Page 12 of Stryker's Ruin

“Can we really? Oh, I’d love to go out and explore!”

“Good. I thought we’d walk around until you see a restaurant that interests you. Drink up and we’ll take off.”

We ride the elevator down, stopping at several floors for others to get on or off. The women are so beautifully dressed, it makes me aware of how odd I must look in my simple cotton dress. I pause on the street and look up at Stryker. “I’m sorry. I must be embarrassing you. I think this is a bad idea. You should take me back and go by yourself.”

He ushers me out of the foot traffic next to a building. “What’s going on in that pretty little head? You were so excited to go out.”

“I don’t look nice enough. I’ll embarrass you.”

Cupping my cheek in his slightly weathered palm, he meets my gaze. “You were the most beautiful woman on that elevator.Natural beauty will always outshine the artifice of expensive makeup and clothes. Look around you. There are as many people dressed like you as there were the women on the elevator. Those women are on the hunt.”

“Hunt for what?”

He snorts. “This is The Magnificent Mile, an expensive trendy area. Women here are looking to hook up with some rich sugar daddy to show them a good time.”

“Oh.”

He takes my hand in his. “If there is something you want to look at, stop me. We have as long as you want. We’ll be passing a little bit of everything. Clothes, shoes, jewelry. If you see someone wearing an outfit that you really like, tell me. I’ll snap a picture so we can show the sales stylist we’ll be working with tomorrow.”

“Stylist?”

“The stores here have employees that will help you pick out items that will look good on you. They know where everything is, and it makes it easier.”

As exciting as all this is, it’s overwhelming. Panic starts to set in. “Will you be there too?”

“I’ll be right by your side the whole time.”

“Right now, we’re doing reconnaissance. Then we’ll head to the river walk and find a place to eat. The weather is perfect for sitting outside.”

Ambling down the street I’m amazed at all the different shops. When the crowds get dense, Stryker wraps his arm over my shoulder and holds me close to his side. Before long I lose my inhibitions and just enjoy the freedom.

He points out a couple landmarks and museums which he promises to take me to another day. “You know a lot about this town for not living here.”

“My father lived here. When I was older, Mom and I would come visit a few times a year. I’ve also done some security work in this town.”

“Your parents were divorced?”

I see a muscle twitch in his cheek. “No. They were married, still are. There were a few years when his work was complicated and dangerous. It was safer for us to live apart. I joined the army right out of high school. A couple years after they moved into a place together.”

“Are you close?”

His face softens. “Yeah, we’ve all come to terms with the way things were. Since I retired from the army, we get together a lot more often.”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?

“Nah.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. Ettore talked about growing up with five brothers and sisters and all the mischief they got into.”

“You liked her a lot.”

“Yes. She…she was the only one who really talked to me. She told me about the world, what it was like in other places. What true families were like.”

“What did the others talk about?”

“Never anything personal. Studies. If it wasn’t in a class book, we wouldn’t have discussed it.”

“What did you do for fun?”