Shocked and confused, the robber staggered backwards, trying to cup his bloodied face with his now useless right hand. Realizing that the odds were no longer in his favor, he turned and ran towards the waiting Rover, but not before the woman had kicked him squarely in the arse. Propelled by her fierce attack, the man literally threw himself onto the front seat of the car. Perhaps inspired by the violence of what he had just witnessed, the driver slammed the car into gear and roared out onto the road, narrowly missing a passing bus with the still open passenger door. The feisty woman kicked at the car as it passed, and continued to shout expletives until it was out of sight.
Stone waited until the woman stopped shouting before asking in a clam voice.
“Err… Ma’am, are you injured?”
As if realizing his presence for the first time, the woman spun to face Stone, and he took an involuntary gasp in surprise. In an instant, the pain and sadness of the last few days were forgotten; replaced by a feeling of such exquisite bliss that Stone feared that his heart would explode.
The woman was much younger than he had first thought, probably under thirty. She had a small, delicate face with the kind of high cheekbones that made her look like an elfin teenage model. Although she was athletically slim and muscular, her tight running shorts and sweat soaked t-shirt clearly revealed her petite but sensual curves. Even with her tousled hair and disheveled clothing, he thought she was the loveliest creature he had ever seen.
With his mouth hanging open like a schoolboy on a first date, he stared deeply into her emerald green eyes, still fiery with excess adrenalin and, found himself totally lost for words. The woman quickly gathered herself and regarded Stone with a quizzical expression. She tipped her head slightly to one side and decided that he was not a threat.
“My hero!” she said in a voice thick with mockery.
Stone continued to stare into her dazzling green eyes, for once unable to connect his brain with his mouth. The woman leaned forward and stared intently into Eric’s eyes as if she were checking for some sign of consciousness. She spoke again snapping her fingers in front of his face.
“Hello! Are you in there? — Hello, Linda to space head — can you hear me?”
With an involuntary shake of his head, Eric snapped back to reality.
“Wugh… Err — I’m sorry, are you alright, Miss?”
The woman raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise.
“Am I alright? I’m fine thank you, but I think you may have taken a knock to the head.”
Stone shook his head.
“No — I didn’t get hit, you just surprised me. I didn’t realize you were so beautiful.” His eyes suddenly went wide and he slapped a hand to his forehead. “I can’t believe I just said that!”
“Me neither,” she laughed warmly. Stone thought it was the most wonderful sound he had ever heard. She put her hands on her hips and regarded him openly, as if she were inspecting a racehorse prior to purchase.
“Well, I suppose I should thank you for saving me — Mr. Hero, even though I had the situation under control.” She held out a delicate hand. “Linda.”
As he took her soft hand in his, Stone worried that his wildly beating heart would burst out of his chest.
“Stone — Eric Stone.”
“Well, Stone — Eric Stone, Linda Smart thanks you for saving her from the naughty boys that wanted to steal her car.”
“I was happy to be there for you — Linda.” Stone smiled widely. He realized that his knees were suddenly weak, there was blood pounding in his ears, and his face was flushed. Although he had just met this woman, he was already smitten.
“Well thank you again, Stone — Eric Stone. Now if I can just have my hand back, I will be on my way.”
Stone reluctantly let go of her hand, but he continued to smile like an idiot.
“Are you sure you are OK? Can I get you something? Maybe some water?” he blurted, the words pouring out of his mouth in an unchecked tide of desperation, “Perhaps you should sit down for a while.”
“Thank you very much, but I’m fine,” she said with a knowing smile. “I just want to get home and have a shower.”
Stone had a momentary image of Linda Smart taking a shower and he had to make a conscious effort to stop his knees from buckling. Regaining his focus, he made a final desperate attempt to keep her company.
“Could I call you some time — perhaps we could go out for a drink or something?”
Linda Smart regarded him as you would a sweet but naughty puppy.
“Really? You’re hitting on me N-O-W?”
Stone shrugged and gave a self-conscious smile.
“Well, I just thought…..”
“Look, thanks again Mr. Hero, you seem very sweet, but I’ve just got rid of two stalkers, and I don’t need to inherit another one.”
She gave him another look up and down before quickly leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Even if he is rather cute.”
FIVE
As he drove along the A12 towards Wethersfield, Stone had difficulty concentrating. His mind relentlessly returned to meeting Linda Smart. He remembered her soft blonde hair, her exquisite face, her captivating green eyes, and of course her athletically exciting figure. He remembered how she had smiled sweetly and thanked him when he politely opened the door of her car, and the way she had blown him a goodbye kiss as she drove out of his life. Eric was a healthy heterosexual guy, who enjoyed the company of a beautiful woman as much as the next guy. In the last few years, Charles Rathbone had introduced Eric to several women who were both physically and intellectually desirable. Somehow, none had sparked an interest even close to what he had felt when he had met Linda Smart.
In retrospect, he had concluded that his emotions may have been clouded by an excess of adrenalin, but at the same time, he was sure that Linda Smart had felt something as well — he had seen it in her eyes. Something primal had happened between them. He had seen a reaction in her; there was some shock and some surprise. Something unexpected about meeting Eric Stone had made her heart beat faster. For a moment, they had shared a connection — and now she was gone.
“Oh well — perhaps in another life,” he mumbled to himself. He reached over and gently stroked the kitten that was curled up asleep on the passenger seat.
There was a steady fall drizzle, which had combined with the rush hour traffic and several miles of traffic cones, to slow his progress to something slightly faster than a brisk walking pace. Consequently, it was almost 7pm and completely dark when he pulled up behind Ed Carter’s black BMW.
“Sorry — got held up,” Stone apologized as he climbed into the car.
“Not a problem,” Ed said with a wave of his hand. “I figured you would be a while. It gave me enough time to check out this guy’s apartment.”
“Anything interesting?”
Carter held up a finger to capture Stone’s full attention.
“Before we go any further, there is something I want to discuss — something that needs to be said.”
“Sounds ominous,” Stone replied glumly. “Go on.”
Carter turned in his seat to face Stone so he could look directly into his eyes.
“Eric, I know you can handle yourself and I know that you have taken a life in the past. I wouldn’t be alive today if you hadn’t. However, that was in self-defense, a situation that was thrust upon you. We went to deliver that ransom and walked into a cluster-fuck, and if it wasn’t for you, several innocent people could have died. The thing is… that was OK because it just happened. We were victims, and that’s what made it OK.”