by Amie Stuart
Chances were, Will hadn’t received the last 1.5 million Dre owed him either. Bastard. “Any idea why?”
“No. Far as I can tell, he’s just cleaning house.”
“Cleaning house,” Will echoed with a grimace.
“He’s a dead man,” John muttered.
“John?” Wynn asked.
“Yeah, and not if I get to him first,” Will said. “Sabrina ran off. And apparently whoever Dre hired to tidy things up has caught up with her.”
“Where are you?”
“Should be in Denton in about thirty minutes.”
“Pick me up.”
“Julie’s not gonna like it.” John smirked at Will, obviously happy to be a part of anything that Julie didn’t like.
“I’ll handle her. Let’s just go get your girl back.”
“She’s not—”
John snorted again.
The line went dead.
They were south of Denton before Will spoke again, trying to work out the one piece of the puzzle that still niggled at him. “Why would they text you?”
“Where’s your cell phone?”
Will groaned. “Shit. It was dead when I found it. I bought a disposable after the shooting and that’s what I used to call Wynn.”
“They might have, and being out there in the boonies, I’m sure cell reception was sucky at best.”
Struck with a horrible thought, Will’s eyes narrowed on the three-lane highway. “Or.”
“Or?”
“It’s personal.”
“Why would Dre make it personal?”
“He wouldn’t, but the guy he hired might. Why else would he text you—” Will held up a finger, “—besides, my dead phone. This is someone who knew your cell phone number.” And in their line of work, they didn’t exactly walk around handing out business cards.
“You’re right,” John conceded. “What do you know?”
“Not much.” Will shook his head, his attention divided by the thickening traffic. “Only that whoever he is, he had the Monte Carlo I used in Phoenix.”
“So he had to have followed you.”
“I was careful.” Will scowled at John, his mind trying to sort it all out. He didn’t do kids or women, he stayed out of domestic disputes, and he didn’t go after connected families. “I’m always careful.”
“I’m not saying you weren’t.”
At Wynn’s house, Will skipped a late dinner in favor of a shower while John filled Wynn in on their earlier discussion in the car.
Will had just snapped the last button on his jeans and reached for a T-shirt when a knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”
“How you holding up?” Julie slipped in the room and closed the door, all fresh-faced smiles, her brown hair falling over her shoulder.
He shrugged and sank down on the queen-size mattress, pulling his shirt firmly into place. “Anxious to get going.”
“You’d do better with some sleep. Matter of fact, the guys are talking about leaving in the morning, before sunup.” Julie held up a hand when he started to protest. “It’s obvious someone wants you more than her. She’ll be okay. John’s exhausted; you are too. You look like you’ve been through the wringer. Get some rest and get an early start.”
“I’m worried,” he softly confessed. Even though Wynn and Julie had been married nearly a year, Will had spent so much of the last year working, he didn’t know her that well. If it had been his sister Danielle, he would have shot straight, but Julie he wasn’t so sure about. That said, if Wynn trusted her, Will did, too... “I’m worried about Bree.” He really had to stop calling her that. Using her nickname implied things...things that weren’t there. Things he didn’t want to think about—like steamy-hot, early-morning sex.
She sat on the bed next to him and draped an arm across his shoulder. “Tell me about her.”
He shrugged and laughed, his throat thick with emotions completely unfamiliar to him as he started to talk.
“So her dad killed her mom,” Julie said when he finally stopped talking a while later.
“Step-dad,” he corrected. “And yeah.”
“No wonder she ran. That’s pretty heavy-duty stuff there, bucko.”
Will sighed, glancing over at the guest bedroom’s tidy dresser. “Yeah. What if I don’t—”
“You will. You Collier men know how to pinch hit.” She laughed softly and patted his shoulder. “Leave your dirty clothes. I’ll wash ‘em.”
And they’d be in San Antonio by noon. They had to.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I was so exhausted, I almost stopped in Austin, but forced myself to push on, needing to get back to that last safe place I’d known. And as far as possible from Will, the cabin and the bed we’d made love in.
Once I reached the fair, I showed the security guy my pass. He waved me in and pointed me toward a few open spots.
I was still torn over whether going back to work was a good idea, and then reminded myself that I was running dangerously close to broke. Maybe not in real-world terms but in Sabrina-land, less than a grand in the stash was unacceptable. And really, who the hell would look for me here, at the scene of the crime?
I parked the van between two campers—a pop-up and a Winnebago—and made myself at home. Scamp knew better than to leave my sight, so I let him wander without his leash, sniffing tires and exploring our little temporary oasis. The fair would run for five more weekends. I could make some serious money. At least two or three grand, if I worked my ass off, then I could head to that fair in Baton Rouge—I’d already registered. That ran for two months. After that, I’d settle in somewhere warm for the winter, maybe Galveston. Some time near the ocean really appealed to me. Even if the thought of being alone didn’t. I chose not to examine who or what had caused my solitary state to up and decide to bother me.
I squirmed against the ache in my chest while thinking I’d had my fill of adventures...and dangerous men.
“Excuse me, miss?”
Inwardly groaning at the intrusion, I stood and peeked around the van’s side door to find a hulking stranger holding Scamp. He wore what looked like a homespun shirt and vest over tan pants tucked into leather boots. Dark hair fell across his forehead, brown eyes twinkled from beneath thick brows and the lower half of his face was covered in stubble. “This belong to you?”
Scamp licked his hand then gave me a stupid doggy grin.
“Yeah, sorry.” I crossed to where he stood and took Scamp from him. “He hates the leash.”
“I’m Jim.”
“Sabrina.”
Jim was tall, almost as tall as Will. I sighed, forcing him out of my head. Not now. Not anymore. I swallowed the lump in my throat. A part of me hoped Jim wasn’t the talkative kind. I wasn’t really in the mood for company but being alone appealed to me even less.
“You just get in?”
“Yeah.” I forced myself to smile. I’d be fine. Really. I just needed time to convince myself.
“Buy you a turkey leg?” Jim offered.
From nearby came the sounds of a television, of cabinets slamming and pots and pans clanging. It reassured me there actually were people nearby and reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since—Lord, early this morning when I’d stopped to get gas. I’d been so anxious to put as many miles as I could between Will and me, I hadn’t stopped for anything more substantial than coffee and a bagel. “You working the fair? I don’t recall seeing you around.” Not that I’d been around, but Jim didn’t need to know that.
“Yeah. I’m—” He pointed toward the fairgrounds, “—working the rides.”
The rides were low-tech and required good old-fashioned brute strength to run. I didn’t envy him at all, but he looked more than up to the job.
“Gimme a minute.” I grabbed Scamp’s leash and locked up the van, pocketing the keys. We walked in silence for a few minutes. “How long you been working the fairs?”
“This is my first.”
“I see.” There were two kinds of
people who worked Ren Fairs: Those with a passion for all things Renaissance, who lived for the few months when the fair came to town. And then there were the rest of us. Those who lived a non-conventional life, who didn’t mind all the travel...like me. I loved what I did. Some of the real die-hards even learned to joust and swordfight. Personally, I’d always had a yen to learn belly dancing, but I’d never gotten around to it.
This wasn’t exactly the life I’d dreamed of, but it was mine and I owned it. “Where you from?”
“Here and there.” Jim shrugged and smiled, slowing his gait to match mine.
“So you travel with the fairs? Or are you local?”
“Newly local.” He gave me another grin, showing off his pearly white teeth. “I’ve always had a thing...and when I saw they were hiring.” He shrugged almost sheepishly. “You?”
“I’m a traveler.”
“Like a gypsy?” One thick eyebrow arched slightly. “You look like one.”
“Yeah, like a gypsy. Except I’m not. I travel the fair circuit as many months of the year as I can.”
We stood in line for turkey legs and lemonade for me and beer for him, then sat at the empty amphitheater. The crowd had dissipated, driven off by the heat and tired children even though things didn’t officially shut down until sunset.
“So where you from, Sabrina?”
“Up north.”
“You don’t sound like it.” He picked off a piece of turkey and threw it to Scamp. Points for him.
Now it was my turn to smile sheepishly. “I haven’t been back in...a while.” I wouldn’t call it home. Not in a million years.
“You don’t look old enough to have been on your own for a while.”
I shrugged and nibbled at my turkey leg. I’d survived twenty-six years on this planet but that wasn’t really any of his business.
“I’m prying, aren’t I?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, glad he could take a hint.
“I didn’t see you out working today? What do you do?”
“I read tarot cards and I...had some personal stuff to take care of.”
“Oh.” He nodded and luckily for me, dropped the subject.
We were halfway to the van when Jim grabbed my hand, wrapping it in his large callused one. “You sleeping here?”
“Yeah.” But you’re not, buddy!
“You are a gypsy.”
I shrugged, a part of me ready for him to leave, hoping he didn’t think a turkey leg and lemonade bought him a night with me. He seemed nice enough, but my run-in with Will was still fresh in my mind. I wasn’t ready to get involved, even casually, and Jim seemed like the type to get real pushy if he wanted something. Good thing I knew how to push back, if needed.
“I’ll see you later.” I freed my hand and backed away, dragging Scamp with me.
“Tomorrow?”
“Sure.” Shrugging, I jammed a hand in my pocket and fished out my keys.
“Definitely.” Nodding slowly, almost to himself, he gave me a once-over that left me shivering in its wake and wishing I hadn’t agreed to see him tomorrow, even casually. He took a few steps back, disappearing into the gathering dusk.
“Tomorrow, maybe not,” I murmured to Scamp.
I watched Jim walk away, unsure if I wanted to see him again or not. That last look had been super-creepy. “What do you think, Scamp?”
He whined and walked in a circle.
Anxious to get settled in before it got full-on dark, I unlocked the van and pulled the door open, my jaw dropping and heart plummeting as I stared from the door that I knew I’d locked to the van’s interior. Around me, the early evening was eerily quiet, my neighbors suddenly nowhere to be found or maybe sleeping. A breeze shuddered past, thick with the scent of meat-smoke and something bitter.
I’d locked the van, but that obviously hadn’t kept someone out. My clothes and journals were scattered all over the place, and someone had even slashed my pillow. Foam stuffing was scattered everywhere like a pale yellow blizzard had struck. “Fuck...me.”
Tears filled my eyes and with a hiccup, I dove inside. I scrambled over the mattress and reached under the driver’s seat. There was nothing there. The oversized vitamin bottle I stashed all my money in was gone. A whimper slipped past my lips. I sagged against the back of the seat. Eight hundred dollars gone. Gone.
God, maybe they hadn’t found it! Maybe it was still here!
I spent the next thirty minutes setting the van to rights, sweeping up all the foam and searching for the vitamin bottle but came up empty handed.
Other than the two twenty dollar bills in my pocket, I was broke.
I slumped against the side of the van, head in my hands. Good thing I’d planned on working tomorrow and Sunday. If I was lucky, I could pull in about six hundred dollars, but that was incredibly optimistic. At best, I’d be lucky to pull four hundred. An extra job was no longer optional, but mandatory, and there’d be no splurging on hotels and hot showers while I was here. Not to mention food and kibble for Scamp who was currently nowhere to be seen.
Terrified at the thought of losing Scamp too, I lunged for the van’s door and stuck my head outside. I collapsed with relief at the sight of him sitting on the ground, patiently waiting on me to remember he was there. “Sorry, boy.”
I gently lifted him inside and slammed the door, clutching him to me in the stuffy darkness.
Right then, I wished I was back at the cabin, with Will, playing Go Fish and listening to the crickets chirp and asking him stupid questions he didn’t want to answer. Maybe even...I sniffled...making love.
I stretched out on the mattress, Scamp held firmly in my grasp and cried myself to sleep.
The following morning I woke up resigned to starting over. Something I’d done so many times I’d lost count. I stretched and threw back the covers, pulling a T-shirt on before I opened the door and let Scamp out. I let him do his business, then trudged across the campground to the nearest bathroom, relieved to see they had showers. I cleaned up and changed, then grabbed coffee and a roll from the cantina. That left me thirty-seven dollars. After feeding Scamp and myself, I changed into a gypsy skirt and peasant blouse and tied my hair back. It was nearly eight, and I had a long day ahead of me.
I’d no sooner gotten settled in my spot than Jim showed up. He still hadn’t shaved, which, I suppose, made his Renaissance-style attire more authentic, and a little menacing. Today he wore baggy black pants tucked into his boots and a white shirt with blousy sleeves. It set off his tan and revealed some of his chest hair. The young mothers were going to love him and I told him so.
Grinning, he set a fresh cup of coffee on the table. “You look like you could use this.”
“Thanks.” Still feeling wary and raw after last night, I wasn’t about to tell him I’d been robbed. He struck me as the loner type, so I didn’t think I’d been played—I didn’t think he’d had an accomplice rob me while he fed me. And besides, if that was his game, there was definitely more lucrative pickings around here than me.
“Bad night?”
Nothing he needed to know about. “I had a hard time settling in. So do you own a house or rent?”
His eyes narrowed and he sat up a little on the tiny stool normally used by customers. “Why? Lookin’ to move in?”
I laughed. “Not quite. I’m thinking of staying in the area for a while.” At least until I headed to Louisiana.
“Settling down, huh?” He crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward until his face was only a foot or so from mine.
My smile firmly in place, I leaned back, unwilling to let him or anyone else invade my personal space after the night I’d had. “Yeah.”
“How about we celebrate with lunch then? My treat.”
“Jim—you don’t have a jealous girlfriend lurking around here, do you?”
“No.” He held up a hand. “Friends. Just friends. I’ll come by around eleven-thirty or so.”
I watched him walk away while thinking at least it wa
s a free meal.
* * *
Jesus Chris what had I gotten myself into now?
Praying I didn’t trip in the thick crowd, I glanced over my shoulder. Jim was hot on my tail.
Will hadn’t lied. Not one itty bitty bit had he lied. Damn him. Damn me. I should have listened.
Jim had the advantage of height, which allowed him to easily see me, whereas I wasn’t so lucky. My glimpses of him were few and far between. The bastard even flashed me a scary grin at one point.
I spun around and pushed my way through the crowd, determined to put as much distance between us as possible.
Will hadn’t lied, and I was an idiot. A world-class idiot.
Jim had come by around 11:30 for lunch, just like he’d promised. He was obviously impatient judging from the way he’d paced around while I finished with a client.
“Everything okay?” I’d asked once she was gone. I even cracked an earnest smile. A successful morning had done wonders for my mood.
“Yeah.” He’d blown out a heavy breath and clamped down on my upper arm, nodding toward the crowd. “We’re meeting some friends and we’re late.”
“Friends of yours?” I’d asked in surprise.
His fingers were really cutting into my arm but no matter how hard I tugged he wasn’t letting go. “No, yours.”
I’d gone numb with shock as Jim dragged me into a small empty field behind some buildings and told me how he’d followed me all the way from Buckshot, how he’d decided that letting me run loose was fun, and how he’d tortured Will with text messages sent to his brother.
“He won’t come,” I choked out, while praying he did. “I’m nobody to him. He won’t come.”
“Yes, he will.” Jim gave me a chilly, confident smile that made me shiver.
“How can you be so sure?” If I was Will, I wouldn’t come after me. Not after I’d left him standing there.
“You might not mean anything to him, but my employer does. Will wants his name, so he’ll be here.”
