It was annoying and discouraging to just be there watching all that, but he wasn’t giving up. He never gave up, and he had completed phase one of his mission, which was finding the princess.
There was no going back now. When king Robert had come to him with panic in his eyes and a huge sum of money, he had been unable to say no to the offer. The man was very rich and willing to spend any amount of money to find his beloved daughter, the princess, and David loved jobs like that….Jobs that paid that much were his favorite because he needed the money. Although he had asked the king why he didn’t go the police to find his daughter.
“My daughter isn’t missing” the king had said. “She even sent us a message a day after she left telling us that she was fine. The thing is that she doesn’t want to be found. She is an adult and has the right to go away if she wishes. She is not a prisoner, but I know what is best for her and this isn’t it. She has to come back home, so help me find her, please and I will pay you well for it.”
David’s reputation preceded him, and he was good at what he did. So good that he had found her one week since he started searching for her…or maybe it was because she was just so terrible at hiding, and her cover just sucked real bad.
Right now, he just couldn’t understand why she was hanging out in a place like this. Each of the strippers had a gimmick, he noticed. He thought it was rather ironic. One of them played out a tough street cop, complete with black pants held together with strategically placed Velcro. They came off with only the smallest tug. The guy even had an original leather jacket to add to his authenticity. The women loved It, judging by their screams. He honestly never knew how sexy the cop persona was to females. Or if he would have cared if he did.
He had to concentrate on his mission and the last thing he needed now was a distraction with big brown eyes. His gaze wandered back to Bonnie Rimmer. She was loitering on the corner beneath the street lamp, holding that large, lumpy bag to her chest and trying to fit in. David snorted. That old coat she was wearing was buttoned so high she was damn near strangling herself. What the hell was she doing here?
He'd just about convinced himself not to care about what she was doing there and go straight to doing his job, when three young men seemed to notice her. David watched as they approached her. She started to back away, then evidently changed her mind. She nodded a greeting, but it was a wimpy effort. Hell, the men looked determined to get to know her, without any encouragement on her part. She, on the other hand, looked ready to faint.
Walk away, he thought, willing her to move. But she stood her ground. Obviously, she was the stubborn type. He sensed, then he knew for certain, she was getting in over her head. His body was already tensing, his eyes narrowed, waiting for the trouble to start. They seemed to be talking, or, more to the point, she was trying to speak to them. She gestured with her hands, her expression earnest. Then one of the men grabbed her and she let loose a startled screech. In the next instant, those huge brown eyes of hers turned his way, demanding that he help her. The little twit was asking for help from another stranger…who she wasn’t even sure if he was one of her attackers. He wasn’t surprised at all. She was a princess…probably had never been alone her entire life. What did she think when she ran away? That she could take care of herself? Obviously she was wrong.
Well, hell, he couldn’t allow her to be manhandled. He pushed himself away from the doorway and started forward. The men were obviously drunk. One of them was doing his best to pull her close, but she kept sidestepping him. David approached them all with a casual air.
“Here now, boys.” He kept his tone low and deep, deliberately commanding. “Why don’t you leave the lady alone.” David could see her trembling, could see the paleness of her face in the yellow light of the street lamp. The man didn’t release her; if anything, he tightened his grip.
“Go to hell.” The man who held her said.
The words were slurred, and David wondered just how drunk they were. He couldn't get into a brawl—he might literally lose his pants. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy knocking some heads together, he would…but still….
He turned his gaze on Bonnie Rimmer, and asked sarcastically. “Do you want their company?”
She swallowed, her throat working convulsively. “No.”
One of the men shook his fist in David’s face, stumbling drunkenly as he did so. “She already made a deal with us when she came prancing about.”
The man grinned stupidly at Bonnie, then added, “She is fine with us. You can't expect a pretty thing like her to walk around here without getting any attention…”
One of the other men slugged the speaker. “Shut up, you fool.”
David went very still, scrutinizing the Bonnie’s face. “Well?” he said.
Again, she swallowed. “Well…what?”
“Why do you have some kind of deal with them?” Whisper-soft, his question still demanded an immediate answer.
Shaking her head, then looking around as if desperately seeking a means of escape. He couldn’t walk away even if she was some girl he just saw around. His first instinct whenever he saw someone in danger was to help.
Disgusted, David propped his hands on his hips, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
“Do you want the company of these men or not?”
She peered cautiously at the drunken, leering face so close to her own. Her lips tightened in disapproval and disdain. “Ah…no. Not particularly.”
A genuine smile tipped his mouth before he caught himself. She had gumption, he’d give her that. She was no bigger than a sixteen-year-old sickly kid. The coat she wore practically swallowed her up. She was fine-boned, petite, and everything about her seemed fragile.
“There you go, fellas. The lady doesn’t find you to her liking. Turn her loose and go find something else to do.” David said. “I got somethin’ to do already.” The man who held her said. Her captor’s hold seemed to loosen just a bit as he spoke, and taking advantage, she suddenly jerked free. Then she did the dumbest thing David had ever seen. She sent her knee into the man’s groin.Unbelievable. David shook his head, even as he yanked her behind him, trying to protect her from the ensuing chaos. He couldn’t do any real damage to the men without attracting more spectators, which was something he didn’t want. And the woman was gasping behind him, scared out of her wits from the sound of it. But damn it all, he definitely did not want to lose his pants out here scuffling in the middle of the sidewalk with common drunks. One of the men started to throw a punch. David cursed loudly as the Bonnie Rimmer ran around him, evidently not as frightened as he’d thought, and leaped onto his attac
Her eyes were even larger now, huge and luminous and filled with shock and disbelief. When the man slowly backed into the center of the floor, slid the zipper down on his leather jacket. He saw her gasp.Her intent expression, of innocence mixed with curious wonder, annoyed him, making him feel ….He wasn’t even sure what this feeling was. That he could feel his face heat angered him. He was too old, too cynical now, and oh, too professional to actually get jealous over a client. Damn her.Bonnie Rimmer was no longer a picture, but a real breathing woman. The lights in the bar illuminated her face and David let himself stare at her for a while. The pictures he had seen were clearly a shoddy portrayal of the woman because the real life version was so much better.The man on the stage seemed to notice her staring and focused his gaze on her, obviously enjoying the attention he was getting. David decided he didn’t have the time to watch her flirt with some stripper guy, so he held her jaw
She had pondered many disguises for this night, disguises ranging anywhere from that of a frumpy homeless lady, to a streetwalker. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine herself making a convincing hooker. She was slight of build and her body had never quite…bloomed, as she’d always hoped for. She did, however, think she made an adequate transient.She cleared her throat. Stiffening her spine, which already felt close to snapping, she said again, “I can't go with you”“Your little trio of drunks didn’t scare you enough?”“No. They didn’t. And It’s not like I come here all the time. I just wanted to….”His brows lifted. “You wanted to?”Bonnie stared at him for a while and decided that she couldn’t discuss her feelings and activities with a total stranger. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter” she said. “But I can't go with you. My father can’t just tell you to bring me home. I am an adult and I sure as hell can do whatever I want to do.”He closed his eyes, his mouth twisting in an ironic sm
“You mean I should leave without doing the job that I was hired to do? “Bonnie felt a little uncertain with him glaring at her like that, but she said nothing.“I did get the impression you could handle yourself in almost any situation. Look at how well you took care of those drunkards? You didn’t even get bruised, and there were three of them.” He said in a tone laced with sarcasm.“I know what you are trying to do, and it’s not going to work. I did need your help, but I managed to lay one of them low.” Bonnie said, absolutely proud of herself.“That was after I showed up”She could feel the blush starting at her hairline and traveling down to cover her entire face.“Yes, well…”He seemed to give up. One minute he was rigid, his posture so imposing she had to use all her willpower not to cower. Then suddenly, he was idly rubbing his forehead. “Let’s get out of here first.”Bonnie hesitated. “Where to?” she asked.He gave her a puzzled look, “Well, you didn’t plan to spend the night
“Please say something, Bonnie” she heard her mother plead. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”“I’m very fine” Bonnie replied. “I left mom. I wasn’t kidnapped.”They were not listening. “Thank God” said Robert, “We can’t wait for you to come home”“That’s why I’m calling right now, dad” Bonnie began quickly, scared that they would talk her out of it…just like they talked her into almost everything her entire life. “I wanted to tell you myself that I won’t be coming home…at least not now. All my life I’ve done everything you have asked me to do, but now I think I want to make this one decision for myself. I will keep in touch as much as I can to let you know that I’m fine and safe, but I won’t be coming home and I sure as hell won’t not getting married to Marcus.”“Baby, we understand that, and no one is asking you to marry Marcus now. Just come home first. That’s all we want”Too bad it took running away from home to get them to listen to her, Bonnie thought sadly. This might have starte
Bonnie fumed and snapped at him. She was really worried and in no mood for his sarcasm.”You know what I mean. What did my father say to you……”David laughed at her reaction, cutting her off. He shook his head, giving her a look that blatantly called her a fool. “I will tell you what I think. Don’t waste your time here, princess. Go back to your rich neighborhood, your fancy car and your fancier friends.”She was so angry, she nearly cried. It had always been that way. She never shed a tear over pain or hurt feelings, but let her get really mad, and she bawled like an infant. His attitude toward her situation infuriated her. David stopped at a traffic light, and she jerked her door open, trying to step out. His long hard fingers immediately wrapped around her upper arm, preventing her from leaving.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled.“Let me go.” She was proud of her feral tone. “Did you hear me? Get your hands off me.” She struggled, pulling against his hold.“Dammit
“I see.” Bonnie said quietly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him hanging around her and watching her, but at least this way she didn’t have to always be worried about her father finding her and forcing her to go home anymore. This way, she could get what she wanted. “My apartment is close to here. You can drop me off and be on your way” “I don’t think so” David replied. “I won’t be doing a good job of watching you if i left you alone, would i?” “What did you say?” She asked. He didn’t reply, but let her figure out what he meant by herself. When she did, her mouth opened, but all that came out was, “Oh God.” Lifting one dark eyebrow, David felt triumphant. She was already realizing the implications of insisting not to go back to her parents…He hid his chuckle and said, “Come again?” Bonnie shook her head, then at the same time said, “Nothing…” She heaved a sigh, straightened her back, and then nodded. “Okay. I think we could try and see how it goes.” David stared at her, tr
Crystal Lakes, as exclusive and ritzy as it was, sat only about twenty-five minutes from the lower east side. It was one of those areas where you could feel the gradual change as you left hell and entered heaven. The grass started looking greener, the business district slipped away, and eventually everything was clean and untainted. Bonnie pointed out her house, a small white one, with a front porch. It looked as if it had been standing there for more than a hundred years, and was surprisingly different from the newer, immense homes recently built in the area. There were lights in every window, providing a sense of warmth. All in all, the place was impressive, but not quite what he’d expected. Somehow, he’d envisioned her stationed in real money. Any truly successful businessperson could afford this house. David stared around the isolated grounds. “So you decided to live here by yourself?” She nodded, not quite looking at him, her hands clasped nervously in her lap. “And th