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“I can’t just leave you here,” he said. “Let me give you a ride. I have a car righthere.”
He gestured to a black car with tinted windows idling by the curb, a driver in a coat and cap standing near the driver’s side door, seemingly impervious to the badweather.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m going to get thesubway.”
“The subways will be a mess in this,” he said. “Please, Iinsist.”
“I’m going to Brooklyn,” she blurted, hoping it would be the same kind of deterrent for Mystery Man that it was forKaren.
“Brooklyn’s fine,” hesaid.
She shook her head. “I… I really can’t, but thankyou.”
He kept ahold of her arm and propelled her toward the car. “The subway station then. Please, I can’t possibly take no for an answer. My good breeding simply won’t allowit.”
She had to glance at his face to see that he was kidding, poking fun at his obviouswealth.
“All right,” she said. “The subwaystation.”
It was only a block away, and accepting the ride was less humiliating than standing in the street, arguing against it like some kind of blushingingenue.
The man had a car, and right now, she neededone.
The driver opened the door and Mystery Man held her arm as she slid into the backseat. He got in next to her and closed the door, and she immediately exhaled herrelief.
The driver got behind the wheel and pulled out into traffic, and the man next to her angled his body towardher.
“You’re sure you won’t let us take you across theriver?”
She smiled. “I’msure.”
He nodded and held out his hand. “JackMorgan.”
“Nina.” Her mascara was probably smeared, her hair likely hanging in lank pieces around her wet face. She laughed. “I must be amess.”
To her surprise, he reached out and tucked a piece of wet hair behind her ear, his eyes locked on herface.
“You’relovely.”
The car stopped and she tore her eyes away from Jack’s gaze to look through the window beyond his shoulder. The subway station was there, blurry through the moisture tracking down theglass.
She fumbled in her bag for her MetroCard, as much to be prepared as to give her somewhere else to look — anywhere but into the eyes of this man whose power she felt like a lightning storm charging theair.
“Thank you,” she said, avoiding his eyes. "I really appreciate yourhelp.”
The door opened before she reached the handle and the driver held out his hand to help her out of thecar.
“Safe travels,” Jack said before the doorclosed.
Was it her imagination that his voice waswistful?
The driver helped her to the curb, and a moment later her thoughts were swallowed by the cold, her attention back on finding her wayhome.
