The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (44 page)

His smile was bright and almost took her breath away, ‘deal.’

As they walked on Hennessey watched her studying the things she saw and taking photos and recalled what she had said. She certainly took exception to people being judged, unfairly or otherwise. Or was it just Lando she got uppity about? Maybe he had been right before and that she had a soft spot for him. A romantic spot? But the way she had spoken caused him to believe that she had a deep and abiding dislike of rumour and gossip for personal reasons. Interesting.

He had been out to the woods very early that morning and studied them in detail. He had chosen a spot deep in the woods where he would make his move. His car was waiting to take them to the designated place he had chosen for the “interrogation.” It would take him 30 minutes, maybe less, to get there.

She chatted and asked him questions about the woods he had mentioned near where he had been raised. He answered, this time quite honestly. After all she thought he was from Hattiesburg and he had been there so describing the area was not difficult it just wasn’t where he had lived.

Some very bright orange flowers caught her eye and she ran on ahead of him. But suddenly froze completely still before she reached them. He wondered what had made her stop dead like that and was about to call out and ask what was wrong when he saw it. A panther, not ten yards from her and it had her in its sights.

His voice very low he said, ‘don’t move, whatever you do don’t move, he’s much faster than you, you’ll never outrun him.’

She didn’t answer but did as he said and stayed perfectly still, she had no other choice, she couldn’t have moved if she’d tried. She was so still she thought that even her heart had stopped beating. The animal came towards her slowly in a crouch as though ready to pounce like a cat on a mouse, only Adela was no mouse and he was no little pussycat. He was now only a yard from her. She stood like a statue her eyes tightly closed and waited for him to take a leap, bear her to the ground and rip out her throat. She sensed it getting closer until she felt its hot breath on her hand as it sniffed at her, maybe wondering what part of her looked best to eat first.

Just as she thought this was it, this was how she was going to die, there was an incredibly loud noise, so loud it deafened Adela. The she almost jumped out of her skin as something touched her arm. She felt a scream rising in her throat, her mouth opened but the scream never materialised because a gentle voice said, ‘are you all right?’

She opened her eyes to see Hennessey standing directly in front of her his eyes full of concern. She didn’t answer because she couldn’t; she was incapable of movement or sound.

He moved closer just as her legs gave way and she fell against a tree. She put a hand on the trunk to steady herself. He slipped an arm around her waist and lowered her gently to the ground saying, ‘just relax, you’re all right now. He’s gone, he won’t be back.’

She raised her eyes to his and he saw the shock and fear there and her face was white as snow. He said, ‘you’re in shock, just breathe slowly and steadily.’

She continued to look at him then swallowed very hard and her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to get out, ‘d...did…did you ssssee that?’

He nodded, ‘couldn’t really miss it.’

‘He…he waaas mag…magnificent.’

‘Magnificent?’ He sounded incredulous.

‘Yes. He…he was so cl…close, I felt his whi…whiskers on my f…f…fingers.’

She knew she was stammering like an idiot, but she had to get the words out, to explain how she felt, terrified yes, but oh so exhilarated.

He reached into his backpack, found his water bottle, opened it and handed it to her saying, 'here have some of this.’

She took the bottle from him with a hand that shook, she took a swallow then turned to him, her face was still very pale but her eyes were bright and her face glowing. She said, ‘did you see, did you see how close he was.’

There was amusement in his voice as he said, ‘yes, I saw.’

Then suddenly she turned to him her expression anxious, ‘you didn’t…you didn’t hurt him did you?’

‘No, I just wanted to scare him, I fired into the air.’ He hoped she would not ask him about the gun. She didn’t.

The anxious expression was replaced by a smile so bright it put the sun to shame, she said, ‘oh gosh, oh good gosh, no one will ever believe I came so close to that beautiful creature. It was wonderful. D you know it's extremely rare to see a panther and to see one up close like that, how lucky can a person get.

Not much amazed Hennessey; he had seen just about everything, he’d done just about everything, but this woman’s reaction to what had just happened left him reeling. Anyone else, man or woman, who had come that close to such a dangerous creature would have fainted dead away, or at least screamed and cried. But not only had she not done any of those things, she had not panicked and had done the right thing by not running at the first sight of the panther and had stayed perfectly still. Then instead of getting all emotional at the close escape she had called the creature magnificent and the experience wonderful. Her almost childlike wonder in everything she saw something to him, something he didn't like one bit.

He said, ‘we should head back now, you’ve had a huge shock and need to rest. Can you stand?’

She nodded
, ‘I’m all right, I don’t need to rest. I’d like to carry on with our walk.’

Again he was staggered by her response; anyone else would be much too afraid to carry on in case they met another panther, or some other wild and dangerous animal. It would probably put most people off ever going into the woods again. He said, ‘are you sure?’

‘Yes I’m sure.’

He put his arm around her again and helped her to her feet; she staggered slightly, still obviously a little woozy from the shock. He gripped her tighter and she rallied and turned to him, she held his eyes for a moment before saying very softly, ‘thank you, thank you
very
much, Mr Hennessey.’

‘If you’re really grateful to me, perhaps you could call me Sterling as opposed to Mr.
Hennessey, it sounds so formal as though we’re not friends.’ He took a step towards her and leaned down so that their faces were only inches apart, ‘and we
are
friends aren’t we?’

She continued
to look into his eyes, ‘I…I like to think so of course.’

‘So no more Mr. Hennessey then.’ It was a statement not a question this time and
she nodded in agreement, ‘thank you,
Sterling
, for saving my life.’

He could not help but flinch at the irony of that, he had had not choice but to save her he wasn’t about to let a damn panther rob him of five million bucks. At least that was the reason he gave himself right then. He said, ‘you’re very welcome.’

They smiled at each other then she suddenly seemed to realise that they were standing very close and stepped back. He smiled inwardly and said, ‘according to the map there’s a small town about a mile this way,’ he pointed west, ‘you really need some tea, heavy on the sugar, and we should get some lunch too.’

She agreed and with the support of his arm around her waist they continued their walk.

Hennessey hoped that she had not noticed that he had not reciprocated and called her by her first name when he had told her to call him Sterling. He wanted and needed her trust he on the other hand did not want to get to intimate with her, not emotionally anyway, sexual intimacy was completely different, to him at least.

His eyes turned to the north where he had left his car; they were walking further away from it. Without really realising it, he had abandoned his plan for her abduction today. He did not want to analyse why, it would have been so easy while she was still in shock, less able to put up a fight. Not that she would have been able to put up much of one with what he had had in mind but still. But something in her face, in her eyes, when she had looked at him. The shock and fear at what had happened; the amazement and awe at being so close to a wild creature caused him to hesitate.

But it was the way she had looked at him afterwards, the gratitude he had seen in her eyes that had swayed him. He had let it affect him and he was angry with himself yet at the same time relieved that he didn’t have to do what he had intended to do. In that moment when she had looked into his eyes as she had thanked him and called him Sterling he had decided, or rather it had been decided for him, that he would revert back to the original plan and get her to trust him, and now he had a huge advantage, he had saved her life. Now she would feel as though she owed him. She would trust him and maybe, just maybe, she would tell him what he wanted to know about Desi. He smiled to himself, he was grateful to the panther for giving him this opportunity.

As for Adela she was still reeling from what had happened, she had felt sick to her stomach when the animal had approached her and yet there was something quite wonderful in having that beautiful creature so close to her, sniffling at her hand. Never as long as she lived would she forget that, and never as long as she lived would she forget that Sterling Hennessey had saved her from been eaten alive, because of him she would live to tell the tale. He had been so solicitous of her; she had seen the concern in his eyes and heard it in the soft tones of his voice.

Before they knew it they were in a small town, so small it wasn’t even on the map, at least not the map he had, but not too small that it didn’t have a diner. The interior was cool and inviting, he ordered tea for her and they both ordered a steak sandwich with salad. The experience with the cat must have given Adela an appetite because she devoured her sandwich before Hennessey had eaten half of his. She also drank three cups of tea one after the other.

When she had finished her sandwich she looked up and caught Hennessey’s eyes on her, they were filled with amusement. She looked down at his sandwich then at her empty plate and lowered her eyes embarrassed. He laughed and said, ‘you should get spooked by a big cat more often, it seems to give you an appetite.’

‘I
have
an appetite, a very healthy one.’

‘Really?’ He could not prevent his eyes from travelling up and down her body, a least the part he could see above the table. Her face was pink as she said, ‘you think like most people that I’m too thin, that I could do with putting on some weight, but only of course in all the requisite places.’

He was taken aback by her bluntness, ‘I would never presume to tell a lady she was either too thin
or
too fat.’

‘That’s what you think though, that I’m too thin, a stick, with no figure to speak of.’

‘Well, maybe, but you’re not a stick by any means, and you certainly have curves in all the
requisite
places.’

Her face went from pink to red and he laughed then was suddenly serious, ‘you know, you shouldn’t let what some people tell you affect the way you think or how you conduct yourself. Some people are deliberately cruel because they’re jealous, like the person who told you you’re too thin. Your mother for instance was perhaps jealous of your singing voice, and why shouldn’t she have been, it’s beautiful.’

Adela was startled. She had told Hennessey that her mother didn’t like her singing but she had said it in a joking way, but it seemed he had picked up on her resentment and her hurt over it. And she knew that he was telling her that he knew it was her mother who had called her a stick and that he understood her feelings.

She said, ‘when you’re told something often enough it starts to take on a ring of truth and it’s hard not to believe it, even though in your heart you want to believe it’s not true.’

He leaned forward and said gently, ‘tell me about your mother and about your life in that house she gave to your brothers. Tell me about them and your friends, and about your job and your hobbies, what you do for pleasure.’

She stared into his eyes obviously considering his request, or rather his demand. She opened her mouth but he held up his hand, ‘but not here, have dinner with me tonight. And I’m not talking pub grub either. I mean in a posh restaurant with flowers and candles on the table and waiters with trays held alof
t.’

Her mouth remained open as he spoke but then it closed but opened again as she said softly, ‘I’d love too have dinner with you, Mr…Sterling.’

He grinned, ‘its just Sterling, no Mister.’

She laughed gaily, and that’s how she felt, gay and light hearted. He said, ‘tell me something, why did you opt for the bar the other night when I asked you to dinner?’

She looked a little shamefaced as she admitted, ‘I always wanted to go into a real American bar, but of course never dared to do so on my own, I thought it would be my only opportunity.’

‘I see, well I’m glad to have been of use.’

She was embarrassed, ‘oh no, please don’t think that, I didn’t mean…’ She broke off as the grin spread across his face and she gave him an exasperated look.

He said, ‘you could have asked that jerk Maxwell to take you.’

She leaned back in astonishment, ‘good gosh no, that would have looked, well, all wrong, as though I was asking him out.’

‘Ah yes, you’re an old fashioned English girl.’

‘Well, one, I’m not a girl anymore, and two, I don’t think it’s old fashioned not to want to lead someone on. But I
am
English, so one out of three ain’t bad.’