Stripped Defenseless

by Lia Slater

  Talking about that day was humiliating. To relive it all in her thoughts turned her stomach. How had she not seen it coming? It was the same question she’d asked of the many women who’d sought shelter and safety at the battered women’s shelter where she volunteered. She’d wanted them all to believe they could survive and be strong enough to fight back. But now she knew how terrifying physical abuse really was. Enough to force her to run and hide.

  Kade gathered her onto his lap and held her, taking her by surprise. His solid arms were comforting as she leaned into his embrace.

  “Zack promised to hunt me down and kill me if I left, Kade. He said he’d find me no matter where I go. Now, do you understand why I can’t sit around here waiting for him?”

  “You can’t run forever.” He loosened his hold on her, and Ava looked into his unresponsive eyes.

  How could he still want her to stay after what she’d just told him? How could he not comprehend how frightened she was?

  “You have to trust me, baby. I know you’re scared, but you have to believe me when I say it’s for the best that we handle Moreno in person.”

  No. No way. She wanted to scream at him, but she held her tongue. Trying to reason with him was pointless. Her body shivered as she stared up at his stubborn expression. This was the man Zack hired to find her. No matter what her heart was saying, she was going to have to force herself to listen to her head. How could she rely on a man who had drugged and kidnapped her for money?

  She couldn’t. She needed to get out and away as soon as possible. But how?

  “Talk to me, baby,” Kade said. “Tell me you’ll trust me.”

  Ava forced her mouth into a grin. “Okay,” she lied.

  * * * * *

  Poppy awakened after a slapping sting made contact with the cheek Jarred had already bruised. Her eyes fluttered open to see Zack straddling her body, leaning over her with a malicious smirk. Darkness surrounded them, but the moonlight shone on half of his face.

  “You snore when you sleep,” he said. “Did you know that?”

  Oh, shit. She tried to sit up but was immediately greeted with a gun to her forehead. Her gun, goddamn it.

  Zack chuckled and pulled the trigger back. “What the hell were you thinking, you little whore?”

  “The house on Bluebird Street,” she said as clearly as possible with her trembling lips. “I want it.”

  Shaking his head, he pulled the gun down her sore cheek, skimming it along her tender skin. “I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.” The cold steel ran down her neck to her bare breast. “But what you have here,” he nudged the barrel against her nipple, “makes up for what you lack,” he quickly brought the gun up to her forehead again and tapped it against her skull, “here.”

  “Fuck you,” she belted out. If Poppy Q. Smith was going to die, she’d do it with style.

  “Honestly, I’d love to fuck you, but I’ve got business to tend to. A woman who just happens to look a lot like you is waiting for me, and I don’t have the time or energy to screw you both.” He backed off.

  Poppy sat up and clenched her jacket shut. Her eyes located the briefcase resting in between the two front seats.

  “Get out,” he ordered. “And don’t even think about touching that money, or I’ll put a bullet through that pretty head of yours.”

  She climbed over the seat and felt the barrel on her bottom as she did. Dickhead. Pervert. Son of a bitch. She’d get that fucking briefcase from him if it was the last thing she did.

  “Out the door, my little blonde harlot,” Zack said as he followed her over, adjusting his aim from her ass to her chest.

  Poppy was so close to the money, she swore she could smell green crisp dollars.

  “Out,” he yelled. “I’d shoot your head off, but it would ruin my new interior.”

  Reluctantly, she opened the door and slid out onto the snowy ground in her heels. “How the hell do you expect me to walk in this crap?” She threw her arms up, but before she could turn around to face Zack, his foot propelled her away from the vehicle and flat into the pile of dirty snow that hugged the plowed road.

  She tried to scream, but her entire body stung. Before she could get to her feet again, Zack, his SUV, and her money drove away.

  Trembling with anger and pain, she stood at the edge of the road and kissed her destiny good-bye. She wasn’t usually a crier, but she figured this moment was probably as good as any. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cold, bruised cheek.

  Just then an enormous black truck with chains on its tires drove up on the opposite side of the desolate road. She squinted and saw a brawny man with dark features roll down his window. “Need a ride?” he called out.

  Poppy’s mama always said not to get into a car with strange men, but what other choice was there? She was freezing, it was dark, and he had a vehicle to get her closer to her destiny.

  * * * * *

  Pulling away from Kade’s embrace, Ava excused herself to the bathroom. Her clothes were still in there, and the more she had on, the less chance she had ending up naked with Kade, again.

  She needed to remain focused if she wanted to stay alive. And although the idea of trusting Kade was alluring, it wasn’t practical.

  They weren’t on the same team.

  It was her against the unknown, and so far she was losing. But not for long.

  She pulled on her jeans and patted her pocket to make sure the pills were still there. Yep. It was time to take action.

  “Ava,” he called from the other side of the door. “Are you hungry yet?”

  “I’m starving.” She slipped on her snug T-shirt and tied his flannel shirt around her waist to hide the appearance of the capsules.

  After taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and almost ran right into him. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting for her.

  “Hi,” she said, attempting to act as normal as possible.

  His clear blue gaze swept up her body and met her eyes. “Are we okay?”

  “Just fine.” What did he expect her to do? Cartwheels? “Why don’t I make dinner?” She attempted to walk past him to the kitchen, but he grabbed her arm.

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  “I want to. Really. I feel bad for destroying the meal you made earlier. You could go play with your detective stuff.” She waved her free hand toward his computer equipment.

  He loosened his grip and smiled down at her. “It’s been a long time since a woman cooked for me.”

  Ava watched as he bit into the small cut on his lip, reminding her he was just a man. Not some mysterious force who ruled her fate.

  He leaned down and kissed her lips. “I’d love it,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Get a hold of yourself, Ava. She swallowed down the rising desire to strip the clothes off his body, push him onto the couch, and ride him until she was completely satisfied. “Okay, I’ll get started.”

  * * * * *

  Poppy plopped into the front seat after climbing up the mountain that was the man’s truck. A difficult task for a petite woman in three-inch heels. She supposed he was single because no sane woman would go through this stunt more than a few times.

  “You okay?” he asked as she closed the door behind her.

  She finally gave him her full attention. And fell in love at first sight. His lips were positively lickable. His muscular arms could throw her onto a bed any day. His well-defined chest was wrapped tightly under his dark gray T-shirt. Yummy stomach. Nice bulge in the jeans. Oh yeah. That was impressive.

  “Are you staring at my dick?”

  Poppy shrugged but didn’t look away.

  He chuckled. “What’s your name?” He placed two long fingers under her chin, edging her face up.

  “Poppy.” She met his gaze. The overhead light dimmed, setting shadows under his dark brooding eyes and cheekbones. Damn.

  “You’re soaking wet, Poppy.”

  Hell, yeah, I am
. “I know. Do you have something I could change into?” She slipped Jarred’s stinky jacket off and let it fall behind her.

  “I might.” He took in her exposed breasts with one all-too-quick sweeping glance while tugging his rugged-looking brown leather jacket off the back of his seat.

  Was he gay? Hello? What kind of man didn’t look when a woman’s bare breasts were less than two feet in front of him? “I could trade you for something,” she said without breaking her stare. Poppy brushed her hands over her receptive nipples and up through her hair.

  His face was blank, but his fists were clenched tightly to the leather in his hands. No man who emitted that much testosterone was a homosexual. “I don’t like to barter. If I want something I take it.” He handed her the jacket.

  “Ah,” she said, impressed with his answer but somewhat saddened he didn’t want her. “What’s your name, anyway?” She slipped on the coat but left it unzipped.

  He straightened and his massive body loomed over hers while his sober gaze slowly drifted down. “Some people call me Jax.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ava searched through Kade’s refrigerator and pantry, which were both overloaded with food. How much could one guy eat? “Expecting company?” She swiveled around to see he was right behind her. Startled, she jerked back.

  “The nearest store is fifty miles away so I stock up every so often.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, telling her he was nervous about something. Geez, how was it she knew so much about him from the little time they’d spent together?

  “Oh.” She moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, attempting to comfort him. And hopefully, convince him they were on the same level, the same team. She tilted her head up, stood on her tiptoes, and met his lips.

  His kiss was powerful, passionate, and always exactly how she wanted it. Damn him for being the perfect man in the most imperfect situation.

  She pulled away to see his eyes slowly open, letting their alluring hue draw her in. Their children would have been beautiful if they’d looked anything like him.

  “I’ll get out of your way.” He gulped visibly.

  Ava nodded, speechless. Now wasn’t the time to be daydreaming about what might have been. Now was the time to take action.

  He doesn’t care about you. He’s working for Zack.

  She repeated the words in her mind over and over as she plucked the pills out of her pocket.

  * * * * *

  Kade grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to sit at his desk. This was too easy. She was being overly accommodating. But why? What did she have up her sleeve?

  He swerved his chair to watch her as she moved around in his kitchen. Like she’d done it a million times before. She fit perfectly in his home…with him.

  If he could just convince her to stay.

  He shook the thought from his head and turned toward his computer screen.

  One mountaintop at a time, Gavin.

  Just save her life first.

  Pots clanked from her direction, and Kade quickly did a mental inventory of his pantry, freezer, and cabinets. Nothing lethal or mind-altering came to mind. He was sure of it since he kept his drugs and chemicals locked up in the shed out back or in his safe, hidden in the opposite wall of the fireplace.

  Besides, Ava couldn’t harm him that way. She didn’t have that fucked up mental capacity to kill, and she wouldn’t drug him without knowing where her shoes were. He could relax.

  Raven purred at his feet and wrapped her body around his ankle. Kade reached down and picked her up. “Do you like cats?” he called out to Ava.

  “Uh, yeah, sure,” she answered with a hint of hesitancy.

  “It’s okay if you don’t. You can tell me the truth.” Kade swiveled in his chair again to see her busy whipping something together in a pot. A spicy aroma filled the air.

  “Actually, I love all animals. I was studying to be a veterinarian before all this happened.”

  “Really?” Kade wasn’t all too surprised. Ava as a stripper just didn’t match up.

  “Yeah.” She glanced over and graced him with a quick smile. Her face brightened for only an instant, letting him into a world that didn’t include Moreno or Jax or anyone else but the two of them.

  He could get used to that.

  “I could’ve used your services about a month ago. Raven had this disgusting hacking cough. Kept me up all night.”

  Her soft giggle filled the room and warmed his heart. “Well, I’m glad she’s better.”

  “Yeah, me, too.” He set the cat back on the floor and ran his hand through his hair. It felt good to have a normal conversation. Well, as normal as it could be.

  “I have to admit you don’t seem like much of a cat person.” The electric can-opener whirred and grinded.

  He waited until it stopped. “Just this cat. Trust me. For the past few years I haven’t been any type of person. Animal or otherwise.”

  “Oh?” She arched her eyebrow at him. “What about Lucy?”

  “She doesn’t mean anything to me. She numbed my mind at times, but that was it.” He clenched his eyes shut. The sound of his own words sickened him. He opened them to see Ava had looked away, busy crushing something into the mortar.

  What was she making anyway? Whatever it was smelled delicious.

  Curiosity led him back to the kitchen.

  * * * * *

  “Where you headed?” Jax leaned over Poppy’s lap and opened the glove compartment.

  She inhaled the musky masculine scent of him and watched as he pulled a gun out with what could only be a silencer attached to it. She didn’t know much about weapons, but she’d seen enough movies and crime scene investigation shows to know what one looked like.

  “What do you use that for?” She squirmed in her seat. Her mama would surely be giving her a scolding when they met in heaven.

  “My job.” He slid the gun in a holder behind his sun visor and then peered at her from the corner of his shady, dark eyes. “What were you doing in Zack Moreno’s car?”

  She stilled, shocked by hearing that name rumble from the stranger’s mouth. “How do you know him?”

  He shook his head. “I ask the questions, got it?”

  Obviously, he wasn’t up for negotiations, so she didn’t answer.

  “That was Moreno in the SUV, right?”

  Screw him. “Maybe.”

  With a quick sweeping movement, he pulled the gun down and pointed it at her head. “Answer.”

  “Fine. Yes, it was him.” Poppy rolled her eyes, tired of having men push her around and not being able to shove back. This sucked.

  “What were you doing with him?”

  “He has my money.”

  “Your money?”

  “Yep.” Damn, right. The son of a bitch owed her. Plus interest. “Do you know where he’s going with it?”

  Silence thickened the cab of the truck as he stared at her with a calm intensity, suddenly reminding her of what’s-his-face. Kade. Ava’s guy.

  “Well, do you?” she asked, peeved he was making her feel insecure. She clenched her jacket shut.

  “I know where he’s heading,” Jax finally answered as if breaking from a trance.

  “Why? You want the money, too?”

  He grinned, easing some of her tension. “You try to steal it? Is that what happened?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  A guttural laugh erupted from him, and he slipped his gun back in its holder. “You have no idea what you got yourself into, do you? You’re lucky Moreno didn’t put a bullet in your head.”

  “Please,” she said, trying to sound blasé. “I’ve dealt with much worse.”

  “Really?” He didn’t seem impressed or like he believed a word she said. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in action.”

  “You mean you want to watch me get the money from him?”

  “Hell, I’d be cheering you on.”

  “Then take me to him.” She may have been naïve but she certa
inly knew how to take advantage of an opportunity.

  He laughed again, clearly not taking her seriously. “Listen, you’ve got a lot of spunk, but that’s not going to help you when dealing with a man like Moreno.”

  “I’ll give you a portion of the cash. All you have to do is drive me there and then to a safe location after I get the briefcase.”

  “If you screw with Moreno then a safe location doesn’t exist, understand?”

  “Wow. You looked like a tough guy. Hell, you almost scared me with that cute little gun of yours, but now I know you’re nothing but a chicken shit.” That should get him. If she knew anything, it was that a man’s ego was bigger than any other part of him. Which meant Jax’s had to be huge.

  He shook his head at her, shifted his truck into gear, and took off in Moreno’s direction. “I never should’ve picked you up, huh?”

  “Too late now.”

  * * * * *

  Ava quickly rinsed the residue off of the mortar and stirred the crushed pills into the chili.

  Just in time.

  From the corner of her eye, she could see him walking over. He nudged up beside her.

  “You’ve got a ton of canned food,” she explained, trying to sound casual and relaxed when she was anything but. “I’m making chili.” She gestured toward the empty can and let out a nervous giggle. “Just added some crushed peppers. I’m not the best cook.”

  “It’s perfect.” Kade wrapped his arm around her waist from behind and looked down at the now bubbling chili.

  She tensed against him. Did he suspect? What would he do if he found out? She couldn’t imagine he’d hurt her, but what did she really know about him anyway?

  Yes, he was gorgeous. He made her toes curl in the bedroom. His kiss blinded her with ecstasy. His deep calming voice could lull her to sleep. He had a cat. He owned a rustic cabin in the woods. And he smelled like...like fresh mountain air.

  She inconspicuously leaned in toward his chest and sniffed. Yes. That’s what it was.

  That and...burned chili.

  “Damn it!” She quickly used the ladle to scoop all that wasn’t stuck to the bottom of the pot into a bowl. “Oh, geez, I ruined it.” She clasped her hand over her mouth and stared down at her escape plan.