Chapter Fifteen
Suds
“No. No computer. I’ll buy a burner phone at the local store and call Slate. Get some sleep.”
She’s my addiction and a balm to my soul. Hell, she’s my everything. Our connection is way more than physical. She’s my business partner, my wife, and my redemption. Taking sex off the table may kill me but I’ve been a bodyguard for years and before that, a Navy SEAL. I don’t make rookie mistakes. No one can make love and still pay attention to their surroundings.
Grabbing a chair, I sit outside, and watch the shooting stars. Not asleep and not fully awake, I recall visiting this place as a kid. It was before my mother left us for good and one of the few times she didn’t cry all the time.
I can’t picture her face but her hair was dark and long. She often sang with a low, alto voice and smelled like summer rain. As always, my chest tightens when thoughts turn to her.
What kind of woman leaves her kid? Didn’t she love me? Was she heartless? If only Dad would talk about what happened, I could make peace with it. My own research has yielded nothing of value. One day she was there, the next she vanished.
When I got to be a teen, I reached out to Gran but she said, “God gave us each a song.”
I often wondered if my mom died but if she did, there’s no record of it. Perhaps she was abducted by aliens and zapped off the face of the earth. With my grandmother dead, it’s not likely I’ll ever find out what happened to her.
A coyote yips in the distance and standing, I stretch. Then, I settle down on the desert floor with my left hand behind my head and my index finger curled around my pistol, safety on. The Navy taught me well. If anyone tries to sneak up me, they best be prepared.
Around dawn, a particularly annoying crow pecks near my nose and tilts his head. Groaning, I roll onto my side and squint into the rising sun.
“What do you want?”
The bird clicks and hops on one foot as if trying to tell me something. A few minutes later the cabin door creaks and it flies away.
“Suds? You awake? Don’t shoot me.”
“Yeah, Sugar. I’m fine.”
Dressed in nothing but an old rag of a t-shirt, she gingerly steps across the pebbled dirt toward the outhouse. Opening the door, she pauses, grabs a good size rock, then enters.
A melee of banging ensues. Outside again, she drops her stone and pushes on the old pump’s lever. After splashing water onto her face, she strolls to my side, squats, and leans in for a good morning kiss. “I missed you.”
“I did you, too. Sleep well?”
“A little. But mostly I dreamed of vampire spiders sucking blood from my big toe. Then, I wandered my old college campus looking for a silencer while Frankie tried to kill me.” When she smirks, I’m not sure if she’s telling the truth or messin’ with my head.
I pull her atop my chest, indulge in a full body hug, and the second I let her go, it don’t feel right but I do.
Grinning, I stand, then help her up. “No nightmares of outhouses filled with rattlesnakes?”
“No, but thanks for the visual, I’m sure my subconscious will put it to good use tonight.”
“No charge and you’re welcome.” My fingers wrap with hers, then she tugs me toward the cabin.
“Tell me there’s coffee.” She opens all the kitchen cabinets until she finds a can of ground beans.
“Do I make it with orange water?” Merry eyes meet mine and I grin.
“If you insist but I’d prefer it clear.” I chuckle as she holds up the vintage pot.
“What’s all this?” Pulling on the cover’s glass knob, she dumps the pieces on the counter and I shudder. Recently, there was an incident involving Sam, a gun, and our automatic drip machine. This could get ugly.
“I got this, Sugar.” Hoping she won’t take offense, I slip an arm around her waist, slide my hand to her bare ass and fondle the lovely flesh.
“I thought we said none of that.”
“No sex. Everything else is up for grabs, so to speak.”
