enclosed garage where he had parked his car. He told the assistants they could go. There were no more crowds, not in the garage, so they left.
Climbing into his vehicle, Hara said, “I don’t know why you are doing this, but thank you.”
He frowned at her. “Who wouldn’t help someone in trouble? What kind of asshole do you think I am?”
She didn’t answer.
CHAPTER 13
It rained hard.
—Pride and Prejudice
Two guards manually tugged open the electric garage doors. Rain sprayed the front of the car, making Hara jump. The guards moved back and waved them through. The driveway sloped down steeply onto one of the main roads in front of the arena.
“You’ve got your seat belt on?” Derek asked.
So thoughtful. I promise not to sue you if we get in an accident.
Hara peered through the night, only their headlights to guide them. They could see streetlights and buildings lit up one street over, but this street was dark. “Maybe it’s not as bad as they’ve…”
They reached street level and pulled out. A sheet of water sprayed up from under the tires. The front tires skidded for half a second, until the back wheels hit the flat road and grounded the vehicle.
“This should be interesting.”
Derek didn’t reply. He concentrated on the crowded road, blurred by the streaming rain and windshield wipers.
A gust of wind rocked the SUV, making both of them jump. There was no talking for the next few minutes, as Derek maneuvered through the traffic coming out of the coliseum, directed by traffic cops in fluorescent yellow at the dark intersections, water dripping heavily off the lips of their police hats.
Traffic thinned out quickly, once they got on the blocks closer to Naomi’s side of the harbor. Water sprayed up in sheets from their tires—something that was once fun to do with mud puddles was now terrifying. The floodwater looked only a couple of inches deep, but Hara knew from past experience, and plenty of hurricane footage, that looks could be deceiving.
As they finally reached Naomi’s building, Hara sucked in her breath.
The Chinese restaurant was closed, and from the outside looked fine, though it was hard to tell in the dark. It was the amount of water on the street in front of it that was so disturbing.
Water sloshed up against the bricks at the base of the structure, hiding the sidewalks; white foam splashed back from the tires of parked cars. Outside the tight circle of headlights, the pitch-black buildings loomed along a street that seemed to be moving. Hara started to open her door, eager to get her belongings and get far away from here.
“Wait.”
Seriously? Hara arched an eyebrow at him and opened the door anyway, slowly and with panache. Rain ran down inside the vehicle. And onto her pants.
He smirked. “Why do you always have so much attitude?”
“You’re an ass.”
He lost the smile. “What is it with you? You think you’d be more grateful. I’m just trying to do the right thing here. Maybe you should try it.”
“What!” She’d almost forgotten, after all that had happened in the past hour: Derek thought she was a conniver.
They’d almost kissed, then he’d pushed her away without a word, watched her leave without even a goodbye. Then, he’d listened to O’Donnell’s story about her in the kitchen and believed every word of it. She wiped at the water on her pants. “Forget it. Let’s just get this over with.”
He sighed, handed her a flashlight from the center console, and opened his door, glancing back over his shoulder. “You’re welcome for the ride.” He slammed his door before she could respond.
Hara didn’t want to, but she laughed. He’d gotten himself the last word.
She jumped onto the sidewalk and almost lost her balance, one foot sucked out from under her. Grabbing onto the door just in time, she got herself back upright. The wind worked tendrils loose from her bun and lashed them against her face.
“I tried to tell you,” said Derek, there to steady her. She stiffened under his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice. Did he not remember the last time he helped her out of a car?
Hara had been prepared to get her feet wet, which was inevitable, and not even the first time that day. A half inch of water wasn’t enough to do anything but ruin her shoes. Or so she thought. But it wasn’t just a puddle she’d stepped into, it was a shallow, fast-moving stream.
Her next steps were balanced and strong and she was able