Texas Lightning. Gerry Bartlett

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      “What the hell are you doing?” Her head fell against his chest. He’d picked her up, his arm firm under her butt as he carried her out of the room.

      “Taking you to bed. Do you realize your eyes were closing? Woman, you need a keeper. And, for now, I’m it.” He kicked open her bedroom door and laid her on the queen-sized bed. “Do I need to undress you?”

      Anna stared up at him. She found a smile. “Try and I’ll pull my gun from this bedside table drawer.”

      “All right then.” He did reach down and jerk off her tennis shoes. “See you tomorrow.” He dropped the shoes beside the bed and walked out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

      Anna lay there, mustering the energy to get up and take off her clothes, brush her teeth, and put on her new sleep shirt. By the time she was in bed again and enjoying a truly great mattress and high-thread-count sheets, she realized she could never have accomplished a thing on her computer after the day she’d had. She ran her hand over the pillowcase, a pretty pink, then pulled the extra pillow to her and hugged it close. Comfort. She needed it. Because her life was a mess and there was no denying it.

      * * * *

      “Your phone is ringing and ringing.” Conchita stared down at her. “I think someone may be worried about you. You’re getting texts too. You’d better answer.”

      “What time is it?” Anna sat up, feeling like she’d been flattened by a semi. Crazy, when everything that had happened to her yesterday had drained her emotionally, not physically.

      “After ten. You needed the sleep so King said to leave you to it.” Conchita handed her the new phone. “I’m fixing waffles. I hope you like them.”

      “Sounds delicious.” Anna glanced at the texts. “Oh, it’s Sunday!”

      “All day. I’ll bring you coffee.”

      “Thanks.” Anna hit the last message and realized her friend was frantic. She hit speed dial.

      “Anna, where are you? I came by for our usual brunch date and your bike is here but you didn’t answer the door. So I got worried and used the key you gave me. Your apartment is a disaster! Were you robbed?” Scarlett Hall sounded breathless. “Do I need to call the police?”

      “I’m okay. But, yes, I was robbed.”

      “Where the hell are you?” Scarlett sounded mad now. “Why didn’t you call me?”

      “I just got a phone. It was stolen too. I’d like to explain it all but you have to calm down. Don’t call the police, it’s been handled.” Anna reached out for the mug of coffee Conchita handed her. “Thanks.”

      “Why are you thanking me? Explain. Handled? How? I can’t calm down. I’m sitting in what used to be your place and it’s been destroyed. Your beloved computer is gone and so is your precious dog. Is YoYo okay?” Scarlett’s voice broke.

      “Hold it. For God’s sake, don’t cry. YoYo’s fine. Though those creeps who broke in left him loose in the parking lot. He could have been run over.” Anna realized her coffee mug was shaking and she set it on the nightstand. What might have happened to her dog still made her heart stutter. As if she’d called him, YoYo jumped on the bed and sat in her lap. She rubbed his ears and kissed the top of his head. He’d obviously had a bath in some kind of herbal shampoo. Conchita’s idea, no doubt. Or had it been Doug’s? Tears filled her eyes at their kindness.

      “My God! Where are you? I’ll come get you. You can stay with me.” Scarlett was in fix-it mode now. “We can ride into work together tomorrow.”

      “I’m staying with one of Ron’s friends. The boss bought me a new computer setup and I’m working from here. The guy is an investor in Zenon and it’s a beautiful place with good security on one of the lakes. Obviously this theft was espionage. Someone wants to steal my program.” Anna picked up her coffee and leaned back against the padded headboard.

      “Ron? You mean Mr. Z? You’re calling him Ron now? How did that come about? Who is this friend?” Scarlett kept firing questions. “Anna! Answer me. I want to see you. Hear every little detail. Give me an address. I’m on my way.” Scarlett sounded very determined.

      Anna didn’t know what to say. Was she allowed to give out King’s address? Could Scarlett be followed here? She looked up and King stood in the doorway.

      “I don’t know, Scarlett. I don’t think I can tell you where I am. I’m here to work on my special program. I won’t be coming into the office, it’s not safe.” She saw King nod.

      “What the fuck, Anna? Are you being held prisoner? I don’t like this one little bit. If I don’t get to see you with my own eyes, I’m calling your brother, you know the one. First you’re robbed and now you’ve disappeared? I’m sorry, pal, but you’re not allowed to vanish. I’m not going to just let that go, you hear me?”

      “Scarlett, calm down. You can’t make waves like that. Talk to Mr. Zenonsky tomorrow at the office. He can explain everything.”

      “I’m not waiting until tomorrow. Not when I’m sitting in your place where there’s drawers emptied and underwear strewn from the bathroom to the living room. Plus you won’t tell me where the hell you are!”

      “Okay, okay. I’ll give you Mr. Z’s phone number. You can call him right now. Would that make you feel better?”

      “I’m not sure. I really want to see you, pal. We were supposed to have this Texas adventure together. And now you’re missing?” Scarlett’s voice had gone up several octaves and she sounded like she was hyperventilating. “We’ve only been here a couple of months and I don’t know Mr. Z from Adam. I swear I’m calling Chance and getting the FBI on this if I don’t get some answers pronto.”

      “I get it. I love you too, Scarlett. Let me see what I can arrange. For God’s sake, leave Chance and the FBI out of it.” Anna looked down and saw King holding out his phone, Ron’s phone number displayed for her. “Here’s Mr. Zenonsky’s cell number. He’ll answer, I’m sure of it.” She rattled it off. “Call him. Listen to what he has to say. He’s been terrific about the break-in. He’s paying for all my stuff to be replaced and has already brought me a new computer system, a fabulous setup.”

      “I don’t want to hear it. I know you. Buy you a tower with a bunch of RAM or whatever and you’d follow a man anywhere.” Scarlett was near tears again. “Damn it, Annie, this reeks. You’d better be okay.”

      “Call me again after you talk to Ron. I swear I’ll keep my phone by my side. Okay?”

      “Okay.”

      Anna ended the call.

      “Sounds like you have a good friend there.” King stepped back from the bed. He took YoYo with him. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

      “Good, I’m starved. Yes, Scarlett is an old and dear friend. She came with me from Boston and is an office manager at Zenon. Our old boss made a special deal when he sold the company. Zenon had to take a certain number of employees with the purchase. Scarlett’s not into computers like I am but she’s an organizational whiz.”

      “Then I’d probably like her. We have a lot in common.” СКАЧАТЬ