Crosby’s face is unreadable, but, quietly cursing, he turns and knocks Coyote on the back of the head with the butt of the katana, and Coyote goes to sleep.
When that’s done, his massive legs eat up the distance between us, and he kneels down in front of me.
“Are you okay?”
I nod, tears of relief—and okay, maybe a little snot—leaking out of my eyes and nose.
“Are you?” I ask.
He huffs a small laugh and says, “Shut up.” Then, kisses me so hard he almost knocks the chair over.
I whimper and pull away from the kiss. “Cut me loose, Crosby.”
He shakes his head. “Fuck, sorry. Hang on.” He stands, looks around, and scratches his head. “I dunno. Maybe this place has some wire cutters….”
“The katana, Crosby! The katana?!”
“Oh. Right. Shit. Sorry, babe.”
I guess both of us are rattled to the point of stupidity.
NINETEEN
Leela
Just as I’mfinished giving my statement to the detectives, and the EMT has given me a once-over and determined I’m fine to go home, I hear Crosby before seeing him.
“Leela!”
I’m still trembling in shock when the detective finally lets Crosby come over to talk to me.
“Kitten,” he chokes out, wrapping us both up inside the emergency blanket that the EMT has given me.
“I’m fine,” I say, even though I know my voice doesn’t sound fine. “They said I can go. I told them you had nothing to do with any of this….”
“Shhh,” Crosby says, stroking my back and burying his face in my hair. I feel him inhale deeply, and it fills me with a sense of such overwhelming stability that my trembling finally ceases. “I know. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I say, and I tell it to him repeatedly as he covers my cheeks, head, hands, and mouth with frantic kisses.
“I’m so fucking stupid. Let’s just get out of here. Ah, dammit, and I don’t have my bike back yet.” Crosby’s jumping from one topic to the next, so I thread our fingers together and squeeze, reminding him of what’s most important.
I call for a rideshare to pick us up, but when I look at my screen, I see half a dozen texts from Meghan.
“Oh god,” I say, scrolling through them.
“What is it?”
I tell Crosby it’s Meghan and that she’s freaking out.
I briefly explain everything that happened, but while I’m in the middle of doing that, she calls me.
“Where are you? Don’t explain. Half a dozen other students saw those guys grab you, so don’t say another word. Just tell me where you are so I can come to get you.”
I tell her the address as best as I can determine from the location services on my phone.
“Don’t leave,” she orders me.
“Um…Crosby’s here too,” I tell her.