Page 23 of Savior

He stood and wrapped the quilt around his shoulders like a cape before slowly walking over to where Gloria stood. He didn’t reach for a gun or call out a warning for the older woman to get down and stay quiet.

It was as if he’d never seen a single episode ofThe Devil Next DoororEvil Nightmares. Maybe the department had been right to let him go. He was walking right into danger with nothing more than a blanket to protect him.

He looked through the large glass window with a grin while I cowered near the end of the couch, ready to dive behind it once the bullets started flying.

“You’re up early,” he said calmly.

“Yeah, you’re still lookin’ like shit,” a male voice stated flatly. “You want somethin’ to take the edge off?”

“No way!” Gloria snapped, jabbing a bright red fingernail into the man’s chest. “His body is almost dried up.”

The man chuckled and held his palms up. “Okay, okay. Listen, I brought a crew with me. Thought we’d get this place put back together for ya if it’s alright with the boss lady.”

I strained to see the man’s face, only catching glimpses of a long salt and pepper beard as he talked. Gloria’s shoulders relaxed, and she patted the man’s arm before stepping back with a sly grin. “Of course it’s okay. I fix you something to eat and drink. This one…” She pointed toward Mike. “He is letting himself waste away to a ghost.”

“Thank you, Gloria. We’ll start outside and then make our way in here.”

She turned and spotted me hiding. “Oh, you have not met Mike’s sister, Kate! Come here, come here!”

I reluctantly left my leather sanctuary and made my way over to the entryway. As the man came into view, my steps faltered slightly, but I quickly regained my composure. His mouth turned up in a grin when he saw me, the corners of his eyes crinkling ever so slightly. It wasn’t that he was unattractive, because he was in a rugged sort of way. His long dark hair was streaked with silver straight out of aJust For Mencommercial, and as he showcased a mouthful of blindingly white teeth, my knees weakened, leaving me wondering if I had daddy issues after all.

It was the presence of a leather vest that stopped me in my tracks.

He was a biker.

I extended a trembling hand, choking on the pooled saliva in my mouth as I said, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”

He gripped my hand in his with a lopsided grin. “Kate, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Michael, but everyone calls me Comedian.”

Comedian rolled over on the club.

The blood drained from my face, and I jerked my hand back as though I’d been burned. “Comedian?” I spluttered, watching as the grin faded from his lips.

“Yeah… is there a problem?”

I took a deep breath, pulling air into my tight lungs before pummeling his chest with my fists. “Y-you shot my father!”

Comedian blinked several times before looking over to Mike. “Junior, how many times do we gotta do this? It’s gettin’ a little old.”

“Kate!” Gloria cried out. “We do not hit guests!”

“He trusted you!” I screamed, my fists turning to claws that I angrily raked down his arms.

I felt Mike at my back a half-second before he wrapped me up in a reverse bear hug, quilt and all. When I began to struggle, his arms tightened. “Kate, it’s not him. It’s not him, okay?”

I shook my head, still fighting to free myself. “You said—in the cemetery!”

“I know what I said. I was wrong. Jesus, haven’t you talked to your mother and sister?”

“No, but I thought…” I left the rest of my sentence dangling in the air. I’d thought that Comedian had been the one to betray my father; had assumed that my mother and Dakota only wanted to involve me in more needless drama.

Comedian held me with a stare. “Why you avoidin’ your mama, Kate?”

Even Gloria crossed her arms over her ample chest, giving me the same look of disappointment that I thought only my Nan was capable of making.

“I…” I swallowed. “I don’t know. I mean, we’re not exactly close…”

A line of sweat ran down my spine from the interrogation, pooling near the waistband of my slacks. Mike’s grip tightened, his body like a furnace, leaving me disoriented.

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