The Autumn Prince

16. Strange Power

We had little time for discussion but managed to come up with a story close to the truth that we could share without contradicting each other. I wasn't afraid of Rachel—I mean I was a little, but she wasn't psychotic and she could be reasoned with. The problem was, as Katherine had said, I did look suspicious from her point of view, and we had to convince her otherwise before my chemistry started affecting her.

That might seem like a simple solution, just touch her until she went pie-eyed, then take her home, but then she'd crash. When the same happened to Katherine she rebounded into depression and anger. Rachel's suspicions would come back harder reinforced by more evidence and a bad mood.

When Rachel rang the intercom demanding to be let inside, Katherine answered immediately and tried for a minute or two to dissuade her from embarrassing everyone, calling her a few choice names in the process. Neither of us had believed it would work, and rather than let her continue to draw attention to herself on our doorstep, Katherine buzzed her up. She was hammering on my door seconds later.

"Abre la puta puerta!" Rachel shouted from the hall and Katherine and I shared a look of concern. Rachel used Spanish as a warning shot, when she wanted to remind you that she was Latina, and that the threshold and audacity of her temper was at least as fearsome as the stereotype. "You hear me?" she called again. "Open it!"

Taking a deep breath, Katherine stepped forward and unlocked the door while I sat on the couch, hands where Rachel could see them and nothing more threatening than the remote control within reach. It seemed futile and petty, but Katherine had assured me that body language was important.

"You're a serious pain in my ass, do you know that?" Katherine said in greeting, "I told you I'm fine."

"Where's Tom?" Rachel glared past her into the room, catching my eye before she finished speaking. She wore jeans and a black tee with a black purse over her shoulder. I'd never seen her with a purse before. She stormed across the room and stopped short when Katherine grabbed at her arm. She shook her off, almost violently, and that set something growling deep in my chest.

"The fuck you do to Gloria, Tom? Why are you keeping Kath here?" She shouted with her arms as much as her voice, and her dark eyes were full of venom.

"I didn't do anything to anyone, Rach, you know that, or you should." I put my hands up in surrender, showing my palms as instructed.

"Yeah, I thought I did." Her reproach lashed out like a fist, and Katherine glared from behind her.

"I've been with him for two days, do I look sick or drugged to you?"

Rachel glanced around, "What are you wearing? Did he make you put that on?"

Katherine looked at herself then back to her friend, lips curled up in a sneer, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?

"Your tits are jumping around like donkeys under that shirt, you don't dress like that."

"What?" Katherine looked down again, supremely offended. "They are not!" She stomped her foot in outrage and the effort did nothing to argue her case. "Who are you to tell me what I can wear? Do you even own a bra?"

Rachel stiffened and turned to face Katherine lifting her shirt with one hand revealing part of a black brassiere before pulling it back down. "This isn't you," she accused. "You spend the night on my bed stoned off your ass after being with this shithead. I didn't add it up until now, but I was out of it all afternoon the last time I saw him. Right now Gloria is crashing like she was roofied hard and Kennedy is freaked out," she jabbed her finger back toward me, "and I want to know what the fuck is going on!"

"Nothing, Rach," I said as calmly as I could. Rachel was on full offense, and I'd seen some of what she was capable of. Calm didn't help. She whirled on me.