Page 109 of Crow
When Silvia left the room, Joey cleared his throat a bit too loudly. Angie looked over at him.
“What’s going on tonight?” he asked.
“I’m going to my aunt and uncle’s for dinner. Why?”
“Why would Silvia what to know about that? Is that biker going to be there?”
“No, Crow’s not coming for dinner.”
“Are you really datinghim?”
She pushed aside the file she was working on and fixed her gaze on Joey.
“We’re friends. He’s a nice guy.”
“It sounded like it was more than friends when you and Silvia were talking. You guys were pretty damn loud. I would never tell Damon this, but itwasannoying.”
“Sorry about that.” She opened the bottom desk drawer and pulled out her purse.
“I have to check out the Lucky Mart on Tejon and Thirty-eighth Street. I got a tip that one of the residents at Garden Terrace is working there.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“I know.” Angie gathered several files and stuffed them into her briefcase. “See you tomorrow.”
Her heels clacked on the shiny linoleum floor as she hurried toward the door.
“Be careful with that biker. None of those guys respect women. I’m just trying to help you.”
Stopping, she looked over her shoulder. “I didn’t ask for any help. I know what I’m doing.”
Shoulders back, head held high, Angie exuded confidence that she didn’t entirely feel. A hint of insecurity niggled at her, wondering if she was enough woman for Crow. Assuming Silvia was right about the club women at the members’ beck and call, all he had to do was snap his fingers and pick whichever woman orwomenhe desired. Aunt Rosa’s warnings about bad boys rang loudly in her ears. When she started dating in high school, her aunt and her dad made it crystal clear to stay away from the troublemakers because, in the end, they would break her heart.
So I stayed away from them, and Devon, a “good” one, destroyed my heart.Maybe Aunt Rosa and her father were wrong, and some bad boys were decent. Perhaps Crow was one of them. The night before, he was respectful, supportive, and caring.But what if that’s his game, and once he gets what he wants, he flakes?A dull pain throbbed at the back of Angie’s head and neck. Since the fiasco with Devon, she hadn’t met a man who interested her until now. She wanted to keep seeing Crow, but she’d be extra careful to rein in her feelings. Angie could see herself falling hard for him, and if he ever betrayed her, there was no doubt her heart would shatter into a million pieces, never to be put together again.
Angie slid into the car and switched on the ignition. She had a few errands to run before going over to her aunt’s house. She prayed her brothers would behave and not ask why they haven’t seen much of her in the past couple of weeks. No way would Angie share anything with them, especially about Crow or the person who’d tried to break into her house. A chill rushed through her at the thought of what might’ve happened had Crow not been there. Concern for her safety had him risking harm by running out into the night to find the guy.He wouldn’t have done that if he was playing with me. Or would he? Stop it. Enough!
Angie turned right on Lipan Street, which bordered the seedy part of town, and spotted the tailor shop Regina had recommended. Unable to find parking directly in the front, she pulled alongside the curb a few storefronts away. Turning off the ignition, she glanced around. A few patrons stumbled out of McCoy’s, a twenty-four-hour greasy spoon dominated by two liquor stores and a sketchy-looking bookstore. A couple of homeless men shuffled along the sidewalk with grocery carts piled with dingy blankets, bulging black plastic bags, and a variety of items she couldn’t make out.
For a split second, Angie considered turning around and heading back to the dry cleaner she used for basic alterations, but the expensive dress draped over the passenger seat changed her mind. Two months before, while spending a long weekend in Denver visiting her dad and younger brother, she’d gone to the mall with her two best friends and fell in love with the perfect dress at Neiman Marcus. It had cost her almost half her monthly salary, but it was ideal for the benefit gala at the Strafford Hotel next month.
Angie scooped up the beaded gown, got out of the car, and hurried inside the tailor shop.
By the time the fitting was over, the sky had turned a dusky purple. The lights from the small run-down stores spilled out onto the sidewalks. A young homeless man with long, stringy brown hair, a lengthy matted beard, and wearing a far-too-large overcoat lumbered toward her as she walked to the car.
“Can you spare some change?” he asked, holding out his hand.
“Let me see.” Angie dug for her wallet and took out a five. “Here,” she said, handing the bill to the guy.
The pungent odor of urine assaulted her nostrils as the man took a step closer to her. He grunted, pocketed the money, and hobbled down the pavement. The tailor shop and a few other stores nearby turned off their lights, darkening the area except for the amber streetlight.
She tightened the grip on her purse and started to walk toward her SUV. The drone of a sputtering car engine caught her attention. Angie backed away from the glow of the angled light and into the shadow of a store’s doorway. A beat-up Chevy slowly drove by with the driver turning his head from side to side as if searching for something … orsomeone. Instinctively, she inched farther back into the darkness. Then the car pulled up next to the curb, barely missing the fender of a parked truck.
A shudder of fear crept up her back when she noticed the driver wore a hoodie pulled down low, obscuring his face.It’s him.She froze.Did he follow me?The purple sky was quickly turning black as more stars twinkled above.What’s he doing? Does he see me?
The driver kept pivoting his head from left to right until a homeless man passed by, then he followed him exclusively.
I bet he’s the killer. I have to call the police.She reached in her purse for the cell but didn’t take it out. The glow from the screen would tip him off.I have to do something.
