, but she dared not say so. ‘Do you want to talk this thing through?’

She had the feeling that he was talking of more than just the night’s happenings and shook her head shakily. ‘No. I want to forget it.’