Innocence Read Online Free PDF Page A

against his suit jacket. “I don’t want you scared,” he whispered, his lips right near her face, “Don’t think you aren’t safe. Nobody, I mean nobody,” she felt him tense up, angry, “touches my girl.”
    They sat in silence for a time after this, and as the clock ticked the tension left his body. Cora could feel his breathing soften. She held herself very still, like a moth trapped against a lamp; feeling the danger, unable to break away. “You’ll be okay,” she heard him murmur, “I won’t let you out of my sight.”
    Looking back, she didn’t know why it happened, but suddenly she saw the gleam of the black car, the shaved head of Sharo. “You already don’t,” she said sleepily, lulled by the rise and fall of the chest underneath her. Eyes almost closed, she was drifting when a sharp word pulled her awake.
    “What?” His voice mixed with the doorbell; she pulled away.
    “It’s okay,” Marcus said, his hands steadying her, “it’s only Sharo.” He mistook her anxiety and she let him, body still taut and held away from him, even though she was still so close her hair spilled over his suit. “Cora,” he repeated, and she relaxed. He seemed to have forgotten her foolish, whispered words, or dismissed them as naïve.
    And this shocked her more than the fact he was having her followed. As he went to answer the door, her eyes followed, her heart pounding with something like anger. He thought she was clueless! He didn’t think she knew.
    Moving to one corner of the couch and tucking her legs under her, she listened hard. Voices in the foyer—Marcus and another, no, two other men. Sharo? Or the other two, the ones who had been so conveniently close to her apartment? Why was he watching her?
    “You okay?” Ubeli asked when he returned with a paper sack of food. Cora smiled and nodded, but it was a different girl Marcus found waiting for him on that couch. They set out the food, and before they tucked in, he asked again, “You sure you’re okay?”
    “Yes,” the answer was shaky, but sure. And the eyes she turned on him saw differently, now. Marcus didn’t notice.
    “I told you, babe,” he said, “I’m going to take care of you.”
    *
    “I’d like to try to visit my aunt,” Cora said.
    “I thought she’d moved.” Marcus was preoccupied, looking out at the cars they were creeping past. They were on their way to another night out, this time at Marcus’ new place of business, a nightclub and concert hall.             
    “She did,” Cora took a deep breath, “but I’d like to find her. It’s not like her to just disappear. She practically raised me when I was younger, before my mom took me out to the Midwest.”
    “Nowheresville. I thought you were a country girl, through and through.”
    “Not quite,” she found it in herself to smile. Marcus liked to tease her about this. “I was born near the city, in sight of the high rises.”
    “Well, well,” this was enough to turn his head away from the passing traffic. He looked her up and down, “You’re a city girl, turns out.”
    “Guess so.”
    “Too bad,” he looked back out at traffic, but his hand was busy around her neck, “I kinda like pig tails.”
    “And overalls,” she reminded him.
    “Oh yeah, overalls.” He let out a whistle. “Sexy.”
    They were still laughing, Cora’s aunt forgotten, when Sharo pulled up to the club’s entrance. Marcus was nearest the door, so Cora didn’t see what was happening when her boyfriend stopped short, half way out of the car, and started swearing at someone outside of it.
    “Mr. Ubeli, Mr. Ubeli,” she heard someone shouting, and then the world turned white. Stunned and half blinded, she sat back, hearing the combined voices of both Sharo and Marcus rising over the hubbub, but unable to catch what was being said. It wasn’t until Marcus was back in the seat, the door slamming beside him, that she saw what had caused the fuss.
    “Unbelievable,” Marcus said,