Bare It All

chapter ELEVEN

NECK MUSCLES TENSED, thankful that the questions were over—for now—Reese left the room. It was a follow-up interview, and he wouldn’t be surprised if a third came about.

It wasn’t every day that two detectives, their lieutenant, a supposed witness and deadly perps all ended up in a shoot-out at one of the detectives’ residences.

A f*ck-up of that magnitude could take months to sort out.

He got that any officer-involved shooting was a big deal. Add to it the recent corruption at the station with a few cops on the take, working for the very scum who had died in his apartment, and yeah, no wonder the D.A. and I.A. were being so thorough.

Reese knew without a shadow of a doubt that both Logan and Lieutenant Peterson were on the up-and-up. Okay, so he’d once suspected Peterson. He’d been way off base on that one.

In a low voice, Logan said to Reese, “I found out a few things.”

“The kidnapping?”

“Yeah.” He glanced toward the lieutenant, walking ahead of them. “It was big news when Alice reappeared after being gone for so long. Course the press got hold of it. The thing is, she claimed not to know much—not who had taken her, or where. According to her, some anonymous man rescued her, dropped her off with money to get home, and that was that.”

“Bullshit,” Reese said low.

“That’s what I figured, too. Thing is, a lot of women were recovered right around that time. Separate from Alice showing up.”

Damn.

Logan watched Peterson’s back, ensuring she didn’t overhear. “Someone killed the traffickers, set the women loose and then...vanished.”

“They interviewed the other women?”

“Yes, and most had the same tale. That they were freed by some anonymous champion.”

What exactly had Alice been involved in?

Lieutenant Peterson glanced back at them. “If you two hens are done whispering, how about we grab some coffee?”

Reese wanted to talk more with Logan. He needed dinner.

And he needed Alice.

But before he could find an excuse to decline, Logan checked his watch and said, “I can take time for a cup.”

Great. Coffee. Hadn’t they seen each other enough for one day? Of course, under normal circumstances, they would naturally gravitate to the coffeepot, so maybe it was better not to make Peterson suspicious by varying things.

“Is your arm bothering you?” she asked Logan without a lot of concern or sympathy. Peterson was not a woman to indulge coddling.

She was hard. And cold. And thankfully, honorable.

This time, Reese spoke ahead of Logan. “More likely, it’s that he has Pepper Yates waiting to tuck him back into bed.”

Peterson gave a small smile. “I’m surprised you didn’t get grilled more on that whole situation.”

Reese wasn’t at all surprised. “Any man who saw Pepper understood Logan’s predicament.”

Logan just smiled.

At thirty, Peterson was the youngest lieutenant in the state. She was on the short side, deceptively slender, with short brown hair and big blue eyes. She’d be a looker if she didn’t favor containing all femininity within structured business suits and a ball-buster attitude that put many a man in his place—which was whatever place Peterson deemed appropriate for him at the time.

Somehow, Reese doubted that place was ever in a bed, naked, going deep. He could be wrong, but he just couldn’t see it.

“Pepper was never really a witness,” Logan argued, but he kept his voice low, aware that I.A. and the D.A. were still around.

They’d first answered questions for the district attorney, and everyone knew Internal Affairs watched through the two-way mirror. They’d had their own store of questions afterward.

“What about you?” Peterson asked. “You and the neighbor connecting?”

Prying, or just conversation? Reese wasn’t sure. Peterson’s motives were always murky—which accounted in part for why he’d once doubted her integrity. Not a sterling moment for him.

Logan repaid him by answering. “He and Alice—that’s her name, Alice—are an item now.”

“Is that right?” Peterson arched a brow. “I take it you disarmed her before getting too cozy?”

God knew he’d be forever ribbed over the way Alice had shown up on the scene, gun in hand, a haunted look in her eyes.

Sometimes it’s better if they’re dead. That stark statement coming from a woman like Alice—understated in appearance and manner—had left everyone speculating.

Reese shook his head.

“What’s this?” Peterson teased. Disconcerting both detectives, she stepped ahead and opened the door to the break room for them to enter. “Reese Bareden is without a comeback? Now, you know all sorts of scenarios are coming to mind.”

“She’s very sweet,” he said, and walked past the lieutenant into the room. He counted it a blessing that no one else sat at the long table.

“Just like a sweet Ma Barker, huh?” Peterson let the door fall shut behind Logan.

“Sit,” he told Logan and Peterson as he went to the coffee machine and filled three cups. He tried not to let the lieutenant’s ribbing get to him. That’d only make him fair game for everyone else at the station.

“Cream and sugar in mine,” she said. “So, tell me about her.”

“Who?” Reese stalled, looking for a way out.

Logan grunted a laugh—and tried to hide his discomfort.

“Alice...what’s her last name?”

He didn’t want to say. He didn’t want Peterson to start digging. Damn it, Alice had too many secrets, and until he knew what they entailed, he didn’t dare have her exposed.

An image of Alice in the bed that morning—baby-soft hair fanned out on the pillow, her face utterly relaxed, expression peaceful—contradicted any ideas of her being trouble.

But deep down, something continued to whittle at his peace of mind. He would protect her to the best of his ability, but against what? Who?

“He has a thing for her,” Logan said, filling in the too-lengthy, telltale silence. “Give him time to get a grip. He’s still reeling.”

“What kind of thing?”

Juggling all three foam cups, Reese returned to the table. “A none-of-your-business thing.” He set one cup in front of the lieutenant. “Do you want me snooping into your love life?”

He waited for her to deny that a love life existed. He waited for her sarcastic reply.

Instead, she blushed.

Oh, ho, what was that about? Lieutenant Margaret Peterson, red-faced? Reese glanced toward Logan and caught his friend’s reciprocal expression of surprise.

“Margaret,” Reese teased, dropping formality as he took a seat. “What have you been up to?”

She slapped a file folder down on the table. “Work.” Avoiding eye contact, she sipped her coffee. “Detectives Rhodes and Garland took over on our follow-up after that mess in Reese’s apartment. They got the buyers, some other traffickers, freed a truckload of new victims and, overall, they’ve wrapped things up nice and tight.”

Reese let it go. For now. Finding out info on the human traffickers was more important to him than speculating on Peterson’s uninspiring feminine side.

“Glad to hear it.” He turned the file around and opened it to peruse names. “Anyone else hurt?”

“Nope. It was a clean bust. The bastards had only just set up house, so gathering everything was easy. The thing is...” She sipped at her coffee, her demeanor going somber, flat. “They closed off the neighborhood, searched the whole area and found a body in a dilapidated house a few doors down. A young female, bound and gagged.”

“Damn.” Logan ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the pain caused by the movement. “Got an ID?”

“Not yet. There’s a good chance it’s unrelated to the traffickers. Early estimate is that she died recently, within the past twenty-four hours.”

Reese thought of Alice, of a dark history, and kept quiet. His thoughts churned. He wanted to see her, to hold her.

“Anything to go on?” Logan asked. “Any ideas?”

“It might not be anything, but then again, it could be.” She reached for the file, pushed aside a few papers and withdrew a photo. “She had a very odd tattoo on her forearm.”

Reese studied the photo but couldn’t quite make out the design of the tattoo. “What is it?”

“Lines, numbers. So far, no idea what it means. But it’s unique,” Peterson said, “and it’s the only clue we’ve got. We’re hopeful that it’ll tell us something.”

* * *

ROWDY WATCHED ALICE pull into the apartment parking lot mere seconds before he drove in behind her. After retrieving her from the bus station, he requested—because telling her anything would probably get her back up—that she drive straight home. He informed her that he’d be following her more closely this time.

Thank the heavens, she’d done as asked.

He didn’t like letting her drive, but didn’t see a way around it. Even now, as he caught up to her on the walkway in, he could see her trembling.

Nerves. The adrenaline dump after her escapade.

Crazy Alice.

He narrowed his eyes against the sun, now streaking the sky in shades of crimson, pink, purple and neon yellow. He said nothing as they walked side by side into the apartment complex, but his concerns shuffled around again and again, making his head ache.

He knew she’d once been kidnapped, though Reese didn’t have all the details yet. From the moment he’d met her, Rowdy had figured she was afraid of something.

From what he’d seen today, she mostly had herself to fear.

Near her apartment door, she asked, “Are you coming in?”

“Damn straight.”

She gave him a sour look. “Cash will need some attention.” She unlocked her door. “I’ll have to take him to the yard—”

The second the door opened, Cash launched out. His body wriggled and squirmed in maniacal excitement.

Alice did a fair job of subduing the dog while hugging and stroking him, talking to him in a soft, sweet voice. She reached inside for the leash. “When he’s excited,” she said over Cash’s loud whining and yapping, “I have only moments before he wets the floor.”

“I’ll go with you.” Rowdy took the leash and attached it to Cash’s collar. He would have offered to take the dog out on his own, but...well, he didn’t trust Alice alone just yet. “C’mon. We have a lot of talking to do before Reese shows up.”

Cash practically dragged him down the steps. Rowdy took Alice’s hand and hauled her along.

Once outside, Cash continued in his effusive greeting...while peeing. Funny dog. Luckily they were already on the grass, and Cash missed his shoes.

At this time of early evening, no one else was about outside. Likely most were at dinner, which was where he needed to be. Chasing after Alice had helped him work up an appetite.

Maybe once he finished up here, he’d head to the bar, grab a sandwich...and maybe a woman.

Maybe Avery.

Yeah, he liked that idea.

Alice stood back, her arms crossed, her annoyance palpable. “I want to know why you were following me.”

He shrugged and gave Cash a little more leash. “Reese asked me to keep an eye out.”

She did a double take. “You’re serious?”

“Why not?” Shadows stretched across the parking lot and the small grassy area. “It’s what I do.”

And he was good. Thanks to querying the right people, he knew that Alice was from the area. He didn’t know why she’d been kidnapped, but he knew someone—known mostly as a wraith—had rescued her. Reese wouldn’t find out shit about the heroic bastard, because apparently the elusive phantom had the law under his control. For all intents and purposes, he moved with impunity and kept a tight lid on his involvement.

But there was no taming the street, and when monumental things happened, when powerful men ended up dead, word spread like wildfire.

“You’re not Superman, you know.” Alice tapped one foot. “You don’t need to transfer your attention from Pepper to me.”

“Actually, honey, I think I do.” He shrugged. “Especially given what I saw today.”

She stiffened up. “I’ll never sleep with you.”

Whoa. That was one hell of a mental leap she’d taken. Rowdy grinned at her daring. “Sorry, doll, but I didn’t ask.”

She deflated. “Do you think I’m attractive?”

Damn it, he did not want to go down this road. When women asked these weird questions, there was never a right answer. “There’s something about you, yeah.” His gaze went over her slim body and delicate curves, then shot back to her face. “But Reese has already laid claim, in case you didn’t notice.”

Her frown eased away. “Not that you’re asking.”

“No.”

“Because even if Reese wasn’t interested—you are saying he’s interested?”

“Without a doubt.” How the hell had they gotten off track like this? Cash tugged, so Rowdy meandered farther across the yard.

Alice followed. “Even so, you wouldn’t be. Not like that.” She shaded her eyes. “May I ask you something, then? Since you’re not interested that way?”

“Uh...” Feeling as if he’d lost control of the entire situation, Rowdy tried to distract her. “I think Cash is done. Maybe we should head in.”

“Okay.” She took the leash from him. “Come on, boy. Let’s go get a treat.”

Hopefully she was talking to the dog. Rowdy trudged along behind her, trying to figure out a way to get things back on track.

He started with: “About today—”

“I’m thirsty. Would you like a cola or something?” She opened the door and let Cash in. He made a beeline for the couch, so Rowdy followed. He liked the dog.

Hell, he liked Alice, too. But Alice confused the hell out of him. “Sure. Whatever you’ve got will be fine.”

“Make yourself comfortable.”

Cash must’ve thought she meant him, because he crawled up and over Rowdy’s lap, his whole butt still wagging.

Grinning, he watched Alice go into the kitchen. Seconds later he heard ice clinking in a glass.

Figured Alice wouldn’t just hand him a can.

She returned with two frosty colas...and sat close beside him on the couch.

Shit. She was by far the pushiest female—who didn’t want sex—that he’d ever met. “Alice—”

She shoved a glass into his hand. “I’m not interested in you that way either.”

No kidding. Anyone with eyes could see she was majorly hung up on Reese. “I know.”

“But I do like you.”

He toasted her with the cola and took a long drink.

“I want a man’s perspective, and since we’ve already cleared the air, I should be able to talk to you without misunderstandings. You’re not interested, I’m not interested and, hopefully, Reese is.”

A man’s perspective? On what? Dread crawled all over him. “Reese hasn’t made it clear to you?”

She frowned in uncertainty. “He’s kissed me a few times.”

“There you go.” And then, curious despite himself, Rowdy asked, “Only a few kisses, huh?”

She nodded. “Reese is a wonderful kisser.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Cash army-crawled over to her and, with a smile, she gave him the promised treat, then stroked his back as he gnawed on it. “I’m concerned about...anything else.”

Rowdy had a hard time following the conversation. “Anything else with Reese?”

“With him seeing me. I’m not sure... That is...” She visibly screwed up her courage. “I’m afraid he’ll see me, all of me, and be disappointed.”

“Why would he be—”

“I’m not at all like your sister.”

Rowdy shook his head fast. “Let’s not go there.”

“Or the neighbors who hit on him.”

Now he lifted a brow. “Neighbors, plural?”

She didn’t seem to hear. “I’m just...me. Very average me.”

She was a galaxy away from average, but none of that had anything to do with body issues. Trying to relax, Rowdy set aside his glass and stretched out his legs. “Women always look at that the wrong way. When a guy’s attracted to a woman, he wants to see her naked. Period. Big boobs, small boobs—”

“Hey!”

“A little over or a little underweight, who cares? Naked is what we want.”

“We?”

“With women we’re interested in.” She continually tried to trip him up. “Not me with you, but Reese with you.”

She stared at him with rapt attention.

Rowdy shifted, cleared his throat. “He’s not looking for any imagined flaws, you know.”

“And if they’re not imagined?”

Jesus. What the hell was she hiding under there? He ran a hand over his head. “It’s not that he’s turned on in spite of a lack of curves, or too many curves, or...whatever.” He couldn’t begin to guess at her particular hang-up. “It’s that he doesn’t even see it. All he sees is a woman he wants, and the promise of getting busy.”

“In bed, you mean.”

“Or on the couch, the floor, in the shower or on the table. Wherever.” Hoping to tease her just a little, he said, “Guys aren’t nearly as picky as women.”

Alice took a second to chew on that. “It’s not... Okay, let’s say I’m fine with my body. I mean, it is average, like me, but I guess that’s okay.” Then she asked, “You’re sure he won’t mind that?”

Fighting off a smile wasn’t easy. “Get naked, and I promise you Reese won’t be complaining.”

She thought some more, then went resolute. “Okay.”

Just like that? Reese would owe him ten times over.

“The thing is,” Alice continued, “I have...character flaws, too.”

Compassion almost smothered him. Gently, Rowdy said, “No, you do not.” Hell, reckless daring aside, she was about the sweetest woman he’d ever met.

“I do, but I hide them well.”

Something else to discuss with Reese...maybe. Rowdy didn’t like the idea of betraying Alice’s trust. Maybe if she and Reese got together, Reese would be able to figure it out without his help.

“Look,” Rowdy said, taking her hand. “It won’t matter. Reese is an astute guy, and he’s sensible. Whatever the problem is, try trusting him.”

“Why do men always say that?”

“Because women are always distrustful?” And that, finally, brought him back to his reason for being here with her now. “What happened today?”

She shook her head. “It was nothing. Just a young lady that needed a helping hand.”

“Bullshit.”

“Rowdy Yates, do not curse at me.”

“Then don’t feed me a line.” Sitting forward, forearms on his knees, he studied her. “Something went down. Something dirty. You stuck your little nose right into the middle of it. Was that planned or happenstance?”

“If I tell you, will you tell Reese?”

“Maybe.” Not if he could convince her to tell Reese first. “Let me hear it, and then I’ll decide.”

Indecision held her for several heartbeats before she complied. “I see when other people are upset or scared. I don’t know how, but I do.”

“Like a sixth sense or a gut reaction.” Rowdy had them, too—hell, that intuition had damn near bludgeoned him when he met Alice—so he didn’t question her. “Go on.”

“I saw her—her name is Cheryl—get passed from a van to a truck in the parking lot at the mall. It felt wrong to me, so I decided to follow her.”

Rowdy listened as she relayed chilling details laced with foolhardy bravery. She could have been killed. If Hickson hadn’t been alone in that room, if she hadn’t gotten out before the other two men showed up, if she’d misfired the Taser—so many things could have gone wrong that it left him cold.

“I left Hickson in the room, trussed up with nylon restraints.”

Rowdy could only stare at her.

“After I Tased him, while he was still stunned, I bound his wrists and ankles,” she said defensively. “And then I had Cheryl fasten him to a pipe in the wall.”

“He’s not there anymore.”

She paused. “No?”

“Two other goons showed up and freed him only minutes after you’d left.” It hadn’t been quite that close, but she deserved to worry. He watched her, waiting for her fear.

“Well,” she said with a lack of concern that bordered on relief, “I guess that takes care of one problem, then. I don’t have to worry about sending someone to find him.”

Like that would have been easy? Challenging her, Rowdy asked, “Who would you have sent?”

“I was thinking...you.”

He sat back in surprise. “Me?”

She patted his hand. “Reese could handle it, of course, but he would have all kinds of questions, and he’d probably get annoyed, being that he’s a detective and all that.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do with him?”

As if sharing a confidence, she leaned closer, her expression sincere, guileless. “I was thinking you could question him. Maybe find out about any other people involved so we could get them all.”

Get them all? She was a walking disaster waiting to happen. Rowdy tried to find words but came up blank. He pointed at her, couldn’t form a rational sentence and stood to pace away.

“What?” she said, jumping up to follow him. “Should I have just ignored her?”

Finding his voice with a vengeance, Rowdy pivoted to face her. “You should have called someone! Reese or, sure, me. But before you did anything, not afterward.”

Her voice rose with his. “By then it might’ve been too late.”

“Hell, you could have called a cop, any cop!”

“You don’t like cops!”

Temper ignited. “I wasn’t involved.”

They both stared at each other, equally stunned by the outburst.

Rowdy couldn’t believe it when her mouth twitched.

As if to placate him, she patted his shoulder. “You’re scaring Cash.”

He glanced at the dog and saw Cash watching him...while still gnawing on his chew treat. The dog was attentive but not really worried.

He and Alice had that in common.

F*ck, f*ck, f*ck. Alice Appleton would make him insane in very little time.

He sucked in a breath, flexed his hands to loosen his fists and tried to get it together. In a much calmer voice, he asked, “Are you home for the rest of the night?”

Prim, composed, she folded her hands together. “Yes.”

Good. He started around her. “Reese should be here any minute now. Tell him everything. He deserves to know.”

Fleeing her insane effect on him, Rowdy started out. He didn’t want to yell at Alice. He didn’t want to dictate to her.

Damn it, how would anyone keep her safe when she had such disregard for her own hide?

Now she looked worried. “But...where are you going?”

“I have a late appointment with a real estate lawyer.” And after that, he’d head to the bar and find some feminine company, preferably Avery. With any luck, she’d help him expend pent-up energy in the best way known to man—through grinding hot sex.

“What?” Alice trotted after him. “Real estate? Why?”

Anxious to be gone, Rowdy opened the door. “I’m buying a bar.” He started out. “Lock this. And, so help me, Alice, you better stay put.”

He pulled the door shut, waited until he heard it lock then took the steps two at a time.

He’d give her the rest of the evening to talk with Reese—and then he’d share his own report. Poor Reese.

He might not know it yet, but Alice was about to turn his world upside down.

* * *

WITH ROWDY GONE, Alice’s courage faded, and she started shaking again. Talking with him had held off the aftereffects, giving her a different focus.

Now, it all came flooding back. That squalid little airless room, the soured breath of Hickson, how his body had flopped around while being Tasered...

Men had shown up right after she’d left.

What if she’d hesitated a little longer? What if Hickson had struggled or Cheryl had gotten more hysterical? She didn’t have enough tools in her bag to handle those circumstances.

Her composure fractured, and she covered her face. Memories of another time slithered over her, a time when she hadn’t helped anyone, not even herself.

She could never be that vulnerable again.

She needed to show more care, gain more skill. And maybe she should have called Reese. But he’d been far away, and she hadn’t known Rowdy was following her.

So, really, this was partly his fault. If he’d told her, maybe...probably not, but maybe she would have asked for Rowdy’s help.

She did trust Reese, both with issues of safety and with her heart. Not that she had a choice where her heart was concerned; he was far too appealing for her to keep any kind of distance.

Thinking of Reese took her along a natural course, imagining how he’d look when he returned, how he’d smell and feel and taste. She could really use a hug or two from him right now. Or a kiss.

Or...more.

Reese’s unique brand of comfort was like an exciting drug, buoying her confidence, making her feel prettier, braver, less guilty. Thoughts of him beat back the panic and uncertainty.

If he would just come home and smile at her, she could stop stressing over “what-ifs” and all the possible scenarios that might have taken place if things had gone wrong. She could concentrate on how to proceed, how to use what she’d learned to assist others.

How long she paced and fretted, she couldn’t say.

When Cash barked, she jumped a foot, then jumped again as a key sounded in the lock.

Reese.

Time for confessions. But first she had to somehow compose herself. She had to compartmentalize all the worries, sorting them to a corner of her brain as she’d learned to do to survive.

Should she bombard him with the day’s events first thing? Should she start by telling him about her past so that he’d better understand? Should she—

He unbuttoned his shirt as he stepped in, and he looked so good, so solid and safe and amazingly sexy, Alice knew what she wanted first, what she needed right now.

She needed Reese.