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“How much money does she have saved?” Liam asked. “Can’t be much. God knows, she likes her shoes and bags and frilly things well enough.”
“A few hundred bucks,” Hammer said grimly. “She’s got no head for money. I took care of her expenses for the most part. I’ve had a bad habit of indulging her because I knew she did without so much as a child.”
Liam’s blistering glare said he hadn’t known. “We’ll discuss that later.”
Whatever. Hammer didn’t intend to budge. If he wanted to buy Raine something pretty, he would. “Do you think she left in the taxi again?”
“The supervisor said the driver dropped her here and left. Though I suppose she could have called for another one.”
“But how? She hasn’t turned on her phone.”
“And Tonya didn’t say that Raine made any phone calls from the store. I don’t see a payphone.” Liam double-checked with a glance, but shook his head.
“Then let’s go. She wouldn’t stay here. There’s no reason. She’d have a suitcase in her hand. It’s probably heavy. So is the bottle of tequila. She couldn’t carry them for long.”
“Right. And she wouldn’t stay on the street.” Liam frowned and reached for his phone, too. “Is there a bus terminal nearby? Or someplace to stash the suitcase?”
Hammer shook his head. “We’re getting close to suburbia out here. Our best bet is looking for her at a restaurant or motel.”
“She didn’t eat breakfast. Or much dinner last night.” Clearly, that worried Liam. “She’s got to be hungry.”
“We’ll get back in the car and drive around. We can cover more ground that way. We’ll stop at all the restaurants and ask a few questions. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
They cruised up and down the road once, then peeked into fast food joints, a mini-mart, even roamed the inside of a pancake house. Not a damn thing. Minutes slid into an hour. Where the fuck could she have gone on foot?
“Does the city bus come out this far?” Liam asked, obviously wondering the same thing.
“I don’t think so. We haven’t seen one since we’ve been here. Let’s stop and think.” Hammer raked a hand through his hair as he jogged back to his Audi. “She’d want somewhere to set down her suitcase. I’m betting she’s got plans for that bottle of booze.”
“Is there a park nearby?”
“Yes, but she could get arrested for drinking in public. If she’s the one drinking the tequila, she’s going to want to do it in private. But if it’s not for her…”
“Who else would it be for?” Liam prompted, following him.
“Her father. He’s a drunk from way back. If she wanted answers, bribing him with tequila would be one way to get them. Son of a bitch,” Hammer snarled as he pulled the car back onto the main drag. “I hate to say it, but we should pay a visit to dear old dad.”
“Then let’s go.”
Hammer took off, gripping the steering wheel. “I need to prepare you for what you’re about to see.” Raine’s childhood home was the last hellhole he wanted to visit, but if she was there, she needed him… needed them both, to rescue her. “Ol’ Bill is a crafty son of a bitch. If Raine went there, there’s no telling what he’s done to her. And if he’s laid a finger on her again, he’s a dead man. I trust you’ll help me bury the fucking body.”
“That bad?” Liam scowled.
Hammer reached into the glove box and handed Liam the manila envelope he’d retrieved from his safe earlier. “See for yourself.”
Finally, Raine caught a break. It was Friday. The hospital wasn’t a large one, and Beck practiced in more than one location. But she remembered a passing conversation with him about the fact that he’d begun to office here on Fridays. Granted, he might be in surgery, but a roomful of patients in his waiting room gave her hope otherwise.
After Raine introduced herself and pleaded with his office manager, the woman finally agreed to tell the good doctor that she was here.
Beck came barreling in three minutes later in a long white coat and a dress shirt, looking surprisingly respectable. He didn’t bother with preambles. “What’s wrong?”
The rest of the people in the waiting room stared. Even the office manager didn’t disguise her curiosity. She shouldn’t have barged in on him at work, Raine realized. He was diligent about keeping his professional and private lives separate.
“Sorry. My mistake. You’re busy. Will you just…call Hammer and Liam when you get a break and tell them I’m fine? I’m not in danger, and they don’t need to look for me. That’s it.”
She turned for the door. Beck captured her arm in an unyielding grip, then he jerked her around. His face didn’t change much, but his eyes… That was the glare of a disapproving Dom. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just let her feel his concern and displeasure.
