Page 82 of Family Affair
Grabbing a scorching-hot side rail, Coco fought not to throw up. When the feeling of sickness passed, she teetered, wobbling and swaying, to her car.
She barely had time to start the engine and adjust the AC to the maximum when the passenger door opened and a man got in the car with her. A big man.
A drawling voice said, "Please don’t scream, okay? I can’t stand loud noises."
The recognition kicked in and Coco closed her mouth.
“You want some water?” He extended a bottle to her.
She mutely shook her head and leaned as far back and away from him as possible without actually exiting the car. It would be a long time before she accepted another drink offer from Ross Sheffield.
As if reading her mind, he grinned and uncapped the bottle, taking a long drink himself.
Even with his hair mussed, Ross looked beautiful. Yes, beautiful, there was no other way to describe him. She kept her eyes trained on him out of the sense of self-preservation but a part of her admired him from a purely artistic point of view. The man was gifted with a truly regal bearing on top of perfectly symmetrical features and a sculpted bone structure. Faces like his looked good at twenty, or forty, or seventy - or any age in between.
Thick light brown hair and fine-grained skin almost seemed like an overkill, making him too perfect to be interesting. Coco could picture him in king's robes or in chain mail wielding a sword. He should have been a model or an actor. With his flawless physical appearance he would rake in millions in contracts. Something told her he'd enjoy the playacting, too.
"Didn’t mean to scare you." He inclined his head in remorse and his eyelids dipped, long lashes casting shadows and emphasizing his hollowed cheeks.
Coco’s eyes narrowed. Whether he intended to rattle her or not, he got a kick out of it. She just knew it.
"What are you doing in my car?"
"Checking on you, Coco. Nothing sinister."
Right. "I don’t need protection."
"Believe it or not, I wanted to say thank you for going to all the trouble on Cade’s account. You don’t owe him anything, I understand that.”
“That’s alright. I didn’t mind.” That is, until he started beating the living daylights out of everybody.
“Did Dan pressure you into coming? Did he put you in a position where you couldn't say no?”
Strange that he was asking this. “No, he didn’t. I had really spent the evening with Cade and… that’s what it was. I still find it hard to believe he needs an alibi. The entire situation is preposterous.”
"Drive," Ross said.
Immediately, her suspicions intensified. "Where to?"
"To wherever you were going. Don't worry about me, I'll find my way back." He gave her a dazzling smile that fell short of charming her.
She stalled. Should she find some onlookers, drive by where people came and went, just in case, so they can identify Ross if something happened to her?
I’m being ridiculous.
Resolutely, she shifted to drive and went home.
“I didn’t sign Cade’s affidavit,” she informed him after they left the parking lot and made it through a busy intersection.
“Why not?”
“There was a scene. Let’s just say that the meeting didn’t turn out the way I expected.”
“What happened?”
“First Cade pushed Dan. Then Dan hit Cade. And then Cade hit Dan and Detective Willis. And then Detective Willis called in police officers, and they beat Dan and Cade with their sticks. It was crazy and awful.” And her hands were still unsteady.
Ross gave her a stunned look before bursting into laughter.
