Masters at Arms (4 page)

“Kneel down. I need to clean you up.”

He waved her hand away, dismissing her. “I
said, I’m fine.” His tone hurt her feelings. She was only trying to
help. After all, his injuries were all her fault.

She remembered the tone of voice her Mom used
to get Ian to obey her when he’d been stubborn, even when he had
grown much taller than Mom. Karla pulled herself to her full
five-foot-six-inch height and straightened her shoulders. “I. Said.
Kneel. Down.”

That got his attention.
He grinned at
her in a funny way. Then he knelt.

Oh. My. God. It worked! He obeyed her!

* * *

Adam’s mind flashed back to the one and only
time Joni thought she’d play the dominant with him. She was so
damned cute in her over-the-knee stiletto boots, wielding a riding
crop and wearing a black bustier that pushed her beautiful breasts
up to the point of nearly spilling out. Well, he’d let her keep
wearing the bustier and boots for a while, but wound up using the
crop on
her
.

Ah, Joni. I miss you, my precious subbie. How
can I go on—?

“What happened to those guys?”

Adam blinked and saw the pink-haired runaway
glancing toward the door with worry, as she pressed the cold paper
towels against his lip. He drew a deep breath, beginning to feel
the pain radiating through his shoulder. “The police have them all
in custody. They won’t be bothering anyone for a while.”

“Where else did they hurt you?”

“One landed a lucky punch to my shoulder.”
Pulling the paper away from his lip, he saw it covered with his
blood. He could have let those thugs put an end to his misery
tonight. Instead, he’d learned he still had the will to fight for
what was right. Karla had needed him. He’d answered the call.

She threw the bloody paper in the trash.

“I’m fine.” Rising to his feet, he felt aches
in places he didn’t know he had.
Definitely getting too old for
this shit
. He wet a towel and handed it to her. “You might want
to wipe the mascara off your cheeks. I don’t want your parents
thinking the worst about what adventures you’ve had tonight.”

“How did you know I wanted to go home?”

Good girl
.

“Lucky guess.”

Apparently, she’d had enough of the exciting
runaway life. If she hadn’t come to her senses, though, he’d
already planned to take her home anyway, kicking and screaming if
he had to.

After she’d cleaned her face, he picked up
her backpack and slung it over his shoulder with a grunt.
Shit.
Was there any place on his body that didn’t hurt?
He’d have a
bruise on his shoulder blade tomorrow, too. Even his legs and foot
ached from his impact punches.

Bring it on
. He focused on this new
pain. Funny, but the physical pain helped the emotional pain to
recede a bit, even if it was only a temporary reprieve.

Adam walked up to the ticket counter and
waited as Karla got a refund for the ticket she wouldn’t be
needing—not for a few years at least. The dispatcher announced his
bus departure in five minutes. Oh, well. He’d just have to catch
the next one tomorrow. He asked when that would be.

“Nine-fifteen.”

“Good. Just a few hours behind schedule.”

“No, sir. P.M.”

Fuck. He hoped he could make it back to
Pendleton on time.

But no fucking way was he letting Karla
wander the streets alone tonight to get back home. With that wild
pink hair, she was nothing but a trouble magnet.

* * *

Karla didn’t know what to say to him, so they
rode in silence most of the cab ride home. He had to spend another
day in the bus station waiting for his bus, all because of her. Was
he mad at her? He just stared out the window, looking at the lights
of downtown as the cab made its way to her Lincoln Park
neighborhood.

Jeez, she’d sure messed things up tonight.
Who was stupid enough to run away the night before Thanksgiving?
Only you, Kitty
. She could hear her friends now when she
told them about her night.

But Adam had gotten hurt and now she had to
face her parents. They weren’t going to be very happy with her.

“Why the long face?” He must have gotten
tired of watching the scenery going by.

“I screwed up big time.” She couldn’t look at
him and remind him of how she’d messed up his plans.

“They might be mad at first, but they’ll be
glad to have you home safe.”

Karla felt him continuing to stare at her.
She chewed on her lower lip; then finally got the courage up to
look over at him. Over and up.
Jeez, he was tall, even sitting
down
. The street lights lit his face—off, then on, then off
again. She noticed the cut on his lip was still bleeding, but just
a trickle. She wished she’d brought more paper towels.

Adam had fought to protect her tonight. He
could have been killed. There were three of them and they’d had
weapons! Instead, he’d saved her from whatever that guy had wanted
to do with her. Probably rape her, or make her a hooker, or even
sell her to a sex-slave operation. She knew about these things. She
watched enough TV.

What she didn’t know was how she could ever
get Adam to forgive her. Well, she’d be home in a few minutes and
probably would never see him again. Still, she needed his
forgiveness.

“Adam…I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this.
And I’m really sorry you got hurt on account of me.”

He was quiet for a little while, his eyes
kinda sad again. She hated that she had made him sad this time.
Then one side of his mouth tilted up in half a smile. The side that
wasn’t cut. Her stomach clenched every time she looked at his
wound.

“I’d do it all over again to keep you safe.
Just promise me you won’t run away again. Next time, you might not
be so lucky.”

The cab stopped. She looked out the window
and saw they were in front of her house. The porch light was on and
Mom’s goofy wreath with all the harvest vegetables on it was
displayed on the door. A pumpkin sat on the post at the top of the
stairs. The big brick house and hokey decorations never looked so
good to her before.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She probably
looked like a raccoon again, but she didn’t care. On impulse, she
turned around and wrapped her arms around Adam, well as much of him
as she could reach around. He had the hardest, widest shoulders
she’d ever felt.

After a moment, he wrapped his arms around
her, too. His arms felt good around her. She felt safe. She
wondered what it would be like if he kissed her.

What the hell, Kitty?

He squeezed her really tight, making it hard
to breathe. Or was the lack of air the result of her heart beating
so fast? She decided to just let him hug her as tightly as he
wanted. Ian had hugged her that way, too, before he’d left home the
last time. Adam might not get to hug a girl again for a long, long
time. Why, she was being patriotic to let him hug her. Although she
had to admit that it felt really good to be in his arms.

He whispered, “Thank you,” and she smiled
through her tears. His whiskers scratched, tickling her ear.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Adam.”

He pulled away, and she wished they could
have kept hugging. “Same to you, Karla.”

He was kinda cute when he smiled that way,
without the sad eyes. “Oh, no! Where will you eat turkey
today?”

“No problem. I usually have ham on
Thanksgiving anyway…” Then his smile disappeared.
Double
damn
. She’d made him think sad thoughts again.

“It’s probably best if I stay inside the
taxi, in case your parents are watching. You have enough problems
without having to explain what you’re doing hanging out with an old
Marine.” He smiled. “But I’ll wait here until you get inside.” Then
he grew serious again. “Just promise me you won’t run away
again.”

She nodded. “I promise.”

Karla looked down at her backpack. Her throat
hurt too much to speak, but, as she opened the door, she turned
back and cleared it enough to whisper, “Promise me you’ll come home
safe.”

“I’ll do my best, honey.” He looked away and
repeated in a whisper. “I’ll do my best.”

Suddenly, Adam’s door whipped open and two
hands reached inside to grab Adam by the shirt.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing with
my sixteen-year-old daughter, you pervert!”

Karla leaned over to protect him, but Adam
pushed her out of harm’s way, as if worried she might be hit by
accident.

“Daddy, no! Don’t hurt him!”

What was she worried about Adam for? He could
have decked Daddy with one hand tied behind his back. Maybe two.
But Adam just let himself be pulled from the cab without putting up
a fight. Karla scrambled across the seat and exited behind him.
Adam stood with his hands at his sides. She moved to wedge herself
between him and her dad.

Her Mom came running around the front of the
cab and pulled he back. “Karla, get in the house!”

But Karla needed to get to Adam, if he
wouldn’t defend himself. She’d never seen Daddy so angry.

“Not now, Mom.” She brushed her mom’s hand
aside and went to where Daddy had Adam backed up against the trunk
of the cab. Oh, God, he had his fist raised, ready to slam into
Adam’s already injured face.

“Daddy, don’t!” Karla grabbed onto his arm
and he stopped to look down at her. “He didn’t do anything to me.
He rescued me. Twice!”

Daddy was breathing really hard. Definitely
not in as good a shape as Adam. And yet Adam hadn’t even put up his
arms in defense. Why not?

Daddy turned to Adam, “Maybe you’d better
explain yourself.”

Adam opened his mouth, but Karla knew he’d
downplay everything. He was way too modest. “Daddy, he fought off
three jerks who wanted to hurt me. He bought me dinner. He’s a good
man and if you hurt him, I’m going to run away again and I’ll never
come back!”

Adam looked down at her and she thought she
heard him growl. She tried to ignore him, but knew he wasn’t happy
with her threat, even though she knew she wasn’t going to run away
ever again.

“Okay. I’m not going to run away.” Both Adam
and her father relaxed a little bit. “But on account of me, he
missed his bus.”

Daddy let go of Adam’s now even more wrinkled
shirt and stepped back. “You
protected
my Karla?”

“I just did what anyone would do.”

“Don’t listen to him, Daddy. There were
three
of them! And they had weapons. Adam was unarmed.”

Adam glanced away and down at the ground.

“I don’t want him to spend Thanksgiving
sitting in the bus terminal until tomorrow night. Adam needs a
place to stay tonight.”

Oh, that got Adam to look at her again! But
he didn’t look very happy about it.

“Is that true? Do you need a place to
stay?”

“No, sir. I’m fine. I’ve slept in worse
places than a bus station.”

Karla’s mom wrapped her arm around Karla, but
her words were directed at Adam. “Nonsense. If our son was in your
situation, we’d hope someone would...” Mom’s voice always broke
when she talked about Ian now. “We’d be honored if you’d come
inside.”

“He can sleep in Ian’s room,” Karla
offered.

“No, I don’t want to impose.”

Daddy looked from her to Adam. “If what Karla
says is true, it’s the least we can do for you for bringing our
little girl home.” He reached out his hand to Adam. “I’m Carl
Paxton. Sorry about roughing you up.”

Adam looked down at Daddy’s hand for a few
seconds.

Go on. Shake it.

When Adam finally reached out, she knew he’d
be staying. She let out the breath she’d been holding.

“Adam Montague. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“He’s a master sergeant, Daddy. In the
Marines!”

She wasn’t sure what rank that was, but it
sure sounded important. When Adam looked at her like he didn’t need
her help, she just smiled. She didn’t have to say goodbye to Adam
yet.

* * *

Adam let go of Paxton’s hand. The man had a
firm grip and an honest face. Karla’s parents seemed like good
people. What the hell was she thinking, running away from a nice
safe home like this? If she were his daughter, he’d tan her
hide.

Her dad looked down at Adam’s mouth. “You’re
bleeding.”

“It’s nothing.” Adam licked at his wound. He
tasted the iron on his tongue.

“His shoulder’s injured, too, Mom.”

Karla’s mom let her go and came at him like a
mother hen. “I’m sorry. Let’s get you in out of this cold. Where’s
your coat?”

Ahem.

Adam turned to see the taxi driver. Shit.
He’d forgotten about him. He reached for his wallet, but Karla’s
dad put a hand on his arm. “Go with the girls. I’ll take care of
this. You’ve paid enough already.” The man pulled several bills
from his wallet.

Outmaneuvered, Adam suddenly felt too tired
to argue. Opening the back door to the taxi, he reached inside to
pull out his seabag, just as Karla leaned in the other side to get
her things. She looked across the back seat at him and smiled.

Damn. He could see how she wrapped her
parents around her little finger. Hell, he had to admit her smile
worked on him, as well. He probably wouldn’t have been able to tan
her hide, either, even when she did deserve it. Her enthusiasm and
innocence were sweet. He grinned back at her.

Before he had a moment to think, Karla and
her mother flanked him and ushered him up the sidewalk. He looked
up the steep stairs to the porch, noticing the pumpkin. Joni would
have decorated their porch the same way. Fuck. He hadn’t thought
about his wife much since he’d gotten caught up in Karla’s
troubles.

God, Joni, I’m so sorry.

Guilt twisted his gut. In an instant, a
deluge of two months of painful memories brought his mood back down
to where it ought to be. What the fuck was he doing bringing his
foul mood into this family’s home on Thanksgiving Day? Just what
the hell did he have to be thankful for? He turned around to stop
the taxi, just as it pulled away from the curb.