Leoti (3 page)

Chapter Two

Elu poured a fresh cup of coffee. He ground his own beans for a richer, more potent swill. It helped his day begin. A day that started with a morning walk on his land to watch the sun rise, then a trip back into town. Nate relied on him to open the store for the traveling tourists until he could wander off his horse farm and tend to business himself. The old man was getting slower so Elu didn’t mind. Nate was family to him.

Putting down the mug he heard Po barking at the door.

“Yes, yes, I know boy.”

The dog paced and wagged his tail. Elu plucked his jacket from the chair and slipped it on. Mornings near the forest and lake were always chilly no matter what the season. He picked up his rifle near the door then threw the door open. Po pushed past him and once down the front porch steps he threw his hind leg up and let go.

Elu chuckled walking out to join him. He watched Po rush off in a sprint across the lawn, stretching his legs, connecting with the wolf spirit that dwelled deep within him. He whistled for Po to return. There were bears in these parts, which always concerned him.

He was an outdoorsy mountain man and he loved his life. A woman was all he needed, and they rarely came a calling around here. His young bride had died several years ago and he always regretted that they’d never had kids. Looking back at the log cabin he built with his own hands he smiled. He’d built it for her.

“Po! Give a man a chance to catch up.” He hurried his stride and disappeared into the forest after him.

Josie plucked at her locks to extend them into a stylish fro. At night she twisted her hair so it unwound with natural curls in the day. Tiffani, her sister, turned her on to the natural look. It fit with her busy lifestyle.

Staring at herself in the mirror she sighed. “Okay, a little exploring, maybe some shopping, then I’m packing it in and sitting down at that typewriter. I don’t care what anyone says, I can do this.” She waited for her reflection to speak back. Tell her how pathetic she was by hiding behind her mother’s objections to justify her fear against writing for pleasure instead of academia. Alas her inner self had no words. Josie had heard them all before.

She padded out of the bathroom to the nightstand where a folded picturesque pamphlet lay. She’d swiped it from the general store. Unfolding the pages she read that a café in town opened at five AM and a few boutiques opened at six. They rose early and closed earlier. That suited her just fine.

Josie located her purse and sunglasses, which she put in her hair. Outside the sun had risen and the air smelled of dew covered grass and fallen pine cones. It was a crisp clean smell. Josie, out of habit, went to the trunk of her car and threw her purse inside. Growing up in the city she always preferred to ride with her purse in the trunk instead of on the seat next to her. She slammed the trunk down and returned to the car and started it. It was cooler than she imagined late April should be. She turned on the heat and eased in Carlton’s latest CD. Her boyfriend was the lead singer in an alternative rock band. Even the hardest of critics had crowned Notorious Noise musical geniuses equal to Kurt Cobain. Josie couldn’t stop bragging to friends about it. She was so proud of him. His legions of fans, from women to men, spanned all races. And her Carlton was a chocolate dream of a man. Tall, beautiful skin and smile, she was surprised when she found him knocking on her door for the surprise date set up by her publicist. And they’ve been lovers and best friends ever sense.

She smiled as his voice crooned through the speaker system. The boy had pipes, and Razorback on the guitar was doing the damn thing. It wasn’t until she was out of the driveway did she consider that she forgot her phone in her purse. A pleasant deal, it removed the temptation to call Carlton. Though she was becoming increasingly aware that he hadn’t bothered to call her anymore. He wasn’t the type of man to grovel. If she told him she wanted more and he said he wasn’t ready then he meant it. God forbid if she’d had the courage to end the relationship she’d better be prepared to accept it was truly over.

Josie sighed.

Her car headed north on the winding road. The song ended and another with a sexy guitar solo began to play. Josie bobbed her head to the tune. She smiled to herself at the whole idea of a getaway in the mountains. Who was she fooling? She needed the hustle and bustle of young vibrant people to get her juices flowing. That’s what Carlton’s music reminded her of, excitement.

After driving for fifteen minutes Josie became concerned. The road was narrower, and the cliffs dropped off to steep ravines on her right. She searched for the sign to Mission Creek and saw nothing. “Did I pass it?”

She reached for the pamphlet. It had a map on the back of it. Somehow it escaped her fingers and floated to the floor. Unhooking her seatbelt she swerved slightly as she careened her fingers for it. Grabbing the edge between her middle and index finger she drew it up, corrected the wheel, and then fumbled with unfolding it. Josie squinted at the drawn lines. All the while she maneuvered the winding roads with her free hand. She discovered she had indeed missed a critical turn. A blast from a car horn caused her to gasp and look up.

Josie had drifted into the other lane and a large pickup truck was barreling down upon her. Terror gripped her as she turned the wheel too hard for the speed. The car lurched forward as the truck swerved to miss her. Josie screamed out when the car went into a spin. Frantically trying to turn the steering wheel away from the spiral, it skidded to the edge of the road and nosedived over. She was tossed about like a rag doll as she crashed into a steep embankment. The airbag deployed sending burning dust into her face and neck. The roll smashed the side of her face into the driver side window. Everything went dark.

Minutes earlier

Opening the bed of the truck, Po ran up behind him and jumped in. Smiling at his best friend’s eagerness he closed the door and walked to the front, whistling. Traveling from his home and into town was a twenty-five minute drive. On nights when he didn’t feel like venturing down from the mountain he would stay at one of the cabins he owned that was closer to town.

The drive in was usually a lonely one as not many cars ventured this far back. Mostly hikers turned off for the marked trails. So when Elu looked up to see a Mustang driving too fast and swerving across the lanes he was surprised. He pressed hard on his horn. A bad move. The person, inexperienced with those roads, went into a panic. Elu slammed on his brakes, and swerved to the right to avoid the spinning car, careful to not throw Po off the back of the truck. He feared what was to happen next. He watched helpless as the car gave way to a wild spin and pitched over the side of the road, rolling down the embankment.

Elu was out of his vehicle in minutes. Po leapt from the back of the truck. Together they raced to the edge of the road. The car lay on its side with the wheels spinning. It was running. He had to act fast. He didn’t know what condition the passenger was in. Heading down, sideways, he used the heel of his boots to guide him and prevent him from rolling. Reaching the car he climbed on top of it, being mindful of his weight, not wanting to flip it over and cause it to slide further. It had landed at the base of the lower cliff, and avoided close to a hundred foot drop. Inside he saw a woman, unconscious and pinned by her airbag. He tried the door and found it locked.

“Damn!” he grunted. Po barked over and over again. Something had his friend agitated, must have been the leaking fuel tank. Elu removed his jacket and tossed it aside. He then removed his shirt and wrapped it around his massive fist. Closing his eyes he punched the car window that was already half shattered. The pain in his hand intensified. He bit his lip hitting the glass again. This time it shattered and spilled all over the injured woman. Quickly he opened the door and reached in to pull her out. Her face was covered with blood. Elu feared she was dead. Careful not to injure her further and leery of tipping the car, he used one arm to hook around her waist and drag her out of the door. As soon as his weight shifted the car tipped and then flipped to its roof falling over the cliff and exploded on the rocks. Elu kept her bloody face close to his bare chest and closed his eyes against the rise of heat boiling up from the explosion.

And then it was over.

He checked for a pulse. She had one, and it was strong. Her head lolled over and he got a good look at her. She was familiar, beautiful. They didn’t get many like her in these parts. Elu glanced up the embankment. He could easily make the climb alone, but with his wounded bird it could be tricky. He unzipped her jacket and felt her ribs. Nothing appeared to be broken, so he carefully gathered his jacket and shirt and then put her over his shoulder. The woman hung loose as a rag doll. He located a less steep incline in the ravine, grabbed at a root sticking free through the dirt, and pulled himself up out of the ravine all the while balancing her. Elu had been in tougher spots when in Desert Storm. This he could manage. Po barked excitedly. As he carried her to his truck he felt the ground shake after yet another explosion blasted below the cliff. Behind him came a dark sulfuric cloud of fire and smoke.

Elu couldn’t believe how close a call it all was. He hurried to his truck and put her inside, careful of her injuries, wondering how severe they were. Po wailed, scratching and sniffing at his leg, trying to see if she was okay. “It’s okay Po, she’s one lucky lady.”

A hospital was over 2 hours away. He was the healer for his people and those that lived in Mission Creek. He would take care of her. Opening the truck for Po to leap inside, he closed it and got behind the wheel. He’d take her to his place. He kept looking over to her, realizing she was the lady he’d seen at Nate’s yesterday with the sweet shy smile and beautiful bright brown eyes. “What were you doing back here?”

Club Ninja, Chicago Illinois

“I’m here to see Carlton Woods, CW, the lead singer of Notorious,” Tiffani said to the doorman. “My name is Tiffani Eastman. He’s expecting me.”

The burly bouncer with a tattooed neck and a bone piercing through the bridge of his nose, narrowed eyes caked in black eyeliner on her. Tiffani met his gaze dead on. The crowds that frequented these concerts were some intimidating people, but she had learned that most of it was all an act. The Goth scene was pretty cool.

“He’s in back with the band.” The man handed her a pass, which she draped around her neck. She ventured through the dark club to the back doors and was cleared by two sets of security guards. Carlton had a dressing room to himself. She knocked twice and opened the door. He sat there with six girls, all in tight skirts and low cut blouses waiting to have him sign their breasts or inner thighs.

“Tiff! Give me a sec.” he smiled.

The women glared her way. Tiffani shook her head and waited.

One by one they left.

“So this is how you warm up before a show?”

Carlton chuckled. He reclined in his chair. He wore tight leather pants and a sheer silk black shirt that was open to reveal the hard lines of perfection along his torso.
Damn he was hot
. She had to look away to keep from staring. Josie was one lucky girl. Yet her sister constantly complained when she should just be grateful that the sexiest bachelor on the planet was in love with her.

“You sound like your sister. Those birds mean nothing to me. It’s all an act. Sit down. How are you girl?”

“I’m good. I heard you were doing two shows so you know I had to come through.” Tiffani dropped her purse. She sat on the sofa next to him. Maybe she should take the seat across from him instead. “Tour going good? You now doing local spots?”

“Got to stay grounded. You know?” Carlton winked. He grinned at her. “Yea, the band thinks we keep our fan base by playing these joints. But I miss my babe. She’s pissed with me.”

Tiffani slipped him a curious look. Carlton did seem a bit concerned. “Have you called her?”

“Nah. I’m going to let her cool off. Your mom told me she took a short vacation. We’ll work it out.” He reached for a bottle of water. Contrary to what the media said, the band members of Notorious Noise were alcohol and drug free. They were all in recovery over some vice or another. Josie said Carlton had a thing for weed in his younger days, but now kept it clean and stayed the course. It was like a brotherhood with them.

“What happened with you two?”

Carlton drank until the bottle of water deflated and was empty. He sighed. “She wants to get married. To make babies. For us to settle down with a house in the burbs, ain’t that some shit? Here we both are at the top of our game. Hell, she’s on every news station since she won that damn case and published that book, and I have six Grammys. But she wants to settle down. It’s bullshit.”

“Hey, my sister is old fashion. I don’t think it’s wrong for her to want to settle down.”

Carlton let go a peal of laughter. “You guys don’t really know her. Yeah, she’s all uptight and serious with that ACLU stuff, but she has a wild streak and can hold it down when she is with me. That’s why we fit. Because she can balance both our lives.”

“Well then why not marry her?”

“I’m not ready, Tiff. You can’t force stuff like that on a man. I love her. She’s my babe. But I’m not going to be dragged into marriage. To hell with that.”

Tiffani sighed. “I’ll talk to her.”

He cut her a side look. “You looking good. What you into lately?”