Edge of Instinct: Rabids Book 1 (21 page)

Amiel

After six hours of sleep, Tandy and Amiel roused for a late breakfast, and then set out to find her an apartment. She wanted to find the cheapest one available in order to stretch out her funds, but Tandy insisted on the more upscale apartments. ‘Upscale’ here did not mean the same thing it would have meant to Malinda Hilden. Upscale to Malinda was sparkling clean, fabulously furnished expansive floor plans. Upscale in Dallas meant a large complex, safely gated with extensive security fences, and armed guards to keep the peace. The rooms were not too clean, or furnished, but it was safe and that was what mattered most these days. Size wise they ranged from studios, to three bedrooms. Amiel chose the least expensive, a studio sized apartment. She didn’t need anything more than that anyways.

Pleased enough with her choice, Tandy took her out to eat. It was around four, so it wasn’t quite dinner or a late lunch. The time had flown by with all of the arrangements, leaving Amiel in a dizzying state of disarray. She hadn’t even noticed just how starved she was. Tandy insisted they go to a quaint out-door café, which sat across the street from an odd little bar named the Runt Horse. Yet for some reason Tandy kept fidgeting in his seat, glancing furtively at the Runt Horse, leaving Amiel to wonder if he had preferred to eat there instead.

“Do you want to eat over there? I don’t mind eating in a bar,” she offered, pushing her chair back. Tandy jumped, banging his knee on the table, startling Amiel and the other nearby patrons.

“Ow, confound it all!” he growled, rubbing his knee with one hand, motioning her to sit with the other. “Sit yourself down, honey. This place had a real nice menu last time I came through, been lookin’ forward to it all week, really. My gaze just gets to wonderin’ when I’m thinkin’, is all.” Her brow rose at his off toned reassurance, but she sat down nonetheless. She’d done plenty of weird things on the way to Dallas so Tandy was entitled to a few weird moments himself, wasn’t he? They ordered some food off the menu, and sat drinking tea while they waited for the food to arrive. The tiny tea cup looked almost comical held in the giant paws of Biker Man.

The loud roar of a motorcycle saved her from a giggle at Tandy’s expense, drawing her attention to the street as the rider pulled up to the bar across the street. The rider wore no helmet, and large aviator glasses covered half of his features. Something about him seemed odd, until she realized he wasn’t wearing the typical plastic protection suits. She’d seen only a few people walking the streets without the suits, Amiel and Tandy among them. Tandy had made it clear that he held no love for the suits, stating they would do little good for protection, and only hamper their ability to reach their lifesaving weapons in a dangerous situation. As such it wasn’t entirely surprising that a fellow biker would also choose to steer clear of the suits. Besides, while Amiel knew nothing about this man, seeing him waltzing around in a plastic suit would have been rather comical.

She couldn’t help but admire the leather jacket that stretched across his broad back as he moved, his faded ripped jeans adding a whole ‘bad boy’ appeal to his appearance. She couldn’t tell from this distance, but she thought he was sporting a tattoo on the side of his neck, which only further shouted ‘bad boy’. He suddenly froze, head turning toward them, and Amiel gasped. She couldn’t see his eyes behind those glasses, but she could certainly feel them. The wind whipped his shaggy blond hair around the edges of his stern, stubbled jaw. His brows drew down in confusion and he took a step toward them, sending Amiel into a panic. She quickly turned her head back to Tandy, nervous that her unabashed staring had angered the biker and he was headed over to cause trouble. She turned to find Tandy’s head shaking in a subtle but obvious way, giving the biker a straight forward warning not to join them. She swallowed hard, holding the tea cup to her mouth.

“Is he coming over?” she whispered loudly. Tandy looked at her in surprise.

“Who?”

“The scary biker dude that’s about to come give me a piece of his mind for staring at him.” Tandy gaped at her a moment longer, before letting out a gut deep guffaw.

“No worries, honey. He ain’t comin’ over to bother ya none.” Amiel wasn’t entirely sure what caused the mischievous sparks in the old man’s eyes, but she had the feeling he was laughing at some internal joke. Scrunching her nose, she finished her tea and fought the urge to look toward the bar again. Though the man hadn’t come over, he hadn’t left either. She could still feel that shielded gaze on her. The food finally came out, though after Tandy’s grand bragging over the fair she found it fairly disappointing. The way Tandy’s mustache curled up on one side with a grimace, she guessed he felt the same way. Noticing her gaze, he cleared his throat and tossed the napkin on the table.

“Musta changed cooks or somethin’,” was the only explanation he gave, before paying the bill. Standing, Amiel casually glanced at the bar while pushing her chair in. She wasn’t surprised when her gaze was snagged once again by the biker, his arms barred over his chest, feet crossed nonchalantly at the ankle as he leaned against the green wall. She
was
slightly surprised by the reaction it caused in her though. The fact that this man had stared at her this entire time should have made her nervous and confused. Instead, she found herself wanting to do something impressive, or dare she say even
sexy
, to warrant his staring. Conscious of his gaze on her every move, Amiel strode to her bike and slid her leg over the seat, settling into the now familiar leather. The moment she was seated, she felt safer, more daring, a hint of rebellion stirring in her chest.

Sexy
, she reminded herself,
be sexy
.
Who am I kidding, I don’t know how to do sexy!
Releasing a steadying sigh, Amiel set her jaw and shut down the nagging voice in her head. Tossing her hair back with a shake that she hoped was appealing rather than just plain stupid, Amiel slid her helmet into place and brought her bike roaring to life. Feeling giddy with herself, she even gave the engine a little rev as she waited for Tandy. Tandy smirked at her, shaking his head. She shrugged, pretending she didn’t know what he was smirking about. Had he been able to see her reddened cheeks, there would have been no chance of denying her motives. She almost felt proud of herself as they sped away from the horrid café and the man with the unwavering stare. At least she hadn’t sent the bike flying out from under her in her efforts to put on a show.

The man was pushed to the back of her mind as they continued down their check list, the last stop bringing them to the furniture and grocery stores. They picked out a bed just big enough to fit in her apartment, and had it delivered to her place. Then they made a quick stop for groceries and supplies. With all their stuff still packed in the side bags, there was only enough room for the few essentials to hold her over until the next day when she could go out on her own; milk, cereal, soap, toilet paper, sheets, pillow, and a blanket. She smirked at the way living on the barest minimum was still giving her a feeling of accomplishment.

Tandy had also insisted on them buying a small safe box that was currently installed bolted down in the cabinets under her sink. The money in her duffle was burning more of a hole in his pocket than it was in hers. He had all but melted with relief when she’d stowed her cash and assets in the little safe and locked it away.

Amiel and Tandy were in the midst of watching the men carry in the small twin bed at her apartment, when a guy made his way towards them from down the hall. He was not much taller than Amiel, and his eyes were a dull gray. His messy black hair held a few streaks of silver, belying his ageing, yet making it difficult to give him an exact number.

“Hi neighbor.” He grinned cheekily at her, extending a hand to shake. She smiled at him somewhat hesitant. She was all about meeting people in her apartment complex, making new friends, and he
would
be considered handsome by most women’s standards she supposed. But something about his overly excited eyes made her hesitant. “I’m Darvey,” he added when she didn’t immediately reach for his hand. Feeling she could no longer politely ignore his gesture, she shook it. It was clammy, and she swore it shook with a shiver when their skin touched. His wild grin grew brighter. She decided to keep her own name to herself.

“And you’d be Amiel,” he supplied helpfully. Amiel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and immediately he looked repentant. Repentant or not, he’d yet to release her hand, and was now petting it consolingly. “Sorry, I overheard your friend saying your name while I was next door. The walls here are pretty thin.” So much for keeping her name to herself. Amiel dusted off the small ‘polite society’ smile she’d perfected over the years under her mother’s tutelage, whilst making another polite attempt at retrieving her hand.

“Um…yeah. Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I wouldn’t want to keep people up too late with my TV or anything.” That wasn’t exactly what Amiel was concerned about, but it was a more polite response than the one she’d like to have given. Now late at night she’d be wondering exactly
how
thin the walls were. Just then Tandy approached, responding to her distress if his deep frown were any indication. Yanking her hand out of Darvey’s grip, she wrapped her hand around Tandy’s arm, leaning against him. His solid presence gave her strength.

“This is Tandy. Tandy, this is my new neighbor.” She made a point of not mentioning what role Tandy played in her life, hoping that fact would give some deterrence to the man’s seeming gravity towards her. Darvey, for his part, seemed disappointed to be trading her hand for Tandy’s, but otherwise unbothered.

“My name is Darvey,” he repeated for Tandy, yet glancing her way as though trying to imprint it on her mind.

“Huh,” was all Tandy said, still frowning darkly. Darvey swallowed hard, glancing back to Amiel.

“So…uh, I notice you are just moving in,” he stuttered, and Amiel felt a twinge of pity for the guy. He obviously wasn’t very socially adept.

“Yes,” she agreed, the heavy awkwardness in the air weighing down on all of them.

“Do you need any help? I’d be more than happy to come over and help you unpack. Any time, really. I’m always here at night, but I’d gladly take a day off work to help out as well.”

“No!” She cleared her throat, putting on a smile in an effort to soften her outburst. “No, that’s really not necessary. I don’t have that much to unpack, and we have plenty of help. The work is almost done already! But thank you for your offer to help. It’s very…kind of you.” Tandy hummed again, as though he disagreed. Amiel pressed closer to him, grateful he was here for this first odd meeting with her over eager neighbor. Maybe the guy would get the hint and leave her alone from now on. She felt almost guilty for thinking it. Maybe he was just a socially awkward but good guy at the core? Either way, her instincts were usually pretty reliable when it came to a person’s character, and right now they were screaming ‘pedo van’.

“Oh…well. Alright then.” His dimmed smile renewed and he reached for her hand again, grabbing hold before she could find a way to hide it. “Remember, Darvey, right next door if you need me. Anytime, just come a knockin’. Or shout, since, you know, I’ll hear ya…” He rapped on the hallway wall with a knuckle laughing awkwardly at his own joke, earning another polite smile. Reluctantly he released her hand, and backed away to his apartment, closing the door after another enthusiastic wave. Tandy turned to her.

“Don’t like him.” She gently shushed him, glancing toward the door again.

“He said the walls here are paper thin.”

“In that case, we’re getting you a TV. Keep it on all day and night. He strikes me as the kind that’ll have his ear pressed to the wall for the slightest sounds.” She smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, locked the door behind the delivery men, and led the way out of the apartment. He glared at Darvey’s door on the way by, and for whatever reason, she was instantly reminded of the guy at the bar. Shoving the thought aside, she concentrated on the matters at hand.

When they brought her new TV to the place that she would be calling home, Amiel sighed with approval. It was nothing amazing, but it was hers and it marked the beginning of a new life. Tandy smiled softly at her, and the happy moment dulled. The day had quickly faded away and now with only an hour left before night fall, it meant Tandy would be leaving her. Over the last week, she’d grown quickly attached to this giant man. He was like the uncle she always wished for. Seeing her eyes mist, Tandy cleared his throat.

“Ah now, honey, don’t cry.” His own voice sounded strained, and before she could stop herself she threw her arms around his waist.

“Thank you so much, Tandy, for everything.” No more words would come, only silent tears. He gave her a quick squeeze before setting her back.

“Ain’t no good at goodbyes.” He smiled softly down at her, awkwardly wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Y’all are an angel.” He placed a gentle kiss on her head, before heading for the door. Stopping just inside it, he turned back to her. “Remember your survival 101’s. Especially ‘round that one.” He shoved a thumb toward the wall separating her and Darvey’s apartments.

“Never leave without a weapon, my jacket, or common sense. Oh, and leave the TV on at all hours.” He smiled proudly, nodding.

“Call me if y’all need anythin’, or just to let me know how you’re doin’.”