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the story, I’d escaped the men in the car without violence. I was merely a victim being chased across the island by merciless thugs.
    “Can’t you call your parents?” she asked me.
    “Nope,” I said. “I don’t want to get them involved. What if these crazy people go after them, too?”
    She stared at me in concern. “You came to me, though. You didn’t have any problem dragging me into this mess.”
    “Admiral Shaw doesn’t know about you. They don’t know you might be infected with—whatever this is.”
    Kim licked her lips. I could see her worrying brain chewing the situation over. She didn’t like the taste.
    “What if they come after me? What am I supposed to do? Should I cut my trip short and run back to the mainland?”
    Something in her tone made me look up from my second bag of fries. I could see her eyes were wide, fearful. She was freaking out a little.
    “Just stay away from hospitals. They seem to find people that way.”
    “But what if I get sick?”
    “Don’t worry,” I said. “I pulled Jason out of the water and gave him mouth-to-mouth, and I still feel good. You’re not infected. You’re fine.”
    “Maybe you’ve got some kind of natural resistance,” she said, winding up that long dark hair of hers with a finger. “Maybe I’m the one that they’re really looking for.”
    “Why would you think that?” I asked her.
    She stared at me again for a time, then suddenly smiled.
    “No reason,” she said. “You must be tired, right? Let’s go back to the hotel.”
    She paid the bill, and we left. I wanted to leave the tip, but I was just too damned poor. I felt kind of bad about that. I told myself that when this mess was all cleared up I would get a job and pay off my debts.
    “This is the last week of your vacation, right?” I asked her.
    “Yeah. But Gwen took off. She’s flying back home tomorrow. Seeing Jason die—it was too much for her. I’m alone on the island.”
    “Thinking of going home too?”
    “Maybe. Let’s go have a drink. You look like you could use one.”
    We had several. They were strong, and by midnight, I was happy for the first time in twenty four hours. Arm-in-arm, we headed back to her place.
    Kim wasn’t as drunk as I was. She’d been nursing her drinks. She smiled vaguely as we collapsed on her bed.
    I reached for her, and at first, she recoiled. But then, she slowly relented. We made love again. It felt great to be alive.
    It had been a long day, and after we’d satisfied each other, I passed out. I didn’t even take off my sandals. I was totally drained.
    Just as I was beginning to dream, I heard a strange sound. Sort of a clank.
    I opened one eye. There, standing over me with a wild look of fury on her face, was Kim. She had a long metal floor lamp in her hands, and she was holding it like a batter swinging for the fences. With a grunt, she swung the lamp’s heavy base down at me.
    Clearly, she wanted to bash my skull in.

=6=
     
    In my short lifetime I’ve pissed off any number of women. I’d be the first to admit that. But until this very moment, none of them had actually attempted to murder me.
    When Kim came at me with that lamp, I couldn’t believe it. Rolling off the bed and onto the floor with a thump, I managed to avoid her first swing. Fortunately, she was no athlete—but her enthusiasm made up for that lack of physical power.
    She turned, snarling, and lifted the lamp with both hands again. She held it over her head like some kind of medieval war hammer.
    Scrambling to my feet, I jumped back, but there’s only so much space to retreat in a hotel room.
    She swung again, sweeping the air with a powerful blow. I dodged, and the base of the lamp took out the TV. It crashed into junk on the floor.
    “Hold on, girl!” I shouted. “What’s wrong? Was I that bad? I thought you enjoyed it!”
    She didn’t even seem to hear me. She lifted the lamp for a third try.
    That was my chance, and I took it. I rushed in and pushed her