by Elle James
He stood with his lips pressed tightly together. This was not how he’d envisioned his vacation beginning, and it sure as hell better not be the way it ended. “Fine,” he said, “I’ll let you out at my hotel. Or if there’s a women’s shelter somewhere close by, I can let you out there.”
Anne shook her head. “No, he’d find me. I have to disappear. The man’s a computer hacker. He can find just about anything. There can be no record of me, no facial recognition software, nothing.”
Though he felt like it was against his better judgement, he let her get back into the truck, this time in the passenger seat. He wouldn’t be human if he left her out there ten miles from the city. Who knew what kind of crazy person would pick up a cute, lone female on the side of the road and what they’d do to her? Her ex-boyfriend would be the least of her worries, not that it was his responsibility.
With his jaw set tight he got back behind the wheel and drove into Las Vegas. It was nearing noon, and the fact he hadn’t eaten breakfast was getting to him. His stomach rumbled, and he heard an answering rumble from her side of the truck. He pulled into a fast-food restaurant and got in behind the line of vehicles.
“What do you want?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Look, I’m buying.”
She shook her head again. “Nothing.”
“Did you eat any breakfast?”
She shook her head.
“Then what do you want?” he asked again.
Her stomach grumbled, and she pressed her lips together tightly. “Could you see if they could give me some crackers?”
He looked at her like she’d lost her mind. He gave up asking and just ordered food. Two hamburgers, a chicken salad, and some crackers, with French fries and a drink. Not knowing what she wanted to drink, he ordered her a tall water. At the very least, she needed to be hydrated. Nevada was not the place to be stubborn.
When the food came, the aroma filled the truck. He set the bags on the middle console and pulled away from the window.
“I prefer not to eat in the truck if I don’t have to,” he said. “My hotel is several blocks from here. Once I check in, we could eat there. Then you’re on your own.”
She nodded with her fingers pressed to her lips, her eyes wide.
“What is it?” he asked.
She shook her head without saying anything. She dug in the bag, pulled out a package of crackers and held them up. “Do you mind? I need something to settle my stomach.”
After her pyrotechnics with the pizza the night before, he was okay with that. “Go ahead. I’d rather clean up cracker crumbs than vomit.”
The woman opened up the crackers and munched on them. As she did, the frown denting her brow eased a little, and she sat back in her seat.
“That water’s for you,” he said. “Drink.”
She nodded and took a sip, munched a couple more bites of the cracker, took another sip and sighed.
“You must have a sensitive stomach,” he said.
She nodded. “Yeah, sensitive stomach.” She turned and looked out the side window, her face reflecting in the glass. She had such a sad faraway look that it tugged at Jack’s heart. And that pissed him off.
He drove to his hotel and pulled into the valet parking area. Before he got out, he reached over the back of the seat, dug into his overnight bag and fished out a baseball cap and sunglasses. “Here, wear these. If your ex can access cameras with facial recognition software, you should disguise your face.”
She tucked her blond hair up into the cap and settled the sunglasses over her eyes.
“It’s better than nothing,” he commented.
Her nose and mouth were delicate and decidedly recognizable.
Jack frowned. “Keep your head down.”
She nodded.
Jack grabbed a small overnight bag, which contained his shaving kit and handgun, got down from the truck. He rounded the front of the truck to the passenger side to help his stowaway alight. If she hadn’t gathered all the bags of food, her arms would’ve been empty.
That didn’t sit right with Jack. Here she was in a strange town with absolutely nothing, having to start over because her ex-boyfriend was an ass and dangerous. Well, the least he could do was make sure she was fed before she left.
Chapter 5
Anne was already sliding out of the passenger seat and down to the ground. She’d pulled the cap over her hair and donned the sunglasses. Other than the clothes on her back and the bag of hamburgers in her hand the woman had nothing. And based on her own description, she had no money.
Jack rolled his eyes. At the very least, he could give her a place to eat her meal. Maybe he could stop and get some cash at an ATM before he sent her on her way.
He handed over his keys to the valet.
Anne looked up at him and said, “Thank you for the ride. I’ll get out of your hair now.”
When she started to push the bag of hamburgers toward him, he shook his head. “No. You need to eat before you go.”
“This is your food,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t take it.”
“I ordered a hamburger and chicken salad for you. I don’t want to eat two burgers, and I sure don’t want to eat roughage.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of burgers. “I am hungry,” she said. “But I can just take my burger and salad and go.”
“You might as well come up to my room. It’s bound to have a table.”
“I’m sure I could find a table somewhere in this casino.”
He shook his head. “They’re not going to let you bring food in from outside, unless you take it straight up to a room.”
“Surely, they’ll get over it,” she said. “You’ve done enough by getting me here.”
“Seriously, I don’t want you walking off without food in your belly. Whether I like it or not, I feel somewhat responsible for you.”
Her brow formed a worried V. “I didn’t intend for you to feel responsible for me. I’m on my own. I can deal with it. I don’t want to be seen too much in too many places,” she said. “I swear that has to be how he found me in San Diego, by using facial recognition software.”
Jack nodded toward her. “With that get up on, I doubt he would be able to find you now.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to risk being found again,” she said.
“Well then come up to my room, eat your dinner, and then go on your way.”
Anne kept her head down while he checked in at the registration desk. The clerk behind the counter nodded toward her and said, “I hope you and your wife enjoy your stay.”
Jack ignored the comment, cupped Anne’s elbow, and led her toward the elevators. On the way, he stopped at the ATM and took out his daily limit of four hundred dollars and stuffed it into his pocket.
Once they arrived at the elevator, Anne hesitated getting in.
Jack tipped his head toward the open door. “You might as well come up. I promise, I have no intentions of taking advantage of you. I’m not a woman beater like your ex.”
She lifted her chin and sighed. “I believe you.” She stepped into the elevator.
He got in behind her and punched the button for his floor. They didn’t talk on the way up. When they arrived at their floor, he waited for her to step out and then led the way to the room number the clerk had indicated.
She still carried the bag of hamburgers and went immediately to the table where she dropped the bags. A moment later, a knock at the door made Anne jump.
“That will be the bellman.” Jack crossed to the door, looked out the peephole, verified it was the bellman, and then opened the door.
She really was scared, and he didn’t like that. No female should be that scared of anybody. It made him angry and want to hurt her ex-boyfriend.
Anne pulled the cap and sunglasses off after the bellman left. Then she sat down, opened up the bag with the hamburgers and laid them out on the table. She looked up at him.
“Go ahead,�
� Jack said. “You don’t have to wait on me.”
She shook her head. “You should be eating. It was your money, your food.”
He finally took a seat across from her, opened the wrapper around the burger and took a bite.
Finally, she lifted her own sandwich and took a little bite, chewed and swallowed. She waited a few seconds before she took another bite.
“Does it taste okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “It’s good. I just need to take my time. I don’t want it to upset my stomach.”
“Is that what happened with the pizza?”
“Some things just don’t sit well with me.” She gave him a crooked smile. “Apparently, pizza is one of them.”
“You didn’t know that before you ate the pizza?”
“Well, I’d never had a problem before—” She cut herself off before she finished the sentence.
“Before what?” he asked.
She stared down at the food. “Nothing.” Obviously, she didn’t want to open up to him.
Jack frowned. She didn’t trust him. Or maybe she didn’t trust men, in general. And why should she? The man she’d been living with had been a monster. She needed to know he wasn’t like her ex. “Well, I’ve never had a problem,” he said. “Maybe it was the pizza.”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
He felt like she was holding back, afraid to tell him the truth. He ate halfway through his hamburger before he remembered the money he’d withdrawn from the ATM. He reached into his pocket, took out the bills and laid them on the table. “Look, you need this more than I do.” He shoved it toward her.
Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “I won’t take it. You’re not responsible for me. I can make it on my own.”
“If you don’t have any money to start with, I don’t see how you can get where you’re going or even afford to put money down on another apartment. At the very least, you need to see if you can get into a shelter somewhere. For tonight, you’re welcome to stay here, as long as you sleep on the couch. I get the bed.”
“When I’m done here,” she whispered, “I’ll leave.”
“And go where?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not your problem.”
“Well, you kind of made me responsible for you by showing up in my apartment and then stowing away in my truck. I kind of need to know now that you’re going to be all right.”
She took another small bite, chewed slowly and swallowed without responding.
“At the very least, stay the night. Maybe call around and find a place to stay before you end up on the street after I leave.”
“Again,” she said, “I’m not your responsibility. I’ll be okay.”
“Do you have money for a room in a hotel?”
Her lips pressed into a tight line. “Not your business.”
Jack slammed his palm on the table.
Anne flinched.
As soon as his hand hit the table and he saw her reaction, Jack regretted it. Her response made him realize just how vulnerable she was, and it made him even more frustrated. He softened his tone. “You made it my business when you stowed away in my truck. Look, it’s your choice, and it’s your life. I didn’t mean to scare you by making that noise, but like it or not, I’m going to worry about you. Please, take this money and give yourself some time to find a place before you leave this room. Can’t you get on the phone? Can’t you call someplace that specializes in abusive situations?
She shook her head. “I don’t want to call. I don’t want to leave names.”
“You can leave a fake name. Do you even have a cellphone? If not, let me get you a burner phone. That way you can at least leave some kind of number for the places that you contact to return your call.”
“I’ll figure it out.” She wrapped up the hamburger, after eating less than a quarter of it. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll leave.”
Well, wasn’t that what he’d wanted all along? Now that she was about to depart, he couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving with no place to go and no money to get her there. “Look,” he said, “I’d really feel better if you didn’t.”
“And you’re going on vacation. You don’t need to be saddled with somebody who’s done nothing but take advantage of you from the get-go. So, do your vacation. I’ll take care of myself.” She took the burger with her as she walked toward the door.
The money still sitting on the table bothered Jack.
As Anne reached the door, Jack pushed to his feet. “Look, Anne, I can’t let you leave like this. Please, just stay the night. Use my laptop to look for a place to stay…a shelter or something. I’ll even let you stay in the room without me. I had planned on doing some gambling, so I’m going downstairs to do just that. You can use the shower, whatever. That way I’m not in your way and you’re not in mine.”
She paused with her hand on the door, taking several seconds to digest what he’d said. “I could use a shower,” she murmured.
“Good, then I’ll leave you to it and, again, you’re welcome to stay the night. If you’re not here when I get back, well, okay, I did what I could. But you are welcome to stay, and I promise not to yell again.”
She dropped her hand from the knob. “Okay, I’ll take you up on the shower. As for the rest, I’ll think about it. Please don’t let me keep you from doing what you wanted to do.” She raised her hands. “And trust me, I’m not going to steal your things.”
He laughed. “It would just be a bunch of clothes.” He patted the wallet in his back pocket. “I’ve got my credit cards. Not worried about it. And, seriously, this four hundred dollars…I’m leaving it on the table. Take it.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not taking your money. I’ve already taken too much of your time.”
The idea of a little gambling and total relaxation had taken a big hit when Anne had landed in his apartment. Before he left the room, he dropped the extra key card on the table for her and pocketed the other. He didn’t expect to see her when he came back. He told himself that would be a good thing. At the same time, he didn’t like the idea of her disappearing and him not knowing what had become of her.
After running from a violent ex-boyfriend, Anne had nothing. Still, she’d foolishly refused to take his money. Then again, she might take him up on the offer to stay at least a night. Jack found himself hoping she would. Whatever. He would find out what she’d decided when he got back.
Perhaps the temptation of four hundred dollars would be something she couldn’t resist. Jack would feel better knowing she had a little cash, so that she could at least get a room for the night and not have to sleep on the streets where it wasn’t safe. She’d insisted she wasn’t his responsibility.
Then why the hell did he feel like she was?
Anne watched as Jack left. She’d had every intention of leaving as soon as the truck stopped in front of the casino. After being so angry at her for stowing away in his truck, she was very surprised Jack had more or less insisted she stay the night. And then offering her the four hundred dollars…
She shook her head. No way would she take that money.
Anne had to admit she was tempted. The cash would go a long way toward renting a very small apartment. She could find work to make enough money to pay the following months’ rent. Or she might do like he said and find a shelter that wouldn’t demand her driver’s license or some form of identification. Surely, there were shelters that would take her in without questions. She couldn’t leave any trace of her actual identity. If anything found its way into a computer, Derek would find her. She didn’t know how he did it. He was good at tracking people, and he made some folks pay to keep him silent.
Once the door had closed behind Jack, Anne took her hamburger back to the table and slowly ate the rest of it, knowing she needed to feed the baby, and she hadn’t had anything to eat all morning. A hamburger wasn’t the best food to feed a baby, but the salad would provide a healthy alternative.
If she’d stayed long enough in San Diego, she’d hoped to start eating healthier and begin collecting items for the baby. If she didn’t have enough to take care of the baby, she’d even considered putting it up for adoption. The child didn’t need to struggle along with her. She had no doubt she’d have enough love in her heart to take care of it, but she might never have enough money to do it right.
Anne managed to eat the salad, the entire hamburger and some of the leftover French fries and she chased it with the bottle of water that was on the counter in the room. So far, everything seemed to be staying down, which was good because she needed that nourishment.
She went into the bathroom and found shampoo, conditioner and soap in sample sizes. She locked the bathroom door just in case Jack came back or in case anybody else came into the room. Who knew? Her ex had found her apartment in San Diego. For all Anne knew, Derek might already have found her and traced her to Vegas.
Yes, she was punchy, but she was punchy for a reason. Derek was good at what he did. Too bad he didn’t do it for a more honorable purpose, instead of blackmailing or stealing data or money from people.
Anne stripped out of her clothes, folded them neatly and laid them on the counter. She stepped into the shower and turned on the water. At first it was cold, and she welcomed the chill, shocking her system when it was so tired and all she wanted to do was take a nap.
She understood being pregnant would drain her. Working as a waitress every day made it hard to take a break. By noon she’d get hit with a wave of exhaustion and have to power through until she could get back to her apartment.
Besides the exhaustion, she still had bouts of morning sickness. Hopefully, she’d pull out of that phase of her pregnancy as she completed her first trimester. In the meantime, she tried not to eat things that would upset her stomach. Unfortunately, she didn’t always have choices.
She’d have to find another waitressing job that would allow her to work for tips. She didn’t want to leave her social security number or driver’s license or anything that Derek could find.
Vegas might not be far enough away. She needed to get even farther. Plus, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to stay in Vegas. She might have to find another truck that was going east or north or someplace away from California altogether.