“Yes, sir. They sure do.”
“You see, Tracey, my job is to make sure we both earn a lot of money while having a great time doing it. Life’s too short not to have fun, don’t you agree?” He paused. “But most of all, I enjoy taking care of you girls. Nothing bad ever happens to one of Jack’s girls. That’s a God-given promise.”
Willa rolled her eyes at the manure spewing from his lips, and wondered how Jack defined the word bad. No one with a brain could be buying this garbage. She peeked around the corner and almost choked. The girl sitting across from him couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen. Good Lord! Where had he found a baby like her? This was sinking to an all-time low, even for Jack.
The girl’s eyes widened as they met Willa’s. Biting back a groan, Willa swung back behind the counter.
“Here’s five hundred to get you started,” Jack stated. “Go buy yourself some new clothes and a few knickknacks for your room, something to make this place feel like home. It’s all yours now.”
“Yes, sir,” the girl said. “Thank you.”
“You’ll pay me back by being a good girl and working hard. Jack’s girls know how to get ahead. Blondie will show you the ropes. Where is she anyway, Carlos? She should be here to meet the newest member of our team.” The dinette chair scraped across the wooden floor. “Hey, Blondie,” Jack yelled.
Willa bit her lip, and wished she could sink into the floor.
“Um, sir?” the girl spoke up, nabbing Jack’s attention. “Will I—that is, will I ever be able to visit my friends?”
The girl’s lilting voice broke Willa’s heart. Don’t worry, sweetie, she thought. I’ll get you out of this. Just as soon as I get myself out from behind this counter.
“You’re a runaway, Tracey. I’m giving you a place to live, a new identity, a way to support yourself, and start-up money. Now why would you want to blow all that by contacting your friends or family? You’re going to make a whole bunch of new friends right here. We’re your family now.” The front door opened. “Come on, doll,” Jack said. “Let me show you around.”
Willa fell back against the cupboards and stretched out her aching legs as she heard the door click shut. She’d done it! She’d gotten the whole conversation on videotape. This time, nothing could stop Jack Paulson from paying for a very long time.
“I thought you learned your lesson the last time I caught you spying on the boss.” Carlos’s raw hate-filled voice slithered around her.
Willa cringed. She stood, rocking unsteadily in her five-inch heels and faced him eye to eye, ignoring the glacial chill quivering down to her toes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Carlos.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders, his bony fingers biting into her flesh. “You were eavesdropping on the boss.”
His breath, smelling of coffee and cigarettes, nearly gagged her. “I wasn’t, Carlos. Really. I was just waiting for Jack to leave so we could be alone. That’s all.” She lifted a painted nail to his chin and flicked the stubble he thought made him look sexy instead of just slimy.
He loosened his grasp, then pushed her against the counter. “I knew you liked me,” he rasped.
“Of course I do, sugar,” she lied with a honey-thickened tongue. “If you give me a little time, I’ll prove it to you.”
“I’ve got time.”
The way he looked at her sent a fresh round of shudders coursing down her back. He turned toward her room. Not able to wait another second, she snatched up the pen. He turned back, staring at the Pen Cam in her hand, suspicion crossing his face.
“Did you really think I’d fall for that act?”
Fear hammered in her chest, but she was careful to make sure it didn’t show on her face. “Which act is that, sugar?”
With two easy strides, he was on her and reaching for the pen. She pulled away, palming it behind her back. With spring-loaded speed, he grabbed her arm and jerked the Pen Cam from her grasp. “What’s this?”
She didn’t answer, just held her breath and prayed the man was as dumb as he looked. He started to unscrew the pen’s barrel.
“Don’t—” she said softly.
“Don’t what?” He dropped the Pen Cam to the floor and raised a steel-toed boot.
The closest she’d ever come to nailing Jack Paulson was recorded on that pen and she wasn’t about to let some moronic flunkie pulverize it. She swung back, brought up one leg and—“Whaaa chai!”—kicked with all her might. Five inches of pointy heel dug deep into soft flesh.
Grunting, he doubled over. She reached down, grabbed the pen, then clattered as fast as she could out the door and down the hall toward the stairs. She had to get the pen to the captain. It was the only way to stop Jack, to save that young girl and to save herself another night of knowing that animal was still out there spreading his poison and infecting everything he touched.
He’s finally going to pay, Daddy. Just like I promised.
She ran toward the staircase at the end of the hall, pushing herself harder, faster. One spiked heel caught an uneven board. She slipped, twisting her ankle as she fought for balance. Through the fog of pain, she kept moving. It wasn’t bad enough to stop her. For that, she’d have to be dead.
“I’m going to kill you, woman!”
If only she had time to lose the stilettos. They’d make a mighty fine weapon in her hand, but on her feet they were downright deadly. A door two apartments down opened. If she could reach it and lock herself in, she might have enough time to call for backup.
Betty Jones, one of Jack’s oldest pros, stepped into the hall. “Hey, Blondie! What’s up?”
Without a word, Willa raced past her, slammed shut her door and threw the bolt. She dashed for the phone and dialed 911.
“Blondie, open up!” Betty yelled, her feeble fists hitting the door.
“Nine-one-one emergency,” the voice on the line answered.
“I need help….”
With one earth-shattering kick, the door flew open, slamming against the wall, shredding the plaster. She had to find a weapon! Dropping the phone, Willa slipped around the counter into the kitchen and yanked open the drawer she kept her knives in back in her apartment. She stared blankly at potholders and dish-towels. “Blast!”
“Give it up, Blondie. You’re mine now.” With slow deliberate steps, Carlos walked into the kitchen, cornering her against the sink. “Take a walk, Betty,” he called without checking to see if she listened. He knew she would obey, and so did Willa. His gaze locked on hers. The expression on his face was downright animalistic.
All her years of training on the force scattered right out of her mind. This man was pure demented evil. He wrapped his hands around her waist, picked her up and threw her across the kitchen counter. She landed on the floor, the impact jolting every bone in her body. Within seconds, he was on her.
She groped blindly around her and with splayed fingertips, felt the telephone she’d dropped to the floor. With white-knuckle ferocity, she grasped the phone and swung it against his head. He clutched his temple and fell to the side. It was the second she needed. She was up and running again. Her only hope for safety was to reach the boulevard cluttered with people, traffic and cops.
“Run, little girl! Faster or you’ll never escape me!” His bellow echoed down the hall as he sprinted after her. She didn’t look back. Didn’t have to. His labored breath bounced off the walls in the narrow stairwell, his heavy boots clobbered the stairs behind her, all signs that he was closing in fast.
The door to the street loomed ahead of her. Sunshine filtered through