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The blonde nodded and took the cash.
Slick appeared and Abby re-shouldered her purse, following the woman out the door.
“There’s a cafe a block down,” she told Abby. “We can eat outside since it’s so nice.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Five minutes later the two women were seated at a black wrought iron patio table outside. Abby ordered a salad and Slick ordered a sandwich. When the waiter left, Slick said, “I’m Sarah, by the way. Sarah Sullivan.”
Abby nodded. “Have you lived here all your life?”
“No. I just moved here about a year ago. I’ve lived all over actually. Spent a few weeks in Vegas, too, a long time ago.”
Abby raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh yeah?”
Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, but it wasn’t for me. Too many people and too many lights. You can’t see the stars at night in Vegas.”
“No, you definitely can’t.”
“Plus,” Sarah said, shifting a little in her chair, “I cheated some casinos.”
Abby laughed. “No! You? You seem so…upstanding, for a chick who works in a biker bar.”
Sarah laughed, too. “I needed the money. I think I’m on a watch list.”
“So, what brought you here?” Abby asked.
Sarah rubbed the back of her neck. “The cover of a travel guide. Seemed like a beautiful place.”
Abby sensed she was wading into waters with a pretty deep undertow. “It is that,” she said, lightly, sipping the water the waiter had left. “So, you met Chris, and you got married,” Abby observed. “That’s nice. You two seem great together.”
Sarah nodded. “He was my landlord.”
Abby sat back in the chair. “Um…”
The tiny brunette laughed. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. He didn’t like me at first,” she admitted. “That’s why I’m called ‘Slick’. He thought I was a con artist playing Maria for a job. And on some level I kind of was. Chris offered me a place to stay to keep an eye on me. Then we kind of ended up falling for each other. I moved in right after that, because he said it wasn’t right to take my money.”
Abby smiled. “Well, that’s a hell of a story. People meet each other in all kinds of ways.” On the side of the road, she thought, but kept to herself.
As if Sarah had heard her she suddenly said, “You want to know about Tex.”
Abby took a sip of water. “Is it that obvious?”
“No. I mean, we could be friends. That could be why you’re here. In fact, I really hope we get to be. But, yeah, if I were you, in your shoes, I’d want to know about Tex, too.”
“So, you know,” Abby said, letting it hang in the air in case she was wrong.
Sarah nodded. “He’s pretty open about it. I mean, I don’t know details or anything. But he was always honest with me about…how he is.”
“So, everyone else knows, too? Your husband, the guys at the garage?”
“Yeah. Chris says Mark’s a brother, part of the unit, and so whether he’s gay or straight or…kinky….we just deal with it because we love him.”
“So, you and Chris aren’t…” Abby let the question hang in the air.
“No!” Sarah said immediately. “I mean, no, we aren’t. I could never do that.” Abby frowned at Sarah’s words. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Sarah said quietly. “I meant, I can’t ever do anything like that.”
Sarah picked up a napkin and fiddled with it. “I…well, I don’t like to talk about it, but most people around here know because it was on the news. I was attacked.”
Abby felt her gut twist. “Oh, Sarah.”
“It was years ago. Well, the first time was years ago. I got away, but my boyfriend at the time, he didn’t make it. And I was afraid the man who’d taken us would find me again, so I ran. That’s why I lived in all those places. To stay hidden. And, like I said, I went into a bookstore in Denver and picked up a travel guide with a photo of the Black Hills on the cover and then I bought a bus ticket.
“I met Maria, who gave me a job. And then Chris, who gave me a place to live. And he didn’t like me at first, but then after a while he could see there was something wrong with me. The more we spent time together, the more he figured out on his own. He swore he’d keep me safe, and he did, for a long time. But the man who…raped me…found me again here in Rapid City.”
“Oh, no,” Abby said quietly, reaching for Sarah’s hand. The other woman took it and squeezed, gratefully.
“That’s how people here know about it,” Sarah told Abby. “Because he came to Chris’ house when I was alone and kidnapped me again. I had to kill him,” she whispered.
“Sarah, I’m so sorry. I hadn’t heard any of this. I would never have asked you-”
