Fire and Ash (Immortal Touch) (26 page)

After all, life was for living. And sometimes you just had to take a chance.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The gun felt
cold in Sami’s hands as she turned it over in her lap, searching her mind for any logical explanation for why he’d want her to bring the thing along.

No
thing approaching sensible had come to her so far, and as seven o’clock drew near she grew more and more unsettled. This whole thing was giving her a bad feeling. She’d never really stopped to consider in the first place how peculiar it was that he’d let her borrow it when they barely knew one another at the time. Hell, for all he knew she might’ve flaked out enough to accidentally shoot one of the guests and then what? They’d both be screwed. It didn’t seem reasonable that someone in his position would be careless enough to put his reputation on the line like that. Something about this just wasn’t adding up.

Of course, in Asher’s
convoluted world two plus two tended to equal purple haze.

O
pening the chamber, she removed the cartridge inside and studied it. The tip wasn’t rounded or jacketed, but it didn’t appear to be a standard hollow point either. Instead it was crimped at the end in a way she’d never seen before - not that she knew much about ammo, but this clearly wasn’t the way it was supposed to look.

And she had a growing suspicion that she was being duped.

Two minutes later Sami crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief at the confirmation on her computer screen.
Sneaky son of a bitch!
A quick image search proved that her initial hunch was right on the money. The cartridge was crimped shut because it contained no bullet. Only gunpowder to provide the illusion of a shot.

Snatching up
the Ruger, she quickly released the six-round magazine and inspected the contents one by one. Every single round was exactly the same. Blanks. They were all fucking blanks
.

He’d given her a weapon that was completely useless.

So. He was itching to play more head games with her. Fair enough - but she wasn’t about to let him get the better of her this time. Oh, no…not tonight. She’d play along with his little scheme, whatever unwholesome lunacy he’d contrived for the evening’s entertainment, but for once he wouldn’t have the upper hand. This time she was wise to his tricks.

Tonight could prove to be interesting.

Bring it on, you charlatan. I’m ready for you. Bring it on.

~*~*~*~

“Don’t you look lovely…very Bohemian.”

Asher took in Sami’s asymmetric sarong and
beaded tank top with approval. Black of course, just as he’d requested, though she’d spiced up the lack of color with lots of turquoise jewelry and the effect was something along the lines of contemporary hippie. As for him, he was casually dressed in a pair of gray and black plaid shorts and a dark gray t-shirt that sported a
Breaking Wave Surf Shop
logo.

“
Do you surf?” she inquired, noting the insignia.

“
Meh…used to. Got bored with it after a while. The waves here don’t usually amount to much.” Spying the handgun on the kitchen counter, he picked it up and checked the safety, then slid it into the leather holster attached to his belt. Covering it with his untucked shirt, he held out an arm. “Ready to go, m’lady?”

“Ready.” Smiling at his theatrics
- checking the safety,
please
- she took his arm and followed him out into the hallway, toward the lobby and skywalk that led to the parking garage. So far, so good. She’d experienced a stint of sleepiness around four in the afternoon, but her second wind had kicked in and right now she felt energetic enough to conquer the world. What’s more, she had inside knowledge.

“Any
where in particular you’d like to eat?” he asked once they were in the car.

“
Why don’t we go someplace where we can sit outside,” she requested. It was a clear, gorgeous evening - much too beautiful to waste indoors.

“Yellowfin Saloon
would be the closest option. They’re pretty good…plus they have a live band most nights.”

“Works for me.” She brushed
the wrinkles out of her skirt and sighed contentedly while they drove with the top down out into the raucous spring break traffic. No one ever seemed to mind it. Nobody ever got in a hurry in a tourist town. Stress and tension couldn’t thrive in an environment that had nothing to sustain it. There was a permanent party atmosphere here…and who couldn’t help but give in to that?

The Yellowfin Saloon was a
n unpretentious wooden building surrounded by palm trees and crowds of waiting customers. From the parking lot Sami could already hear the music drifting from inside, and smelled the enticing aroma of charbroiled steaks and seafood. Ash must have slipped the hostess a tip because, in spite of the long lines, they only had a five minute wait before they were escorted to a table on the deck overlooking the gulf. She was glad - the heavenly smells were making her ravenous.

While the band
played
Under the Boardwalk,
they ordered drinks and pored over menus delivered to them by a friendly young waitress. The girl wore a bright yellow shirt with a picture of a tuna on it - at least, that’s what Sami assumed it must be. It was some variety of fish, anyway. She recalled the incident on the boat and glanced over the top of her menu at Asher, who caught her eye with a devilish grin. He knew exactly what she was thinking, the scoundrel.

“
Looks nothing like a shark,” he facetiously pointed out.

“
Yeah…well, neither do you, but I get the feeling your teeth are just as sharp.”

For some reason her snide comment
caused him to erupt in boisterous laughter. “Sweetheart…you have no idea.”

They
dined on crab bisque and bacon wrapped scallops while watching the breathtaking sunset and enjoying renditions of Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett songs. The band wasn’t half bad. They had Sami’s toes tapping underneath the wooden table. The man on the steel drums could have passed for Laiken’s older brother, with his sun-streaked hair and deep tan. Plus he was actually
barefoot,
which only added to his beatnik charm - even if his feet were disgustingly dirty. Ick…didn’t he ever wash them?

“Who’s having fireworks tonight?”
She’d held her inquisitive tongue for just about as long as she could stand, though any mention of the gun was deliberately avoided.

“
One of the local shops is sponsoring them. Twenty-fifth anniversary promotion or something to that effect. It’s a PR thing.”

“Oh. Where are they doing them?”

“From the end of the pier. We can watch from the beach.” Pushing his plate to the edge of the table, he polished off the remainder of his mojito while eyeing her intently. “You’re being awfully passive tonight. Kinda figured I’d get the third degree from you.”

Sami shrugged. “
Not much point in that.”

“
Mm. You learn fast. I like that,” he approved with a slight arch in his mouth.

“
You think you have a lot to teach, don’t you?”

“
I do indeed.”

“Maybe I know more than you give me credit for.”

“Maybe…but I doubt it.”

“So what happens
after I graduate?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On how well you
’ve completed your assignments.” He winked slyly. “Finish your drink…we should get going.”

“I’m done.”

“Good girl. What say we go have some fun?”

~*~*~*~

“Come on, Marcie. Have a heart.”

“Kelly told me in confidence…I don’t think she’d appreciate it if I said anything.
Especially to you.”

“Kelly doesn’t have to know.”

“She’ll find out though - you know Sami’ll tell her!”

“
Sami won’t know who told me. I won’t mention your name.”

“
Yeah, right.”

“
Seriously…you can trust me.”

“Oh really?
I can trust you, huh? Weren’t you the same one who got caught boning someone else while you were still engaged?”

“That was all just a big misunderstanding. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

“I heard a lot!”

“
Please…I need to talk to her face to face. I can’t call her…she stopped taking my calls over a month ago.”

“Well, what does that tell you?
Jeez, take a hint - obviously she doesn’t wanna talk to you. Can you blame her?”

“She
needed some time to cool off, that’s all. Look, I just need an opportunity to explain things to her, but I can’t do that over the phone. I know if I see her in person we can work it all out. I just…I have to see her, Marcie. I need to see her. You have no idea how much I miss her...”

“
I’d like to help you, Rick, I really would…”

“Please! I’m begging you…do this one thing for me.
Please. I’ll owe you big time. Anything you want, I swear. Backstage passes for life. Whatever...”

“
All right, all right…don’t have a cow. First you gotta promise you won’t tell anyone where you got this info.”

“I promise
!”

“Kelly would wring my neck if she knew I gave it to you.”

“Just between us. She’ll never find out.”

“She better not
if you value your life. Got a pen?”

~*~*~*~

They walked along the shore’s edge in darkness, hand in hand like a pair of lovebirds, the gun tucked securely in the holster under his shirt.

Sami asked no questions. She knew he preferred it that way, and it wouldn’t have
made the situation any clearer for her anyway. Any explanations provided were bound to consist of nothing but his arcane diversions. If it was his way of avoiding the truth, then he’d certainly mastered the technique.

Her second wind long since dispelled, she
tried to cover a yawn but naturally his sharp eye didn’t miss a thing.

“Last night catching up to you?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted.

“I won’t keep you out too late.”
He guided her to a row of rental chairs on the far outskirts of the gathering crowd. “Why don’t we wait here for now.”

She yawned again, stretching out beside him
on the hard planks and resting her head on his chest. “You always smell so good,” she mumbled, snuggling up against his solid warmth. The sea breeze was cool tonight.

“
Straight to Heaven.
”

“
Hm?”

“
It’s the name of the cologne.”

“
Oh…I thought maybe that’s where you were taking me,” she joked.

“
Not quite. My road leads in a different direction.”

Here we go again
…words of wisdom from the sultan of charades.
“What direction would that be?”

“
When you reach the end, you’ll know.”

“You should have been a politician
.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You have a way of answering a question without actually
answering
it. Know what I mean?”

He laughed at that. “Yeah…I know what you mean.”

“Why do you do that?”

“
Because you aren’t ready to know the truth yet.”

“How do you know I’m not ready?
I think I’m ready.”

“
Let’s paraphrase here.
I’m
not ready for you to know.”

“
Okay then…when do you think you’ll be ready?”

“When I’m satisfied that
I can trust you implicitly. And vice versa…which is why we’re here tonight.”

“What are we doing tonight?”

“Testing the boundaries of your trust,” he said simply.

“Oh, come on, Ash…haven’t we already been through this? You have to know by now that I trust you.”

“Do you?” He searched her face earnestly. “Then tell me this. How far are you willing to go for me? Just how strong is your conviction?”

“Try me.”
Go ahead, do your worst…because I know something you don’t…

“Oh, I intend to.”
He brushed his lips against her temple, whispering, “I told you I wanted your every breath to be for me. Remember?”

“I remember.”
Some things from that first night with him still remained hazy, but those provocative words were deeply ingrained in her memory. She hadn’t forgotten. She’d gone over them time and again while the wounds he’d inflicted continued to remind her.