The Call 2

Odessa almost dropped the phone as the man was speaking. She knew who was calling now. This was Miles Devereaux the man who had saved her sister that night three years ago. She had hunted his identity the moment they left the hospital room and had been keeping track of him for almost a year waiting for him to call in the favor. But when his career had taken off and he hadn't made contact of over a year she let the matter rest deciding he had probably thrown away her card long ago.

"I remember." She told him her tone easing at the thankfulness she had felt for the strangers help. "I promised you if ever you needed me I'd help you. Care to tell me what exactly you need Miles Devereaux?"

When he spoke he sounded almost surprised that she had remembered and was still willing to help. It had been awhile since she had checked up on Miles and wondered what might have happened in the young musicians life that he had finally felt he had no choice but to call in a favor with some unknown stranger. "I...you haven't seen the news today?" He asked hesitantly.

"No, I've been busy doing some on location training and it's a rather isolated location. I haven't seen a television in over a week and I haven't checked the newspapers in a few days as well." She told him keeping some details of where she was along with who she was a secret.

"Oh, well I...my life's falling apart and...I don't...I don't...think I can talk about it.." he said in an almost whisper. It sounded like he was on the edge of falling into true despair and her heart jolted.

"Then don't. Tell me where you are. I will come to you and I can check the news as I travel. I told you, whatever help you need I will provide." She stood quickly setting aside the papers she had been finishing up. In her mind she was already preparing to leave the Compound. Who she would have to inform,

And which instructor she could call to take over the morning training for her. The guards at the gate would be surprised she was leaving but they had no reason to stop her. And her family when they heard? Well she would deal with it later.

He told her his location in a barely there whisper. As she talked to him and reassured him that she was leaving soon, she returned to her room to collect her car keys and paused. She went to the trunk at the foot of her bed. There she took out a carefully wrapped black leather jacket. The same one he had draped over her sister all those years ago. It had been difficult to clean it, but worth it. She slipped it over her own shoulders practically swimming in the man's jacket but she hopped he recognized it and saw how sincere her offer of help was.

As she started to leave her resident in the main officer quarters she noticed a few stares as she made her way towards the parking lot. She told Miles she should expect her in about forty minutes. It would normally take that long just to get in town, but even though her car looked like a normal car it had been built for high speed chases. She'd take the main road about twice the speed of other travelers. She didn't worry about police since even if stopped she could easily talk herself out of a ticket.

While in the car she used her hands free to look up exactly what was happening with the pop star. When she heard the news her jaw clenched and she gripped the steering wheel even harder her knuckles going white. She wouldn't let that person destroy another life.

***

Miles let out a few deep breathes of relief when the woman hung up the phone. He wasn't sure what he had expected but he hadn't expected her to drop everything she was doing and come straight to him. It was then he realized that he didn't even know who he had called. His benefactor was almost completely unknown. What he knew was that she had seemed rather dangerous and had been surrounded by bodyguards. That and she had a very clam and reassuring albeit a little Cold tone to her voice. He could have just gotten involved with some kind of underground mob family. But that short jolt of terror was short lived and he found even if that was the case the feeling of hope her assurance had brought still won out. To have someone willing to help him out of this situation almost made him shake with relief.

While he waited he decided to clean up the broken glass. However with the amount of alcohol he had had since the morning on top of a near empty stomach he was finding these simple tasks of sweeping and wiping down the walls difficult . He had thought that He had gotten all the shards cleaned up but as he was putting away the broom he discovered that at some point a shard had lodged itself into his palm and a small trickle of blood was dripping from his palm down his forearm.

Before he could do anything more then stare at it, his intercom buzzed as the front desk staff was letting him know he had a visitor. He pushed the button and told them to let her up. He went towards the door and when she knocked he ripped the door open to look her in the eye for the first time in three years.

Her long auburn hair was wet and drew his eyes first since it draped down her back almost to her waist. Her skin was as white as he remembered and her nose and cheeks kissed with light freckles. Again she was wearing all black from her slacks to her well fitted tee shirt and even her jacket. Wait! He thought looking at her in surprise. That leather jacket was his. It was the one from three years ago. He remembered that jacket because it had been the first thing he had bought after their first paying job as a band. He looked at her green eyes that seemed to be surveying him with a level almost intimidating look. Unlike the raw fury he had seen all that time ago there was only a glint of danger present today.

"You came." He said with a smile. His shoulders seeming to drop as if a large load had been removed from his shoulders just at the sight of her.