I stared at the surreal scene in utter shock. Everyone in the restaurant stayed completely still. The fear and confusion were palpable.
Who was this Man in Black? An accomplice? A savior? He was tall and wore a striking black leather duster that skimmed his long, lean legs and fit his broad shoulders like a glove. His shirt and pants were black and so were his boots.
He was frankly beautiful. His hair was black, too, thick and long, worn back off his forehead in a dramatic sweep that almost reached his shoulders. His eyes were dark as well, and when he grinned, two dimples emerged in a face more suited to an angel than any human.
A dark angel.
Broth seeped into my clothes, but I couldn’t move from my chair, just sat there staring at Man in Black as he pushed his knee more forcefully into the squirming Hoodie Guy’s back.
Man in Black scanned the room, then focused on me. I caught my breath as his eyes twinkled and his dimples teased.
“You okay, Brooklyn?” he asked.
Startled, I nodded. “I’m okay.”
He winked at me and said, “Call the police.”
Chapter 16
He knew my name?
Tall, Dark, Dangerous and Gorgeous knew my name?
Sirens wailed to a stop outside. I didn’t have time to figure out how he knew me before six police officers converged on the room.
As one of them tried to calm down the counter woman, the restaurant patrons scurried out from under the tables. I stayed where I was. My chair was wedged too tightly into the space, but more important, my knees were wobbly. I was still staggered by the events that had just occurred.
I’d escaped sure death by less than a second. I knew it. Everyone here knew it, and they were all gathered in small groups discussing it. My only question was, who was Man in Black and how did he know my name? Okay, that was two questions but I wasn’t up for quibbling.
As Man in Black released Hoodie Guy into the hands of two of the police officers, everyone applauded. He waved off their praise and moved out of the way, over to the wall, where he leaned casually with one booted foot crossed in front of the other.
One woman stared at him in stark adoration, shooting quick glances my way that plainly said she wished she’d been the one about to die.
So who was this knight in black leather armor?
The police handcuffed Hoodie, pulled him to his feet and pushed the hood off to see his face. He was thin with pale skin and a shaved head. He had a tattoo of a snake wrapped around his neck. The snake’s fangs were exposed and its forked tongue slithered across the guy’s bald head.
Ugh. My hands shook. He was just a kid, no more than twenty. Needless to say, I didn’t recognize him, but I was pretty sure I’d never forget him.
Snake Boy-formerly known as Hoodie Guy-turned and stared at me. “You.”
One of the cops jerked him back around, but Snake Boy fought him. “She has to die!”
The other cop holding him rolled his eyes. “We’re all gonna die, asshole. Let’s move it.”
“They told me,” Snake Boy whispered. “She’s cursed. I have to kill her.”
Cursed? Was this about the Faust or was everyone going insane? Snake Boy seemed to be mentally deranged, but now he knew about the Faust curse? Or was that just another coincidence? I thought not, and felt dread clear down to my feet. Had this sinister, unbalanced street kid been sent to kill me?
“Get him out of here,” one cop said to the other two. The two cops maneuvered him out the door and over to the parked squad car. I watched through the window as they shoved his head down and angled him into the car. He whipped around to stare at me through those beady eyes. I looked away.
A third cop spoke to the woman at the counter, then turned to the rest of us. “Folks, I appreciate your patience. We’ll need to get witness statements from all of you before you leave. Again, your patience is appreciated. I promise we’ll move this along as fast as possible so you can all be on your way.”
Man in Black met my gaze. He pushed away from the wall and wound his way around the tables until he reached mine. “Hi,” he said, his voice low, deep and raw. Up close, I could see his eyes were a mesmerizing shade of dark green.
“Hi.” I was half stunned that I could speak at all. “Thank you for what you did.”
“Hey, you saved yourself. Nice arm.”
“I was the pitcher on my high school softball team. I can’t run to save my life, but I can throw.” Was I blathering? I was no longer sure of anything. “I guess I’m a little freaked out.”
“Don’t blame you. Guy’s a total whack job.”
“That’s not all that’s got me freaked. You seem to know me. How?”
“We have mutual friends.”
“And they sent you to meet me at a noodle shop?”
“No, the guy at the Covington told me you were here.”
“So you followed me.” I knew someone had been following me, but I never saw the likes of this guy.
“Yeah, I followed you,” he said. “You’ve got something I want.”
“That sounds ominous.” With more strength than I thought I had left, I was able to maneuver my chair away from the table.
The front counter woman said something in a shrill voice and we were both distracted.
“I need to get out of here,” I said. But when I tried to stand, my wet pants stuck to the plastic chair. I finally had to hold the chair down with both hands, bend forward and pull my butt up. It wasn’t elegant but it worked, except that my pants made a loud sucking sound as I separated myself from the chair and stood. Rivulets of broth ran down my legs into my shoes.
My humiliation was complete.
“You’re kind of a mess,” he said as he flicked another noodle off my shoulder.
I glared at him. “Thanks for that astute observation.”
“I’ll see if they have a towel you can use.”
As he walked away I stared at his wide shoulders, narrow waist, perfect backside, long legs. Man in Black was one gorgeous guy.
I followed him to the counter, handed one of the policemen my business card and showed him my driver’s license. Then I explained about the soaked pants and he said he’d track me down later at the Covington.
Man in Black handed me a towel. “Keep it.” Then he swept his arm out. “After you.”
I went back to my table to get my purse and gingerly picked up the paperback copy of Faust from the table. It was soaked through, swollen to almost twice its size and puckering badly.
“Ruined,” I muttered. Much like my afternoon. Someone had tried to kill me, I was covered in noodles and I was still hungry. All in all, this had been a truly unsatisfactory dining experience.
I sloshed away from the table, knowing I reeked of eau de soy sauce. I would never be able to eat another noodle bowl as long as I lived, and that was a thoroughly depressing thought.
As I walked out the door, I tossed the sodden book in the trash can and turned to Man in Black. “Thank you again. I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, you will. I’m going with you.”
“Not necessary.”
“Like I said, you’ve got something I want.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “And like I said, it sounds ominous, and I’ve had it up to here with ominous.”
But he followed me out and stayed with me the half block down Fillmore; then we both turned at Pacific Street. Man in Black had to slow his pace quite a bit to walk next to me. I recalled those long legs expertly kicking the gun out of that kid’s hand and realized it was futile to try to talk him out of accompanying me.
He seemed like someone who could be dangerous, but he didn’t seem inclined to hurt me. In fact, he was acting almost protective of me. Then again, I was probably going insane. Maybe I really was cursed, in which case, I might as well enjoy the moment. I was walking with a handsome man, it was a beautiful day in the City and I was alive.