Secret Shopper (22 page)

             
“This is dedicated to a dear friend of mine. I miss him so much. Thomas.” My voice started low and soft, then swelled. My heart was going to burst as the song escalated. I kept my eyes closed for most of the song, imagining Thomas’s beautiful face as the sun shone behind him. I surveyed the near distance for him and he stayed where I last saw him. I almost lost focus when I glanced at Mr. Kang behind the bar clapping out of sync with the beat of the song and swaying side to side which was reminiscent of my mom’s dancing.

             
At the last few lines of the song, I clutched my pearls dramatically with my left hand and sang from my gut.

“I want to be your Thomas!” A guy at the bar yelled. I was more accustomed to the applause and then curtsied.

A small movement in the dark beyond grabbed my attention. Thomas stood now at the rear exit. I made out his lean silhouette highlighted by the street light. He had his hood off now and looked like he wanted to be desperately noticed by me. I averted my eyes and exited stage left. I saw his retreating figure and after telling Ty and Angelica where I was headed I grabbed my clutch purse and made chase.

             
Thomas must have parked away from the bar like I typically did. I looked up and down the street and saw nothing familiar. The chilly night air slapped me into reality. Had I lost him for good? I summoned
the force
and walked briskly north on 5
th
Avenue. I had to find him. The synthesized melody of a Foreigner song faded as I got further away from the bar, left with only the staccato tapping of my heels. I could have called out for him, but I didn’t want to seem desperate or draw attention to myself. Inhaling the cold night air, my body warmed up in my sweater.

It was too quiet
and dark, and the little hairs on my neck prickled.
Let’s not get crazy and get hurt
, I could hear my parents’ warning. I gave up my search to return to the bar, but I stopped in my tracks.

There was a figure in the distance, veiled in the darkness. The shadows played tricks on my eyes and I believed it was Bradley and I froze. I knew he was out of state, but my mind translated this menace as my ex. The dark figure moved. The sound of his shuffling feet became louder. He made his way in my direction. I was aware that the streetlights on the path I chose weren’t on.
Stupid move, Phoenix!
I instinctively removed my long string of pearls, imagining this fiend choking me with it. I could possibly use it like a weapon, testing its weight in my hands. I straightened my posture and walked with purpose. Criminals only attacked women who looked meek and easy to subdue right? I clenched my fists and readjusted the angle of path. I didn’t want this man, who was about ten feet away now to think that I was scared.

I strengthened the hold on my clutch purse. I only had
a fifty dollar bill if the fool was going to mug me. The purse also housed my Blackberry, and instead of worrying about the purse or cash being stolen, I worried about my recording of Thomas’s singing. Thomas’s first hand written note tucked in my Hello Kitty wallet was also a treasure. I had been carrying it around like a security blanket for the past two months. I panicked when the dark figure adjusted his walk towards me. I picked up my pace, breathing quickly, prepping my body for the possibility that I would need to start running. I decided to look the man in the eyes and scowl. Hopefully that would scare him off. No dice. I kept my purse on the right side of my body away from his view, but I saw his line of vision and either he was checking out my pants or looking for my purse. I called out to Ty, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hear me since I was a good fifty yards away from the side entrance. The menace stopped for a second and looked at the direction of the bar. I took that opportunity to make a run for it. I had only mastered walking in designer high heeled boots recently, and running was a bit more complex. Hell, I probably looked as graceful as a moose running in steeltoe boots. I found it humorous how quick my priorities shifted from wanting Thomas to wanting not to be killed, mugged or raped.

I was close to the side entrance because I could smell the stench of the dumpster. I heard this huntsman’s quick pace behind me and braced myself, in case he decided to yank my purse or throw me into the large metal container.

              Just as I was about to round the corner and find safety, two large, strong capable hands grabbed both my arms from behind. I yelled as loudly as I could, but unless someone was entering the side like what I or Thomas had been doing, no one in the bar would hear me.

When they say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die, it’s true. I had images of my dad and mom and baby brother. Bradley weaseled his way in there. Even dark chocolate made an appearance. Rachel would be pissed if she found out that she came after my vision of my almost ex-husband and my biggest vice. That led me to Thomas and his smile. Would I get to see that smile again? My pulse thundered in my head and then I collapsed.

              Before I realized it, my back was on the pavement, the wind knocked out of me. A dull pain radiated on my skull from where it thudded on the ground. The beast straddled me and I continued to clutch my purse. He placed his forearm on my neck, but luckily I pressed my chin to my chest before he could choke me. As he sat on my hips, I was repulsed and bucked. This guy was heavy. If he wanted my purse, he didn’t reach out for it or demand it. Did he want me? To do foul things? I freaked and shook my body to no avail. I decided to hit him on the head with my purse, but the less than two pounds of leather didn’t do much but irritate him. The pearls! I did my best Wonder Woman lasso reenactment but it only swatted his ear. He grabbed the weak weapon and flung it to the where the light bordered the darkness.

             
“You are sooo hot,” the jerk growled near my face, he was the most pervy, dirtiest devil I had ever encountered. His grimy teeth were so close to my face, I gagged. I quickly assessed his physical traits in the dimly lit area where we played twisted twister. He was Caucasian, about 40 years old or more, looked to be green eyes in that unshaven face, alcohol on his breath and brown or black hair. A name tag would have been convenient now. He wore an old Padres baseball cap and a Member’s Only jacket.
Really?

             
How could I even think of laughing at this moment was beyond me. A minute had probably passed, but if felt like so much longer. I lifted my pelvis in an upward thrust suddenly and let’s just call him
Kaduku
man, which means crazy in Chamorro, fell off me to his side. He was probably only 5’5” and 170 pounds. I was taller than him and I wished I could do some fancy
Jet Li
moves. I pressed on his stomach and tried to get to my feet. I called out for help again. Nobody.
Kaduku
couldn’t get up quick enough so I took the opportunity to kick him in the face.
Hard
. Real hard, with my boots.
Tae Kwon Do hard.
I heard a crunch and his nose spewed blood and then his whimper turned into a roar. He spat curse words and spit sprayed and before I turned to run, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a switch blade. I backed up and just my luck I hit the dumpster. Why didn’t I run? I took five seconds too long to congratulate myself and enjoy the byproduct of my kick.

I apologized and pleaded with him. He demanded my purse then. I held it close to my body. He wasn’t going to get it. It wasn’t the money. It was the mementos of Thomas that I couldn’t part with. The jerk lunged after the purse. I sidestepped and the
Bruce Lee
in me used the single aversion move Pharaoh taught me. His momentum landed him in the dumpster. He hunched over grabbing his head, knife still in hand. Stupid me, I should have started running, yet again, but I so wanted to kick him in the nuts. So, I did.

Kaduku
buckled forward, but took a swipe at my leg and cut my pants. Darn, that was a hundred bucks wasted. This time, maybe his survival instinct or male pride kicked in, so he leapt to his feet and lunged at my purse again. His knife cut through my sweater and slashed my flesh. Fire erupted on my body from the spot I was stabbed. The heat of my blood trickled down my leg and
Kaduku
looked stunned at his work, almost sorry.

My right hip was cut, I wasn’t sure how deep, but all of a sudden
Kaduku’s
knife clanked to the ground and so did he. I grabbed my side and ran, finally, well more like limped to the side entrance. I kept pressure on my cut and was mindful enough to move my purse to my other hand. Didn’t want it stained by blood.

My attacker didn’t follow and I staggered into the bar, stunned. Mr. Kang was the first to notice me. I sat at the booth, breathing shallow, taking stock in how I felt. Was I going to pass out? Tano and Angelica looked in my direction when the person on the mic saw me enter and stopped singing, and yelled, “Holy Shit!” I told Tano that the attacker was outside by the dumpster. He ran out to find him despite my protest. Meanwhile, Angelica was on the phone with 911.

I would later find out that Thomas had been driving by when he saw me being chased. He was the one who brought the attacker to the ground. Tano helped in detaining the bastard for the cops. By the time the ambulances arrived, one for me and one for
Kaduku
—I had to explain which injuries were from me and which happened when he was being
detained
by Thomas and Ty.

The rest of the night was a blur. As news crew
s showed up to the bar, Mr. Kang was all too quick to provide details of the crime. I lay back in the ambulance and cried. I could have been killed tonight and I finally wanted to be with my mom and dad. I wanted to go to Guam.

“Fee-nux. That her name,” Mr. Kang stated, butchering my moniker. “She from Goowan.” Poor guy was making me sound like an alien from another planet. The reporter was confused to say the least, so Tano and Angelica jumped in to set the record straight.

Bulbs flashed and a camera man was outside the ambulance door. I averted my eyes and covered my face with my beloved clutch purse. “I’m with her.” I heard Thomas’s frantic voice. “Her name is Phoenix Lizama. I’m her boyfriend for Christ sakes!” After hearing his last declaration, I tried to sit up and regretted it instantly. The medic held my shoulder down and ordered me to relax. She kept pressure on my wound as Thomas hopped into the ambulance. He looked spent and disheveled, but still rewarded me with a smile. His eyes glistened with tears.

On the ride to
Naval Hospital, he filled me in on his heroic deed. I scanned his body for cuts, but he was unscathed and more gorgeous than ever. His cheeks were flushed bright pink and his constantly furrowed brow was oddly sexy to me. Us both being alive was sexy.

I suffered a three inch gash on my right hip, to the bone, so luckily no internal organs were punctured. Thank you child-bearing hips. For a split second, I thought if I was still thirty pounds heavier, it would have only been a paper cut and less serious.
It’s amazing how the dumb, old me still crept up in my thoughts
. My leg was fine, but doctors wanted to keep me for a few days to observe the concussion I apparently suffered when I was knocked to the ground. I didn’t know how I would explain this to my parents, but to my relief, my Uncle Tony did the talking for me. He arrived with Ty and Angelica just after I got my cut cleaned and patched. Painkillers, a marvel of modern medicine got me through it.

Throughout my grogginess, Thomas stayed by my side holding my hand when I requested his. He assisted the cops with a witness statement. He had been driving by when he saw me kick at the assailant. He left his car running and ran over. He had tears in his eyes as he looked at me and then back to the officer when he explained that he couldn’t get there in time to stop the guy from cutting me, like it was
his fault. I spoke to my parents, keeping my voice strong and steady. I assured them that I just had a small cut and I was fine. Dad didn’t seem convinced. I didn’t tell them that I needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. They didn’t need the added stress.

Ty was interviewed by the local news and proudly said he was my cousin. He gave the
reporters my maiden name and added that we were from Guam. I didn’t want to be interviewed, but it got out there somehow that I had busted the jerk’s nose and did a number on his frank and beans. The next morning, ten large bouquets of flowers later, I saw the footage for myself. I cringed as my professional picture from The Lure Company employee profiles was pasted on the T.V. Now, that wasn’t smart. Would have to find a new job?
Cover blown
. I had to remind myself to kill Angelica, since I knew she had direct access to the photos. I’m sure Bruce didn’t approve the leak.

Once it hit CNN that a
San Diego woman, formerly from Guam, averted a robbery and possible sexual assault, my parents called constantly. After my brother was reassured that I was okay, he gloated that his big sister was an ass-kicker. He said I could come home and become an ultimate fighter like him.
Right.

“Did you really break the asshole’s nose?” He asked excitedly.

“Yes.” I stated plainly, suppressing a smile.

“Awesome! And did you bust his nuts.” My laugh was cut short by the dull pain on my hip. I was even afraid to sneeze, cough, pass gas or get constipated. Pharaoh heard my groan and dropped the questions. He did ask if I would be coming home and I really didn’t know. Was this trauma going to send me packing to the island home that was ten times safer than here? I had a lot to think about, someone special to consider. I looked over at Thomas, who was catching up on sleep in the single chair in my hospital room. He had stubble on his chin, and his hair uncombed. But he was still so beautiful to me. My hero.