The Sword and the Scythe

Chapter 30: Simple As This

"Hey, hey, it'll be alright." The man paused and let out a hesitant sigh. "My name is Leroy. I can't help you figure out why you came out here or how to find a job, but maybe I can give you a place to stay."

She looked up for the first time into his eyes, trying to decide if she could trust him. The most attractive man she'd ever seen looked back at her with beautiful ocean-blue eyes she trusted without knowing why. A sudden sense of relief washed over her when she looked at him, the sun catching his black hair just right, bathing him in a golden light. His handsome, roguish smile reached up into his eyes, but she sensed pain there. It was comforting for some reason—it made her feel like he could understand what she'd been through. The restless electricity dissipated, and she took a deep breath, feeling calmer than she could ever remember feeling.

"Thank you, Leroy."

"No problem. Can you tell me your name?"

"Um..." She thought back to her dad. What was it that he'd wanted to name her instead of Holly? "Charlotte. Charlotte..." she trailed off, looking around and trying to come up with a last name. Out of the comic store next to the bar came a chubby guy wearing a brightly colored superhero shirt. "Evans. Charlotte Evans."

"Right, then, Charlotte Evans. I have to finish my band practice but after it's over, I'd be happy to show you to my spare room. In the meantime, I'll have the kitchen get you something to eat."

He stood up, taking one last drag on his cigarette before putting it out in the gutter. He stretched his hand out to help her up. She took it, comforted by the warmth of his touch. Her father would have been mortified at how fast she'd disregarded the stranger danger warning. Maybe she should have been alarmed by Leroy's appearance—the black eyeliner and messy hair, not to mention the leather and the tattoos. But something about his easy demeanor and devilish smile put her at ease—trusting him was instinctual.

She followed him into the bar. He walked over to a booth in the back. "What'll you have to eat?"

"Can they make me a burger?" he nodded and went back into the kitchen, soon coming out with a juicy burger and a huge side of fries. She dug into it, squirting ketchup onto her plate with one hand as she ate a few fries with the other.

"I've gotta go play. Will you be alright here for a couple of hours?"

She nodded and gave him a thumbs up, dunking one of her fries into the ketchup.

Leroy and his band started off the rest of their practice with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song." Over the next two hours, Charlotte was enthralled by Leroy and his band. His voice was smooth, but sexy and electric—sending goosebumps out across her arms. Even though she was in the back of the bar, the rest of the large room faded away and she watched him in a kind of trance.

When they'd finished, and he packed up, he walked back over to the booth before following her out to her car. He put the guitars in the back before crawling into the passenger seat. She wondered how he'd gotten here if he hadn't driven.

"Your band is really good," she said, surprised at how at ease she felt around this man she'd known little more than two hours.

"Thanks," he paused, looking out the window before looking back at her. His blue eyes seemed to see right through her, but strangely, it didn't leave her feeling uncomfortable.

She followed his directions and it only took them a few minutes to get from the bar to his house, a two-story, lopsided-but-cute beach house right on the sand. He pulled a small remote from his jacket pocket and hit the button to open the two-car garage so that she could pull the car inside. She got out, making sure not to ding the black BMW parked next to her.