Bare It All (11 page)

“I’m not rushing you.”

Good Lord. Then what would rushing be like? She could barely
wait to find out. “Okay.”

His smile quirked, spread until he laughed. “Alice.” He stepped
up to her before she could dart away. “I can’t stop thinking about getting
inside you—”

She groaned.

“—but I’m not saying it has to be right away. I want you to
want me, too.”

Seriously, he
had
to know. “That’s
not the problem.” But verbalizing the problem wouldn’t be easy, because the
problem itself was complex, a mangled mix of her past, her present intent,
demons and determination.

“Hey.” He tipped up her chin. “I can wait until we work it
out.”

Because he felt confident that they would? She hoped so. She
wanted that more than she’d wanted anything since...since she’d lain awake at
night, praying for escape, silently begging for a way out of a living
nightmare.

She rubbed her forehead, refusing to go down memory lane yet
again. Looking at Reese always helped to lighten the darkness, so she smiled up
at him. “Okay.”

“You are the most agreeable woman.” He bent and kissed her
before she could dodge him. Mindful of her feelings, he kept it light, almost
teasing. “I have to go. Have fun with Pepper, but be careful. You have my number
if anything comes up.”

CHAPTER TEN

A
LICE
STEPPED
OUT
of the changing room in the cuffed jean capris, peasant top and wedge
sandals. Pepper looked her over with a big smile, then proclaimed the outfit,
“Perfect.”

It would be her fifth, which was only a third of what Pepper
had purchased.

Alice toyed with the loose ties at the neck of the shirt. “It’s
comfortable.” So far, everything Pepper had helped her choose was easy to wear,
affordable and complimentary.

“That outfit, with your new hairstyle...” Pepper whistled.
“Reese will go nuts.”

She touched her hair, now parted more to the side, trimmed just
enough to make it fuller and deliberately tousled. She liked it, too. “It’ll be
easy to replicate.”

“The makeup, too. Honestly, you have such great bones, you
can’t go wrong.”

No one had ever noticed her bones before, so she had to wonder
about that. When Pepper’s phone rang, Alice darted again into the changing room
to dress in her regular clothes.

They’d been shopping for hours now, before and after lunch.
Alice admired the pale, iridescent pink on her nails and toes, thanks to a
professional mani and pedi.

Pepper had encouraged her to be worked over, head to toes, and
she’d had so much fun.

Except for the sensation of being watched.

Off and on throughout the day, Alice had felt the scrutiny but
no alarm. Sometimes being so observant was a curse.

Most likely the attention had been men admiring Pepper. Her new
friend had the kind of “stop traffic” looks that never failed to draw male
appreciation.

When she stepped back out of the room, Pepper accompanied her
to the cashier, saying, “That was Logan. They’re done at the station finally, so
I guess we should call it a day.”

Alice smiled. “I know you’re anxious to see him again.”

“It’s new to me,” Pepper admitted. “I’m probably smothering
him, but he’ll just have to get over it.”

“He adores you, so I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” She paid with a
credit card, then retrieved her additional packages.

“He does.” Pepper gave a happy sigh. “I’ve always loved my
brother, but there haven’t been many other people in my life that I could care
about.”

They started out to the parking lot where they’d met up. “Rowdy
is a very interesting person.” At loose ends now, but Alice trusted that he’d
find his way. He struck her as a very resourceful man.

“He’s the best of brothers and a terrific ally if you ever need
one.”

A hint? An offer? Alice grinned. “Reese told you he came to
visit me?”

“Yeah.” She stopped by Alice’s car. “I won’t pry, but if you
ever need anything, I can be a pretty good ally, too.”

“Thank you.” No way would she unload her issues on Pepper,
especially since her new friend had only recently found peace of her own. She
deserved happiness, not drama.

“I don’t want Logan to overdo it today, but what would you
think about getting together for dinner after he’s healed up a little? We could
all four go out. Someplace not fancy, because I don’t do fancy much.”

“That sounds perfect, thank you. If Reese is willing, I’d enjoy
it.”

Pepper snorted. “Reese is all kinds of willing. All you have to
do is get on board.” She laughed. “Take advantage of the time he has off.”

Good advice. Alice said, “I think I will.”

Laden with her own packages, Pepper left her with a wave, going
to the other end of the lot where she’d parked. Alice waited until she saw
Pepper get in a car, then she checked the time.

With any luck, she’d return to the apartment before Cash lost
patience and soiled the floor. This was his usual nap time, but when she wasn’t
around, his routine always differed.

She unlocked her car, stored her packages in the back and
opened the windows to let out the steamy heat. While she waited for the
air-conditioning to kick on, she did her usual survey of her surroundings.

The mall did plenty of business with cars coming and going,
women walking along in small groups, couples with children. Alice appreciated
the sight of normalcy—until the hairs on the back of her neck stirred.

Visually seeking the source of the alarm, she noticed a
slow-moving van. Nice, new, silver...nothing to elicit suspicion—until it
stopped beside a truck parked on the outskirts of the lot, away from the rest of
the congestion.

Eyes narrowed, Alice put her car in gear and drove closer.
Using care, she retrieved her dark sunglasses and slipped them on, then pulled
up by the end of a line of other parked cars. Near enough now to watch, but
hopefully not that obvious. Other drivers went past in front of her, then
continued on, helping to disguise her scrutiny.

The side door of the van opened, and a young lady stepped out.
The driver of the truck met her before she’d taken two steps. Her right arm
sported a thick gauze bandage, loosely taped in place. Otherwise she looked
fine, dressed nicely enough in jeans and a halter, her long brown hair tidy.

For reasons Alice couldn’t understand, her heart lurched.

Holding on to the girl’s elbow, the truck driver spoke through
the passenger window. He smiled, and though Alice couldn’t hear what he said,
her mind conjured all sorts of awful dialogue.

Things she’d heard before. Arrangements. Deals.

Okay, so maybe to the casual observer, it’d only look like the
man assisted the young woman into his truck.

Alice saw it differently.

Why was she being moved from a van to a truck? Why in a parking
lot? What had happened to her arm?

Even as she told herself she could be overreacting, Alice gave
over to her screaming instincts. Waiting until the van pulled away, she put her
car in gear and followed the truck at a cautious distance, always keeping at
least two vehicles between them. Through the rear window of the truck, she
watched the driver and his passenger, attuned to nuances in body language.

Alert.

Her senses churned, her stomach burning, her mouth dry.

Possibilities, spurred by a remembrance of things she’d seen,
things she’d reluctantly taken part in, mixed with fresh resolve, pushing aside
all other considerations. Cash was home safe. Pepper had already driven away.
Logan and Reese were together, just leaving the station.

She had no one else to worry about—except the young woman in
the truck.

Her hands squeezed the steering wheel, steadying her nerve and
helping her to focus. The outside shaking abated, but inside, she remained a
bundle of jitters.

The truck drove in the opposite direction of where she lived.
Farther and farther from her personal sanctuary, from her self-imposed exile,
her lonely haven.

In and out of side streets, nearer and nearer to the wrong side
of town.

Twice, Alice almost lost the truck. She closed the distance a
little, scared spitless on many levels. While she rationalized her actions and
tried to plan for outcomes, troublesome doubt returned her thoughts to
Reese.

She had absolutely no illusion about how he’d feel at the
prospect of her trailing possible trouble. But their relationship was fresh,
new, so testing the boundaries would be expected, right?

Neither of them had spelled out any stipulations yet.

Stay out of trouble.
Did he really
need
to spell that out?

Never did she want to outright lie to him, but for sure he
would ask. She’d been gone all day. It was time for dinner. And Pepper had
already assured Logan she was on her way home, so Reese would expect her to be
at the apartment when he got there.

That is, if he came straight home.

Home.
She couldn’t start thinking
that way. Right now, their arrangement was far from concrete.

And she’d just come full circle in her thoughts.

Nervous sweat dampened her palms, the back of her neck. With
each mile covered, the area got more disreputable. Not that location mattered
all that much when the monsters crawled out. They lurked everywhere, in high
society and poverty, in business and in everyday life.

Her courage waned as they passed the bus terminal. Few people
were out beneath the heat of the midday sun. They left behind businesses and
went into a residential neighborhood, except that everything seemed
abandoned.

The driver steered around a corner, dark and ominous and empty
except for the crumbling brick facade of an old motel with single-story units
that formed an L. The truck drove around to the back.

Alice paused before falling into that trap; her car idled on
the street, her doors locked, her senses alive to warning signs. She quickly
surveyed the area and decided to take an adjacent street separated from the
motel only by an overgrown empty lot. She coasted along the curb until she
finally spied the truck pulled up to a more open area at the rear entrance.

Neglect fell like a dark stain over the abandoned motel. Jagged
glass clung to the frame of a broken back window. Weeds grew up through
crumbling blacktop in what used to be a parking lot. Graffiti covered some of
the individual doors. An awning hung haphazardly, ready to drop.

No one had inhabited that wretched place for a very long
time.

So, why would the man take the girl in there?

Wishing she’d been wrong, Alice put her car in Park. Quickly
locking up, she glanced around but saw no one. Farther down the street, a siren
blared, and in the distance she could hear the traffic on the highway.

With trembling hands she confirmed the contents of her purse.
Satisfied, she drew a calming breath and went in pursuit of the woman, her steps
hurried up the broken sidewalk to the front of the motel.

Circling the building, she peeked around and saw the man
holding on to the woman’s wrist while he worked keys in the dead bolt of a
locked door. The unit he chose was at the end, with windows on two walls—but the
windows were boarded up from the outside.

What to do, what to do? Wait for him to get inside, so they
were out of the way of prying eyes?

Or act now, in case others were inside?

It would be awful enough confronting one man. But if she had to
face two, or even three...

She lost the opportunity for choices when the door opened and
the man urged the woman inside, then started to follow her.

Damn, damn, damn.

If he locked that door...
“Hello!”
Hearing her voice break the silence nearly made her hysterical.

But it didn’t change her mind.

Alice hastened her step, all but jogging down to the remote
unit. “Excuse me, please,” she called even louder.

Incredulous, the man stuck his head back out the door. He had
reddish-brown hair, a tidy goatee and a pocked complexion. He glared at her,
looked beyond her, around then back to her with fury. “What?”

Moving her lips in the semblance of a smile, Alice waved to
him. “Could you help me, please? I think I’m lost, and I don’t see anyone
else—”

“Get lost, lady.” He started to move away.

Oh, God. Alice slipped her hand into her purse. Closer and
closer she got to the door. “My phone died. I only need to make a call.” Her
heart thumped so hard it hurt. “Please.”

Anger darkened his eyes. His insulting gaze crawled all over
her. A smile stretched his mouth. He muttered something to the woman inside the
room before holding the door open for her. “Fine. Come on in, and we can get you
sorted out.”

Bile tried to crawl up her throat. She did not want to get
close to him. Vision closing in, she nodded. “Thank you. That would be very
helpful.”

Her skin crawled as she walked past him, and when she saw the
room, she thought she might faint. Dark, with peeling paint on the walls,
exposed pipes from the defunct heater/air conditioner and stained carpet. It was
bare except for an older wooden desk, no chair, and a mattress on the floor. The
girl stood in a corner, her back to the wall, her expression watchful,
horrified.

Alice turned in time to see him locking the door.

He leered at her, saying, “Stupid bitch.”

In answer, Alice pulled out her Taser.

* * *

R
OWDY
DROVE
AS
fast as
he dared. What the hell was she doing? He’d tailed Alice from the shopping mall,
curious, a little concerned when she headed away from her apartment.

Never in a million years had he thought she’d pull a prank like
this.

It took him a bit to realize she was tailing someone herself.
Why, he didn’t yet know, but he’d find out when he caught up to her.

Unfortunately, he got hung up at a light, stuck behind a couple
of other cars. He saw Alice turn a corner.

He knew the area, and he knew there wasn’t a damn thing there
for her.

Nothing...except trouble.

* * *

T
REMBLING
ALL
OVER
, Alice held the Taser steady.

Nostrils flared, hands curling into fists, the man all but spit
out, “What the fuck is this?”

Finding her voice wasn’t easy. “I’ve already flipped the safety
into the armed position. I know how to use it, and I know it will incapacitate
you.”

“You’re
insane.
”

“Sometimes I wonder.” Getting enough oxygen into her lungs
proved impossible. She all but panted—and still felt light-headed. “Don’t move.
I will seriously fry you if you do.” The Taser had a fifteen-foot range, but in
the small confines of the motel room, she was far closer than that.

Too close.

Without looking away from the man, she asked, “What’s your
name?”

“Hickson.”

Alice shook her head. “No, not you. I don’t care about you.”
She tipped her head toward the girl. “I meant her.”

Hickson snarled. “She’s not your concern.”