by Lori Foster
Eyes widening with an aha expression, she sat forward. “I knew it.”
“We can compare notes soon, okay?” Maybe. Probably.
Probably not.
“But right now I want to run to the store before I have to get home and then to work. If you tell me your preferences, I can get some meals figured out, stuff that you can just nuke or eat cold, like sandwiches. What do you think?”
“I think you’re a real mother hen.”
“My family would disagree with you, but I am realistic enough to know you aren’t in any shape to go out, your cabinets are all but empty, and I doubt you’d open the door to fast-food delivery.”
Without denying or confirming any of that, she narrowed her eyes. “Why does it matter to you?”
“Why do you fight me?”
Her mouth twitched to the side. “Maybe because you confuse me and I’m not sure of your motives.”
Something he could sink his teeth into. Hopefully it wouldn’t make her more resistant. “I like you. I’m sure you’ve figured out that I want you.” He held up a hand. “Not that I’m trading favors—”
“I know that.” Color, both embarrassment and irritation, warmed her face. “Give me some credit.”
“Whether you and I ever get together, we’re friends now, right? I’d help a stranger if I could, so of course I want to lend you a hand.”
When she still didn’t agree, he growled, “You like being disagreeable, don’t you?”
Her mouth twitched the other way. “I don’t want to be beholden.”
“For food? You’re telling me that once you’re up and running again, you won’t return the favor?”
Guarded, she asked, “Return it how?”
“Dinner? If you don’t cook, we could go out.”
“I cook.” Touchy about it, she said, “I’m not helpless or dumb.”
“Far from both,” he agreed. “So we’re on the same page here?”
“I’m not keen on going hungry, so feel free to play maid and chef.”
God forbid she give an inch. Tamping down irritation, Cade asked, “Preferences?”
“I’ll eat pretty much anything other than seafood, so get whatever’s convenient. But I want the receipt so I can pay you back.”
Knowing she’d insist, he nodded. “Fine.”
She countered back with her own version of “Fine,” loading the word with a lot of annoyance.
He picked up her keys so he’d be able to get back in and was almost to the door when she stopped him.
“One thing, Cade, and it’s nonnegotiable.”
Bracing himself, he waited.
“If you don’t trust me with some details, you won’t be welcome back, and I won’t return to the bar. Maybe keep that in mind before you insist on doing my shopping.”
Driven by her inflexible tone, Cade strode back to the couch, bent down and took her mouth in a quick, warm kiss—that really got to him. Her lips were soft, parted in surprise, allowing his tongue a brief foray. She tasted good and felt even better. He wanted to learn about that mouth. About all of her.
Before he got carried away, he stepped back but took in her bemused expression. She touched her lips, her gaze seeking his. First time he’d ever seen her speechless.
Next time she started haranguing him, he’d remember what worked. “I won’t be long.”
This time when he left, she didn’t stop him.
CHAPTER SIX
THREE FLIPPIN’ DAYS of laziness and Sterling was about to climb the walls. Sure, Cade continued to spend the night, getting in late after the bar closed and leaving late the next morning. But he still hadn’t told her anything substantial. He answered her questions with questions of his own, to the point they were at a stalemate. The way he dodged getting to the meat of issues, she hadn’t realized how little he’d shared until she started piecing it together.
Okay, so his buff bod distracted her. He slept in his boxers and didn’t bother to dress until he was ready to go. What red-blooded woman wouldn’t focus on that?
A couple of times now she’d wondered if he did it on purpose, just to keep her suitably dazed and on the edge of lust. If so, she didn’t want him to stop.
She enjoyed it all too much.
The way he waited on her was sweet, too, but now she realized he’d sidestepped questions by cooking, tidying up the apartment, ensuring she had everything within easy reach before he left each day.
Finally, the bruising started to fade a bit and she could bear more weight on her injured leg. No, she wouldn’t be doing any deep knee bends yet, and driving her rig was still out, but she was pretty sure she could handle her car—and her own shopping.
Which meant it was time for him to fess up, or she’d have to send him packing. It didn’t make sense for her to share anything more with a man who so obviously didn’t trust her.
She’d just finished putting a compression wrap on her thigh when Cade asked, “How often do you actually transport or deliver?”
“Often enough to be legit,” she replied, standing to test her leg. “Seldom enough that I can use my truck for other purposes.”
He stood close in case she needed his help but didn’t yet touch her. “Like searching for women along trucking routes?”
“Bingo.” Satisfied that she could manage on her own, she took a small trip around the apartment. Her leg remained stiff and achy, but she moved on her own steam. “Mostly I pick up freight overload from bigger trucking companies, which lets me be pretty footloose with my schedule. When I have other leads to follow, I can pass on the job offer, and I never have to book myself too far in advance.”
Sounding impressed, he said, “That’s genius.”
“I know, right?” She stopped to rest, one hand on the divider wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Now it’s your turn, so—”
Her phone rang.
Disgusted by the interruption, she warned, “Don’t go anywhere,” and returned to the coffee table, grabbed up her cell and glanced at the screen. “An unlisted number.” She answered, “Hello?”
“Francis?”
Oh, hell. Knees going weak, she lowered herself to sit on the edge of the couch. Already guessing the answer, she asked, “Who’s this?”
“Adela.”
Her gaze shot to Cade’s. As if he’d picked up on the sense of danger, he came to sit beside her.
“How are you, Adela?” Sterling used her name to let Cade know the identity of her caller. “I hope you got out okay?”
“I need help.”
Not exactly a direct answer. “Okay. Where are you?”
“I’m afraid to tell you—but I thought maybe I could meet you somewhere safe? You...well, it seemed you wanted to help, right? I’m sorry I wasn’t as brave as you, but you can’t imagine...” Her breath shuddered. “The things they’ve done to me, I couldn’t risk it.”
“I understand.” Feeling Cade’s gaze burning over her, Sterling tried to think. “What happened after I left?”
“I...I thought we’d stay at the bar, but they stuffed me in a car and drove to a different place.”
“Where?”
“It doesn’t matter. I got away, but now I don’t know what to do. Please say you’ll meet me.”
Stalling for time, Sterling chewed her bottom lip.
“Francis?”
“It’s okay. I’m here.” Some anomalous emotion squeezed her lungs. Terror, likely. But also...uncertainty? Something here felt very, very wrong.
Cade shook his head at her.
The man dared to give her orders when he wouldn’t tell her a damn thing? Screw that. She could make her own plans. “I hope you’re somewhere secure, Adela, because I can’t meet you for a few days.”
“Please! I can’t stay here. I’ll get caught again, I just know i
t. They use horrible drugs and...and violence, and it scares me so badly—”
“Shh,” Sterling whispered, hoping to calm her. “We’ll get it figured out, I promise. You just need to stay safe a little longer.”
After some heavy breathing, Adela asked, “Then you’ll come for me?”
Heart clenching, Sterling vowed, “Of course I will, just not today. I hurt my...shoulder, when I went out the window.” She couldn’t say what prompted the lie, except that she’d learned extreme caution whenever dealing with traffickers or victims. “I’m sorry, but I can’t drive yet. Another day or two and I should be better.” Not giving Adela time to start crying again, Sterling asked, “How far do I need to go to meet you?”
After a lengthy hesitation, Adela blew out a shaky breath. “I’m off I-25. That’s all I can say for now.”
“But that covers a lot of ground.”
“I’ll be more specific when I know you’re on your way.”
With no other choice to take, Sterling nodded. “Okay, but give me a number so I can contact you tomorrow. We’ll set something up for the next evening.”
“No. I’ll call you back.” Agonized, Adela added, “I’m counting on you, Francis. Please, don’t forget about me.”
Hearing the finality in that small plea, Sterling said, “Wait—” but it was too late. She’d already ended the call.
The urge to throw the phone made it extra difficult for Sterling to gently place it on the coffee table, but that’s what she did.
Then she ignored Cade as she concentrated on organizing her thoughts.
* * *
“YOU DID WELL.”
Adela stayed silent. His moods could be unpredictable at the best of times, and this wasn’t a good time. He detested having his plans upset, but she’d tried her best. It wasn’t her fault the woman wouldn’t cooperate.
“We’ll give her a day to stew on it,” he decided. “Then you’ll call her in a panic to make the arrangements.”
“A panic?” That suggestion didn’t bode well.
Eyes full of malice pinned her to the spot. He smiled, reaching out with one hand to finger the shorter wisps of her hair over her temple.
She tried not to flinch, but she couldn’t help it.
“When she sees you, she needs to know you’re in trouble. She needs to be completely horrified by your condition.” His meaty hand opened to cup her cheek. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
Unfortunately, she did. She shouldn’t have been cold, but the chill of the inevitable seeped into her bones, making her shiver.
His thick hand slid down her neck and gripped tightly—seconds before his other hand made sharp contact with her jaw. Stars erupted and she would have collapsed, except that he held her by the neck.
* * *
STANDING, STERLING MADE her way to the patio doors and stared out at the mountains in the distance. It was a sight that used to soothe her. The vastness of the Rockies meant she could hide—but now it also meant she might disappear, and who would know?
Who would care?
This was the first time someone had contacted her directly. Usually when she helped a young woman, it was because she’d found her on the road or in the act of being traded. Truck stops were hotbeds of trafficking, which was the main reason she’d gotten her CDL.
Promising safety, she could usually talk a woman into getting into her truck. When conditions warranted it, when sleazeballs were keeping watch, she performed hasty kidnappings.
In her seven years as a truck driver, she hadn’t made as much impact as she would have liked—but for the women she’d rescued, she’d made a big difference. They’d been given a second chance.
And in doing so, she’d given herself another chance, as well. A chance to add worth to her life. A chance to—
“How’d she get your number?”
The intrusion of Cade’s voice disrupted her maudlin thoughts. A good thing, really. She couldn’t afford too much introspection right now or she’d chicken out of what had to be done.
Glancing at him, she said, “I gave her a card the night we were at Misfits.”
Fury and disbelief brought Cade slowly to his feet. “You did what?”
She curled her lip in disdain. Sure, she recognized his temper as concern, but the facts remained: he didn’t trust her.
Whatever. She was done trusting him, too.
“Don’t sweat it. All the card had on it was my number, nothing else, and I don’t use GPS or public Wi-Fi on my phone. No one is going to track me down.”
“I did.”
Her brows climbed high. “Using my cell phone? No, I don’t think so.” Sterling turned back to the view, but she didn’t really see it. Damn it, she had hopes of her and Cade teaming up, but he’d dashed them, and now she had to accept it wouldn’t happen. “More likely you followed me home—or had someone else do it. Either way, it was a breach of privacy that I don’t appreciate.”
She hadn’t heard his approach, so it took her off guard when his hard hands settled on her shoulders. Her senses stirred, awareness spiking.
His reflection in the glass showed his resolve.
Against her back, she felt the heat of him.
Odd, but his nearness calmed her rioting thoughts. Since she couldn’t rely on him, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. To put them back on track, she said, “I’ll have to go after her.”
Cade pulled her against his body, his arms folding over her chest, enveloping her in his strength. “No, you won’t. I can handle it for you.”
“Oh, for sure, you look enough like me to fool her.” Rolling her eyes, she twisted around to face him. “She’ll be looking for me, an unassuming woman—”
Cade snorted.
“Not an imposing man. If she sees you, she’ll bolt.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’ve handled it enough times that I can guarantee it. Men will not be high on her trustworthy list.”
“Is that the voice of experience?” Appearing far too solemn, he cupped his hands around her neck, his thumbs keeping her chin lifted. “It’d help if you told me how you got started with all this.”
It saddened her far more than it should have, but Sterling shook her head. “I don’t think so. Interesting as this has been, it’s going nowhere. I got that message loud and clear.” She pulled away from him and hobbled toward the front door. “Time for you to go.”
Cade didn’t move. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She spun back to face him and nearly lost her balance when her bum leg gave way. “Yes, you are.”
“You can so easily dismiss this?” He gestured between them.
“I don’t even know what this is. You said you needed to talk to others, to see what you could share. Well, you’ve had four days and still nada. I’m done. I have things to do, and they don’t include dumping my past on you.”
As she spoke, Cade seemed to get bigger, harder, maybe even a little menacing. In comparison, his tone was soft—and somehow more lethal because of it. “I kept putting off talking to my family because it’s going to raise a lot of speculation. And I know how they’ll react.”
Family, meaning not just his brother? Was his sis involved, too? “Secrecy all the way, huh?”
“It’s what we’ve lived by for many years. You know it, too. The best way to keep private info private is not to share it with anyone.”
Her heart sank. Had she really held out hope that her ultimatum would change things? Stupidly, yes.
He’d done the unthinkable, dangling the carrot of shared experiences...only to yank it away. “Leave.”
Instead, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “I never knew my mother.”
In the process of heading to the door, Sterling froze. Afraid that he’d say no more, she kept her back to him and stayed perfectly
still.
“My father raised me from birth. I’m thirty-two now and not once has my mother ever tried to contact me.”
When she got light-headed, Sterling realized she was holding her breath. She let it out softly, then sucked in fresh oxygen. “Maybe she didn’t know how to find you.”
“No, that wouldn’t have been a problem.”
She heard him moving and chanced a peek back.
He now sat on the couch, legs sprawled, hands braced on his thighs. “My father never married, but he did have a life partner.” He shrugged. “She was like a stepmother to me. They loved each other, and when she was taken, it leveled him in a way I’ve never seen before. He was...crazed.”
Cautiously, Sterling approached, her heart beating double time, and eased down beside him. “She was never found?”
“Oh, she was. Dad has the kind of money that can hire the best and hire the worst.”
“I don’t understand.”
“They turned the state upside down. He observed it all, the interrogations—and the vengeance. Finally, he found her. It’s bullshit, the way Hollywood paints human trafficking as some high-style wealthy man’s sport. It can be, but that’s not the norm. It’s what exists in our own backyards.”
Unable to resist, Sterling put her hand over his. “I know.”
“She was found in a shitty little hotel room, drugged to the gills and...” He swallowed heavily.
Again, with emotion making her throat feel thick, Sterling whispered, “I know.”
Turning his hand, Cade clasped her fingers. “One year to the day that she returned home, she swallowed a bottle of pills.”
Seeing his pain made it fresh for Sterling. Tears burned her eyes, but a crying woman wouldn’t help him.
A strong woman would. “I’m sorry.”
“She’d left a note, a plea for Dad to do something so other women wouldn’t have to go through that.” His gaze locked on hers. “And that’s all I can tell you for now. Don’t ask me names or details, because I can’t give them.”
She was quick to nod. This was a moment, one she could cherish, one she could build on—and God, she wanted that. She wanted more than the emptiness her life had been.