In This Skin (6 page)

    ”Look, please. Ask Mr. Hann to come to the door. I just want to leave here with a clear conscience that I've done the right thing and returned the wallet to him.”

    ”Jesus H. All this for a friggin' wallet. Just give me the friggin' thing. I've got to leave for work by half-past.”

    ”Look, it's not a big deal but-”

    The man's face flushed now. ”My dad's asleep back there. If he wakes up he's gonna be pissed at you.”

    ”I just want to make sure I've got the right apartment.”Benedict felt a growing exasperation. Those sullen brown eyes were really starting to tick him off. ”Bring Ellery here; I'll give him the wallet.”

    ”Keep it down, you'll wake Dad.”

    ”If I don't see him, I'll drop it off at the police station.”

    The guy turned his head to look back into the apartment, the muscular cords in his neck pressed out against the ragged neck of the T-shirt.

    ”Dad… Dad? There's some guy here who's going to turn El's wallet over to the cops!”

    ”Who the fuck is it?”

    The voice came like an animal's roar from a cave. Benedict flinched.

    This simple good deed of returning the wallet was turning into a nightmare.

    ”Who are you?”asked the man in the T-shirt.

    ”I told you. I'm Benedict West. I found the wallet-”

    ”Who the fuck are you? What the hell are you doing handing my boy's wallet over to the cops?”This came from ”Dad,”who prowled into the hallway ”I warned you.”The younger man took a step back. There was a gleam of anticipation in his eyes now. The man's glance at the way his father bunched his hands at his sides wasn't lost on Benedict. No doubt the son had seen his lumbering grizzly of a father settle disputes with his fists before. The man might be the far side of fifty but he had the physique of a pro wrestler. Immediately Benedict took a step back while thinking back to the kid's mashed face that had bled all over the Luxor steps. Maybe old Pop had been disciplining his son the only way he knew how.

    The big man grunted ”Give me the fucking wallet.”

    ”No.”

    ”You better. It's my son's.”

    ”Look.”Benedict took a deep breath. ”I only wanted to make sure that I was handing over the wallet to the right person.”

    The man's bulging eyes rolled down to the wallet, then he turned to his son. ”Is that El's wallet, Matt?”

    ”How the fuck do I know?”

    ”Watch your fucking language. Your mothers got ears, you know”

    The younger man took two steps back into a doorway. He obviously detected the early warning signs when his old man might start swinging those mallet fists.

    ”I'll be gone as soon as I see Ellery Hann.”Benedict kept his voice calm. ”I only want to reassure myself he's all right, then I'll-”

    ”Why shouldn't he be all right?”

    Best not mention the beaten face. Those two huge fists at the end of Pop's arms might have been the weapons involved. ”Call me Miss Prissy, but I just wanted to satisfy myself that I'm giving the wallet to the guy it belongs to.”

    ”You know El?”

    ”I saw him in a parking lot.”

    ”Oh?”This was the son making a noise as if his suspicions had been confirmed.

    The father shot him an angry look. ”What's that supposed to mean, Matt?”

    ”Nothing.”

    ”I know your fucking nothings”

    Obviously there was a lot of angst in the home over some secret issue.

    Benedict wanted even less to do with this family than before. Already he saw himself three minutes from now lying facedown on the ground with blood pouring from his nose. Hell, was this his lucky day-no, scratch that-lucky weekend or what?

    Now old Pop had been riled by the son's insinuation; suspiciously he rounded on Benedict. ”So what's Ellery to you?”

    ”Nothing.”

    ”You met him?”

    ”Yes, only briefly in a parking lot.”

    ”What for?”

    ”I don't know what you're suggesting.”Benedict took another step back, gauging whether he'd take less of a bloodying if he simply vaulted over the rail and took his chance dropping fifteen feet to the dirt below.

    ”You know what I'm suggesting, you fucking fairy. What d'ya do to my son?”

    ”Nothing. I found the wallet, that's-”

    ”Give it here, then get out of my house.”

    ”Listen.”

    ”I'll give you to the count of three. One.”

    The younger guy nodded with a look of glee pasted across his face. He loved to watch Pop mash guys' faces.

    ”Two.”

    ”Look, I'm…”Benedict's voice faded as a thin, sick looking woman wearing a caftan limped into the hallway A young guy assisted her. She could have been the same age as Pop, but her body had the withered appearance of an octogenarian. She glanced up with no real interest.

    ”Dinner's on the table, boys. I'm going back to bed for a while.”

    Benedict saw that the young guy (the guy he now knew to be Ellery Hann) still helped her by the arm. A moment later Ellery Hann slipped out the bedroom and gently closed the door behind him. He had none of the coarse features of his brother and father. The bones of his cheeks and jaw were fine. Even the skin looked smoother and brighter than the dull, stubbled and blotchy faces of the two men nearest Benedict.

    The one called Matt caught Ellery's eye and jerked his head in the direction of Benedict. ”This guy says he's got your wallet?”

    Ellery's bright, intelligent eyes fixed on it. He nodded.

    Matt sniffed. ”El says it's his.”

    To Ellery, Benedict said, ”Do you want to check the contents to make sure the-”

    Matt interrupted. ”It's cool. Besides, it wasn't the money you were interested in.”

    Benedict leaned forward to catch a close look at Ellery. It also took him so close to Pop that he could smell the man's pungent breath. ”I just wanted to make sure you were okay when I brought the wallet back.”

    Pop growled. ”Why shouldn't he be okay?”

    ”Yeah.”Matt sniffed. ”What did you do to him?”That was obviously intended to stir the big man's anger again. Matt was disappointed that the old man hadn't slung a couple of punches in Benedict's face.

    Thanks for nothing, Matt, Benedict thought. Just when he figured he could slip away from this house-of-not-so-many-delights without a pair of black eyes.

    ”Yeah…”Some mental image sidled into the man's heavy skull. A mental image that disgusted him. Rage flared in his eyes. ”Yeah, what have you done to my son! Your sort revolt me! You know that?”

    Benedict stepped back. This time Ellery slipped under his father's elbow as the big guy posed there with his hands on his hips, all belligerence and venom. Ellery stood between the two, looked down at the wallet and nodded. Benedict handed it to him. Ellery glanced up at him with two clear blue eyes. He nodded a thank you, then ducked back under his father's timber-like arms to disappear into the gloom of the house.

    There was one of those pauses, an empty void that begged someone to say something or do something.

    ”Whatcha want? A certificate of gratitude?”Pop swung the door shut. It crashed against the jamb two inches from Benedict's nose.

    For a second Benedict didn't move, despite the urge to head back to his car as quickly as he could. In the bright light of day he'd gotten a close look at the young man with the stammer. Last night the guy had had the face of a crushed strawberry. His nose and eyes were split. Blood splashed everywhere. Less than twenty-four hours later Benedict had seen Hann's face close up as he took the wallet. Was there a scab or a graze or a bruise?

    No. Nothing. Only the faintest mottling on his cheek that could have marked the position of two-week-old bruises. Nothing else.

    So, Ellery Hann, how do you heal from a vicious beating in twelve hours?

    Answer me that one.

    As Benedict returned to his car he found himself puzzling over the question without an answer.

    

    

    By late Saturday afternoon Noel was getting horny again. They were alone in Robyn's house. She knew it was right for him to slip off her skirt, then start kissing her inner thighs the way he always did. Only in her heart it didn't feel right.

    Why is it that my libido's decreased while Noel's has skyrocketed? Robyn Vincent pulled his head to her chest as they lay together on the couch.

    She ran her fingers through his softly curling hair while he massaged her breasts.

    Oh, God, I want to run screaming for the bathroom. If he tries to push himself into me I'm gonna scream. I know it. I'm gonna yell, scratch him. But that's the last thing I want. I love him. He loves me; this should be perfect.

    She closed her eyes. Music from the stereo filled the room. Romance should have floated in the air. Instead…

    ”Robyn?”

    ”Hmm?”

    ”You all right?”

    ”Yeah. I'm fine. Why?”

    ”The muscles in your arms are like steel.”

    ”Must be a little tense.”

    ”A little?”He sat up. ”Anything you're not telling me?”

    She almost flinched. Had she been so transparent that he saw her anxiety? She forced a smile. ”I'm cool, baby.”

    ”Good.”He kissed her on the mouth. ”You were starting to worry me there.

    I thought you were building up to breaking some bad news to me.”

    Robyn tried to laugh in a lighthearted way as if what he'd said was ridiculous. It sounded strained to her ears. Off the top of her head she said, ”Mom and Emerson are at a shareholders' meeting today. He's been planning a merger with one of his major rivals.”She shrugged. ”Everyone's been walking on eggshells here lately ”It's that important?”

    ”You should hear Emerson rehearsing his shareholders' speech in the bathroom day and night. I know more about plastic injection molding than any other nineteen-year-old I know. Ow.”

    ”What's wrong?”Natural concern came so easy to Noel. A guy in a million.

    Sensitive. Good-looking. Talented.

    ”Ouch… ouch. I must have been sitting awkwardly. It's just a cramp.”

    ”In your stomach?”

    She smiled. ”It happens.”

    ”But I didn't think your… ah… you know?”

    ”Period? It's OK to say the word, Noel.”She laughed, genuinely amused at his sudden shyness. ”No. I'm not due for a couple of weeks.”

    ”Phew. What a relief.”Grinning, Noel unfastened a couple more shirt buttons, then placed a muscular hand on her knee. ”Come on, let's go to the bedroom. It's time I put some real effort into relaxing you properly.”

    He kissed her on the mouth again, his hand running up the outside of her thigh. Crunch time. She'd been trying to postpone this. There was no way she could permit him to make love to her. Yesterday she'd almost gone out of her mind when he slipped inside her. His penis had felt invasive… something completely alien. Repellent. Now she'd have to come out with the word: NO. Tell him she couldn't make love. But what excuse could she make that didn't sound lame? A headache? Would he suspect her of falling in love with some other guy? As his tongue worked against hers and the rush of his respiration filled her ears, her mind clamored, striving to find some excuse.

    ”I'm going to undress you slowly,”he murmured, his eyes inches from hers. ”Then I'm going to start at your toes. Kissing… kissing all the way up… then I'm going to make my tongue work for a living.”He smiled. ”I'm not going to rest until I've…”He shut one eye and grinned. ”Not rest until I've pleasured you. Then I'm going to make love to you very gently, very slowly. I'm going to take at least an hour. Because I want to stay inside you for as long as I…”He kissed her throat. ”… possibly…”Then kissed her chin.”… can.”

    Standing up, he effortlessly picked her up from the sofa. Once she'd adored it when he cradled her in his arms. She'd always felt so safe and so loved. Now she wanted to scream. It took all her willpower not to fight her way from his grip.

    A crunch of gravel came from outside.

    She stiffened. ”That's my mom's car.”

    ”Are you sure? ”Positive. Can't you hear the garage door?”

    ”Oh, damn.”He wrinkled his nose in disappointment.

    ”Don't worry lover man.”Relieved, she kissed him on the cheek as he carefully put her feet first on the floor. ”I'll fix some food and we can watch TV in the conservatory!' ”I'd rather be making whoopee with you, Robyn.”

    ”You and me both.”Wow. A little white lie.

    He hugged her. ”But it won't be long until we're alone again.”He gave her a loving squeeze. ”Mom and Dad will be playing tennis tomorrow morning. Come over then.”

    Robyn scrunched her shoulders and smiled as if nothing could give her greater pleasure. The thing was, she felt a massive sense of relief that her mom was home.

    ”Back early, isn't she, Rob?”Noel frowned. ”I thought you said six. It isn't even four yet.”

    ”Change of plan, I guess.”She touched his chest. ”Don't forget these.

    I'll go brush my hair'' She left him to fasten his shirt buttons. When she returned from her bedroom, she found her mother standing at the top of the stairs, blocking the way. She looked formidable, a guardian of the gate.

    ”Mom?”

    ”I've asked Noel to go home.”

    ”You've done what?”Robyn shook her head, bewildered. ”Why on earth have you-”

    ”Robyn… Robyn. Hear me out. Please.”Standing there in her business suit she wore the grimmest of expressions.

    ”But why send Noel home? What must he be thinking? I'm nineteen, I-”

    ”Robyn. Emerson's downstairs in the lounge. He has to make some telephone calls… a lot.”She managed to make ”a lot”sound so ominous that Robyn's words dried. ”You're right, Robyn. You're nineteen. You're not a child, so I'll tell you how we stand. The shareholders voted for Emerson's company to merge with JLZ.”