Between Friends (38 page)

Alex had a sudden adrenaline rush as a remembered moment, not similar in circumstances but with the same results, made him feel a sense of panic. He had made a deal with himself. He wouldn’t surface again until the pilot was found. Alex knew that he would be found, but he also only had about twenty minutes of air left.

Ross signaled with his light, and Alex swam to meet him. Ross had located the broken-off rotor blade. Nearby was what looked like a camera bag with the logo of a local network on the side. A cap floated by. Together they circled in a widening area.

Then they heard what sounded like a crunching, stretching grind of metal. It was like a great moan. The water whooshed around them, and Ross glanced up and saw what remained of the fuselage of the downed copter, hurling down at them. Bubbles gurgled geyserlike to the surface as the cockpit cavity filled the rest of the way with water.

Alex tried to swim quickly out of the way of the falling object. The water displacement created a wave that jostled him, flipping Alex onto his side. He flailed about, trying to steady himself. Below him, the beam of light from Ross’s handheld searchlight seemed to go crazy before it disappeared. The copter landed in the riverbed, sending out a cloud of thick silt and mud. Through the murk, Alex saw Ross topple over, struck by what remained of the tail boom.

Orienting himself, Alex and another diver swam downward. They found him on the far side of the flooded copter. Ross had just avoided being crushed, but Alex could see he was having trouble with the full-face mask. Probably a leak. He favored one leg in his kicking movement to swim above the wreckage.

Alex used a hand signal to ask Ross if he was okay. He got back a thumbs-up, but he also indicated something below them. Alex kicked several feet deep and came to a sudden halt as some sort of growth seemed to appear before him. It wasn’t marine life but a pair of legs swaying upward at him. His stomach heaved at the discovery. He started breathing too fast again, but only for a moment. He got over it. He got back in charge, because he was missing that sense of horror and blame that had trapped him six years ago with Crosby’s death.

The pilot was still strapped to his seat. There was nothing that could be done for him beyond recovery. Alex returned to Ross, who was now exploring his equipment with his hands. Alex grabbed hold of his weight belt and pointed up. The other two divers also came to assist. They began to rise upward. They broke the surface and found themselves surrounded by emergency marine craft and blinding searchlights. Another team of divers were ready to relieve them, having just dropped from a 412 NYPD copter. The hovering craft clattered deafeningly overhead with the crew chief perched and tethered to the open hatch as he directed his pilot and divers. Its lights showcased the rescue team. Hands reached out to help Ross aboard one of the boats, but Alex sculled away.

“We found him,” he communicated through hand signals to one of the relief divers. Once submerged, Alex used the buddy phone in the front of his mask to give the police divers the location of the body. They followed his lead.

There was no sense of victory. They’d accomplished what they’d started out for, but the end to the story was anything but triumphant. The best that could be said was that it was a mission well done. Somebody’s loved one had been found. Out of the tragedy there had also been found resolution. And peace.

Dallas stood back behind the cordoned-off police lines and watched through the hurricane fencing as a stretcher was hoisted into a waiting ambulance. It held a zippered body bag. She experienced an immediate primal fear and dread. Her gaze followed the departing vehicle. But there were two more waiting. The injured news reporter had been the first to be removed, but Dallas couldn’t tell yet if the other EMS teams were there just in case or if there was a real need. There was still a lot of activity and manpower around the dock where the rescue efforts had ended. But she had yet to actually see any of the divers. Or Alex.

She caught sight of several men headed slowly toward the remaining ambulances. One was wrapped in a gray thermal blanket and was supported on either side as he limped forward toward a waiting ambulance. A second man walked with him, also with a blanket around his shoulders. The pier lights clearly illuminated his silver hair. She felt a tremendous rush of relief.

Dallas approached the police barricades, prepared to flash her press pass, but no one stopped her. The rescue was over, and most of the personnel had cleared from the area. By the time she’d reached the ambulance, the limping man had been helped inside. She didn’t have to call out Alex’s name. As if sensing her presence, he turned his head in her direction, finding her in the dark. Dallas stopped, and Alex separated himself from the group and walked over to her.

She couldn’t see his face, but Dallas could tell he was physically exhausted. Alex stopped in front of her and let his gaze wander over her before speaking.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” His voice was a deep croak.

The truth came without hesitation. “I was worried.” Dallas glanced quickly around. “Maybe … I’m not supposed to be here.”

“No, no. This is … great. Really great.”

“Ross?” she questioned, to cover her nervousness.

“He’s okay. That’s him.” Alex indicated with an inclination of his head. “They’re taking him overnight for observation. He banged up his leg a bit.”

She blinked at him. “And you?”

“Beat.”

“What happens now? Do you have to hang around or …”

“No, I’m through. They have our preliminary report. I can give the rest tomorrow. I can’t move the boat tonight …”

She swallowed, hesitating. “How … were you going to get home to Brooklyn?”

Alex kept his gaze on her face, still riveted by her intense concern. Her being there. He shook his head and shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far. You have something in mind?”

Dallas felt her stomach contract as she stared at him. She felt herself on the edge of a great precipice, with that strange sensation of being both afraid she would fall … or that she would hurl herself forward into the unknown. It was a breathtaking and scary feeling.

“You can stay at my place.”

“Are you sure that’s okay? I can go with Ross and crash with him at the hospital.”

“But I’ll throw in
real
coffee and a hot shower.”

He laughed, and then slowly sobered. Alex took hold of her hand and squeezed it. “No contest. I’d rather go with you. It’s really good to see you, Dallas.”

She smiled, feeling somewhat fortified by his confession. “What are friends for?”

“Right.” He nodded, wryly. “Wait for me? I’ll be right back.”

Alex returned to the standing rescue workers and handed them the gray blanket. He accompanied the emergency crew to a temporary triage setup for further conversation before climbing on board his boat and going below. Dallas waited and watched, wondering about her actions, and steadfastly refusing to address the dozen or so questions and what-ifs her mind created.

Alex reappeared in just ten minutes, fully dressed. There was another moment of conversation with the rescue crew before Alex shook their hands and came back to Dallas. She led the way to the parked car. They were headed toward Broadway and uptown before either spoke again. Dallas questioned him about the accident, and the remainder of the ride was spent talking about the rescue efforts. It was a safer subject than exploring the instincts that had brought her to him. The moment felt charged with anticipation that stayed with them until the car was parked once more, and they entered her building. Dallas covered the awkward silence by looking for apartment keys. Under the ceiling light of the elevator she could see the stress on Alex’s face. He seemed slightly dazed, now, but he only stared silently at her as she babbled nervously.

“They should have kept you for observation, too …”

“I’m fine,” he said quietly.

“Come on in,” Dallas murmured once she’d unlocked the apartment door.

Alex followed her into the dark foyer, and she flipped the light switch. She was immediately aware that his presence altered the space, shrank it in a way that seemed to make him larger … or her more vulnerable. It brought them closer together. Alex stood awkwardly as Dallas maneuvered around him to lead the way into the apartment.

“This is the living room. Here … let me take your coat.” She held out her hand as he slowly shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to her.

“I have a foldout futon in my office,” she explained. “Or you can sleep on the sofa. It pulls out, too.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, his eyes slightly red and bleary as he continued to stare at Dallas.

“The office. You’ll have some privacy and quiet.” She moved sideways, heading into the hall and beckoning him after. “It’s through here. Do you want anything to eat?”

“I think I’m too tired to eat. I’d like to take a shower,” Alex responded, stretching his shoulders and rubbing his eyes. He was done in.

Dallas nodded, pushing open the door to her office and letting Alex precede her in. “Across the hall …”

He stepped into the room, and turned around once to survey it. Alex faced her again and shook his head wryly at her. “Sorry. No change of clothes. No toothbrush. I bet I look funky and smell worse,” he murmured.

She grinned at him. “Don’t apologize. I’ll look around and see if I can find anything my brother might have left here.” She turned away.

“Dallas?”

She hesitated at the sudden gentle urgency in his voice. “Yes?”

Alex slowly approached and stood right in front of her. She stared up into his face, and all the things she’d ever known about him—or him about her—seemed to spring up between them. There was a peculiar familiarity, yet her stomach warned her that something was very different. Alex wrapped his arms around her lightly, and she responded naturally. She squeezed her eyes closed to vanquish an image.

Valerie …

It was a slight embrace, however, and when Alex released her again, Dallas sighed.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

She averted her gaze. She felt not so much shy as careful.

“You … you’re welcome. I’ll hang up your coat. If you need anything, let me know. If you want to call anyone …”

Valerie …

He wearily swept his hand over his head. “The hospital. I want to know how Ross is doing.”

She pointed to the phone. “Go ahead.”

Dallas pulled the door partially closed as she left the room and retraced her steps back to the hall closet, where she hung up their coats. Then she had to stop for a moment to catch her breath. Guilt made her feel warm and flushed. Her invitation to Alex now began to seem foolish … and hypocritical in light of her discussion with Valerie. She had offered Alex her hospitality in a truly spontaneous moment, but Dallas knew that the gesture could lead to more.

What had she been thinking? What was going on? And what was it she felt that made her so nervous and confused around Alex suddenly?

Dallas put on fresh coffee and searched for something she might prepare to eat. It was after ten o’clock. She couldn’t help but notice that having Alex in her apartment felt very different from any other visitor. She’d only entertained one other man since her divorce, and Burke’s presence had never been a comfortable one.

Dallas heard movement down the hall. She leaned out of the kitchen entrance. “Let me know if you need anything,” she called out.

Alex appeared briefly in the bathroom doorway. He’d already stripped to the waist, had removed his shoes and socks. The shower water hissed in the background, and steam began to waft around him. He leaned against the door frame, one hand casually in the front pocket of his black jeans. The motion forced the waistband down to expose his navel. Dallas remembered suddenly when she was sixteen and she had boldly sought Alex out at his apartment. She had a vivid flashback of what had happened that night between them.

“I … I can make something to eat …”

He shook his head. “Not for me. Is that coffee I smell?” She nodded. “That’s good …”

But then they stood staring at one another down the length of the hall. Finally, Alex pushed upright, entered the bathroom, and closed the door.

When the phone rang, it made Dallas jump. She hurried into the living room to answer. Under the circumstances, the first person that came to mind was Eleanor calling about her father.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I figured you’d be home about now.”

Dallas sat on the arm of her sofa. “Hi, Dean. I just got in.”

“I tried calling you at the office. I need to talk to you, Dallas.”

She frowned, apprehension rising quickly. “Is it Daddy?”

“No, no. It’s about Alikah. Mom is seriously getting on my nerves.”

“Well, what do you want me to do? She won’t listen to me either right now. We’re in the same doghouse … or at least adjoining rooms.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I just need some advice.”

“There’s nothing I can tell you that you can’t tell Eleanor yourself. Don’t judge a book by its cover … stuff like that.”

“Mom is a proud black woman, but she doesn’t understand that Alikah is, too. It has nothing to do with her hair, her clothes, or anything.”

“See, you know what to say. Stick to what you believe, and be prepared for the fallout.”

He sighed. “Man, I’ve been feeling the fallout ever since I tried to introduce them.”

“I ask you again. What do you think I can do?”

“I don’t know, but I thought maybe … can I come over? I’ll only stay a few minutes.”

Dallas heard the bathroom door open again. She looked toward the hallway, expecting Alex to appear. But of course he didn’t. Not without clothes. “I … I can’t tonight.” There was a momentary silence.

“Got company?”

“Yes,” she admitted smoothly.

“You and Burke made up?”

“It’s not Burke,” Dallas had to clarify, if for no other reason than she didn’t want her brother to think she wasn’t on to Burke and how he’d treated her.

“Yeah? Who?”

“Dean …”

“Okay, okay, it’s none of my business.”

“So, what are you going to do?”