Alarums. Part 38

The door was opened.

By Pen, wearing a blue velour bathrobe.

She looked all right. She looked wonderful. She had a worried look in her eyes.

'Is Melanie here?' Bodie asked.

Pen shook her head.

Bodie stepped inside. He swung the door shut, put his arms around Pen, and hugged her hard.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

It felt so good to see him, to have him back, to hold him. She squeezed him tightly. She didn't want to know why he was here, what had gone wrong. She wanted only to go on holding him.

He was panting for air, and she could feel the beat of his heart against her chest.

'Are you okay?' she whispered after a while.

'I am now. Except for a splitting headache.'

'I'll get you some aspirin.'

'I'll go with you.'

He followed her. 'What happened?' she asked.

'I don't know for sure. I guess Melanie brained me.'

Pen looked back at him, frowning. 'She hit you?'

'I woke up in a school playground over near the freeway. The van was gone. I was afraid she'd come here.'

'I haven't seen her.'

In the bathroom, Pen opened the medicine cabinet. She took out the bottle of aspirin and swung the mirrored door shut.

Bodie, behind her, slipped his arms around her waist. Pen watched him in the mirror. His face, above her right shoulder, looked pale and hurt.

'I was so afraid she might have done something to you,' he said.

'Oh, Bodie.'

One of his hands slipped inside her robe. The hand was cool against her skin. It moved slowly upward and held her breast. Sighing, she leaned back against him. She hooked a thumb under the cloth belt of her robe and pulled. The belt fell open. Bodie parted the front of her robe. She saw him gazing at her in the mirror. His face, still pale, no longer looked tight with pain. His hands drifted lightly over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, palms brus.h.i.+ng her rigid nipples. He held her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He squeezed them and Pen squirmed, moaning. As his hands curled beneath them, the sides of his thumbs rubbed across her nipples, making her breath catch.

His hands roamed downward, caressing her belly, sliding over her hips and down her thighs. Then they began moving gently upward. Pen closed her eyes. The hands slipped away, returning to her hips.

The aspirin bottle fell from Pen's fingers. She took Bodie's right hand and guided it between her legs. He moaned when he touched her there. Pen's legs went weak. His hand pressed her, and she writhed against it.

I'm sorry, Melanie, she thought. I'm sorry, I don't care, we tried.

She eased Bodie's hand away and turned around. The robe fell from her shoulders. Bodie's hands moved down her back, cupped her b.u.t.tocks.

With trembling fingers, she began to unb.u.t.ton his s.h.i.+rt.

'What about Melanie?' he whispered.

'I don't care any more. She hurt you. She doesn't deserve you.'

'She must've gone over to Harrison 's.'

'No.' Pen didn't want to think about Melanie.

'I don't like the idea of chasing after her, but I can't just let hera'

'Let her what?'

'I don't know. I have to go after her, though.'

Pen leaned against Bodie's chest. He held her gently. 'I'll go with you,' she said.

His hands slid up her back as she crouched to pick up her robe. They caressed her shoulders. She stood, turned away, and lifted the plastic aspirin bottle out of the sink where it had fallen. 'You'd better take some,' she said. She gave him the bottle, then waited at his side while he cupped water from the faucet and swallowed four of the tablets.

She walked ahead of him to the bedroom. He stood in the doorway, watching as she hung her robe on the closet door.

'Were you asleep?' he asked.

'Earlier I was. Then I got a call. From him.'

'Oh, no.'

She opened a dresser drawer and lifted out a pair of blue panties. 'We talked,' she said, stepping into them. Balancing on one foot, then the other, she pulled on a pair of white socks. She looked at Bodie. He was gazing at her, his mouth open a little. 'It turns out the guy won't be coming over. He doesn't know where I live, or even who I am. I'll get a new phone number and that'll be the end of him.'

'How'd he get your number?'

'Just dialed it at random.'

'My G.o.d.'

'All that worry for nothing. There was never any way he could'vea paid me a visit.'

'That's great.'

'Yeah,' Pen muttered. She squatted and opened the bottom drawer. She took out a pair of faded blue sweatpants and put them on. She tossed the matching sweats.h.i.+rt onto her bed. Still naked from the waist up and feeling Bodie's gaze, she went to the closet. She took out her running shoes and carried them to the bed. There, she sat down. She put them on and tied the laces. Picking up her sweats.h.i.+rt, she walked toward him.

'Trying to rub it in?' he asked.

'It's your idea to go after her. See what you're missing?'

He smiled slightly, staring into Pen's eyes as he touched her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. 'Things have a funny way of working out.'

'Real funny,' Pen said, arching her back as he caressed her.

'If she hadn't whacked me, we'd be on our way to Phoenix.'

'She'd be safe.'

'I wouldn'ta be here with you.'

Her breath went ragged as he pressed her nipples. 'Oh G.o.d, Bodie.'

'Worth a b.u.mp on the head.'

'We'da better go.'

His hands lowered and held her sides. She pulled the sweats.h.i.+rt down over her head.

'I wish we could just forget about her,' he said.

'We can't.'

'I know.'

'Do you really think she went to Harrison 's?'

Bodie nodded.

'What'll we do, go over there again?'

'I guess so.'

They walked down the hallway to the living room. Pen picked up her purse and slung its strap over her shoulder. At the end of the sofa, she swept the curtain aside and lifted her shotgun.

'Are you kidding?'

'Just in case.'

'If we need that, we're really in deep s.h.i.+t.'

'I know he's got a.38.'

'Here, let me take it.'

'I can handle it.'

'If it comes to shooting, I'd better do it.'

'What are you, some kind of a s.e.xist?'

'Right on, babe.' He held out his hands for the shotgun.

Pen shook her head. 'We can't just walk around with this.' She slipped the barrel inside her baggy sweatpants. It was cold against the side of her leg. She raised her sweats.h.i.+rt and pulled it down over the stock.

'Can you walk with it there?'

'I can try.' Holding it against her side, she stepped onto the balcony. Bodie shut the door. He went ahead of her, glancing back occasionally as she limped to the stairs and made her way slowly down them. She kept her right leg stiff.

At the bottom, he took hold of her left arm.

He opened the gate for her.

She hobbled along beside him.

When they reached her car, she eased the shotgun down her leg until its muzzle rested on the pavement.

Clamping her arm to the stock, she took her keys out of her purse and opened the door. She looked around. Saw no one. Lifted her sweats.h.i.+rt over the stock. Pulled the shotgun out of her pants and quickly swung it into the car.

'I'll be in the Cadillac,' Bodie said, and nodded toward the street.

Pen saw the big car parked on the other side. 'Where'd you geta?'

'Tell you later. Follow me. Just a couple of blocks, then I'll ditch it and we'll be on our way.'

Pen climbed into her car. When the headlights of the Cadillac came on, she backed onto the road. She followed the Caddy down the block, away from Pico.

Where on earth did he get that thing? she wondered. He must have stolen it. No other possibility. He'd been strandeda worried about me. Actually stole a car in order to get to me.

He could wind up in prison.

Though frightened for him, Pen felt grateful. He'd put himself on the line for her, risked his freedom, his future.

'Get out of there,' she whispered.

He kept driving.

'Come on, come on.' She checked her rearview, half expecting to see a police cruiser, but the street behind her was clear. 'd.a.m.n it, Bodie! Come on!'

He turned right.

Pen followed. And let out a long breath when he pulled over to a curb. But he didn't get out.

'What're you doing?' she blurted. Driving slowly past the car, she glanced inside and saw him leaning across the seats. A light shone from the open glove compartment.