Alice tried to be vigilant, looking around for prying eyes. She saw no one.

"Does anyone else know about that place?"

Swiping at the mascara tracks staining her cheeks, Cheryl hurried behind her.

"Yes."

She should have known. Creeps gravitated to each other, often running in packs like wild dogs. "Do you know when they'll go back there?"

Cheryl shook her head.

Alice said, "I'll figure it out." How, she had no idea. Eventually she'd have to tell Reese. Or better yet, she could call... No. She wouldn't do that.

Maybe she could trust Rowdy. Reese was the law, and he saw things as black- and-white. But Rowdy understood the fine balance between right and wrong.

He would balk at venturing into illegal territory-as Alice herself had just done.

For right now, Rowdy's propensity suited her just fine.

As long as he didn't tattle to Reese.

Honorable men, she knew, had this weird loyalty to one another.

Decisions, decisions.

She unlocked her car with the clicker before they'd even reached it. "Get in."

Alice circled around to the driver's side while Cheryl crawled in, her fearful gaze going everywhere, waiting for more hurt to come her way.

Alice started the car and drove straight ahead, then took the first left, and another. No one followed.

They were safe. For now.

Beside her, Cheryl held herself so stiffly that Alice wondered if she planned to leap out at any moment.

"What would you like to do? I can either take you to the police-"

"No." Cheryl gripped the door handle.

"Or," Alice said, understanding, "I can rent you a hotel room, or even put you on a bus."

Cheryl fretted, unsure of her offer. "A b-bus?"

"No strings attached."

A sob tore from Cheryl's throat. "Why would you do this?"

"I want to help," she said gently.

"That's all. I swear."

Close to hyperventilating, Cheryl watched her. "I believe you're not a cop.

But h-how can I be sure you're not working for the competition?"

"What competition?"

"The other dealers? A supplier?" She pressed into the door, cowering. "How do I know you won't take me somewhere and d-d-do awful things?"

Drugs and dealers. What awful things? "So this... It's about drugs?" She hadn't figured it that way at all. Alice waved a hand. It didn't matter, not right now. "Whatever's going on, I just want to get you someplace safe. I swear."

For the longest time, the only sound was of Cheryl's erratic breathing. Alice pulled into more traffic, willing to give her time to think, to compose herself.

Suddenly Cheryl ripped at the bandage on her arm. Her sobs escalated as she exposed an odd tattoo, a design of overlapping numbers and lines. "He marked me so they'd know." She used the wadded up bandage to scrub at her still raw skin. "That's why I had to get the tattoo. Others will see it and kn- know I'm carrying the drugs. They'll know who I'm with, that deals are made -"

"Shhh." Keeping her eyes on the road, Alice reached out to touch her arm lightly. "Please, don't hurt yourself, Cheryl. Please."

Defeated, Cheryl curled in on herself.

"I want to go home."

Relief took the strain out of Alice's backbone. "You have family?"

She nodded hard, eyes squeezed shut, lips trembling. "I ran off from college.

Everyone told me he was no good, that he'd hurt me. But I didn't believe them, and I ran off with him and n-now my parents are probably-"

"Worried sick," Alice finished for her.

"That was him I met? Hickson?"

"No." She shuddered in revulsion.

"He's just the guy who gets us tattooed."

Us. More than one girl? "Do your parents live far away?"

"A few hours." Cheryl scrubbed at her eyes, wiped her nose.

Driving one-handed while she reached into her purse, Alice produced a pack of tissues. "Use the visor and try to clean yourself up."

Cheryl sobbed a rough laugh. "Do you have everything in that purse?"

Everything she might need. "I like to be prepared."

Alice knew what to do now, and that shored up her courage. She drove toward the bus terminal. "I'll get you on a bus, with enough money for a cab from the station, and you'll be home before nightfall. It'll be okay. I promise."

Thank God, this time she could make a difference.

Maybe a big difference. Alice glanced at her.

"While I.

drive, tell me everything, please. Especially about that tattoo."

FURIOUS, ROWDY HUNG back in the

churchyard, watching through binoculars as Alice went into the bus station with a bedraggled woman who looked to be young: nineteen, maybe twenty. Slim, pretty, but now with swollen red eyes and blotchy cheeks.

What was Alice up to?

After falling behind, it had taken him a few moments to locate her again. To expedite his search, he'd pulled into a quaint stone church sitting atop a rise that overlooked the rest of the area.

Using binoculars, he'd spotted her car, then located her at the motel just as she'd hauled ass out of the place with the other woman. Thinking she ran from someone, Rowdy started to rush to her rescue-but his alarm had faded when Alice paused long enough to sabotage the truck tire.

No one in hot pursuit.

Settling back, he'd watched her high- step across an overgrown lot that probably hid snakes, rats and too many insects to count. He tracked her as she drove through the neighborhood, circled around and headed toward the highway.

He thought she'd finally be heading home, plus one passenger, until she pulled into the bus station.

Confusing.

Twenty minutes later, Alice emerged alone. Sun glinted off her brown hair- had she done something with it? It looked different. Rowdy rubbed his chin, still on high alert.

She smiled as she slipped on sunglasses and-after checking the backseat of her car-unlocked it and got in.

Undecided for only a moment, Rowdy pulled out his cell phone and thumbed her number before she could leave the lot.

"Hello?"

She sounded breathy, probably on an adrenaline rush. He shook his head. "It's Rowdy."

"Rowdy?" And just like Alice, she asked, "Are you okay? Is anything wrong?"

All kinds of things were way wrong, but he'd save that for a face-to-face. "Go back into the bus station and wait for me there."

"Go..." She twisted around in her seat.

"Where are you?"

"I'm where I can keep eyes on you.

Now hustle your ass back inside and stay put. I'll be there in less than half an hour."

Silence. Alice got out of her car, shielded her eyes from the sun and searched the area. "Did you watch me as I shopped with your sister?"

"Why?"

"I felt someone."

Damn. For the second time in their short acquaintance, he wondered if he was slipping.

"Rowdy? Why are you following me?"

"Inside, hon. I'll explain when I get there."

Even from a distance, looking through field binoculars, Rowdy saw her frown.

"I don't like taking orders from you."

"Would you rather take them from the police?" He saw her go still. "Maybe from Detective Reese Bareden?"

"That's blackmail!"

"Whatever it takes." He and Reese had a deal, so Rowdy would end up telling him, anyway. Whether Alice realized that yet or not, it was a moot point.

As he said, whatever it took.

Head down, she turned a stiff circle, probably scheming, trying to think up options.

"Make a decision, Alice."

"Fine!" She relocked her car. Stride stiff, she marched toward the station entrance. "I'll be inside."

"Fine," he repeated back to her, and damned if he didn't have to fight a smile.

"See you soon." Rowdy disconnected the call, but watched until he saw Alice reenter. He waited a few seconds more to see if she'd come right back out.

She stayed put.

And good thing, because his gut told him to get back to that motel, to stake it out, so that's what he did. Just as he'd observed Alice, he watched the motel- from a safe distance away, this time inside a condemned house, up on the second story.

The floor trembled under his feet, almost as if it'd give out any minute. But he'd been in worse places.

Hell, he'd lived in worse places.

He'd give it a few minutes, not long because he didn't want to leave Alice unprotected. But if someone showed up, he didn't want to miss it.