Careless

by Cheryl Douglas

  Joe hadn’t given her reason to fear for her life during the brief hours before nightfall, but there was no telling how he might react once he found out she’d crossed him. She’d put miles behind her before she finally allowed herself to relax.

  Thankfully, he must have put gas in the car shortly before they’d arrived because it seemed she had enough to guide her toward civilization. He left her purse in the car, so she still had cash, credit cards, and I.D. with her once she did find a rest stop.

  Tori was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, even with the windows open and country music blaring. She hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since Luc’s party, save the spiked water in the car, and her body was starting to shut down. Sleeping on the side of a deserted country road in the middle of nowhere wasn’t an option, and she didn’t think knocking on one of the few random doors she’d seen was a good idea, so she just kept rubbing her eyes to stay awake… and praying.

  Finally, after what seemed like days, she found a gas station / truck stop on the side of the road. She threw it into park, grabbed her purse, and made a beeline for the bathroom in the back.

  “The washrooms are for payin’ customers,” the middle-aged waitress muttered as Tori ran past her.

  She intended to order three of everything on the menu the second after she relieved herself and washed a layer of grime off her skin, but she couldn’t spare the precious few seconds to inform the waitress of her plans.

  When she made her way out of the ladies’ room a few minutes later, two old men sitting at the counter and one haggard-looking middle-aged waitress, with a coffee pot hanging out of her hand, stood staring at her.

  “What did I tell ya, Mavis?” one of the men said, snapping his fingers as he cackled with delight. “I knew it was her.”

  Tori closed her eyes. This was one time she wished she could just sneak into one of the cracked vinyl seats, gorge herself on bacon and eggs, and pretend she was just another lost, weary traveler. She had no intention of telling anyone she’d been abducted until she’d had a chance to speak to Mike, Avery, and Luc about the best course of action.

  “Guilty as charged,” Tori said, smiling. She’d been trained to turn on the charm no matter how weary or tired she was. This was no exception. In spite of the fact that she just wanted to break down and cry before falling into bed, any bed, and sleeping for a week. “What’s a girl got to do to get a cup of coffee around here, Mavis?”

  The red-haired woman with nicotine stains on her teeth smiled for the first time since Tori walked through the door. “You just park yourself right over there in the corner booth, and I’ll fix ya right up.”

  “Awww,” one of the old men muttered. “Why don’t you sit her up here with us? Not like it’s every day a real celebrity walks through them there doors.”

  Mavis rolled her eyes as she walked toward Tori’s assigned table. “Gee, I can’t imagine why, Murphy. We’ve got so much to offer out here. Just thinkin’ about the rip-roarin’ time I had at the Laundromat last night gets me all excited.”

  Tori smiled as Mavis poured strong brew into her cheap, cracked mug. Coffee had never looked or smelled so good.

  “You want milk or sugar, hon?”

  “Just like this is fine.” If only Mike could see her now, drinking her coffee like a big girl.

  Mavis handed her a plastic menu. “I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what you want.”

  “Um, that’s okay,” Tori said, taking a quick glance at the first thing she saw on the menu. “Eggs over easy with a side of bacon sounds great. And could you bring out the toast first?” If she didn’t get something in her stomach soon, she was going to start drinking the condiments straight from the bottle.

  “You got it.” Mavis walked back to place the order with the cook, who peeked his bald head through the opening behind the counter and waved at Tori.

  Tori returned his wave before burying her face in her hands. It was so nice to be in the midst of normal people again, even if they were complete strangers and she was hours from home. Once she’d satisfied her thirst and hunger, and had a healthy dose of caffeine, she’d ask to use the phone, get directions from the waitress, and get the hell out of here. She just wanted to hear Mike’s voice, reassure her parents that she was okay and she was coming home soon, and find a place to rest her head for a while.

  Mavis set the toast down on the table with a side of butter and jam. “You want peanut butter, too?”

  “No, thanks, this’ll be fine.” She’d be satisfied eating it stone cold and dry, but her waitress didn’t need to know that. “Um, I was visitin’ a friend, and I must’ve got turned around. Where am I exactly?” She bit into her toast as she waited for Mavis to fill her in.

  “Oh, you’re just about halfway between heaven and hell.”

  Tori smiled as she chewed. She’d already visited hell, thanks. “Could you be a little more specific?”

  Mavis chuckled. “You’re in Oklahoma. This little piece of paradise is called Clayton. You comin’ from Nashville?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Tori raised her mug to her lips, hoping she wouldn’t have to answer any more questions. She’d already told the press she had a stalker, but she didn’t welcome the idea of telling the world he was someone she’d been stupid enough to trust for years. A man she’d willingly got into a car with… When she thought about what could have happened if she hadn’t had the knowledge to get away, it made her cringe. Joe had made one thing crystal clear during their brief hours together—he had no intention of letting her leave him, ever.

  “Do you think I could use your phone? My cell phone died, and I forgot the car charger.” She smiled when the woman seemed hesitant. “It’s not local, but I’d be happy to pay for the call.” Reaching in to her wallet, she placed a twenty-dollar bill on the table. “Please. I’d really like to call my boyfriend. He’s probably worried sick by now.”

  Mavis waved her plastic pen in the air. “Hey, I think I saw him on TV. That sexy police Lieutenant, what’s his name…” She snapped her fingers. “Mark, Matt…”

  “Mike Cooper,” Tori said. “So, do you think I could call him?”

  “Sure thing, honey.” Mavis turned around to glance at the pass-through separating the restaurant from the kitchen. “But let me get you my cell phone. The boss man doesn’t like nobody makin’ long distance calls from his phone.”

  “That’s very nice of you. Thanks, Mavis.”

  While she waited for the woman to return, Tori pulled another two twenties out of her purse and laid them on the old, scarred table. She’d worked as a waitress in high school and she knew it could be a tiring and thankless job at the best of times. Under different circumstances, she would have given the woman more, but she didn’t know how much cash she would need to get her home and she couldn’t be certain the motels around here would accept her American Express.

  Mavis glanced at the screen of her old cell phone. “The reception out here is hit and miss, but you have two bars right now, so you should be okay.”

  “Thanks so much.” Tori waited for some privacy before she pressed the buttons and waited. She was desperate to hear the sound of Mike’s voice and cursed softly when it went straight to voice mail.

  “Mike, it’s me,” she whispered, turning her face away from the curious diners. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I’m fine. You probably know by now… Joe took me. I’ll explain everything when I see you. I managed to get away from him, and I’m just grabbin’ a bite to eat at some greasy spoon called Carl’s in Clayton, Oklahoma. I’m usin’ the waitress’s cell phone ’cause Joe destroyed mine.”

  She sighed as she raked her hand through her hair. She needed to talk to him, to hear his voice promising her that everything was going to be okay. “Um, I don’t have this number, but hopefully it’ll come up on your call display. I should be here for a bit. Call me if you can. I love you, and I’ll see you soon. Bye.” She fought the urge to cry, which was silly since she was out of danger. The time
for tears had passed, but she was just so exhausted, emotionally and physically, and she needed him now more than she’d ever needed anyone.

  “Everything okay, hon?” Mavis asked, setting the plate of food down in front of her.

  “Um, yeah. I couldn’t reach him, but I left a message. I’m hopin’ he’ll call back. Would you mind if I kept the phone with me until I have to leave?”

  “Not at all.” Mavis propped a fist on her hip. “Y’all have a fight? Is that what you’re doin’ all the way out here. You tryin’ to teach him a lesson?”

  Tori smiled. If only it were so simple. “No, it’s nothin’ like that.”

  “Me and the old man…” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “We get into it all the time, but we have a rule, we don’t go to bed mad at each other.” She shrugged. “It’s worked for us for twenty-four years. It might work for you and your man, too.”

  “That’s good advice. I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.”

  Mike’s cell phone buzzed, and he waited, expecting his Bluetooth to activate the call. “Damn it, I must have missed a call when I was in that goddamn shack.”

  Joe, who was secured in handcuffs in the backseat, muttered something under his breath.

  Mike glared at him in the rear view. “Shut the hell up. I told you, if you can’t tell me where Tori is, I don’t want to hear the sound of your voice. Period.”

  When they’d arrived at the cabin and found Joe inside, Mike was certain Tori would be there too. When Joe swore she’d stolen his car in the middle of the night, Mike wavered between pride and frustration. He’d been so damn close to ending her nightmare, but she was still out there somewhere, alone and, no doubt, terrified.

  “I’m surprised you’re even gettin’ reception out here,” Derek said, glancing out the window. “You need to check the message?”

  “Yeah.” They’d just pulled onto the road leading to the interstate when Mike pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket. He eased his vehicle over to the side of the road. “Just give me a minute.” He listened to the sound of her breaking voice, and for the first time in a day and a half, he felt like he could breathe. “Tori,” he whispered when he disconnected. He closed his eyes and pressed the phone against his lips, saying a silent prayer of thanks. She was okay.

  “It was Tori?” Derek asked.

  “Yeah. She’s at some truck stop… Carl’s, I think?” He’d been so grateful just to hear the sound of her voice he’d blanked out on some of the details, something he never did.

  Derek looked in his side mirror. “We passed a place called Carl’s about half a mile back.”

  Mike did a reckless U-turn, heedless of the traffic that may or may not be oncoming. Thankfully, the road was deserted. “I gotta get back there. You can take him back to the station and book him?”

  Derek grinned. “It would be my pleasure, Lieutenant.”

  He saw her through the glass as they pulled into the near-empty parking lot. She appeared to be eating, but it was difficult to tell from a distance. “Thank God,” Mike whispered. He’d never been so relieved or so grateful to see someone in his life. That’s when it hit him; he couldn’t live without her. Everything else in his life could fall apart, but if he lost her, he’d never survive.

  When the vehicle stopped, Derek jumped out and walked around to the driver’s side. He shook Mike’s hand. “Go and give your lady a kiss. Tell her we all love her, and we’re glad she’s okay.”

  “I will,” Mike whispered. He opened the rear door of the vehicle. “Give me your keys.”

  Joe glared at him. “They’re in my pocket. You gonna reach in and get ’em?”

  “Don’t be a smart-ass or I’ll finish what I started.” Derek, Smith, and Jones had barely been able to peel Mike off Tori’s captor when he claimed he didn’t know where she was. “Reach into your pocket and get them. Now.”

  Mike watched him struggle to extract the key ring with the handcuffs still in place. “This is the last time I’m gonna say it,” he said, pointing his finger at Joe. “You ever think about callin’, writin’, or comin’ near here again, and I’ll make you wish you got life, ’cause inside a cell’s the only place you’ll be safe from me. I’ll hunt you down like a dog, and I won’t rest until you feel the kind of fear you made her feel. You got me?”

  Joe looked down at his bound hands before muttering, “Yeah.”

  Derek raised his hand as Mike jogged toward the entrance.

  Tori didn’t lift her head until the bell over the door rang out, capturing her attention. Her mouth fell open before she pushed out of the booth and launched herself into his arms. “Oh my God, how… What’re you doin’ here?”

  Mike laughed as he buried his face in her hair. “I got your message. We were already at the cabin. We got him, baby. He can’t hurt you again.” He set her down and framed her face with his hands before kissing her lips gently. She looked so tired, so weak, it reawakened all of Mike’s protective instincts.

  There were so many things running through his mind, but only one seemed to matter now. “I love you.” The words seemed hopelessly inadequate to describe what he felt for her, but he intended to spend every day for the rest of their lives showing her how much she meant to him.

  “I love you, too,” she said, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. “I was so scared. I kept thinkin’ about you, and how I might never see you again.”

  Mike glanced behind Tori. There were four people, two wearing uniforms standing behind the counter, and two old men perched on stools sitting at the counter. He nodded at them as he threaded his hand through Tori’s and led her to the table she’d been occupying when he walked in.

  “I can’t believe you’re really here,” Tori said, sliding into the booth beside him and leaning her head on his shoulder. “I kept hopin’, prayin’ you’d find a way to get to me, but…”

  He hated that he’d failed to protect her, to keep her safe, when she’d needed him the most. He’d spent the last decade protecting total strangers, but when the love of his life needed him, he hadn’t been able to shield her from danger, and he knew he’d spend the rest of his life living with regret.

  Tori pressed her palm into his chest, and almost as though she could read his thoughts, she whispered, “Please don’t blame yourself for this. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

  “Damn it, Tori, this is my job. How the hell could I have missed something like this?” he whispered fiercely as he fisted his hand on the table.

  Her hand dropped to his thigh. “We all did. I thought he was my friend.”

  He hated knowing she was blaming herself for this. Mike knew it would be a long time before she could learn to trust her own judgement again, but he intended to remind her every day she was one of the smartest and most intuitive women he’d ever met. In time, he trusted they would both figure out how to put this nightmare behind them. “Tell me he didn’t…” He struggled to get the words out as the revolting image assailed him. “Touch you.”

  “No,” she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “He didn’t try to force anything, thank God. He kept talking about the future, about how I would learn to love him in time.” She turned his face toward hers. “The only thing I could think about was gettin’ back to you. That’s all that mattered to me.”

  He pressed her palm to his lips as he closed his eyes. “You’re incredible,” he whispered. “I love and hate that you didn’t need me.”

  “I do need you… now.” She sighed as she closed her eyes. “I’m so tired, mentally, physically, emotionally. I just need you to… take care of me.”

  Mike smiled as he pressed his lips to her hair. “My pleasure, baby.” Tori was so fiercely independent, and he loved that about her, but it meant everything to him knowing she could let her guard down with him like this. “Why don’t we find a hotel, see if we can’t catch a few hours of shut-eye?”

  “I just wanna go home… to sleep in our own bed.”

  He loved the sound of that, shari
ng a bed, a home, a life with her. “Okay, I’ll drive, you sleep.”

  “No.” She rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. “I’m sorry, that was really selfish of me. You probably haven’t slept at all, have you?”

  “I’m good. Let me just grab a coffee to go, and that’ll get me through.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” He kissed her gently, wishing he could kiss her the way he wanted to, but knowing if he did, they’d undoubtedly become more of a spectacle than they already were. He tossed a few bills on the table and eased her out of the booth. “Just let me grab a coffee and we can be on our way.”

  “I should use the restroom once more before we go.” She smiled. “I drank a lot coffee, sittin’ here, waiting for you to call me back.” She slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I have to admit, I never expected you to show up here.”

  “Too bad I was too late to—”

  Tori pressed her fingertips to his lips. “You got here right on time, Lieutenant. Just when I needed you most.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mike answered Tori’s door and grimaced when he saw Luc. “We haven’t even been home twelve hours yet.”

  Luc laughed as he walked past, slapping him on the back. “This can’t wait. Where’s my girl?”

  “Your wife’s at home, far as I know. My girl’s in the shower.”

  Luc wandered into the kitchen, giving Mike no choice but to follow. He wasn’t ready to talk about the case, or the tour, or the fact his services were no longer required. His gut ached when he thought about letting Tori go out on the road for three months, but he knew he had no choice. Music was her first love, and he had to respect it was the biggest part of who she was.