Brown Eyed Girl (46 page)

“
Forgot to pick it up...different purse.” She moaned and grabbed her head again. “Home...need to get home.”

“
Okay, okay, Annie. I’ll get you home.” When she tried to walk, she stumbled, so Drake gently scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his Denali truck.

“
Purse?” she asked, barely able to form the word.

“
I have it. I found it on the ground just outside the door. That must have been where he got to you. I should have taken his I.D. from his wallet. I need to go back and get it, Annie.”

“
No...please...home.”

“
Okay—shhh—okay, I’m bringing you home. You live in Kenton, right? What’s your address?”

“
One twenty-two, White Oak Drive,” she mumbled.

Once he got her buckled in he started the truck and spoke the address into his On Star navigation system. It began to give him directions to Annie’s house as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Red.

“
Don’t tell Red, please.”

Drake looked over at her. Her head was turned in his direction, but her eyes were closed. He caught his breath when he saw a single tear run down her cheek. “Why not, Annie?”

“
Don’t want anyone to know. Won’t let me be after this.”

“
I need him to go see if that son of a bitch is still out there. He needs to be thrown in jail for what he tried to do.”

“
Please...don’t talk...please.”

Another tear trailed down her cheek and he didn’t have the heart to deny her. He closed his phone and kept driving in silence. He had to stop once because she was sick and didn’t want to throw up in his truck. When they arrived at the destination thirty minutes later, Annie had fallen into a fitful sleep, sometimes moaning in pain as she grabbed her head.

“
Annie, is this your place?” Drake asked, gently rousing her. She opened her eyes, looked around and nodded. Drake got her keys out of her purse and found the one marked ‘house-front door’. He stepped down from the truck then scooped her up into his arms. “Do you have a roommate?” he asked.

“
Martin and Lewis...pets,” she answered.

“
Martin and Lewis?” He stopped in front of her door. “Is either of those a bull mastiff, or pit bull, or something?”

“
Harmless,” she murmured.

He nodded and unlocked her front door. She’d left the under cabinet lighting on in her kitchen, so there was enough dim light for him to see without turning on anything extra. He knew her eyes would be sensitive to light.

Drake jumped as a shrill voice yelled, “Hey lady! I’m home!” He turned to see a large grey bird in a huge cage.

“
Aaannie...Aaannie...is that you? Hey la-dy!”

“Let me guess, that’s Lewis, right?” he commented. “Where’s Martin?”

“Probably in bed,” she murmured. “I can walk.”

“Hell no, where’s your bedroom?” She pointed and he started down the hallway. There was a nightlight on and Drake placed her gently on the side of the bed. “Where’s your medicine, Annie? I’ll get it for you.”

“Bathroom,” she said pointing to a door. “Medicine cabinet...injection.”

Drake walked through a door into a small, but immaculately clean bathroom. He strode to the medicine cabinet and opened it, scanning the contents. He picked up a case with a prescription tag on it, saw that it was for severe migraines and brought it quickly to her.

Drake watched as she opened the case and loaded a cartridge into the injector. Her hands shook as she tried to tear open a packet containing an alcohol pad. Drake took it from her, tore it open easily then asked where she wanted the injection. She pointed to her upper left arm and Drake swabbed it with the alcohol pad. “Do you want me to do that?” he asked. She looked up at him with eyes that didn’t seem to focus and Drake picked up the case and read the instructions quickly. “It says here I have to hold it against the skin for at least five seconds, right?” She nodded, and he took her small, but muscular arm in his large hand, and gave her the injection.

“Okay, lay down.” He pulled the sheets back on her bed, helped her get situated then covered her up. She looked miserable with her eyes closed, and hands clutched to both sides of her head. Drake leaned over to check on her. “Are you still nauseous?” When she nodded, he brought the empty trash can from the bathroom and set it on the floor directly in front of her. He leaned over, about to ask if she needed anything else, when something large and heavy jumped on his back. “What the...Ho..o..ly shit!” Drake jerked up and turned in one quick movement so that the ‘thing’ fell onto the floor with a heavy thump. “A cat? You have an attack cat? Son of a bitch!”

“
Martin,” she murmured.

Drake stared at the huge yellow cat, its amber eyes glowing in the near darkness of the room. The cat stared back at him, emitting a strange growl from its throat.

“
De-clawed...harmless,” Annie whispered.

“
Hmph...he might be de-clawed, but I’d be willing to bet he isn’t de-toothed, and that makes him far from harmless. That’s the biggest friggin domestic cat I’ve ever seen in my life. That thing could get you sued, Annie.”

“
Never happened before...must not like you.”

“
Well, hell—what’d I do to him?” Drake asked, as he backed slowly toward the door, away from the growling cat.

“
He’s old—protective.”

“
And territorial as hell, obviously.” He leaned against the door jamb, relaxing a little once the cat jumped up on the bed with Annie. Drake watched, in amazement, as the huge animal walked softly to her and stretched out a paw to touch her gently on the head, almost as if checking her for a temperature. He nuzzled her hair then settled right up against her shoulders and head, and immediately began to purr loudly.

“
Annie,” he said, unsure of what he was seeing.

“
Shhh…he knows it helps me,” she whispered.

Drake stood for several minutes watching the scene before him, listening, as Annie’s breathing evened out and she fell into a deep, hopefully painless sleep. The cat’s purring lowered in volume as well, and Drake pulled the door closed except for a small crack.

He walked into the living room then reached over to turn on a lamp, perusing the tidy room and its contents. One word…cozy…came to mind. Although the well worn leather sofa and loveseat were both beginning to show their age, they were high quality, the end tables, solid wood and holding weighty brass lamps with bell-shaped shades. The walls and trim work of the room had been painted in shades that brought to mind scenes of Tuscany—in deep gold, muted green, and terra cotta. A built in bookcase was lined with leather bound books, all well-worn and looking as if they’d been handled repeatedly over the years. He surveyed the room, checked out the various family portraits and framed pictures of Annie as an adorable child, posing for the camera with big cheesy grins.

Drake made his way into the kitchen and saw what seemed to be professional cookware hanging on a rack above the flat surfaced island range. Large glass canisters containing sugar, flour, and pasta lined the counter top, while smaller ones contained coffee and various types of teabags. The kitchen looked as homey and cozy as the living room. More importantly, it looked as if it was used on a regular basis, unlike his. He lifted his nose, trying to identify a delicious smell that wafted to his nose. After making a round, he found the source of it, a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies, covered in plastic wrap. He lifted the edge and took one, rolling his eyes in pleasure as he bit into the crunchy goodness of the cookie.
God, I hope she baked these.

Drake walked back into the living room and sat on the large comfortable sofa. He popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth and leaned forward to browse through a stack of magazines on the coffee table…Good Housekeeping, a fitness magazine, one about tropical birds, and a professional magazine for physical therapists. He thumbed through the latter one, trying to glean a little information about her career. After several minutes of reading, his eyes grew heavy and he stretched out on the sofa. She’d probably wake up soon, feeling better, and he just wanted to make sure she was alright before he left to go back to the club. He checked his watch, not even ten o’clock yet. Still plenty of time to get back to Red’s before midnight…

<><><>

In his sub-consciousness, he became aware of another presence—and sounds, foreign to him—a light fluttering, and tapping against metal. He breathed deeply, inhaling the aroma of something sinfully luscious and tantalizing. The hint of brewed coffee, rich and robust, tickled and teased his senses, daring him to wake and open his eyes. He didn’t remember setting the timer on his coffee maker, but he must have. Trying to rouse himself from the half asleep, half awake state he was lingering in, Drake heard a low snap at his mid-section, and before he could open his eyes to investigate, something solid and heavy landed on his chest.

“
Hu…humph!”
The breath left him in a rush as he jerked upright, cursing, and swatting the muscular pile of fluff from his body until it hit the floor with a
thump
. Only then did he hear the distinctive feline hiss, nearly covered up by a feminine giggle. Drake’s eyes flew open, staring into the highly amused face of Annie McAllister.

“
That damned cat of yours is a menace, Annie.” He dropped back onto the sofa, trying to regain his composure, and slow the pounding of his heart. He blew out noisily, puffing his cheeks. “What time is it?”

“
Four a.m.”

He jerked his upper body up off of the sofa again. “What? Oh hell, no. Your family must be worried sick about you.”

Annie waved a hand. “I already called Red. He’d left a message on my phone asking where
we
were. Apparently, the fact that we disappeared at the same time was food for gossip and speculation all night long. I had to explain to him about the migraine. I hope he believed me.”

Drake cocked an eyebrow. “Do you normally give your brother reason to doubt you?”

“
Only when you’re around, it seems,” she snapped.

He gave her a wink. “There’s a reason for that.”

“
Not a good enough reason to give up everything I’ve worked for.”

He unfolded his long body to stand next to her. “Yeah, yeah…I know. Your freedom, to do what you want, with whomever you want, at any time it’s convenient for
you
.”

“
You don’t have to make fun of it, Drake. My independence means a lot to me.”

Drake pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve heard it, Annie. You are woman, hear you roar,” he drawled, grinning out of one side of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

“
About as funny as you making your cat scare the crap out of me a few minutes ago.”

“
Martin has a mind of his own,” she replied.

“
Bullshit! You
made
that mangy animal jump on me.”

Annie bent down to pick up the cat and brought its face up to hers. “Martin is not mangy, are you fat boy? You’re a handsome devil, aren’t you? Yes, you are.”

Drake watched, in disbelief, as the cat reached his paws up to touch both sides of her face softly, then rubbed his head affectionately under her chin. Whatever else he was, he was clearly fond of his mistress. “Honestly, that’s the biggest cat I’ve ever seen. What do you feed him, small children?”

She grinned up at Drake before leaning over to place Martin gently on the floor. “Nope...I used to feed him attorneys, but there wasn’t enough nutritional value. Turns out they’re all just a bunch of hot air. Now I just feed him the cat food his vet recommends.”

Drake shook his head and laughed. “I take it you’re feeling better?”

“
Yes, I am. Want some coffee, or is it too early for you?” she said, heading for the kitchen.

Drake watched her retreat, marveling again at her perfectly proportioned body, clad in a long sleeved, fitted tee-shirt she’d tucked in to her belted jeans. Her light auburn hair was pulled back in a damp ponytail. “Coffee would be good, thanks. I’m always up at this time, anyway. Did you shower already?”

Annie pulled two cups from the cabinet. “Yeah,” she murmured.