The Great Escape (9 page)

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

strength, and won, if it hadn't been for the fellows that came up

behind him to grasp his arms and twist them tightly behind his back.

Mike's eyes came back to Dee's as his back arched agonisingly and

his head jerked up, nostrils flaring, and Chuck's arm was swinging

back for a blow when she galvanised into action.

She launched from the back of the booth where she had been perched

and moved so swiftly that she had a hold of Chuck's clenched fist and

was dragging on it with all her strength as she screamed, 'Don't hurt

him!'

Chuck's eyes widened at this and he turned immediately into the

gentle gruff man that she knew, putting his arm around her shaking

shoulders and saying, 'Why, little punkin, it's gonna be all right.

We're just gonna make sure that he don't give you any more scares,

that's all.'

Dee was tired of being treated like a precious imbeeile;' and she

snapped irritably, 'And what do you think you're doing to me, right

now? Do you think this isn't scaring me half to death? And who gives

you the right, anyway?' Neither of them saw the gleam of satisfaction

in Mike's eyes, quickly veiled. 'I can take care of myself! I know how

to hit, too, if I need to, you know!'

There were chuckles all around at this and somebody muttered, 'The

little canary's turned out to be a tigress after all!' Chuck grinned

amicably and stepped back, and the binding hands on Mike's twisted

arms fell away. He straightened slowly, intent on the two in front of

him.

'Why, punkin, you just go right ahead,' Chuck told her. 'But just the

same, I think you'd better have your conversation in here, so's we can

keep an eye on you.'

Dee nodded shortly, her anger fading. 'Thanks, Chuck,' she said,

laying a hand lightly on his arm, and it was covered and squeezed

gently.

'Any time, punkin. I reckon you two need to work things out between

you anyways.' He sat down and everyone generally relaxed, but she

was extremely aware of his sharp eye on them while he sipped his

coffee. Mike saw, too.

Dee stared up at Mike, taking in his generally unruffled demeanour,

and retorted, 'You really are a clever one, Mike Carridine! Yes, I'll

have a cup of coffee with you! But don't you start taking it for granted

that I'm going to go anywhere with you!' This last was said with a

quick shake of a finger under Mike's nose, and she heard sniggers

around her.

'Come on,' he said, taking her gently by the arm and leading her away

to a corner table, out of earshot from everyone else. She slid into a

chair while he ordered coffee for the two of them, morosely studying

the man across from her from under blonde, lowered brows.

'How did you know I would react the way I did?' she asked abruptly.

'It was a good guess.'

He shrugged gracefully, hunching one shoulder and leaning his chin

in one hand. 'I've had to study your character all this time, to try to

figure out what you would have done in different situations that had

confronted you. I've talked to people from the University, and I think

I have a generally goodimpression of everyone's view of you. One

thing you aren't is bloodthirsty.'

'Don't push it too far,' she warned him darkly, and had to grin

reluctantly when he laughed. Her blue eyes became contemplative,

mocking. 'So you think you know me that well, hmm?'

'Quite the contrary,' she was told immediately. 'I only know other

people's impression of you. I'm only now beginning to form some

impressions of my own, having met you. The only thing I can say

with certainty about you is that I've underestimated you time and time

again. In fact,' and his gaze flickered over to where Chuck was sitting,

'I'm beginning to think that the majority of people underestimate your

potential, Dee.'

She had to feel flattered in spite of herself, but was quick to change

the subject since she considered the conversation rather irrelevant.

'You have, I take it, a CB radio?'

His gaze became mocking and one corner of his mouth quirked. 'But

of course. I'm the big bad cat, am I?'

She snorted with derision. 'He was on the radio and blabbing to

everyone in the CB world before I could stop him. By the time I could

sift through the jargon and understand what he was talking about, the

damage was done.' She put up her hands and rubbed at her eyes

tiredly. In spite of the sleep she had snatched in the truck, she felt

tired from the upsets of the last two days. 'How did you feel when you

woke up?'

'I had a headache,' he replied sourly, his expression wry. Dee noted

absently that his nose looked as if it had been broken in a fight. He

really was very handsome, she thought, and was mildly surprised

that, aside from some exasperation, he didn't appear to be angry. 'And

when I -found the door locked on me and my tyres completely, utterly

flat, I wanted to turn you over my knee and make your backside black

and blue. But I've calmed down a bit.' He paused and then admitted

ruefully, 'I guess I had it coming to me, though, for ever letting my

guard slip. So, now what?'

'What, what?' she asked, and laughed. 'I'm so tired!'

'I know,' he said, and it was gentle, making her look at him in

surprise. He was regarding her seriously. 'What are you going to do,

Dee? Are you going to come with me, or are you going to go with

Chuck and his friends?'

'And if I go with Chuck?' she asked, sending a lightning-swift,

dagger-bright glance his way. He looked about as movable or as

shakeable as a brick wall.

'Then I follow.' There was no hesitation.

Her brows shot up. 'It's a good way to get hurt, you know.'

'I know. I'll risk it.' He didn't, she thought angrily, look worried.

Dee muttered tiredly, feeling dispirited, 'Why don't you go away?'

He responded promptly, 'Why don't you go home? There's a lot of

people worried about you.'

'Oh, hell!' she burst out, supremely angry, and his eyes flared before

becoming shadowed. 'Don't spit that nonsense to me!' She leaned

forward. 'Are you trying to make me feel guilty in case you get hurt?

I'm not responsible for your actions. If you follow me, then it's on

your head!'

'I wouldn't presume to make you feel responsible for my actions,' he

said quietly. 'I'm merely hoping to influence your decision. It worked

just now. You couldn't bear to see me get my face bashed in, could

you?'

She buried her face in her hands and tried to think. In spite of her

brave and callous-sounding words, she knew she would feel guilty if

he got hurt because of her. He was just doing his job.

In favour of her leaving with him was the fact that she could still slip

away, because there was a lot of ground to cover between here and

home. And when she had appeased her own conscience by knowing

he would not be hurt directly as a result from following her, then she

would try again. Her shoulders slumped even more, dejectedly, since

she knew he was watching her. 'All right,' she whispered softly, 'I'll

go with you.'

AFTER goodbyes had been said to Dee's trucker friends, Mike ushered

her out of the restaurant and into his car. She'd remembered

correctly—it was a dark green, sleek- modelled sedan car, built for

comfort and durability. She slid into the passenger side willingly

enough and curled her legs underneath her, resting her head against

the back of the seat. Mike soon got in on the driver's side, and with

one frowning glance at her tired face and exhausted demeanour, he

leaned forward to switch on the ignition. Then he pulled into the

curve that led on to the highway and they were heading south. Dee

dozed in her seat while he drove into the night.

He didn't stay on the highway for long, however, and the change in

the car's rhythmic purr woke her up. She sat straight up and looked

dazedly around her, pushing the tangled blonde hair off her forehead.

Mike pulled into another travelling oasis and parked smoothly in

front of a motel. He said quietly, 'You look about ready to call it a

night.'

She merely nodded. He got out and came around to her side to open