from the room. He forced himself to give them the privacy they so clearly wanted. Let them be, he told himself sternly. You have no business pursuing her in any case.
Still, he thought of how Ron and Amanda sat near, but not too near each other. There was nothing quite loverlike in the way they interacted. Loving, yes. Devoted, yes. But were they lovers? Or friends?
None of your business, he told himself.
She had kissed him.
Just an L.A. thing. People in this city are always exchanging peu baisers. Don’t be a fool.
He called down to Alex, requested that Amanda be given a ride home and seen safely inside. “If she’ll allow it, please check the house over, too.”
He undressed and made sure to plug the cell phone in the recharger on his nightstand. He crawled into bed and listened to Shade settle near him. He reached for the dog and scratched his ears and chin in a manner that earned canine sighs of pleasure. “You’ve saved me again, Shade, and while I’m really not especially grateful for that, I do appreciate your dedication. And, most especially, your companionship.”
But the dog suddenly seemed distracted—in the next instant he came to his feet and held himself alert, his ears pitched forward. He moved to the French doors that led to the deck surrounding most of this level of the house. The deck was, Tyler thought, the dog’s favorite feature of the house—he could sun himself or survey the canyon from it. “At this hour? All right.”
He got up, donned a silk robe, and opened the doors. Shade immediately began patrolling the part of the deck in front of the bedroom. Tyler looked down at the place where Amanda’s house stood. Only a small porch light was on.
Shade seemed disinclined to come back in. The night was warm, so Tyler left the doors open.
What did he have to fear?
Nothing. He would survive anything that might come through that door.
Which was, he thought, the pity of it all.
15
I saw what I saw.”
“You had been in an accident,” Ron said gently. “And for someone who survived a really horrible car wreck just eight years ago, that must have been traumatic.”
“I didn’t even think about that—I swear I didn’t. I was too worried about him. Besides, you know I don’t remember anything about that other accident.”
“All right. But tonight, you might have been a little dazed. The airbag went off, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“And you had just seen something awful, and then these assholes came over to your car and terrified you, right?”
“I admit I was scared, but—”
“And to top off everything else, a big dog comes loping up to you. Don’t you think all of that could have caused you to be a little confused?”
She paced across the room, then back. “He stopped breathing. He had no pulse—no heartbeat. His skin was cold and gray. His wounds weren’t bleeding.”
“What wounds? There’s hardly a mark on him.”
“I can’t explain it. That’s what I’m telling you!”
Ron sighed in exasperation.
“He was dead!”
“Which is how he just had a conversation with us.”
“Ron!”
“Okay—which was why you began CPR. You thought he was dead. One hundred percent croaked. Total goner.”
She had no answer to that.
“Look, Amanda, maybe you’re right. Maybe he was dead, briefly. But you obviously revived him.”
“But how did he recover so quickly?”
“How should I know? Just exactly what are you getting at, Amanda?”
“I don’t know. None of it makes sense to me.”
“Well, then, that’s two of us.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re tired. You’ve been through a lot. Maybe in the morning…”
“Yes.”
“Don’t get that look.”
“What look?”
“The one that is supposed to fool me into thinking you are docile.”
She brooded for a few minutes, then tried another tack. “Okay, tell me this—how old is he?”
“I don’t know. He looks about our age, maybe a little older. Somewhere in his twenties anyway.”
“Have
Still, he thought of how Ron and Amanda sat near, but not too near each other. There was nothing quite loverlike in the way they interacted. Loving, yes. Devoted, yes. But were they lovers? Or friends?
None of your business, he told himself.
She had kissed him.
Just an L.A. thing. People in this city are always exchanging peu baisers. Don’t be a fool.
He called down to Alex, requested that Amanda be given a ride home and seen safely inside. “If she’ll allow it, please check the house over, too.”
He undressed and made sure to plug the cell phone in the recharger on his nightstand. He crawled into bed and listened to Shade settle near him. He reached for the dog and scratched his ears and chin in a manner that earned canine sighs of pleasure. “You’ve saved me again, Shade, and while I’m really not especially grateful for that, I do appreciate your dedication. And, most especially, your companionship.”
But the dog suddenly seemed distracted—in the next instant he came to his feet and held himself alert, his ears pitched forward. He moved to the French doors that led to the deck surrounding most of this level of the house. The deck was, Tyler thought, the dog’s favorite feature of the house—he could sun himself or survey the canyon from it. “At this hour? All right.”
He got up, donned a silk robe, and opened the doors. Shade immediately began patrolling the part of the deck in front of the bedroom. Tyler looked down at the place where Amanda’s house stood. Only a small porch light was on.
Shade seemed disinclined to come back in. The night was warm, so Tyler left the doors open.
What did he have to fear?
Nothing. He would survive anything that might come through that door.
Which was, he thought, the pity of it all.
15
I saw what I saw.”
“You had been in an accident,” Ron said gently. “And for someone who survived a really horrible car wreck just eight years ago, that must have been traumatic.”
“I didn’t even think about that—I swear I didn’t. I was too worried about him. Besides, you know I don’t remember anything about that other accident.”
“All right. But tonight, you might have been a little dazed. The airbag went off, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“And you had just seen something awful, and then these assholes came over to your car and terrified you, right?”
“I admit I was scared, but—”
“And to top off everything else, a big dog comes loping up to you. Don’t you think all of that could have caused you to be a little confused?”
She paced across the room, then back. “He stopped breathing. He had no pulse—no heartbeat. His skin was cold and gray. His wounds weren’t bleeding.”
“What wounds? There’s hardly a mark on him.”
“I can’t explain it. That’s what I’m telling you!”
Ron sighed in exasperation.
“He was dead!”
“Which is how he just had a conversation with us.”
“Ron!”
“Okay—which was why you began CPR. You thought he was dead. One hundred percent croaked. Total goner.”
She had no answer to that.
“Look, Amanda, maybe you’re right. Maybe he was dead, briefly. But you obviously revived him.”
“But how did he recover so quickly?”
“How should I know? Just exactly what are you getting at, Amanda?”
“I don’t know. None of it makes sense to me.”
“Well, then, that’s two of us.”
“Sorry.”
“You’re tired. You’ve been through a lot. Maybe in the morning…”
“Yes.”
“Don’t get that look.”
“What look?”
“The one that is supposed to fool me into thinking you are docile.”
She brooded for a few minutes, then tried another tack. “Okay, tell me this—how old is he?”
“I don’t know. He looks about our age, maybe a little older. Somewhere in his twenties anyway.”
“Have
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