Careless (26 page)

Tori would give every last dollar she had
stowed away in the bank for a restroom, a bottle of water, and a bag of potato
chips, but she hadn’t seen a single rest stop in the hour and a half since
she’d escaped his shack under the cloak of darkness.

As she’d planned, she pretended to fall
asleep first, buried deep in one of the two sleeping bags Joe had brought in
from the car. She waited an hour after she heard his breathing become shallow,
until he was snoring loudly and muttering, before she finally made a break for it.

She held her breath and creaked across the
old floorboards on tiptoe. She took the flashlight she’d seen him bring in and
made her way out to the porch. He’d tucked the keys into his pocket before he
fell asleep. Apparently, he thought that was insurance enough, but he didn’t
know how resourceful Tori could be when her back was up against the wall.

When she made it outside, Tori prayed
harder than she ever had before. She bargained for the strength to get through
this without tipping him off and pleaded she would remember everything her
brothers had taught her. When the engine finally turned over, she was tempted
to hit her knees on the gravel to thank her savior before jumping into the
vehicle. She eased the SUV down the gravel drive, hoping with everything in her
he was a sound sleeper.

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?”