LITMIR.BIZ

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far? Was that suspicion she read in his sidelong gaze?

      They were silent again. Haley returned her attention to the view. They didn’t go far before Chase spoke up once more.

      “I’m pulling off at the next exit.”

      “Is there something wrong?”

      “Yeah, my stomach. It’s empty. I can’t remember when I’ve last eaten. How about you? You hungry?”

      Haley admitted she could do with a meal. Counting the long backup with the construction tie-up and her break for freedom, they had been on the road for hours. They had left Portland this morning, and it was now midafternoon.

      She wondered at first if this stop would provide another opportunity for her to escape. Not a chance, she quickly realized, because it was a fast food restaurant he selected. They never left the car. Chase ordered takeout from a drive-up window. They ate their food in the parking lot.

      He was working on fries and a hamburger when, looking at her thoughtfully, he asked, “Is it true you’re self-employed?”

      “How did you hear that?”

      “I have my sources.”

      “Uh-huh. So, tell me, is it part of a bounty hunter’s job to know what the FTAs he grabs do for a living?”

      He shrugged. “It can be.”

      He was being evasive, Haley thought, inserting the straw into her drink and drawing on the soda.

      “What is it you do specifically?” he wanted to know.

      She had no reason to conceal anything. “I’m an independent contractor.” The expression on his face told her he thought she was messing with him. “No, not that kind of contractor. What I construct I do at home on my computer.”

      “Such as?”

      “Whatever I’m hired to do. Like, for example, report development for public school systems or creating detailed websites for professional, private outfits looking for my kind of training and certification.”

      “How do these people find you?”

      “Online, of course. Most frequently on sites where you post things like your training, your credentials and your recommendations.”

      He actually looked impressed and that pleased her, although she couldn’t exactly say why. Maybe just because it would make him question whether someone with her record would have needed to post a bond for breaking the law and then failed to appear in court. On the other hand, she supposed anyone could be guilty of something like that.

      Letting herself be pleased by this man for any other reason was not a good idea.

      “Satisfied?” she asked him.

      “Yeah, thanks.”

      Haley wanted him to know she wasn’t hiding anything about herself, but that wasn’t true of him. There was a secretiveness here, as if this sexy roughneck was protecting something. And that’s when it struck her again. Crazy as it seemed, he was somehow, someway familiar.

      * * *

      Haley seldom traveled in this direction. When she did, she always hoped to see that Mount Rainier for once was free of cloud. It never was on any of her visits.

      She was prepared to be disappointed again, and instead was treated by nature to a splendid sight. Twilight was already closing in, but still some distance away, far off to the right, the head of the perfect cone that was Rainier was bathed in a golden glow. Haley was enchanted.

      She turned her head to see Chase’s reaction. He had none. She could only suppose this meant he lived in Seattle and Mount Rainier was a familiar sight. Or maybe he simply wasn’t moved by nature. Either way, there was no reason why it should make any difference to her.

      What did matter was the decision he made fifteen minutes later. “I’m taking us off at the next exit.”

      “Are you hungry again?”

      “No, sleepy. We’ll spend the night at a motel.”

      “We are what?”

      “You heard me. It’ll be morning before you know it.”

      Haley knew it was true that early summer at this latitude meant long days and short nights. But even so...

      “I don’t want to spend the night at a motel,” she announced stubbornly.

      “Oh, you don’t? I suppose instead you’d have me fall asleep at the wheel.”

      “Don’t be silly. I’ve been dozing, and I’m perfectly capable of taking a turn at the wheel.”

      “While I what? Go bye-bye?”

      “Why not?”

      “Sure, why not? Listen, sweetheart, we both know what destinations you get off to when you’re turned loose.”

      “All right, you don’t trust me. But Seattle can’t be far now. Can’t you just go on?”

      “It’s farther than you think. We’ve still got the traffic of Olympia, then Tacoma, and after that the whole long urban crawl into Seattle. And all after dark. No, thanks. We’re going to a motel.”

      The last faint glow of twilight was leaving the sky when they exited the interstate. There were three motels to choose from. Chase selected the nearest one, pulled up in front of its office and shut off the engine.

      Haley drew back when he reached for the glove compartment, holding her breath as his hand brushed across the side of her breast. As brief and innocent as the contact was, it was like a flame licking across her.

      When she was breathing normally again, he had extracted a pair of handcuffs from the glove compartment. Haley stared at them. This was going too far.

      “Oh, you’re not going to—”

      “Handcuff you to the wheel here while I go into the office? That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

      “But that isn’t necessary. Just take me with you.”

      “And have you make another break for it the minute I turn my back? I don’t think so. Of course, I could always handcuff our wrists together and drag you in there. Might scare the attendant, though. Nope, you’re safer out here.”

      Before she could raise another objection, he had snatched up her hand and clicked one of the bracelets over her wrist and the other one to the wheel. It was a humiliating situation, made worse when he removed the keys from the ignition and dangled them in front of her nose with a little grin. He was reminding her of earlier when she’d thrown away the keys, taunting her.

      Haley fumed while he was gone. She had counted on this mix-up getting settled sometime today. Then she might be released so she could go home. Now that wouldn’t happen before tomorrow. The more she thought about it, the more insane the whole thing seemed. None of it made any sense.

      When he finally emerged from the motel office, he was carrying a plastic sack loaded with something. Opening the door on her side, he dumped the sack into her lap.

      “Here, you take charge of it,” he ordered as he leaned across her to unlock the handcuffs.

      Whatever the sack contained, the lumpy contents weren’t heavy enough to crack him over the head with. Because that’s what she would have liked to do to this insensitive gorilla.

      “I suppose it won’t be enough to just lock me inside my room. You’ll insist on handcuffing me to something in there, too.”

      “That won’t be necessary. We’ll be sharing a single room.”

      “Please tell me you didn’t.”

      “Naw, just kidding. I was able to get you a room of your own with no windows and only one steel door I get to lock from the outside. Kind of like a cell.”

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