Free Red Sky At Morning - DK4 by Melissa Good Page A

She turned and regarded Kerry in silence for a moment, and then walked over to the tray on the table. Kerry was curled up in one of the leather chairs, propping up her head with one hand as she gazed out the windows at the city lights.
    “Ker?” Dar picked up a cup of hot chocolate and walked over to her, holding it out invitingly.
    “Mm...thanks.” Kerry accepted it, turning in the chair to face Dar as she sat down next to her. “I think my insides have stopped shaking, at least.” She raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. “God, I’ve never been so scared in my life, Dar. What a night.”
    “I’ve had a couple of moments in the air, but nothing like that,” Dar said. “Makes you glad to be on the ground though.”
    Kerry took a sip of her chocolate, licking her lips free of the foamy topping. “Boy, does it ever.”
    Dar pulled her knees up and circled them with one arm, sipping on the glass of milk she held in her free hand. “Yeah. I...” She hesitated, and then shook her head. “Been a long day for both of us, huh?”
    “Between my flight and you beating off armed robbers? Yeah.”
    Kerry eyed her partner. “Should we call the police?”
    Dar just looked at her.
    “Yeah, I know. Two guys in hoods, with a gun, and you beat them up and made them run away. We’ll be at the station until tomorrow morning.” Kerry sighed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. “You scared the hell out of me.”
    “If we’d have gave him our wallets, we’d have had to walk back to this God damned hotel and I just was not in the mood,” Dar replied.
    “Stupid stockholders, pain in the ass New York salesmen, my…” She paused. “Too long of a damn day.”
    Kerry watched her over the rim of her cup. “I picked up my voice mail. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?” she said, changing the subject. “You sounded weird.”
    Dar got up and walked over to the table, selecting a shrimp chip and scooping up some crab dip with it. She put it into her mouth and chewed slowly, aware of the curious eyes on her back. Her attack of nerves had now taken on another, even stranger cast, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about it. “Ah...I just had a strange idea and I wanted to run it by you,” she answered casually. “Nothing important.”
    There was a rustle of fabric and leather, then the soft sounds of bare feet on carpet before a warm hand touched her back. Taking a breath, Dar turned and faced Kerry.

    Red Sky At Morning 41
    “Well...it’s important enough for you to lie to me about it,” Kerry stated with quiet bluntness. “And I, um...don’t think you’ve ever done that to me before.” She laid both hands against Dar’s stomach and leaned into her. “Honey, don’t do this to me right now. I can’t handle it.” She said. “Just tell me. Was it that guy? Did something happen?”
    “What guy?” Dar frowned. “Oh. Bob? No.”
    Kerry lifted her head and peered up at her.
    Dar inhaled sharply, responding to the look in Kerry’s eyes. “It’s not...what you think. I just...right before I called you, I had this...this fit,” she said. “It was like I was going nuts or something.”
    Kerry’s expression altered into one of mild alarm. “A fit?”
    Upset, Dar sat down on the arm of the nearby chair and ran her hand through her hair. “It was like a..a panic attack or...but I’ve never had that before, and I know I’m not...”
    Kerry slid between her lover’s knees and let her forearms rest on Dar’s shoulders. “Were you scared?”
    Dar nodded unhappily. “I was totally freaking out,” she said.
    “Right in the middle of dinner with Bob. He drove me back here, must have thought I was losing my mind.”
    “Wow,” Kerry murmured. “That’s really not like you.” She leaned against her partner as she felt Dar’s shoulders tense.
    “Yeah, no kidding.” Dar put her hands on Kerry’s hips. “So I called you, but when you didn’t pick up I went to check your flight and saw