Page 46 of Triple Threat

“What happened to your face?” she gasped. Her eyes flicked from my blackened eye, to my busted lip. I could see concern darken her features.

“I told Lach that I didn’t care for the way he treated you, but I think you probably guessed that.” I gave her a shadow of a smile.

“You got in a fight with him, over me?” Her voice was thick with disbelief.

“Aye, I’m not proud of it. I let my temper get the best of me,” I said.

“It’s been a long time since anyone’s really stood up for me,” she whispered softly and I could drown in her eyes.

“That’s terrible that no one has stood up for you,” I said, close to stammering.

“I think the last person who really did was Kyle. He was always getting into fights; I mean all the time... At school, at home… He even punched Dean in the face over me, once.” I recognized the name from her background check, Dean Daughton, her last foster father.

“You deserved better than all of that,” I said.

“You’re too sweet.”

She gave me the first real smile I had seen on her face, and I could feel my cheeks redden. She pulled herself up and kissed me. Her lips were so soft, softer than I had expected, and for a moment, I could only close my eyes and linger in that moment. And all too soon it was over and she was leaning back. It felt like my face was tingling where her lips had been.

“I was thinking about where Lach said he found you, over by the highway,” I said. “He said you didn’t have anything on you, but maybe you were staying around there somewhere, maybe had a place or something,” I said, looking up to meet her gaze.

“I had a stash, not much in it, but it is everything in the world that I own.”

“I’ve been thinking about going; help you find it,” I said. “Or really, finding whatever you had.”

“That would be hard. You couldn’t find it, even if I told you where it was. Mostly because if any of those old warehouses have names or numbers, I don’t know any of them. And, I don’t think that satin slips and a negligee are suitable for visiting the warehouse district.”

“I have regular clothing you could wear,” I said. “I’m not sure on the fit of the shoes, but the rest should be fine.”

“But you can’t let me out, because he says so.” Her lips drew thin.

“I would give you normal clothes, drive you out to the warehouses, and help you get your things back.” I felt my will stiffen. “If you wanted to leave after that, I wouldn’t stop you. You’d be free to do as you wish.”

“Won’t he be mad if you let me go? I remember how Kyle used to be, and I can still see that side of him.” She sounded concerned.

We talked a bit more, nothing of importance or note, because we’d already made our decisions. In the morning, I was going to take her back to where he found her and release her. She would look at me with those doe eyes, and then would go bounding back into the sprawl of Indigo City like some wild deer.

“Come with me,” I said when the brownies were finally out of the oven, gesturing for her for her to follow me, which she did. When we arrived, I opened the door to my bedroom, and let her step in first. After I shut the door, I disabled the camera feed from my phone. There was a certain irony that even I could appreciate, having set up the security system with backdoors and loopholes that only I could exploit. If for some reason that drunk asshole ended up back in the Bat Cave, he’d be left sitting watching a closed loop of a recording.Thank you, Speed, and thank you, Keanu Reeves.

She walked slowly around the room looking at the wall and the pictures hanging there. “This was you, before?”

“It was, Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.” I gestured to the nearest picture. “I was going to be career military, planned on serving until retirement or death, and then, lost a leg. They don’t like handing out desk jobs when the crown is looking at drawing down forces. One honorable discharge and rehab stay in California.” I pointed at a picture; one I had no recollection of – myself being rolled into surgery. “A few months later, I was looking for a new job with my new nationality, and there Lach was.”

“He shows up, just like that?” she asked.

“Yeah, he did,” I said. “But this is what I have for you.” I went into my closet and returned to her, handing her a small leather bag. She opened it and pulled out the Converse shoes first.

“Are these new?”

“Like I am going to buy used shoes?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Nicest shoes I’ve probably ever owned, if I can keep them.”

“Of course, you can.” She looked pleased.

“The rest is more modest fair, off-the-shelf denim, that sort of thing,” I said. I was painfully aware of every inch of her, here in my room. “Tomorrow we can see about checking things out and see if your things are still where you left them.”

“I’ll need to check my schedule,” she said.

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