Bare It All

Alice smiled. “I know you’re anxious to see him again.”

“It’s new to me,” Pepper admitted. “I’m probably smothering him, but he’ll just have to get over it.”

“He adores you, so I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” She paid with a credit card, then retrieved her additional packages.

“He does.” Pepper gave a happy sigh. “I’ve always loved my brother, but there haven’t been many other people in my life that I could care about.”

They started out to the parking lot where they’d met up. “Rowdy is a very interesting person.” At loose ends now, but Alice trusted that he’d find his way. He struck her as a very resourceful man.

“He’s the best of brothers and a terrific ally if you ever need one.”

A hint? An offer? Alice grinned. “Reese told you he came to visit me?”

“Yeah.” She stopped by Alice’s car. “I won’t pry, but if you ever need anything, I can be a pretty good ally, too.”

“Thank you.” No way would she unload her issues on Pepper, especially since her new friend had only recently found peace of her own. She deserved happiness, not drama.

“I don’t want Logan to overdo it today, but what would you think about getting together for dinner after he’s healed up a little? We could all four go out. Someplace not fancy, because I don’t do fancy much.”

“That sounds perfect, thank you. If Reese is willing, I’d enjoy it.”

Pepper snorted. “Reese is all kinds of willing. All you have to do is get on board.” She laughed. “Take advantage of the time he has off.”

Good advice. Alice said, “I think I will.”

Laden with her own packages, Pepper left her with a wave, going to the other end of the lot where she’d parked. Alice waited until she saw Pepper get in a car, then she checked the time.

With any luck, she’d return to the apartment before Cash lost patience and soiled the floor. This was his usual nap time, but when she wasn’t around, his routine always differed.

She unlocked her car, stored her packages in the back and opened the windows to let out the steamy heat. While she waited for the air-conditioning to kick on, she did her usual survey of her surroundings.

The mall did plenty of business with cars coming and going, women walking along in small groups, couples with children. Alice appreciated the sight of normalcy—until the hairs on the back of her neck stirred.

Visually seeking the source of the alarm, she noticed a slow-moving van. Nice, new, silver...nothing to elicit suspicion—until it stopped beside a truck parked on the outskirts of the lot, away from the rest of the congestion.

Eyes narrowed, Alice put her car in gear and drove closer. Using care, she retrieved her dark sunglasses and slipped them on, then pulled up by the end of a line of other parked cars. Near enough now to watch, but hopefully not that obvious. Other drivers went past in front of her, then continued on, helping to disguise her scrutiny.

The side door of the van opened, and a young lady stepped out. The driver of the truck met her before she’d taken two steps. Her right arm sported a thick gauze bandage, loosely taped in place. Otherwise she looked fine, dressed nicely enough in jeans and a halter, her long brown hair tidy.

For reasons Alice couldn’t understand, her heart lurched.

Holding on to the girl’s elbow, the truck driver spoke through the passenger window. He smiled, and though Alice couldn’t hear what he said, her mind conjured all sorts of awful dialogue.

Things she’d heard before. Arrangements. Deals.

Okay, so maybe to the casual observer, it’d only look like the man assisted the young woman into his truck.

Alice saw it differently.

Why was she being moved from a van to a truck? Why in a parking lot? What had happened to her arm?

Even as she told herself she could be overreacting, Alice gave over to her screaming instincts. Waiting until the van pulled away, she put her car in gear and followed the truck at a cautious distance, always keeping at least two vehicles between them. Through the rear window of the truck, she watched the driver and his passenger, attuned to nuances in body language.

Alert.

Her senses churned, her stomach burning, her mouth dry.

Possibilities, spurred by a remembrance of things she’d seen, things she’d reluctantly taken part in, mixed with fresh resolve, pushing aside all other considerations. Cash was home safe. Pepper had already driven away. Logan and Reese were together, just leaving the station.

She had no one else to worry about—except the young woman in the truck.

Her hands squeezed the steering wheel, steadying her nerve and helping her to focus. The outside shaking abated, but inside, she remained a bundle of jitters.

The truck drove in the opposite direction of where she lived. Farther and farther from her personal sanctuary, from her self-imposed exile, her lonely haven.

In and out of side streets, nearer and nearer to the wrong side of town.

Twice, Alice almost lost the truck. She closed the distance a little, scared spitless on many levels. While she rationalized her actions and tried to plan for outcomes, troublesome doubt returned her thoughts to Reese.

She had absolutely no illusion about how he’d feel at the prospect of her trailing possible trouble. But their relationship was fresh, new, so testing the boundaries would be expected, right?

Neither of them had spelled out any stipulations yet.

Stay out of trouble. Did he really  need to spell that out?