So, what will make me happy? What do I want to do with my life? I stare out the window. I know the answer deep in my heart; it’s always been there. I just have to have the courage to say it.
I want to open a bridal shop, something small and intimate. I have the money I was left when my mother died. I worked at a bridal shop when I was in high school, and I fell in love with it. Miss Ruthanne, the owner, took me under her wing and showed me everything she knew. I think she had a soft spot for me, considering I’d lost my mother to breast cancer when I was fifteen. I loved how happy the shop was, filled with women excited to start a new phase of their lives. I loved coming into work everyday, and I was good at it. I had a knack for knowing which dresses would sell and for selecting the right dress for each bride. Miss Ruthanne said I had a way with the customers. I know she would help me in any way she could. I bite my lip. If I believe in myself, I’m sure I could make a go of it.
I feel renewed. Having a goal and a plan makes me feel better about letting go of last night. I won’t have to worry about ever facing my sorority sisters, other than to tell them I’m withdrawing from school. If I make a graceful exit and maintain their friendships, perhaps I’ll even have some future customers one day. I smile. Perhaps my time here hasn’t been a complete waste after all; perhaps it’s the necessary step I need to take to realize what I really want and what I don’t.
I stand and pull my suitcase from my closet. Luckily the apartment is furnished, and not much here are my own things. It won’t take me long to pack up.
Daddy might be surprised and even disappointed that I’m bailing on college, but maybe he’ll be able to get part of the tuition refunded.
I glance around, my eyes landing on my phone. Still no reply from Dante. I guess I was a one-night stand to him. I lift my chin. It hurts, but if that’s how he wants to play it, to hell with Brett and to hell with Dante, too.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Reno—
“Rat’s getting’ nervous. Wants us to get the girl now, and I couldn’t talk him out of it,” Rusty says, hanging up on the call he’s been on for ten minutes.
“Goddamn it,” I hiss.
“Done deal, brother. Set up the meeting for tonight.” He shoves the RV keys and his phone in his pocket. “I’m going to get the RV. Call me back.” He walks out the door. The rumble of his tailpipes reverberates on the windows and then fades into the distance.
It’s a little past three o’clock in the afternoon. I wait half an hour, dreading setting this plan in motion. I pace around the room, trying to come up with any way to get out of this collision course with the nightmare that’s destined for us all. But I can’t think of a way out.
Finally, I curse and flick off the television to quiet the room. I pull my phone out and stare at Kara’s contact info. I could text or call, but I’m suddenly longing to see her face. I choose the video option. It rings and rings. I blew off her text earlier, and I imagine she’s contemplating answering or not. “Come on, baby. Pick up.”
Her pretty face appears on the screen.
“Hey, beautiful,” I say, smiling.
“Hey.” She doesn’t return my smile, she just stares at me blankly, and I know I’m going to have to do some damage control if I have any hope of talking her into meeting me.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get back with you earlier. Work was crazy today. I started to reply to you, but then my boss started reaming my ass. Just got off work.” It’s quarter to four. I’m hoping she buys this bullshit.
“Oh, I thought maybe you were blowing me off.”
“Never, babe. You’ve been on my mind all day. Sorry I couldn’t get back to you the last couple of days. Had to run out of town for a job. It was a clusterfuck. Sorry, I should watch my mouth.”
“It’s okay.” She smiles this time.
“Can I see you?”
“Um, well,” she turns and looks over her shoulder. She’s sitting on the bed, and when she shifts, I see a suitcase open behind her. It’s packed full.
My stomach drops. “You goin’ somewhere, Kara?”
“I’m going back to Atlanta.”
I frown. “For the weekend?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
Her voice is low, timid, and unsure. “What’s wrong, babe?”
“Nothing, I… I just decided school really isn’t for me. I withdrew this morning.”
“Withdrew? Why? Did something happen?”
She shakes her head, but I can tell there’s something she’s keeping from me. I want to pull it out of her, but I’ve got to focus on the plan. “When are you leaving?”
“In about an hour or two.”
“Babe, you gotta let me see you one more time before you leave. We got three more weeks on this jobsite. Once it’s done, I can come see you in Atlanta, but that’s a long time away. You aren’t gonna make me wait that long, are you?”
She bites her lip and looks back at the room, probably judging how much more she has to pack, or maybe she’s wondering if she can fit me into her schedule. Perhaps she’s got another date. A flash of heat flames through my body as I think about that kid who walked her home.
“Um…well…”
“Please, babe. Meet me at Pete’s. You know I’ll always think of it as our place now. I’m gonna start eating lunch there from now on, and every time I’m in the place, I’m gonna be thinkin’ about you.”
She smiles big. “I guess I can meet you for a few minutes.”
That’s all I’ll need. “Great. I can’t wait to see you.” That’s the only thing I’ve said that’s true. “I gotta grab a quick shower. Meet me there at five, okay? I’ll be waiting for you at the bar.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She disconnects, and I immediately call Rusty.
He picks up on the third ring.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, where are you?” I hear traffic flying past him in the background. He’s obviously standing outside somewhere and not driving like he’s supposed to be doing. I start to walk to the window to see if he pulled in the lot already, but his next words stop me.
“Got a problem. This fucking whore of an RV broke down on me. I’m sitting on the side of the road, and I don’t know the first fuckin’ thing about fixin’ one of these beasts.”
“Yeah, well we got another problem.”
I hear a truck roar past him before he asks, “What’s that?”
“She says she’s leaving town. Packing right now.”
“You’re fucking kidding me. Why?”
“I don’t know. She was being vague.”
“Maybe she’s lying to you. Maybe your charm ain’t all you think it is.”
“Fuck off. I’m being serious. I just did a video call with her. Saw her damn suitcase on the bed. I’m tellin’ you if we’re doin’ this thing, it needs to be now. I’m meeting her up at Pete’s at five. We got a little over an hour to figure this out.”
“We can’t bring her to the RV. I’m broke down on the side of the fucking road. You’re gonna have to bring her there.”
“Here? These walls are paper thin.”
“You got a walkway on one side; we just gotta worry about the room on the other side. Go see if it’s available. If it is, rent it out. Tell ‘em we got more people comin’.”
“All right, fine. But this plan was fucked from the beginning, and now it’s lookin’ worse.”
“We ain’t got a choice. Gonna have to make it work. I’m callin’ Coolie. See if he can get his brother down here and fix this thing. You keep that meeting with her and come pick me up on the way. I’m on I20 under the route 69 overpass. You can’t miss me. I’m in a thirty-foot bucket of bolts.”
I don’t know how he can joke at a time like this. Am I the only one bothered by this job we gotta pull? I don’t laugh. “Yeah, okay. You got the stuff with you?”
“Got a vial and one syringe, so you better be good at injecting this shit.”
“Why do I have to do it?”
&nb
sp; “’Cause I broke a needle last time, and I’ve only got one syringe with me.”
“Last time? When the fuck was last time?”
“Remember that ex-husband who wouldn’t leave Critter’s sister alone?”
“Sort of.”
“We injected him and dumped him out in the woods.”
“You’re something else.”
“Well, she wouldn’t let us kill him. That was Critter’s first idea.”
“Whatever. You’re doing the injecting. I’m headin’ your way.”
“I’ll be here. And Reno?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s hot as hell out here. Bring me a Dr. Pepper.”
I hang up on him, the lunatic. We’re about to kidnap a judge’s daughter, and he’s ordering refreshments like I’m a goddamn waitress. Dickhead. I straighten up the room, cramming all the fast food trash in the garbage and fling the bedspreads up over the sheets. I dig out the roll of duct tape and some zip ties from my pack and set them on the nightstand. Glancing at the bed, I see there’s not much to secure her to but the bedframe under the mattress. It’ll have to do.
I grab my phone and car keys and head out. I peer in the open curtain of the room next to us. It’s empty. This plan just might work. I head to the motel office to rent it out.
***
I sit at the bar, waiting for Kara when she walks in. She sees me and jogs over.
“Hi, beautiful.” I pull her to me for a kiss. She smells amazing, and she looks good, too. She’s cute as hell in a white tank top with a soft sheer blouse over it and a cute pair of low riding jeans with a pair of heels. I notice the girl does love her heels.
“Sorry if I kept you waiting. My dad called, and I couldn’t get him off the phone.” She slides on the stool next to me. I’ve got a lemon drop waiting for her, and she smiles and takes a sip. “You got me my drink.”
“You enjoyed the last one so much. So, tell me, does your father know about your plans to leave school?”
“We talked. He’s not happy, but what can he do? It’s my life, right?”
“Right.” I take a sip of my beer. Her father’s gonna be even less happy in a few hours, but I don’t want to think about that. I just want to think about making Kara smile again. I slide her a Reese’s candy bar across the bar. “Got you something.”
Her eyes light up. “My favorite! You remembered.”
“Of course I did.”
She tears it open and bites into one peanut butter cup. Her eyes close as she moans in pleasure. Goddamn. That’s all it takes to gut me.
Her eyes open, and she holds the other cup out to me. “Have one.”
“No way, babe. You’re enjoying it too much.”
She looks down at it. “Is this like a going away present or something?”
“God, I hope not. I want to see you again. You gonna let me?”
“Of course. I’ll be broken-hearted if you don’t.”
We chat for a while, and I know I need to think of some way to get her to the back hallway. She solves it for me, by excusing herself to use the restroom.
I pull my phone out and tap a quick text to Rusty.
Be out in a minute. Be ready.
I don’t wait for a reply. Instead I follow after Kara.
When she emerges from the ladies room five minutes later, I’m leaning against the opposite wall, waiting for her. She gives me a quizzical look, glancing around to see if we’re alone. The hallway happens to be deserted. She gives me a flirty grin. I know what she’s thinking, and to tell the truth it’s crossed my mind. She figures I’m here to make out with her in this dark hallway, maybe even pull her into the closet again. I can’t resist stepping closer and taking her face in my hands. She stares up at me, and I know it’s the last time I’ll see that trusting look in her eyes. I brush my mouth over hers, just a gentle kiss. I hold it, hesitating, wishing there was any way out of taking her down this hall, but there isn’t, and I know it.
I pull back a few inches and graze my thumb over her lips. I want to give her something, some words that are true before everything becomes a lie.
“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, Kara. So sweet.” I stroke the back of my fingers down her cheek. “Loving. Everything that’s good in this world.”
Her eyes shift between mine, and she smiles. My words make her happy. I wish I could keep her that way. It wouldn’t be such a bad life, keeping Kara happy. I could spend the rest of my days devoted to that purpose. But that’s not my life. That’s not my future. That’s not the fork in the road I took all those years ago, and now it’s too late for both of us.
“Come here, I want to show you something.” I take her hand and guide her farther down the dim hall and feel like I’m walking straight to hell.
“Where are we going?” She follows me, trustingly, like I knew she would.
There’s an exit in the back that leads to an alley. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have her out of here in a matter of minutes.
I open the metal door, and we step into the cool night air. It’s dark, just the light from the moon and a single bulb above the door. Rusty stands in the shadows, and as I turn back to face her, I know she doesn’t realize he’s there.
He’s wearing a black ski mask, which I find ridiculous, but what the hell. I take hold of both of her hands, like I’m going to tell her something, but really it’s just to keep her from struggling.
Rusty moves quietly and quickly. The man can be as stealth as a big cat when he wants to be. His glove covers her mouth, pulling her head against his chest and keeping her immobile while he brings the hypodermic needle up in his other gloved hand. Her dilated, horror stricken eyes stare at me, pleading for me to help her. My hands clamp tight on her as she thrashes.
“Sorry it had to happen this way, honey,” I whisper.
Rusty sinks the needle into the soft flesh of her neck as I stand there and do nothing but watch as the drug is injected. Her eyes flutter. A moment later, she’s limp in his arms.
I grab her legs, and together we hustle her to the waiting vehicle. I scramble in the back with her while Rusty jumps in the driver’s seat. He guns it, jerking the ski hat over his head and tossing it out the window before we reach the side street.
Kara lies on the seat, her head in my lap. I stroke her hair, enjoying the last moments I’ll have with her before she starts to hate me. We’ll be at the motel within ten minutes, but I know the drug Rusty gave her will last for several hours, maybe less, depending on how much he managed to pump into her.
Rusty’s quiet in front, and I look up from her to see his eyes studying me in the rearview. Those eyes that see everything, that know everything, he reads me like a book. I let myself get close to her, and he knows it.
“You stupid fuck,” he mutters.
He’s fucking right, as usual.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Reno—
The motel is silent when we park near our room. Rusty backs in the spot and then climbs out, unlocking the door. I glance out the windows, making sure there’s no one in the lot. Out the rear window I see Rusty surveilling the area as well. Satisfied, he comes to the door, and we quickly carry Kara inside.
We lay her on the bed farthest from the door. My bed. Which is good, because I have no intention of letting Rusty sleep in the same bed with her. If Coolie can’t get the RV running, we’ll be spending the night here.
I reach for the zip ties and glance over my shoulder at him. “You want her arms behind her back or lashed to the bed for the video call?”
His eyes sweep over her, lingering on her curves, and for the first time I want to drive my fist into my former sponsor’s face. “Take off her blouse and her jeans.”
I straighten to my full height, glaring and wishing he’d tear his eyes from her sweet body. “For what?” I growl.
That tone gets his attention, and he meets my narrowed eyes. “Makes her situation that much more precarious. It’ll really get her daddy’s attention.�
��
“You sure that’s not just gonna piss him off, make him call the police?”
“Just do it.”
I exhale deeply, my hands going to her feet to yank her pretty shoes off. I drop the heels to the floor and reach for her waistband. I try to tug the jeans down without taking her panties along. Last thing I want is Rusty to see her pretty pussy. I move to block his view, but the asshole sidesteps.
“You need some help?”
“I got it,” I snap, my jaw clenching. I manage to get the denim down her legs, revealing lavender lace panties, and I wonder if she always wears sexy underwear or if they were special just for me. Perhaps she thought I’d see them tonight.
After I toss the jeans to the floor, I lift her arm and tug free one sleeve and then the other, leaving the white tank top underneath. It’s tight and reveals her tiny waist and curves. I long to yank the hem over her panties, but one look at the lust plastered on Rusty’s face tells me he’ll only stop me.
I straighten and look down at her. I can see the strap of a matching lavender bra. My own personal Victoria Secret model lain out on my bed.
He lifts his chin. “Tie her to the headboard.”
I find a piece of wood narrow enough to loop a zip tie around, then slip another through it and tighten it around her slender wrist. I move to the other side and do the same, leaving her legs unbound. I try to make her as comfortable as possible, propping her head on a pillow and brushing the hair from her face.
She’s doesn’t deserve to be put through any of this fucking shit. I run a hand over my jaw as I straighten, staring down at her as guilt swallows me.
Rusty grabs her purse and digs her phone out, then holds it to her fingertip, unlocking the screen. I step back and watch over his shoulder, staying well out of the shot as he makes the video call. He’s got it aimed at an angle, so nothing but the blank wall shows.
“Kara, darling? You there?” Her father’s voice comes on. I shift slightly to get a glimpse of his face. He’s older, gray hair, tired looking. He must have had Kara late in life.
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