Free NorthWest (John Hazard - Book II) by JH Glaze Page A

possessive tentacle when he said it. It just didn’t fit her idea of the nature of their relationship and gave her a chill.
    “I am so lucky to have you, Eddie. You take such good care of me.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. She forced a girlish giggle and hugged him. Indeed she was lucky, and indeed he did take care good of her.
     

 
    Thirteen
     
    John was filling up the tea kettle over a sink full of dirty dishes. He usually cleaned his apartment once a week and it was three days since the last time. Emily was sitting at the dining table, staring out the window. Her thoughts kept running over and over the horror of what she had witnessed. She wasn’t paying attention to anything John was doing until he asked, “What kind of tea do you like? I have regular tea and green tea.”
    Emily turned to look at him. “You’re joking, right? You don’t have something stronger?”
    “Coffee?” He reached for the can of coffee he kept on the shelf above the sink.
    “No, not coffee. I’m talking like Wild Turkey, or something from my uncle, Jack Daniels. Tea is not going to get it right now. I need something to numb my brain.”
    “Sorry, I should have guessed you’d want something to calm your nerves.” He reached for the doors below the sink and, opening one of them, he pulled out a new bottle of Jack and set it on the table. He got out the last two clean water glasses from the cabinet and carried them over to the table.
    “You got any Valium?”
    “No, I don’t keep…” He paused as he cracked the seal on the bottle, poured himself a quarter glass, and then tipped the bottle over the second glass. “Uh… drugs in the house,” he finished.
    When he reached a quarter glass, she stretched over the table and touched the neck of the bottle, pressing it down to keep him pouring. When it was almost half full, she let him set it upright as she sat back in her chair.
     
    “Just kidding, John. Right now I don’t even know if that could help me relax.”
    He slid the glass to her across the table like a bartender in an old western movie before lifting his glass. He took a big gulp and set the drink down, holding on to it as he watched her. He wanted to look her in the eyes as she told him her story.
    “So, you were pretty quiet all the way here. You gonna tell me what happened?” He strained to get the words out as the fumes from the drink were catching in his throat.
    “Yeah, I’ve been trying to get my shit together, John.” She shook her head. “I’m wondering if I was dreaming or something. Stuff like this just doesn’t happen to good people, does it? I’m so freaked out.”
    “I was a detective for about four years, Emily, and that was after I got out of the military. You’d be surprised what happens to people. Shit, usually always good people. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you some of the things I’ve seen.”
    “Well, when you say it that way, I can only imagine what you’ve experienced. You’ve probably seen the worst of people and all kinds of violence. And John, please call me Em. All my friends do.”
    “Okay, Em. My friends call me John, or Hazard, depending on how pissed they are at the moment.” He laughed and took another sip from his glass. “So, if you want to call me something else, I guess you’ll have to make it up.”
    “How about John then?” She was smiling.
    “Good, suits me I guess. And a smile suits you. You feel like talking now?”
    She nodded and took a long drink from her glass before starting. “Well… I left the interview this morning, you know, at the college, and headed over to a nightclub called the Players Lounge for another interview. You know, I need some permanent type work.”
    “I’ve heard about that place. Caters to factory workers and gangbangers…” He rubbed an itch on his nose and crossed his eyes to try and see what was causing it.
    “That’s the place.” She watched him for a second to see if he was really paying attention before