Free Red Sky At Morning - DK4 by Melissa Good

gently pushed Kerry behind her as she made her choice and started moving, heading for the robber and keeping her eyes fixed on the gun.
    She could feel a hot bolt of fear hit her in the guts, and it almost made her waver, but the robber was raising the gun and now she was out of time.
    She launched into an attack, committing herself to the motion as she saw the other man start to run forward, then hesitate as she set her body and whipped her leg around in a roundhouse kick just as the man with the gun went to pull the trigger.
    “Hey!”
    Her foot struck the weapon as it fired, and it spun out of his hand to land past where Kerry was standing. Dar didn’t wait for him to react.
    She back kicked him as she continued around in a circle, then straightened and reached for his arms as he reeled, grabbing him and turning to throw him over her shoulder to the ground.
    Kerry broke out of her frozen fear and ran over to the gun, kicking it as hard as she could and sending it spinning away from them over the edge of the overpass where it skipped down out of sight. She turned to find the two men running away, back toward the bus, and a pair of headlights headed straight for them. Then Dar’s arms enfolded her and Red Sky At Morning 39
    they were on the side of the road, safe for the moment, though her heart was beating so fast she was lightheaded. “Oh my God.”
    “That’s it.” Dar sounded a bit out of breath herself. “I’m taking today off the damn calendar.” She glared past Kerry at the oncoming car. “Stupid city. Stupid bastards. Stupid…”
    The car pulled even with her, and the sheets of rain parted to reveal a cab. “Hey! There you are!” The cabbie stuck his head out of his window. “I was lookin for ya! They made me get off the ramp, you know?” He looked around. “You shouldn’ta come down here, y’know?
    It’s dangerous.’
    “Thanks.” Dar opened the back door and threw Kerry’s bag in, then ushered her partner in after it. “Think you can get us back to my hotel without anything else happening?”
    The cabbie rolled his window up and gave them a dubious look in the mirror. “I dunno, lady. It’s New York, y’know?”
    “Yeah, I know.”
    He put the car in gear. “You wanna stop by the corner there at the liquor store?”
    “No.”
    “You sure? You look like you could use a drink.”
    “They probably don’t sell milk.” Dar propped her head up on one hand as Kerry curled herself up next to her and buried her face against Dar’s chest. “Thanks anyway.”
    The cabbie looked at her in the mirror again, but just shook his head instead of answering and got down to the business of driving.
    Dar exhaled, and rested her cheek against Kerry’s damp hair. “You okay?”
    “No, I suck,” Kerry replied. “But if I can stay like this until we get to the hotel, I might be able to get up to the room without freaking out.”
    She slowly let out a long breath. “Uuuuhhhhggggggh.” She felt Dar give her a kiss on the head and for a minute her world narrowed down to the sound of her lover’s heartbeat as she let the blare of horns and the sound of the rain fade out.
    Dar felt her tension ease as Kerry relaxed against her. She pushed the wet hair from her eyes and stared unseeing at the passing lights, hoping the rest of the night would hold far more comfort and far less excitement.
    What was it about her life anyway? Couldn’t she even have a damn business meeting go on without six kinds of calamity happening? “Hey Ker?”“Mm?”
    “You think I attract trouble?”
    Kerry was silent for a long moment. “Well,” she finally said. “You attracted me.”
    “Ah.” Dar grunted softly. “Good point.”
    “I can’t even imagine what that says about what I attract.”

    40 Melissa Good
    “Hey!”
    They both chuckled tiredly, and sat back to watch the city go by.
    “THANKS.” DAR SCRIBBLED her name on the room service bill, then shooed the waiter out, shutting the heavy door behind him.