Lost in Shadows (Lost) Page 8

  She turned to the sink, her head down. He more than deserved honesty, he’d earned it. She lifted her face to look at his in the large bathroom mirror. “After everything that happened…I just don’t think I can be in a crowd. Wondering with every new face if he’s one of them. The idea of being close to strangers is just…”

  He came behind her, their reflections meeting in the mirror. She studied the contrast. Yes, she came up to his nose, but two of her could hide behind the width of his shoulders. He was big and rough and tumble. She was soft and curvy and quiet.

  “Carolina, you’re beautiful, inside and out. You’re like sunshine with your golden hair and blue eyes. Your smile could chase away storm clouds. That’s the woman I want to take out. You won’t have to worry about strangers when you’re with me.”

  She pressed her fingers to her lips. He thought her beautiful? He liked her smile? She realized she liked him liking her smile, which made her brave enough to share a smile. She studied the firm set to his body. “Why don’t I have to worry?”

  “Because I’ll wear my game face.” Looking in the mirror, all humor and joy fell away until Jeb wore an expressionless mask. He let a dark and menacing expression grow as his eyes narrowed, his lips contorted into a snarl, and his jaw set. His shoulders changed slightly until he was a man looking for a fight.

  She raised her eyebrows as she watched Dr. Jekyll become Mr. Hyde. “You look frightening.” She burst out laughing, spun, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Nobody will even notice I’m with you if you walk around like that. Oh, but you shouldn’t. You’ll scare little kids.”

  He answered without breaking character. “Only the bad ones.”

  She laughed again and squeezed him tightly. “Go on, Monster Man, hit the shower.”

  He caught her hips, not moving an inch. “Shopping. Dinner. Nonnegotiable.”

  Less than an hour later, Carolina practically skipped through the large department store, laughing as she held Jeb’s hand. True to his word, he wore his game face, and what crowds there were parted to let them pass. No one paid attention to her. One look at his hard face and eyes stayed riveted there until he had passed. For the first time in her life, she made it through the cosmetic area without being mobbed by pushy saleswomen.

  Being burdened with packages like a pack mule didn’t lessen the effect of his game face. Although she noticed he earned more than a few sympathetic looks from husbands and boyfriends who were themselves weighed down by frilly bags. She grinned at him, carefree and happy.

  “Enjoying yourself?” he growled.

  “Immensely. I never understood why people enjoyed going to the mall. This is totally surreal.” She laughed softly. “You know, all these people think you are my boyfriend and that I have you…what’s the expression?”

  “Pussy-whipped. And you knew the expression. I’m sure you read it in a book. I thought you said you were just picking up a few things. Why did we have to go to that store twice?”

  “I wasn’t sure the dress was the right one the first time. I had to be sure, didn’t I?”

  “No,” he muttered.

  She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “I’ll order the rest online, but shipping takes a few days. I need enough to get by.”

  “How much more could you need? A guy would buy five pairs of underwear, two pair of jeans, and three shirts. Good for a month.”

  She stopped outside a store selling bras and panties. “I, uh, think I’ll go in this one alone.”

  He raised an eyebrow and looked in the window. “I don’t know. I do have some expertise in this area.”

  She blushed and pointed to a set of metal benches guaranteed to be as uncomfortable as they were ugly. “Go.”

  “Fine. But in case you were wondering, I’m partial to push-up bras, thongs, and that little thing in the corner of the window over there.”

  She waited until he sat on the bench with the armload of bags spread out next to him. He gave her a wink and resumed intimidating the world.

  She walked into the store that had too many salespeople and not enough customers. She cursed under her breath. She had no chance of being able to shop in peace and—

  “Hello, do you need any help?” the perky redhead barely out of puberty chirped.

  Carolina shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor and moving to the display of her favorite bras. Quickly and efficiently, she pulled out the drawer for her bra size. There was only one in the natural color she always wore. Could she make just one work? She could but…her fingers ran over the array of colors, stopping on electric blue. Could she wear electric blue? Something in her belly tingled at the thought of walking around wearing the flashy color with nobody but her knowing. She picked up the blue bra and a black one with black lace over half the cup.

  Fingering the satin and lace, memories of being under Jeb overtook her. Between her legs, she became wet and hot. She selected another electric blue in a style promising miracles. With equal measures of determination and self-awareness, she selected matching panties in cuts that had no resemblance to underwear.

  Back in the main aisle, she stood in front of the rack of the ivory lace Jeb had pointed out. She looked at the tag. It was a lot of money for some thin material that would leave more showing than it covered. She hadn’t been with anyone since she moved back to Kentucky. Caring for her mother and starting her business had left her with little energy or time for the opposite sex. She’d wanted to date recently, hence the online company, but no one had captured her attention yet. Not until Jeb.

  She bit her lip, grabbed her size from the rack, and ran to pay before good sense caught up with her. A perky brunette with perfect makeup greeted her at the register, accepting the armload of intimates.

  “I just love this color, don’t you?” The woman’s skilled fingers ran over the soft cloth, removing security tags and folding it neatly amid pastel tissue paper. “It’s going to look dynamite with your eyes.”

  The woman, a stranger, handled the clothes that would be Carolina’s almost reverently. Her mind flashed on the image of her intimate apparel turned out of the drawers by another stranger’s hands.

  “Another beautiful choice.” The woman held up the creamy lace so everyone in the store could see it. “This is part of our ‘Man-Eater’ collection. We have sheer thigh-highs that are guaranteed to bring a man to his knees. Would you like to add a pair?”

  Carolina wanted to rip the sex-wear from her hands. Did everyone need to know she wanted to have sex? “No. Just the underwear.”

  “Are you sure? The right lingerie can really make a difference in the bedroom.”

  Her temperature went from tepid to inferno. “Fine. I’ll take them.” Anything to be out of here.

  “You’ll love it. I promise. I have samples of our new massage oil. How about I include a few?”

  “Yes. Fine. Fine.” She shoved her credit card across the counter.

  The woman placed the receipt in the bag and handed it to her. “Let me know how you like everything. There is a matching robe with the Man-Eater.”

  “I will,” she said and ran for the door, knowing she could never return to the store. The woman would ask her for a play-by-play. In the open corridor, she bent over like a sprinter after a heat.

  Jeb instantly loomed over her, concern darkening his gray eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “I hate shopping.”

  “I don’t know why. You’re obviously good at it.” He ran his fingers through her thick mane of hair to rub the back of her neck. “Let me see what you bought.”

  She bolted upright and clutched the bag to her chest. “No. You will absolutely not look in this bag.”

  He grinned, a little bit hopeful, a little bit wolfish. “Did you buy the lacy thing?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Oh yeah, you bought the lacy thing.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her hair as they walked back to the bench. “Are we done yet?”

  She w
anted to go home as much as he did, more than even, but her practical nature wouldn’t agree. “Nearly, just a few more to go.”

  He dropped his head back, moaned, and fell heavily onto the bench.

  She ran her fingers over his hair and mocked him with a pouty voice. “Poor baby. You’ve been so stoic. How about I buy you a lemonade?”

  “Woman, I don’t need lemonade. I need food.”

  “Our dinner reservation isn’t until eight thirty. A lemonade and pretzel now, and then tonight I will treat you to the juiciest, best-tasting steak you have ever had.”

  “Juicy?”

  She nodded solemnly, but inside she laughed. “One Band-Aid away from mooing. It will just take me a minute.”

  “I’ll go with you.” He began collecting the bags.

  “With all those bags, you should just stay here. The two stores I want are this way, anyway. I’ll get our snack, we’ll picnic in the mall, and then finish shopping. Okay?”

  He looked at her for a long moment. His gaze flicked between her face and the lemonade shop twice. “If it makes you happy.” He put his game face back on and gave her one curt nod. The corner storefront selling fresh squeezed lemonade and handmade pretzels sat halfway down the corridor in the opposite direction of the shoe store she wanted. She left him with the pile of bags and walked with a spring in her step to get the lemonade.

  This wasn’t so hard, she thought, weaving through the sea of people. Side step left, a turn to the right. Really nothing to it.

  Chapter Five

  Carolina looked happy, and Jeb realized he’d do nearly anything to keep that look there. She needed to buy him lemonade, he’d let her buy him lemonade. It wasn’t such a chore, watching her walk away. A man could pass many an enjoyable minute watching the swagger in her hips. He frowned when two young men stared after her, admiring her ass in those new leggings. They turned around, elbowing each other, and then locked onto Jeb. The look said it all.

  She’s mine, you disrespectful assholes.

  The men, in their early twenties, mumbled apologies without making eye contact again.

  Jeb glared as the two assholes walked away. He shouldn’t fault them for looking, but he did.

  “Shit.” When did the woman get under his skin? He stood and looked at the lemonade stand, needing to see the cause of his predicament. She stepped up to the counter and placed her order with a young man wearing a paper hat and a sappy smile. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and dove into her purse. He recorded every nuance of her movements. In this moment of happiness, she had shed the shell of the victim. She had a massive appeal that, if she chose to use it, would open any door she wanted. A tray was pushed toward her but instead of accepting it, she dove into her purse again, this time surfacing with her phone. She tucked it to her ear and then her gaze snapped to Jeb’s. That look was a starter pistol that had him racing to her. Color leached from her face. She backed away from the counter, spinning in a slow circle, her eyes wild, her shoulders curved inward.

  “Stop.” He barked the order as she withdrew into herself. “Stop right there, Carolina, and tell me what happened.” He reached her then, capturing her arms and holding her to the spot.

  Terror filled her eyes. “It was him. It was him, and he spoke.”

  “Him? One of the suspects?”

  “No…Yes…the one who calls me. He said…he said I looked beautiful.” She looked over her shoulder as she stepped closer to him. “I want to go home.”

  He snatched the phone from her hand. One hand worked the screen while the other held her to his side. Tremors wracked her rigid frame. He brought up the call log. He reversed the number showing for a minute ago. Above the white noise of the mall, a phone rang. His eyes and ears scanned the immediate area, settling on the toy store.

  The call of the hunt was upon him. Seconds counted, but he wouldn’t leave Carolina alone in the middle of the corridor. Flight in her eyes, she would not be there when he returned. Instead, he pulled her into the store directly opposite the toy store and parked her in a sheltered corner of bookshelves.

  “No.” She fought to keep her arms around him. “Don’t leave me.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Carolina, but I am going after this bastard.” He had to move if there were any chance of catching the asshole, but she looked on the verge of breaking. He needed to find a compromise—quickly. “You have a choice.” He bent down as though to tie his boot and discreetly pulled the knife from the sheath on his ankle. The short blade, easily concealed in the sleeve of his jacket, would be an advantage in a fight. “You can stay here while I search, or you can come with me. You need to do exactly as I say, moving quickly. If I tell you to get clear, you do it. You understand?”

  She nodded too many times.

  “Pick.”

  She backed into the corner. “I don’t think I can keep up. I better stay.” She slid to the floor and drew in her knees.

  He ran his hand over her hair to calm her, to show his respect for her making the decision. “You’re gonna be fine. I’ll be right back.”

  He entered the toy store, calling the number. A phone rang, echoing the one from Carolina’s phone. He looked up every aisle. There were no single people in the store. Couples debated over Barbie dolls and ninjas and families tried to corral the children away from temptation, but no one lingered on the fringe with a stalker vibe and a ringing phone.

  At the end of the last aisle, a gray door was slowly closing. He pulled his knife and went through crouched. On the other side was the organized chaos of stock, returns, and the next “gotta have” toys. He looked over the assortment, careful not to overlook someone who hid in plain sight. Alone, he pushed through to the service hallway that provided delivery access for this part of the mall. In the middle of the stark space lay a cell phone. He dialed the number again and the phone came to life.

  There were too many exits from the hallway. Beside the exterior door, roughly twenty stores opened to the hallway. Jeb retrieved a plastic bag from the toy store and collected the phone. He’d use his kit to check for prints and trace the number. With the phone being dumped, he wasn’t expecting much.

  Inside the toy store, everything was normal. Up front, a teen with pink-streaked hair pushed buttons on the register and talked with a friend.

  “Did you see a man?” Jeb asked, interrupting.

  “What?” Pink looked at him, confused.

  “A man. Did you see a man?”

  Her brows furrowed. “You’re a man.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Another man. Alone. Lurking or maybe hiding behind the displays.”

  “Oh, him.”

  “Him.” He growled with impatience. “What did he look like?”

  “I don’t know. Skinny. White. Dark hair,” Pink said.

  “He had handcuffs,” her friend said. “I could see the shape on his back pocket.”

  Pink screwed up her nose. “You were looking at his ass? That’s disgusting. He was, like, forty or something.”

  “He wasn’t that old, and he had a nice butt.” Pink’s friend cocked her head. “Are you, like, a cop or something?”

  “Or something.” He stormed out of the store.

  The handcuffs worried him. Had his plan been to abduct Carolina? What was there to gain? Money was always the first answer but, with Nate deployed, who would pay the ransom? Uncle Mitch might pay, but Sheriff Walker wouldn’t.

  Jeb went back to the bookstore to find Carolina with her head on her knees and her hair hanging to the floor. Abandoned, dejected, she hid from the world. She made his heart ache. He called her name softly.

  She lifted her face. She wore a mask of infinite sadness, and her lip was again bloodied. Then she saw him. Relief softened the lines around her mouth. She lifted her reddened eyes, and then she was on her feet, in his arms. She squeezed him so tightly, he could feel her racing heart. “What happened? Did you find him? You didn’t, did you? I mean, he’s not with you so you must not have found him.”


  “Easy, Carolina. Breathe deep.” He held her, pressed his lips to her temple.

  She inhaled deeply, slowly exhaling, her breath hot against his neck. “I want to go home.”

  Jeb tried to agree, he needed her out of there but…but she needed to regain her confidence. He didn’t want this day to be another she regretted. She needed to laugh again, to focus on the good. He had every confidence he could protect her and give her this opportunity.

  “Look at me, Carolina.” He waited patiently, not continuing until he saw the blue of her eyes. “We are not going home. We are going to buy you shoes and any other damn thing you want. Then we are going to go out and have a great dinner. Do you know why?”

  She looked at him like he’d grown two heads. “Why?”

  “Because fuck them.”

  Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open. Run, yes. Hide, yes. Fuck them, nope.

  “Who do they think they are that they can come into our lives, uninvited, and screw with our plans? Fuck that, Carolina, fuck that. You promised me the best steak I ever had, and I’m holding you to that.”

  She stood a little straighter, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “You shouldn’t use the F word. Especially in public.”

  His frown melted at her reprimand. “You’re the only person I see.”

  The line between her brows and stiffness in her abused lip said she would stand with him against a stalker, against vandals, against his casual use of the granddaddy of all swear words. A woman like that could melt a cold man’s heart. “You shouldn’t bite your lip.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across her battered mouth. “There. Is that better?” He felt the air as it rushed out of her body and watched as the pasty white in her cheeks flushed until they were as pink as cherry blossoms. When she nodded, Jeb patted her hand and put his game face on. “Good. Let’s get your bags and go shopping.”

  “If we’re going to a nice dinner, you need clothes, too.”

  He groaned loudly, enticing her to smile.

  …

  Carolina leaned close to her mirror and traced the curves of her lips with her new pink gloss. She rubbed them together and stood straight, taking measure of her handiwork. The little black dress hugged her curves. It took a lot of nerve to put on the push-up bra and matching panties, but the results were eye-popping. She ran her fingers over her flat stomach and around the line of her hips. Part of her wanted to put a sweater over the dress or maybe a wide scarf that would keep everything under wraps.