Shattered Rules (7 page)

“
Come with me,” he said his voice firm as if he was talking to a young student. “Honey, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk,”he said his voice soft.

S
he heard a drawl as smooth and warm as a gentle southern breeze. But when she didn’t move his brown eyes narrowed and his hands flexed to form fists.

“
Come here.” He stood in the middle of the hall. “You're going with me one way or the other. Why not make it easy on yourself?” Anger flashed in his narrowed eyes and his once smiling lips formed a straight line. He held out his hand.

He outweighed her by at least fifty pounds.
She couldn't get by him. He’d grab her. Still, there was no way she was going with him willingly.

“Okay, the hard way.”

If she could kick him in just the right spot she’d disable him long enough to get away. Surprise was on her side. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. She forced a smile on her trembling lips. Her hands tingled and her heart pounded so hard she wanted to press her hand against her chest to slow it down.

“I
’ll come with you.” She took a step toward him.

“
That's right Hon.” His smiled looked sincere for the first time.

She inched forward.
The trick was to be close enough for her foot to have maximum power, but not so close that he could grab her. A tepid smile was best she could manage as she moved toward him.

Opened
his mouth to speak, she kicked out with all her strength and felt a jarring thud as her foot connected with his solar plexus. A look of shock crossed his face. He grunted and dropped to the floor. He grimaced in pain and his angry eyes tracked her, but he didn’t move.

Nausea filled her
as she sprinted by him. She’d never hurt anyone before.

The exit door was at the other end of the hallway.
She pushed the door open and ran down six flights of stairs. On the bottom floor she stopped, gasped for air and tried to slow her breathing.

The exit door
slammed and she heard footsteps running down the staircase. It had to be the guy. In a second he’d find her.

Dashing outside into the
dim light of the parking lot, she searched for the Volvo.

The sound of a
closing door echoed in her ears. The man was outside too.

“
Kelly, where are you?”

His gruff voice sent a chill through her.
She heard his footfall coming in her direction. The soles of his shoes slapped on the black top as he ran toward her.

“
Kelly.”

She r
ushed around the corner of the building near the casino's kitchen’s back door. She pulled on the door handle. Locked. She pounded her fists against the door.

“I’m coming to get you.”

Two large dumpsters one was filled with empty boxes, the other overflowing with kitchen waste stood by the locked kitchen door.

She
forced her body into the small space between the two garbage bins, breathed in the smell of decaying food and almost gagged.

“
I know you're out there,” he said panting as he caught his breath.

He
stood beside the bin. If he came any closer he’d see her. She struggled to stop her trembling.

“
You better come out, because I'm getting real pissed off.”

T
he sound of blood rushing through her veins was so loud she thought he’d hear it.

“
Answer me bitch, cause I'm gettin real mad and you don't want to see me when I'm mad.”

She
squeezed her eyes shut and waited, imagining what he would do to her when he found her.

C
hapter Nine

Brick re-entered the bar where h
e’d left Kelly. She was nowhere to be seen. He should’ve known she wouldn't do what he told her to do. “Damn it,” he said under his breath.

He motioned to the bartender. The man
walked leisurely in his direction. “I was here a few minutes ago with a young woman. Any chance you saw which way she went?”

“
The pretty brunette with the amazing eyes?”

Brick paused imperceptibly
. "Yeah, that’s the one." It was hard to think of Kelly as a brunette.

“
She went back to the car.”

“
Thanks.” Brick left a big tip on the bar.

In the parking lot he found the
Volvo and peered into the interior, empty. “Hell.”

He
went back into the casino.

***

Kelly stared into the darkness, cold terror saturated her. He was close enough to touch the dumpster. In a moment the man would grab her.

“
You hear me Ho? When I get my hands on you—”

She didn't move
, didn’t breathe.

“
Damn You!” His curse filled the still night air.

She
sucked in a bit of air and held her breath again.

“Frigging bitch!”
He slammed his hand on the metal dumpster.

T
he vibration shook her
. Don’t panic. Hold on. Stay calm.

Finally
, she heard his footsteps move away.

When a door slammed, s
he exhaled slowly and took a deep breath. As quiet as possible she squeezed out from between the dumpsters and gasped for air.

She
stumbled toward the parking lot. Where was the car? She jogged up and down the aisles, Brick’s car nowhere in sight. She was about to give up and go back into the casino when an immense SUV pulled out of a parking space. The Volvo was parked next to it and now in full view. She ran toward it.

The car
was empty. Where was Brick? He should be there waiting for her. Had someone waylaid him too?

Thank God he’d left the car unlocked for her.

She got into the back and locked the doors. She lay down on the seat and hoped the car looked empty to the casual viewer.

How long should she wait for Brick?

***

“
Open the door.” Brick knocked on the car's window.

Kelly
startled.

“
Where the hell have you been? I went back to the bar and you were gone. I've looked all over the damn building for you,” he hissed.

“
Where have
you
been? I waited for almost an hour in the bar. How long was I supposed to wait, all night?”

“
When I tell you to wait, you stay until I get back.”

“
You can’t tell me what to do.”

“
Look. I was worried about you.” His expression softened. “When you weren't in the bar and you weren’t in the car, I didn't know what to think. If I'm going to have a chance of keeping you safe, I need to know where you are all the time.”

“It’s very annoying when you’re
right.” she paused. “I should’ve waited.”

He shrugged. “
I had a good lead, but it turned out to be a wild goose chase. Are you okay? Did something happen while I was gone?”

“Yeah.”
She tried to swallow the lump that filled her throat.

“
Tell me while we drive.”

She crawled into the
front passenger’s seat.

“
Buckle up,” he said as he drove out of the parking lot.

A few blocks
down the road he drove into a gas station and parked next to a gas pump. “Never know when we're going to need a full tank.”

S
he followed him of out of the car. Tired and at the same time, restless, she stretched while he filled the gas tank.

“
I'm going into the station and pay with cash. No point in leaving a credit card trail for someone to follow.”

She pac
ed in front of the station.

A
truck pulled into the lot and a teenager jumped out and ran into the store. A bald man and his Golden Retriever jogged by on the street. A woman talking on a smart phone waited at a bus stop. Surrounded by urban life, it felt good to be anonymous, just another person in a sea of people, all on a mission to fulfill their special needs, meet their hidden desires.

The whoosh of car tires on the pavement drew her attention, vehicles taking
people out to have a good time or home to get ready for the next day's work. It all seemed so normal. For a moment she felt a part of that normalcy, instead of a confused player in some odd game of hide and seek.

In the dark, she watched Brick through the gas station's window. He casually chatted with the young
female cashier. A friendly smile on his face, no one would suspect he had a care in the world. A twinge of envy pinched Kelly. He never smiled like that when he looked at her. She noticed desire in the young woman's bright eyes.

His carefree
“nice guy” demeanor disappeared and a serious one reappeared when he exited the store. His intense eyes appeared Sapphire in the low light. She watched him scan the parking lot and the street beyond.

He
walked toward her. “You better tell me what happened at the casino.”

S
he hesitated, not wanting to relive the fear she experienced just moments earlier. Finally, she forced the words from her tightened throat.

W
ithout interrupting, he listened.

She expected his anger
, but when she finished he said, “We better get rid of the wig and sweatshirt. They aren't going to protect you now.”

S
he’d gotten herself in trouble when she didn’t stay in the bar and wait for him. But she was relieved not to get the expected reprimand.

She
tugged off the wig and shook her head to let her blonde hair fall free.

“
You paid so much for this.” She waved the hairpiece. “Wish I could return it. I’ll pay you back.”

“
Don’t worry about it. Throw it away, the sweatshirt too. Three points if you make it in the trashcan from where you stand.”

She
smiled, thankful he was making light of the situation. His anger was more than she could handle right now.

The sweatshirt slipped easily into the trashcan
followed by the wig. Adjusting a strap on her cotton tank top, she hoped the night air didn't get any colder.

“
The attacker in the hotel was obviously given a detailed description of your disguise.” He ran his hand across his jaw. “You were lucky there was only one guy after you or the outcome might have been different.”

“
You’re scaring me again.”

“Good. Next time don’t go off alone.”

“How did the guy find me? Who told him what I look like? No one knows me as a brunette. Even my sister wouldn’t recognize me.” Kelly paused. “Amanda.”

“
Right.”

“
Why would she do it?”

“
Maybe we should go ask her.”

“
Now? It must be 10:30.”

“
No time like the present. We might get more answers if she's not expecting us.”

“
True, but—” She let her voice dwindle into silence. Completely exhausted, the thought of another confrontation was more than she wanted to contemplate. She hadn’t recovered from her earlier encounter. All she really wanted to do was go back to her room and get some sleep.

Brick put his arm around her
and pulled her close. “I know you're tired, but we really need to do this.”

She let her head rest on his chest, grateful for his warmth and strength. His rough hand gently caressed her cheek. She reached for it and pressed her lips into the palm
of his hand. He sucked in air and he let her go.

She shivered in the
night air.

“You’ve been through enough
. You should be home in bed. But I don't think Amanda will open the door if I’m alone.” He lifted her face to his. “You don't have to say anything. Just stand next to me.”

His lips opened slightly, tormenting her.
It’d be so easy to kiss him, but when he said she should be in bed he didn’t mean in his bed. She sighed.

***

It was almost 11:00 P.M. by the time they reached the university. The campus still hummed with activity. Students milled around outside the buildings and music blared from the dorm rooms’ open windows. Laughter filled the night.

At that moment
, Kelly realized what an idiot she had been, never understanding how good she’d had it at college. She should have stayed in school and not taken the job at the casino. Then she’d never have met Johnny Vega. Too late now. She shivered.

Amanda's apartment was dark
when they reached it.

“
Kelly, do you have your key?”

“
I didn’t think I’d need it. I left it in Palo Alto.”

Brick knocked
on the door, softly at first and then harder. No answer.

“
Does the apartment have a landline?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s the number?”

S
he told him and he called it on his cell. She could hear the phone ringing inside the apartment, but no one answered, not even the message machine picked up. Do you know Amanda’s cell?”

“
I never had a reason to call her.”

“
I'm going in. Stand guard and let me know me know if anyone comes by.”

“
That's breaking and entering.”

“
I'm not breaking in. I have a key.”

“
What?”

He pulled a little metal box from his pocket, held it up for her to see. It looked like it was filled with Paraffin and she could see several impressions of keys in the wax. He put it back into his pants pocket.

“When we were here today and you went to your room, Amanda followed and watched you from the doorway. I saw her keys on the desk and took an impression. This afternoon I had keys made.”

“
Standard FBI breaking and entering technique?”

“
It's not standard or FBI, but I've found it useful.”

Before she could
respond, he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him.

What would she say to Amanda if
she came home while Brick was in the apartment?

She
couldn’t think of a single believable excuse for him being in the apartment. She glanced down at the lit parking lot. Amanda’s car wasn’t there.

A moment later
he came out caring carrying a small plastic wastebasket.

“
Why are you taking her trash?” she whispered.

“
You'd be surprised what a person's trash can tell you. She won’t miss it. Her closet and dresser drawers are empty. She packed and flew the coop. From the look of it, she left in a big hurry.”

“
I can't believe it. She told me she wanted keep the apartment for another year. What could’ve made her leave?”

He shrugged.
“Let’s get back to the Inn and see what clues she's left for us.”

At the Inn,
she watched Brick as walked across the hall to her room.

“
Kelly, you look tired. I’ll check out Amanda’s trash in my room. Get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you in the morning,”

“Okay
.” She unlocked her door and started to enter.

“
Remember to lock your door.” He smiled.

“
Night.” She smiled back and closed the door.

Total exhaustion
hit her as soon as she entered the room. The bedroom was dark, but the bathroom light was on. She must have forgotten to turn it off when she left.

She needed an
aspirin. Her headache was back.

She squinted at the bright
light in the bathroom and found the pain killer in the medicine cabinet. She gulped down two tablets and then ran a brush through her tangled hair. She should take a shower and wash her hair but she was too exhausted. Tomorrow would be soon enough.

A noise in the bedroom startled
her. “Brick?” She rushed into the room and flicked on the overhead light.

Someone
grabbed her.