Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

for her to link with her own. She accepted gracefully.

“So, where are we heading?” he asked.

“I’m staying in a hotel not far from here,” she replied. “That okay?”

“Suits me just fine, love.”

They walked together in a surprisingly comfortable silence until they reached 10th Avenue. As they crossed the street, Collins playfully squeezed her arm with his.

“Hey, I just realized, I don’t even know ya name,” he said. “I pride myself on my good manners. I’d hate to just call ya ‘baby’ all night.”

The woman laughed and brushed his arm with her hand flirtatiously. “You can call me whatever you want, handsome.”

Collins smiled. “I’d like to call ya by ya real name.”

She stopped and spun him to face her. She moved close and kissed him, resting her lips gently on his for a moment before pressing harder. He matched her advances, savoring every second that she was close enough for him to smell her perfume.

When they parted, she was smiling. “Call me Jay.”

“Pleasure to meet ya, Jay.” He stepped back and bowed gracefully, as if greeting royalty.

She laughed. “Oh, you’re a real charmer, aren’t you?”

He shrugged humbly. “I try my best.”

“Well, Prince Charming, you’re in for the night of your life.”

She winked and walked on ahead. Collins hung back a second, smiling as he watched the sway of her hips.

“The night of my life is right…” he muttered.

18

May 6, 2020

A thin strip of sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains, drawing a line that cut down the darkened wall by the bed.

Collins rolled over onto his back. His arm flew out to the side as he stretched and shuffled for comfort. He had slept like the dead after an intense evening with the woman from the bar. Consciousness began tugging him up from the depths of respite. Even though his eyes remained closed, his mind was waking, desperately seeking information it knew would be relevant.

What was her name again?

As he fought against the effects of too much whiskey, another piece of information highlighted itself in his subconscious. He had flung his arm to the side, yet he hadn’t heard any of the protests one might expect to hear from someone who had just been hit in the face.

He groaned and stretched again, then slowly opened his eyes. He squinted almost immediately against the influx of light.

Collins rolled onto his side and stared at an empty bed. The pillow had a slight indentation in it, suggesting it hadn’t been laid on for a while. He frowned and rubbed his eyes.

“Christ, how long have I been asleep?” he muttered.

“It’s after nine,” replied a female voice. Assertive. Awake.

Confused, Collins rolled over onto his back again, then propped himself up on his arms. He glanced around the room. It wasn’t the nicest hotel he had ever stayed in. Paint was cracked along the walls. There was no TV. It was a lifeless box with a double bed in it.

The bathroom was small. The door stood open in the left corner of the room. No light. It was just a toilet and a shower stall.

He couldn’t remember exactly where the hotel was in relation to the bar he had left with…

“Jay!” he said, snapping his fingers as he remembered his companion’s name.

“Yes?” said the woman’s voice.

Collins looked to his right. There was a single armchair in the opposite corner, beside a small table. Sitting in it, relaxed and casual, was Jay. She was dressed. She looked different than he remembered. He saw fitted camo pants on her legs and heeled combat boots on her feet. Eyeliner formed dark circles around her eyes.

He also saw the gun she was holding in her hand. It was pointed directly at him.

He took a deep breath and held it as he remembered he was naked beneath the sheets.

He breathed out. “Mornin’, love.”

Jay smiled. It wasn’t polite or courteous. It didn’t stretch wide enough to affect her cheeks.

“Morning, Ray,” she replied coldly.

Collins nodded to the gun. “I wasn’t that bad last night, was I?”

She shrugged. “I got mine. You ticked a box, I guess.”

“Huh. Not the worst review I’ve ever had, but I guess the booze’ll do that to ya.”

“God, you talk a lot…”

He shuffled upright in the bed and sat back against the headboard. His arms rested outside the covers, trapping them around him.

“Listen, lady, I don’t know what I said or did to piss ya off, but if ya looking for an apology, this ain’t the way to go about it.” He shrugged. “The sad truth is, ya not the first woman to pull a gun on me, and ya probably won’t be the last. Can we just… start over? Maybe let me get dressed?”

Jay got to her feet and moved to the foot of the bed. She stood casually, hips cocked to the side, one hand resting on them. The gun didn’t waver for a second.

“I’ll be honest… I’m disappointed,” she said. “I had high expectations for you. I figured you would satisfy me. That you would connect with me on some level of mutual appreciation. But you’re just like everyone else. You play at being tough, but really, you have no spine. No substance. You’re pathetic.”

Collins watched her speak, noting the confidence and the professional way she handled the gun.

“Such a shame it has to end like this,” she continued. “But no matter. You’re going to die today, Ray. However, before you do, I’m going to need you to answer a few questions.”

Collins frowned. “I mean… no. Obviously.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lady, ya just said I’m gonna die, right? So, why should I answer any questions? It’s not gonna make any difference to my day. There’s no incentive. Honestly, ya not much good at this, are ya?”

Jay smiled patiently. Almost sympathetically. “Aww. You’re really stupid, aren’t you?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Huh?”

“Let me spell it out for you, asshole. You answer my questions, you die quickly. Painlessly. Honorably. You don’t, then… you don’t. Understand?”

He nodded. “Ah, ya mean torture, right?”

“I do. And given you’re naked, there are lots