by Rita Herron
She had to help him to ease her conscience.
Besides, she was starting to remember how wonderful it had felt to be in his arms. How potently sexy the man was in bed, and how she’d dreamed of having more than one night with him.
And even though he’d cloaked himself in a coat of armor, beneath that veneer he was a decent man.
He didn’t deserve for people to think he was a killer when he’d been framed.
She wanted to see his name cleared, and she was going to help him.
The realization made her feel stronger than she had in years. She and Carter would find out the truth and make Lester pay.
Then they would be free. Finally.
Free to live their lives as they’d dreamed all along.
Maybe even to be together…
She stifled the thought, knowing she had to protect herself from losing her heart to the sexy cowboy. Carter had enough on his plate simply clearing his name. And then he’d need to rebuild his life, not an easy feat after losing five years.
She removed a small notepad and pen from her purse. “Is there anything specific you want me to pick up?”
A black sedan coasted by them, and Carter settled his Stetson back on his head and slid lower in the seat. “Buy some hair dye and scissors. You can give me a trim. And I need shaving stuff and maybe a ball cap.”
They spent the next few minutes making a list. Then Sadie clutched her purse over her shoulder and reached for the car door.
Carter stopped her by placing a hand over hers. “Do you have your gun?”
A tremor rippled through Sadie. “Yes.” But it was still daylight and surely Lester hadn’t picked up their scent.
She angled her face toward him and pasted on a brave smile. “Don’t worry, Carter. I’ll be fine.”
Carter’s eyes darkened. “Just be careful.”
Their eyes locked for a moment, a thread of something sensual and sweet rippling between them. Maybe he was starting to care for her after all.
Then again, he had his own agenda. And it didn’t involve a romantic entanglement with her.
If Lester killed her, she couldn’t give him the alibi he needed to overturn his conviction.
CARTER WATCHED SADIE slip into the store with a sense of unease. What if Lester was working with someone else and they had followed them?
He’d been careful, watching over his shoulder, and hadn’t spotted a tail, but he could have easily missed something. Nerves knotted his neck as he scanned the people entering and leaving the store for anyone suspicious. At first glance, he didn’t spot anyone who looked out of place. But he kept his eyes trained just in case.
A beefy Hispanic man wearing all black with sleeves of tattoos strolled past the truck, glanced at him with beady eyes, then headed toward the store. Carter sat up straighter, scrutinizing the guy for signs of trouble. His hand itched, and he reached for his gun in case the man recognized him. Two seconds. Three. Four.
Two teenagers in a sedan pulled up and climbed out, music blaring. A heavyset lady parked beside them, worrying with her grandkids as they piled out, begging for candy.
The tattooed man turned around and headed back his way.
Carter clenched his jaw. He had fought in dozens of bar brawls and had engaged in knife fights in prison, all in self-defense. But he’d never shot an innocent man before. If he unloaded on this guy, the cops would come running.
Of course if he worked for Lester, he wasn’t exactly innocent.
Palms sweating, he wrapped his fingers around the pistol’s handle, deciding if the man confronted him, he’d hit him with the butt of the gun instead of firing, but suddenly a woman raced up and threw herself at the beefy man. He swung her into his arms and hugged her, then they turned and walked hand in hand back toward the store.
Carter’s breath squeezed out of his lungs in a painful rush. The urge to find Sadie and tell her to hurry slammed into him. He didn’t like her being out of his sight. Not even for a minute.
But she was right. It was dangerous for him to go inside.
Glancing at the clock, though, he counted the minutes she’d been gone as he crouched lower into the seat. The hundred-degree temperature felt stifling, and sweat dripped down the back of his neck, but he resisted starting the engine and air conditioner.
He had to save his cash. He might need it to pay for some answers.
Seconds later, his cell phone trilled, and he checked the number. Johnny.
He drummed his fingers on the dash as he connected the call. “Johnny?”
“Yeah. How’re you doing, man?”
“Sweating like crazy,” Carter said. “Have you heard anything from that P.I.?”
“Yeah. He said the last address he found for Loretta Swinson was Laredo. She’s a housekeeper at a local motel.” Carter scribbled the name of the motel down as well as the address.
“Thanks, Johnny. Maybe she can point us to Lester or explain why he set me up.”
“Good luck.” Johnny paused, his breathing rattling over the line. “Listen, Carter, you said you found the Native American woman you saw the night of the murder. Where is she now?”
Carter glanced across the parking lot again, searching for her. She’d been gone a long time now. At least every second felt like an eternity. “We’re at a discount store. She’s inside buying us some disguises.”
A heartbeat of silence passed, tense and fraught with questions. Carter sensed Johnny’s disapproval.
“You sure it’s smart to keep her with you?” Johnny asked. “The police could add kidnapping charges to your record.”
“They don’t know she’s with me now,” Carter says. “And Lester tried to kill her, Johnny. We’re safer together.”
“I don’t know, man—”
“He carved her up with a knife, Johnny, and he’s been stalking her ever since.” The image of the scar haunted Carter. “I can’t let anything else happen to her. I have to find Lester and make him confess the truth or she’ll never be safe.”
“I thought you hated her,” Johnny said quietly.
Carter scrubbed a hand over his face. “I did. But…it’s complicated. He…used us both. He threatened her and made her drug me that night.”
Another awkward silence. “Just be careful, Carter. She fooled you once before, don’t let her do it again.”
Carter’s gaze shot to the store exit. Johnny’s warning reminded him of what had happened years ago. Of waking up disoriented, with blood on his hands, a knife in his hand and the police after him. Of five years of flashbacks where images of Sadie’s seduction and betrayal tormented him.
Was she playing him again now? Had she pretended to go along with him, to help him, until she could escape?
No…he didn’t think so. That scar…it was real. And she was terrified of Lester.
But he wouldn’t let down his guard.
“All the more reason for me to stay with her so I can keep an eye on her,” Carter said. Except that she was in the store alone now.
And she had fooled him before.
What if she had insisted on going in alone so she could call the police and turn him in? They might be on their way now....
SADIE’S HANDS TREMBLED as she tossed a prepaid cell phone into the shopping cart. She didn’t know if they needed it, but if the police discovered she was with Carter or that his friend had given him a phone, they could run a trace.
She hadn’t survived the last five years on the run without learning a few tricks of the trade.
She gathered shaving supplies, scissors, toiletries, hair dye, three different ball caps, a couple of peasant skirts and blouses so she’d have a change of clothes, some T-shirts with sports logos on the front for Carter along with a denim shirt and tie, two scarves, a sunhat for her and a pair of nonprescription glasses and sunglasses for both of them. For a second, she considered a hoodie, but with the temperature soaring she decided that would only draw suspicion.
A noisy cart clanked behind her, and she g
lanced back to make sure no one was following her. Just a family with two kids. The mother was doling out suckers to entertain the children while the little girl cradled her doll to her chest, and the boy pulled at his sister’s pigtails.
A normal family having a normal day.
A pang of sadness engulfed her. At one time she’d dreamed about a medical career, marriage, a family…
Would her life ever be normal again?
Two Hispanic men walked toward her, and she ducked into the aisle for ladies’ underwear, rummaging through the silky panties while she kept one eye on them. They gave her a once-over, then a lecherous grin, and she snatched a package of underwear, tossed it into her cart, and swung down the next aisle, avoiding them.
Thankfully they moved on, but suddenly someone grabbed her arm and jerked her between the fitting room and restroom.
Sadie started to scream, but the man pressed her against the wall with her back to him.
She froze as something hard dug into her back.
Chapter Eight
Sadie’s lungs churned for air. “Please don’t hurt me—”
A husky sigh breathed against her neck. “I’m not going to, Sadie.”
Anger flared inside Sadie and she spun around. “Carter, what are you doing? You scared me to death.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I was worried. You’ve been in here a long time.”
“Not that long.” Sadie narrowed her eyes, then gestured toward the cart. “Besides, we needed several items,” she said. “And you and I discussed this. It’s dangerous for you to be in here.”
Regret tinged his expression, and he glanced around the store as if to ascertain if they had an audience. A red-haired woman wearing the store smock stood watching, obviously curious. Sadie gave her a quick smile to assure her everything was okay.
When she glanced back at Carter, she sensed something else was wrong. Then the truth dawned on her. “You thought I might be planning to abandon you, didn’t you?” Disappointment and hurt filled her. “Or that I was calling the police to turn you in?”
Guilt slashed across his chiseled face, confirming her suspicions.
“You don’t trust me,” Sadie said quietly.
Carter shifted sideways leaning against the wall, his face in the shadows. “I…I’m sorry,” Carter said. “It’s just…I thought—”
“You thought I’d betrayed you before, that I would do it again.” In spite of the fact that she understood his caution, her anger rose, and she yanked her arm away. “I realize I left you in the wind before, Carter, but I haven’t called anyone. I told you we were in this together and I meant it.” She grabbed the cart and pushed it into the aisle. “Now I’m going to pay for this stuff so we can leave.”
Carter tucked his hat lower on his head and walked along beside her. “I…want to trust you, Sadie,” he said gruffly. “But it’s been a long time since I could trust anyone.”
Compassion budded inside her. Given his situation, she didn’t blame him.
But doubts assailed her. Had he been hardened to the point where he’d never be able to trust her?
Troubled by the thought, she steered the cart through the aisles, staying alert for anyone watching. Carter pressed his hand on the curve of her back as they walked, leaning close to indicate they were a couple.
The idea that they weren’t and would never be pained her, but she swallowed her disappointment. She wasn’t ready for a relationship anyway.
She had her own nightmares to overcome.
Two of the checkout lines were packed, so she found the self-service lane and began to scan the items. A middle-aged woman with an irritable older woman seemed to be staring at them, and Carter stepped up and nudged her aside. “I got it, sweetheart.”
Sadie bit her lip to keep from commenting and planted a big kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, honey. You’re so sweet.”
“Yeah, real sweet,” he said with a sarcastic laugh. Then he dipped his head and laid a lip-lock on her that curled her toes.
Sadie smiled as he released her, flushed and wanting more. Two teenagers nearby giggled but the older lady shot her a stern look of disapproval.
Carter was still scanning the lines and front of the store, and disappointment ballooned inside her. She wished the kiss had been for real, not an act.
A security guard entered the store, and Carter instantly tensed, then lowered his head and continued scanning the items. Sadie moved up beside him to block the guard’s view and bagged their purchases, then swiped her debit card. When the machine asked if she wanted cash back, she punched Yes and withdrew two hundred dollars, which was the maximum it allowed.
She considered asking Carter to stop at another ATM, but the lethal look he shot her silenced her request. His pride was obviously smarting again.
As they strolled to the exit, he threw his arm around her shoulder and she snuggled up to him, kissing his neck. The last thing the police would be looking for was Carter as part of a romantic couple.
“I’ll pay you back,” Carter said, as they stepped outside and headed to the truck.
Sadie shrugged and opened the truck door. “Don’t worry about it.” Although worry gnawed at her. Her bank account was lean and without her job, it would quickly dwindle.
Carter clenched his jaw and they finished loading the purchases in the back of the cab in silence. When they climbed in the truck, he covered her hand with his. “I do worry, Sadie. In spite of what you think of me, I’m not a man who uses a woman or takes advantage of her.”
Sadie’s stomach fluttered. “I know that, Carter. Like I said earlier, all that matters is that we find Lester and clear you so we’ll both be free.”
Because without that, they would be running forever.
THE MEMORY OF SADIE kissing his neck in the parking lot taunted Carter as he drove toward the motel address where Loretta Swinson worked. He needed to focus on tracking down her and Lester, but he couldn’t help but wish the act he and Sadie had put on for the store patrons and employees had been for real.
Because her subtle kisses reminded him of the night they’d made love.
It had been a long time since he’d been close to a woman, and having the one he’d fantasized about while he was locked in a cage so close, and kissing her to boot, was wreaking havoc on his nerves and his deprived libido.
“I talked to Johnny,” he said in an effort to distract himself. “His P.I. found an address for Loretta Swinson and her place of employment. She cleans rooms at this motel.” He swerved into the motel parking lot, sizing up the place. The pink neon sign and truckers parked in the lot told him it was low rent. A half-dozen bikers in leather screeched up in a circle to the hamburger joint across from the motel.
Carter grimaced. He hated to make Sadie stay in this dive, but they had no choice. But Sadie seemed nonplussed at the run-down conditions, and once again the realization that she’d been running alone, staying in dives like this since he’d been sent away, hit him.
Her predicament was partly his fault. Dammit, he’d like to take her someplace fancy, to a nice restaurant for dinner, to a hotel with satin sheets.
She deserved better than this.
And better than what he could give her even if he was free. He had nothing, not a dime to his name. Not a home or any chance of buying one soon.
Sadie reached for the door handle. “You want me to reserve a room or ask for Loretta?”
“The cleaning staff won’t show up till morning, so just rent a room. If we ask questions tonight, someone might warn her and she might not show tomorrow.”
“Good point.” Sadie reached up and touched a strand of his hair. “Then tonight we’ll trim and dye your hair.”
His body hardened at her simple touch, his mind racing to more intimate things they could do in that room.
Oblivious, Sadie climbed out and walked toward the entrance to the motel, her long black braid swaying like a rope of silk down her back.
The sound of a motorcycle revv
ing up made him jerk his head around. One of the bikers sped toward the motel entrance, then two kicked into gear and followed.
His window was cracked enough for him to hear, and one of them made a crack about the hot Indian girl who’d just gone inside.
His hand automatically slid to his gun, protective instincts toward Sadie kicking in.
But he couldn’t allow his emotions to rule him. As long as they left Sadie alone, he’d stay still.
He needed to find Loretta Swinson and make her talk, not jump into a brawl or get his butt kicked by a bunch of bikers with crude mouths.
One of the other bikers made a joke, then the leader gestured toward the road, and suddenly the gang hit the highway, speeding away.
Relieved, Carter wiped sweat from his face, then scanned the motel lot again. A pickup truck rolled up and two drunken cowboys climbed out, stumbling toward the front with a couple of tramps hugging their sides. Another young couple who couldn’t be more than twenty were making out, giggling and kissing as they opened the door to another unit.
Across from the motel, neon signs indicated an all-night bar with adult entertainment. The urge to see a naked woman and watch her gyrate while he stuffed dollar bills into her G-string was tempting. He’d dreamed about having a woman for so long.
Trouble was, Sadie was the one he wanted to see naked.
And that was not about to happen.
Hell, he had it bad for her. When they finished with Lester and he was free, and Sadie moved on with her life, he’d treat himself to a mindless night of sex.
But not until Sadie was safe.
Besides, the image of her giving him a private lap dance was far more tempting than a stripper who earned her money taking off her clothes for strangers.
Not that Sadie would take her clothes off for him…
She opened the truck door and slid inside. “Room 312, at the far end.”
He quirked a brow. “One room?”
She gave him a sour look. “I figured you’d be afraid I’d run off and call the cops if I rented my own.”
His heart hammered, making him regret his earlier panic. “Old habits die hard,” he admitted.