Chapter 3

“Where are you parked?” Ace asked.

“See that little red car?” Onyx pointed.

“The one with water halfway up the doors?” I asked.

“I only had three payments left,” Jae sobbed.

“Ivan? What about you?” Ace asked.

“Remember? My girlfriend dropped me off. I was going to ride with you.”

“Oh, right. I have to stay here until I call Suzie and tell her what’s happening. Here are my keys. Go see if my car is all right. If it is, park it over on the back lot of the bookstore. That’s uphill from where it’s parked now.”

We watched as Ivan slogged off through the deluge. Ace called Suzie, and the girls huddled between us.

“The water’s still rising,” Jae whimpered. “How can it come up this fast?”

I said, “The creek is about two blocks away. It floods sometimes, but I’ve never seen it like this.”

There was a gurgling noise behind us. The girls and I turned just in time to see the doors at the bottom of the steps burst open, vomiting out a torrent of chairs, bottles, and water. In a heartbeat, the muddy water in the stairwell was at the same level as the flood in the alley. Jae almost knocked me over, throwing herself at me to cry.

“What the fuck was that?” Ace said, turning to look. “Suzie, we won’t be able to start salvage operations until we get some big pumps ... Yes, it’s deep. I’m on the top step of the emergency stairwell, and the water is at the second step ... No! Second step from the top! ... Yeah, everyone’s out, and the front’s locked up. I’m going to lock this door before I leave, and I’ll be back at dawn to see what I can do ... All right.”

He put his phone away. “Poor old woman. She wanted to come over here and work on scrubbing the floor to get ready for tomorrow.”

“Now what?” Onyx asked.

“Now, I go home to sleep. It’s the last I’ll get for days. I only work here, but if this place isn’t open, I don’t get paid,” Ace said.

Ivan came splashing around the corner from the bookstore parking lot. “How do you drive that fucking thing, Ace? The wheel was between my knees!”

“Sports cars aren’t for everyone,” Ace said.

“This night sucks,” Ivan grumbled. “I’m soaked, and I left my phone on the bar. Now I have to wade around and ... FUCK! That’s a lot of water!” he exclaimed as he looked down the stairwell.

Ace gave a hollow laugh. “Yeah, Ivan, there’s nothing we can do here. We can’t get to your place if the water is this high, so you can stay at my house. It’s on the ridge on the north side of town. We can make it in my car. My wife won’t mind, and Suzie could use your help with clean-up.”

“Can I use your phone to call my girl?” Ivan asked.

While Ivan spoke to his girlfriend, Ace said, “You ladies are welcome to stay with us, but I’ll have to take you one at a time. My car’s a two-seater.”

“I live up the alley at the top of that little hill,” I said. “I’m sure my place is safe, if anyone wants to go there.”

“We can’t stay here,” Onyx said, pointing to the water that was almost to our feet.

“I don’t want to drown,” Jae sobbed. “Does anyone know how to pray?”

“Honey, go with Harry,” Ace said, hugging the panicked girl. “He’s a nice guy, with a nice little house on high ground. In the winter, you can see the roof of this place from his driveway, and you’re looking down when you do it. Harry’s house is the safest place for you tonight.”

“Will you call my sister and let her know where I’ll be?” Jae sobbed, moving from Ace’s arms to mine.

“I’ll call,” Ivan said to Ace. “You need to concentrate on driving.”

Onyx took her friend from me. “C’mon, baby, calm down,” she said. “I’m with you. Lead the way, Harry.”

The five of us slogged up the alley in the cascading rain. There was no point in hurrying. We couldn’t get any wetter. When we got to Ace’s car, I asked him to call me if there was any way I could help with clean-up. Then the girls and I laughed at the spectacle of big Ivan shoehorning himself into Ace’s ridiculous little roadster. Eventually, they went splashing off into the night.

“Jae, honey,” Onyx said as we walked. “Are you going to be okay?”

We slogged a few more paces before Jae said, “I’m sorry. I know I’m a pain in the ass. I’m terrified of drowning. My grandparents died in a flood in Korea.”

I put my arm around Jae’s shoulders. “You’ll be safe at my place. High and dry.”

We walked up my driveway to my attached garage. I led us into the laundry room, where I kept some beach towels. “Don’t worry about dripping on the floor in here. It’s meant to get wet.” I handed them each a towel, and took one for myself.

I was drying my face when I heard Jae say, “Onyx! What are you doing?”

“Getting out of this damn wet clothing.”

I considered keeping the towel over my eyes, but not for long. Onyx’s rich skin tone stood in beautiful contrast to her lacy white bra and thong.

“I was going to say ‘no peeking,’ but I guess it’s a little late for that,” she grinned, toweling herself. When she was more or less dry, she started working on her rapidly frizzing hair.

Jae wasn’t having much success at patting the water out of her dress. Onyx laughed, “Girlfriend, you might as well face it. That has to go.”

“But I’m not wearing a bra.” Jae blushed.

“My white lace doesn’t cover much when it’s wet. In fact, it feels kinda clammy on me anyway,” she said, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra and tossing it onto the pile of her other wet clothes. “There. I’m sure Harry has seen boobs before, haven’t you, Harry?”