the ignition. Nothing. Not a single sound. Not a click or a cough. “Damn!”
Forty minutes past midnight, and here she sat in the back parking lot of Blues and Booze with a car that wouldn’t start. She supposed she’d pushed her luck, what with the sluggish way it had turned over the last few days. Frustrated, she slapped one hand against the steering wheel. No hope now. The thing was completely dead. She glanced at the moon, nearly full. She supposed she could walk home. Everyone kept telling her how safe Paradise was after dark. It was only three blocks back to Lycian Street, anyway.
She climbed out again, made sure the windows were rolled up and locked her doors. Thunder had rumbled over Paradise for most of the night, and the last thing she needed was her leather interior ruined by rain. Glancing at her watch, she started across the parking lot.
She’d taken only a few steps when she saw him in the shadows, a man with his hands stuffed in his pockets, watching her. Ash froze. Her stomach clenched with panic, and a thin layer of perspiration broke out on her upper lip. Paradise safe after dark? Yeah, right. Her first night walking home, and she was about to be mugged. Close to eighty dollars in singles bulged in her right front pocket, gas and grocery money for the following week. If this guy stole it, she’d have six dollars to her name. Ash took a step back. She’d taken a self-defense course back in college; what had the instructor always said?
Do not act or look like an easy target…be confident.
She lifted her chin, eyes darting from side to side.
Do not let yourself get blocked in…always have an escape route.
Ash considered her choices. She could cross the lot and follow Main Street down to the square, cutting behind the church and winding home the back way. She could make her way to Palmetto, the street running behind her, and head for the train station. Sometimes a cab idled there as it waited for late arrivals. Or she could get back in her car, lock all the doors, and call the police from her cell phone.
Forget that last one. She didn’t need to attract any attention from local authorities. They’d take one look at her driver’s license and identify her as Senator Kirk’s daughter right away. By the following morning, everyone in town would know who she was. And the jokes would start all over again.
As she stood in the shadowy lot, heart pummeling against her breastbone, the man began to move toward her. Thick arms hung from a solid frame, and he walked with purpose. Oh, God. Forget about the money. What if he grabbed her? What if he tried to rape her?
She wrapped her right hand around her car keys, working the sharp edges so that they pointed straight at him. Maybe she could stab him between the eyes. Maybe she could kick him in the groin and then stab him between the eyes. Maybe she could—
“Ash? What are you doing back here?”
Her heart leapt at his words, an instant before it puddled around her ankles. “Eddie! You scared the hell out of me.” She’d never been so happy to see anyone in her life. Suddenly boneless, her hand flapped against her leg. Her keys slipped through shaking fingers and fell to the ground.
He bent down and scooped them up. “It’s way past twelve.”
“I know.” She waved in the direction of her lifeless car. “It wouldn’t start.”
He frowned. “You should have told me.”
The concern in his voice washed over her, smooth and warm. The tightness that had rolled around in her stomach the last few days vanished.
“I didn’t want to bother you.” She paused. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
Eddie dropped his chin, suddenly fascinated with his shoelaces. He put a hand on the back of his neck, opened his mouth, and then closed it again without saying anything. When he answered after a long minute, his voice was gruff. “Knew you weren’t home. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Ash bit her bottom lip as her cheeks flamed. He’d been sitting up? Waiting for her? Worrying about her? She smiled. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just tired.”
“So let’s go.” Dropping one arm across her shoulders, he pulled her close, squeezing for a moment before backing away again. “I’ll come down, take a look at your car tomorrow morning.”
“Really? Thanks.”
They headed across the lot to where it opened onto Main