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sandwiched in firmly between Chuck and one of his buddies, a
younger fellow every bit asrough and gruff as Chuck, and if anyone
happened to leer too long in her general direction, he was treated with
a wide-eyed, warning stare from either of the two men.
Supper was hot and hearty and conversation sharply decreased while
everyone tucked into their supper. Dee had to smile several times
during the course of her meal. Her presence really overthrew the
natural flow of conversation for the men, she could see. Many times
someone would start to make a ribald joke or a crude comment, and
he would fall silent in the middle of the statement. Already her
vocabulary picked up at the restaurant had been increased by several
words and phrases, some of which she made a mental note to look up
in the dictionary or ask someone about, if the dictionary happened to
be too clean.
Chuck insisted on buying her a dish of ice cream when everyone had
coffee, so she tucked into that with enjoyment. She was just licking
her spoon and contemplating her steaming cup of hot brew with
pleasure when the glass door at the entrance swung open and a dark
man walked quietly in. Dee glanced up casually, caught sight of the
man and promptly dropped her spoon in consternation, though with
no great surprise.
Mike's silent green gaze swept over the dining area and came to rest
on her. She sighed as he gave her a short, perfunctory nod and
immediately headed her way. Chuck glanced at her. 'Hey, you gotta
drink up your coffee before it gets too cold.' Really, she thought with
amused exasperation, he's worse than a fussy old grandmother! He
saw the expression on her face and looked in the direction her eyes
were trained. 'Is that the boy-friend, punkin?'
'I guess you could call him that,' she said tartly. He was sure sticking
as close as a lover! If only that were the problem.
Mike was silently passing occupied booths and Dee thought his very
quietness was more menacing than all of the bluster in the world. His
face looked hard and set, and his eyes glittered, sending off sparks of
something volatile that Dee thought would be better left unexpressed.
Sliding casually out of the booth, Chuck came out before Mike to
block his way and was immediately joined by Fred. That husky
fellow, for all his earlier good humour, was beginning to look
pugnacious. Dee began to feel alarmed.
'Hey there,' Chuck said heartily. 'How ya doin', old buddy? What do
you need? If you're wantin' a meal to eat, there's plenty of tables in the
other direction.'
Mike looked beyond him to Dee, his expression unreadable as he
stared into her suddenly huge, apprehensive eyes. 'I want to talk to the
young lady over there,' he said quietly, in his pleasant low voice. He
hadn't even acknowledged the threat in Chuck's overly hearty speech
by so much as a blink of the eyes. All his attention was focussed on
Dee's face. He was as tenacious as a bulldog. Dee smelled the danger
hanging like sulphur in the air and she silently swore, Damn him!
Why didn't he just leave? Why was he taking such a risk?
'We-ell,' Chuck drawled slowly, 'I don't think the little lady wants to
talk to you. She's busy eatin' her supper, and you just might give her
indigestion. We wouldn't want to do that, now, would we? She's such
a sweet little ol' thing.' He took a step further and Fred touched
shoulders with him as they blocked Dee's view of Mike. The potential
for physical violence was there, like explosive dynamite, and without
being aware of her intention, Dee was standing in the booth to perch
herself so that she could see Mike's face. His green, implacable eyes
sought hers. A nervous waitress shifted from one foot to the other,
behind a counter.
Dee tried to signal frantically to Mike with her eyes, jerking her head
to the door in an attempt to get him to leave. He watched her silently,
from under level brows, taking in the anxiety so obvious in her blue
eyes, and then he deliberately walked forward.
Both Fred and Chuck moved simultaneously, and one of Fred's hands
came out to knock at Mike's shoulder to push him roughly back. But
Mike wasn't there, as he pivoted neatly on one foot, quick as a snake,
to avoid the shove and parry with one of his own. In that brief
moment, Dee realised as she watched Mike's controlled speed that he
could have taken care of both Fred and Chuck for all their bulk and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]