Bare It All

Suddenly feeling weak, Alice slumped down to sit on the walkway.

“Don’t move,” Reese told her.

She wasn’t sure she could.

Watching as he wrenched Woody toward the black van, Alice tried to catch her breath. But only for a second.

Forgetting her agreement not to move, she raced back over before Reese could get Woody into the back of that wagon. “Where is Cheryl?”

Woody looked at her, gave a mean smile and said, “Fuck you, honey.”

His mocking tone and total lack of feeling pushed her over the edge. She didn’t even think about it.

She just kneed him again.

“Ah, God...”

“Alice,” Reese reprimanded. “Damn it.” He held Woody upright with one hand, and Alice back with the other. “Honey, you can’t do that.”

But his mouth twitched.

Alice didn’t think it was funny. She literally heaved in her anger and fear. “Where is she?”

“Bar,” Woody gasped, curled in on himself, trying to protect his most vulnerable body part.

Using the length of his long arm, Reese backed Alice up a few steps and ordered, “Stay there.”

The adrenaline rush faded, leaving her knees knocking and her eyes damp with tears. She nodded her agreement.

Reese handed Woody over to an officer. “Don’t take your eyes off him. Understand me?”

The cop nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Glancing over to confirm that Logan and Trace had things in hand, Reese took Alice’s arm and pulled her several feet away.

Any second now, she’d be bawling like a baby, she just knew it. She could feel the sobs gathering steam, squeezing her throat and making her nose tickle.

She couldn’t look at Reese, couldn’t let him see her weakness.

But he just stood there, waiting, calm, safe, until finally she lifted her gaze to his.

“I love you, Alice.”

Her knees almost gave out.

Reese caught her close, not quite smiling, but looking so warm, so...sincere.

She clutched at his shirt, her heart trying to do flips, her pulse going into overdrive.

Reese kissed her forehead. “I love your compassion and your courage.”

“Courage?”

“In spades.” Ignoring the way she gasped for breath, he kissed her parted lips. “I love your sweet little body, too, and how good we are together in bed.”

“Reese...” She looked around, but in the commotion, no one seemed to be listening to them.

He brought her face back to his. “I especially love your temper. But from now on, please don’t neuter my prisoners.”

What he said seemed so silly, so unbelievable. Except for that one part... “You love me?”

“Every part of you, everything about you.” He searched her face and whispered, “Very much.”

Trace approached. He didn’t look right at them, choosing instead to stare off to the side. “Got a message from Rowdy. Says he has it under control, but Cheryl’s at the bar with Hickson. DeeDee, too.” He glanced at Alice, coughed and looked away again. “I assume you want to go...?”

Reese nodded.

“I can handle it,” Trace said. “And even one-armed, Logan has this under control. If you’d rather—”

“I want to finish it.” Reese tipped up Alice’s chin. “I don’t want you to worry.”

She trembled so badly, it felt like she might rattle her teeth loose. But everything would be okay.

And Reese had said he loved her.

She drew a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“Love that, too,” Reese said with a small smile, even with Trace standing there. “How you pull it together to prioritize.”

“I’ll just go wait over there,” Trace said, but neither Alice nor Reese acknowledged him.

She hadn’t pulled anything together, but apparently she was good at faking it. “Go to the bar.” Alice still clenched his shirt, fighting the urge to crawl up close to him. “Please see to it that Cheryl is okay.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I know you will.” Because he was that man, the man who helped others, who did whatever he could. A hero. Hers.

Another second passed. Reese pried her hands from his shirt and kissed her knuckles. “Soon as I find Cheryl, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you.”

“And Alice?” He took a step away. “When I get done with all this, you and I are going to have a nice long talk.”

Now, why did that worry her? She promised, “I’ll wait up,” and then, head and heart filled with jumbled emotions, Alice watched him go.

It wasn’t until an officer gave her a funny look that she realized she was smiling. Reese loved her.

In the middle of pandemonium, with hysterical neighbors and lights and sirens, Alice figured she just might be the happiest woman alive.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

AFTER SENDING OUT the second text message, Rowdy started toward Avery, determined to keep her well away from Hickson. As it turned out, he didn’t need to do a thing.

Avery was already moving off when Dougie, the bartender, slid into the booth next to Cheryl. The poor girl scooted over, pressing herself as far into the corner as she could go.

Rowdy was relieved that both men ignored her. They leaned in close for a private conversation.

Damn. So Avery had been right. Dougie and Hickson definitely knew each other.

For several minutes, Rowdy lounged in a corner, watching the exchange, wondering at what point he should intercede.