Eve - Iris Johansen [19]
Eve was running back down the hall to the hotel room.
The door was still open. The big man in the tan sport coat was lying on the floor unconscious.
She hoped he was unconscious. Jimmy was lying very still. As she drew closer, she saw his face. His jaw and left eye were already starting to swell, his nose was smashed, and his lips were cut and bloody.
John turned to face her. He didn’t have a mark on him, she realized in astonishment. “I told you to take off.”
“He’s not dead?”
“He’ll be okay.” He shrugged. “I bloodied him up a little. I don’t like guys beating up women. I thought he should see how it feels.” He took her arm and led her out the door. “It’s been a frustrating night. I thought I deserved to enjoy myself.”
“And doing that to him made you enjoy yourself?”
He glanced sidewise at her. “Are you surprised?” His smile was chilling. “Oh, yes, I enjoyed the hell out of what I did to him.”
CHAPTER
4
SANDRA WASN’T GOING TO BE able to climb the four flights of stairs at the development, Eve realized, after her mother almost fell twice on the first few steps. She moved to stand on the step beside her and put Sandra’s arm around her shoulders. “Hold on to the banister and lean on me. We can make it.”
“Sure we can,” Sandra said. “I just feel a little wobbly…”
“I’ll do it.” John was suddenly beside them, pushing Eve aside. “It will take you half the night to get up those stairs. What floor?”
“Four.”
“Go on upstairs and unlock the door.” He was picking Sandra up in his arms and starting up the stairs. “Come on, Ms. Duncan. This will be much easier for you.”
“Call me Sandra.” Sandra smiled. “Like I said, nice and polite, Eve. A real Sir Galahad, like I saw in that movie.”
“Wrong.” John smiled down at her. “But I make a good packhorse.” He was moving quickly up the stairs. “We’ll get you into your place in no time.”
Eve had the door unlocked and thrown wide by the time he reached the fourth floor. “Take her to her bedroom. It’s the door on the right.”
She went to the bathroom and got a damp washcloth and some salve.
John was looking down at Sandra lying on the bed. “I think she’s fading fast. Do you want me to help you undress her?”
“No, it won’t be the first time she’s slept in her clothes.” She turned on the lamp by the bed. “When I was younger, there was no way I could manage to help her.” She carefully bathed the cuts and bruises on Sandra’s face. “Bastard. Why would he want to hurt her like this? All he’d have to do is treat her nice, and she’d do anything he wanted.”
“He’ll think twice about doing it again.”
Yes, the beating John had given him had been brutal and merciless. She had been a little shocked at how merciless at first. She wasn’t shocked after getting a closer look at Sandra’s face. “Do you think he’ll call the police?”
“No chance. Not if he had heroin in his pocket. He’ll just cut his losses and get out of Dodge.”
“Good.” She was gently rubbing salve on Sandra’s cut lip. “I just hope he doesn’t try to look up Sandra again.”
“I’ll be around for a while. Let me know if there’s a problem.”
“I’ll handle it. She’s my mother.”
“Hurts, Eve…” Sandra was opening her eyes. “What are you doing, honey?”
“Just putting some salve on your lip. Go to sleep, Sandra.”
“I was bleeding … and there were bruises.”
“Yes, but they’ll go away.”
“I’ll be just as pretty as ever?”
Eve nodded. “In a week or so.”
“That’s good.” She was gazing drowsily up at Eve. “You have a bruise, too.” She reached up and touched the purple mark on Eve’s cheek. “Did Jimmy do that to you?”
“No, someone else. A couple days ago. I’m okay.”
“Poor Eve.” She gently patted Eve’s face. “Poor little girl. Like mother, like daughter.” Her eyes closed. “Like mother, like daughter…”
Eve stiffened as if Sandra had struck her.
She threw the salve on the nightstand and got to her feet. Her voice was shaking when she said, “She’ll be okay for the night.” She turned and strode out of the room. “Turn out her lamp.”
An instant later, the light went out, and John came out of the bedroom.
“Thank you for helping