Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

involved with. We should follow his lead and stay out of it.”
    “But that’s crazy.”
    “The twenty-first century doesn’t have a monopoly on corruption,” he said. “Remember where we are. When we are. Prohibition, gangsters. This isn’t a romantic period; it’s a dangerous one.”
    She started to argue, but stopped. He was right. It was frustrating as hell, but he was right. Suddenly, she felt very tired.
    “It’s been a long day,” he said, his expression softening. “Let’s go back to the flat.”
    She nodded and they started back to the apartment.
    * * *
    Their room was stifling even at nearly midnight. Clouds hung over the city keeping the air thick and still. Without a breeze, their little apartment housed the heat like an unwanted relative who comes to visit and simply won’t leave.
    Simon took his place in the chair by the window while Elizabeth brushed her teeth and had a bath. He was happy for the respite. Not that she was bad company. Far from it, she was managing their predicament better than he was. He’d never considered having to provide for someone, and it seemed his first foray was a titanic failure. Where she’d met the day with unflagging enthusiasm, insisting the answer lay just around the next corner, he’d been dour and judgmental.
    The people were coarse and uneducated. The streets were crowded and dirty. The only thing that lay around the next corner was another problem. He shifted in his chair and tried to relax. He hadn’t slept well the night before, but at least the nightmares hadn’t come. Perhaps the danger to Elizabeth existed in the future and not here in the past. As tempting as that notion was, he refused to accept it. Their little night adventure was proof enough of that. He felt certain she was threatened. Not knowing how or when was the rub.
    They agreed to try their best to put the incident out of their minds. Their best wasn’t good enough, not for Simon. What took place in the alley was a reminder of what he’d feared since they first set foot here. He’d been a fool to let his guard down, even for a moment. And her reaction. Good Lord. She’d practically run headfirst into the mess. Where angels fear to tread indeed.
    Even though the day had been exhausting, he found he couldn’t quite sit still. He stood and looked out the window at the dark street below. The lamps glowed, but left only faded pools of light on the pavement. The fire escape was less than comforting. It was spindly thin and looked ready to give way under the slightest weight.
    “Oh, that felt good,” Elizabeth said as she emerged from the bath.
    She was wearing the pajama top. The shirt was long enough to fall mid-thigh. With the sleeves rolled up, she looked like she was wearing one of his oxford shirts. An image lifted from his dreams. Thick, damp tendrils of hair clung to her cheeks and curled about her shoulders. Her skin, pink from the heat of the bath, still glistened with droplets of water.
    The situation was difficult enough without her walking around the apartment looking like sex personified. She clearly had no idea of the effect she had on him. Her unassuming sensuality only drove him that much closer to madness.
    “A nice warm soak. Can’t recommend it enough,” she said.
    Or a cold one, he thought grimly.
    “Good idea,” Simon said and hurried into the bath. He closed the door and let out a long breath. The room smelled of the shampoo she’d used. He knew that scent would drift over to him in the night and carry him off to dream of things that shouldn’t be. He twisted the taps and concentrated on the rush of cold water. At least that would solve his body’s reaction; if there were only something for his heart.
    He really had to stop thinking like this. He wasn’t the sort of man to ogle a woman. He’d never been one to daydream. Now, his mind was in a constant state of drift; thoughts of Elizabeth always under the surface.
    Bath finished, he pulled on the pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, took a deep breath, and stepped back into the bedroom. It was empty. “Elizabeth?”
    His heart began to race as he searched the room. “Elizabeth!”
    “Out here,” she said and poked her head in through the window.
    Simon closed his eyes for a brief moment and collected himself. “What in God’s name are you doing out there?”
    “It’s much cooler. Come on out, there’s room.”
    “Come back inside,” he said.
    “You don’t know what you’re