"Tina Wainscott - Dreams of You [rtf]" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wainscott Tina)

"Want some hashish, pretty lady?" the man called to her as she approached.
Nikki wasn't worried about Adrian's seeing her going to the laundromat to retrieve her laundry, if it hadn't been stolen already. But her next stop was her van, parked in an alley nearby. She had to get Crackers, and she couldn't let anybody see her get into that van.
As she passed the drug dealer, she whispered, УAsk that man back there. He was looking for some." That should hold him up for a minute or two.

Chapter 4

Love, to me, is like touching the stars.
When Adrian saw the sleazy man speak to Nikki, his protective instinct urged him to rush up and guard her against the filth. His common sense stopped him as his muscles tensed for action. After all, she had lived there for however long, and seemed capable of taking care of herself. She actually looked more concerned about him, evidenced by her worried glances backward. Sure, he wanted to know where she slept at night, just to make sure it was someplace safe. But right now his concern was getting to his car before she saw him anywhere near it. His plan was to take off just as she disappeared around the corner before crossing the empty lot. Then he would drive in the opposite direction, this time keeping a careful lookout for dogs.
The man ambled up slowly, purposely intersecting Adrian's path on the cracked sidewalk. Adrian glanced at the storefronts to his right, considering walking into a store before reaching trouble. The entire strip was vacated, the only sign of life being the piles of newspapers the homeless used when they slept in the alcoves at night. Rearing up to his full height of six foot two, much taller than the man, he charged ahead.
"You want hashish," the man stated. "I got the best, the purest. Come 'round back with me."
The man was now right up on Adrian, close enough for his week-old sweat to taint the air. He started to touch Adrian's arm, as if to escort him around back of the building he'd indicated with a nod of his head.
Adrian lifted his arm, giving the man a look that instantly made him back away. "Don't touch me. I'm not interested."
He raised his arms. "Sorry, man. The girl said you wanted something."
Adrian glanced up at Nikki, who was now reaching the alley where his car was parked. He nodded in her direction.
"Uh- huh. You a cop or something?" The man backed further away, tensed to run.
Adrian was too baffled to care. He looked at Nikki again, who was staring into the alleyway, her posture stiff. She'd seen his car, no doubt. But why had she even bothered to look, especially if she was telling drug dealers he was interested so she could get away from him? Glancing back at him, she started, then continued across the street.
It bothered Adrian that she was that afraid of him. What had he done to produce that kind of distrust? The second she rounded the corner, he shot into action, turning down the alley and jumping into his car. The van was still parked there, but he scarcely took note except to assure himself he hadn't blocked it in.
He quickly combed his hair into a ponytail and slipped on his sunglasses before pulling out. Instead of staying on the main street, he went a block west, into a lower-class neighborhood, and then south. Most of the houses in the area were tiny, smaller than his studio back home. The bars on the windows and patched wooden fences attested to the safety of the area. It was with great relief that he drove over the bridge leading to prestigious Palm Beach a few minutes later. Freshly painted plazas were filled with shops and people carrying designer shopping bags.
This is crazy, Wilde. She obviously doesn't want you around, it's a god-awful place to be. Go home. Forget about her.
But as he drove down the street of perfectly trimmed hedges and swaying palm trees, he muttered, "I wish I could." The decision was already beyond his control.
The bells tinkled softly as Nikki slipped into the Garcia Gallery later that day. Ulyssis was intently studying something on the counter, but looked up and smiled when he saw her.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Nicolina. You didn't spend all that money already, did you?"
"No, I justЕ I don't know, I'm just restless, I guess."
She walked over to inspect the new collection of photographs by the mysterious Nicolina. Ulyssis had framed them beautifully, as always, using an understated gray with white matting. They always sold for reasonable prices, and Ulyssis only deducted the cost of the frame. That was something she insisted on, otherwise he would have given her all the money. And she always took Ceil out to dinner at the Seashell Diner with the first of her profits, sort of a tithe. But Ceil hadn't been around lately.
"They came out nice, yes?"
"Yes." She turned to him. "Has that man been back? The one who bought the last collection."
"No, no sign of him. It was probably nothing more than my suspicions, as you said."
"I have a pet," she said, wanting to change the subject. "A puppy. Crackers."
He raised a thin, dark eyebrow. "How can you keep a pet in your van? Especially a dog."
"A big dog, or he will be. But I'm not keeping him, just nursing him back to health.", She told him about the accident. "A man helped me. He came to our rescue, carrying Crackers all the way to the animal hospital."
Ulyssis eyed her strangely. "A man?"
"Yes, a man. He's very nice, and I could tell he cared about the puppy's welfare. Don't worry, I didn't let him carry Crackers to my van. We took him to the shelter until I could get back to pick him up.''
"Who is this man?"
"His name is Adrian Nash. He came from New Jersey for a job his friend had told him about, but they were both gone when he got hereЕI guess he sleeps at the shelter."
"Why are you smiling like that? I've haven't seen you smile that way in a long, long time."
Nikki tried to wipe any expression from her face, not even realizing she had been smiling. "It's not like that, Ulyssis. Yes, he's handsome. I guess I haven't seen a man like that in a long, long time. He'll be gone soon, I'm sure."
"Be careful, Nicolina."
"It would be ridiculous to get involved with anyone in my situation!" She gestured emphatically with her arms, then dropped them to her sides. "Even if I could forget I'm being hunted, that I live in a van. He has no home, no job. We'd go nowhere."
УWhat does this man look like?''
"He's very tall, with dark, curlyish hair to his shoulders and brown eyes." Nikki realized then that she was smiling and stopped immediately. Ridiculous, she repeated in her mind. Dangerous. УAre you thinking of A. Wilde?''
"You know exactly what I'm thinking. He was tall, though his hair was straight and shorter I believe."
"Did he have a beard?"
"No, but a man can grow a beard if he needs to." Ulyssis rubbed his own long chin. ''Well, some men can. Where did he say he was from?"
"New Jersey, not New York." She also realized then that she didn't want Adrian to be after her. Not anyone, but especially not him.
"They're close, Nicolina. Very close."
"Let's call the number on the card again and ask for Adrian Wilde." She pulled the card out of her pocket and recited the number while Ulyssis dialed.
"May 1 speak with Adrian Wilde, please?" he said, then nodded solemnly. "I see. And do you know where he is? Okay. Thank you."
Nikki's heart dropped as Ulyssis hung up the phone. "Same name?"
"Yes."
"Maybe it's still a coincidence."