Sensual Stranger (24 page)

The man had been insatiable. When they reached his house and
fell into her bed well past three a.m., he’d held her to him, his arms
surrounding her through the remainder of the night, giving Toni a measure of
contentment she’d rarely known. At the time convincing her that she might have
a chance to remain in town, maybe make her home here, perhaps with him.

Her heart beat erratically at the thought. She couldn’t
catch her breath. Last night, the possibility of a future with Zach seemed
reasonable, even attainable. Right now, doubt returned, telling Toni to
approach the subject carefully. Not to dump too much on him at once.

When the time proved right, she’d ask for a permanent
position first, even offering to move out of his place and find her own if
that’s what he wanted. They’d date. They’d surely continue having sex. He might
even learn to love her.

Sucking her lower lip, she looked up. “Light’s green.”

Zach swore, lifted his head and drove through the deserted
intersection. “Did I give you my key to the shop?”

“Twenty minutes ago while we finished the second pot of
coffee.”

He ran his hand down his face and rotated his shoulders in
an obvious attempt to shake off fatigue. “Do you know how to open the bay
doors?”

“I flick the switch?”

Not answering, he made a left turn, heading into the
historic area of Indulgence. “You’ll be okay while I’m gone?”

She’d die without him. What had happened between them last
night convinced Toni of that.

Her heart beat even harder. She cleared her throat, fighting
to control her emotions, straining to keep her tone casual. “Depends.” Closing
her eyes, she let her legs sag outward. The air-conditioning blew on her weary
groin. “Where did you say you were going?”

“The bank to deposit receipts, then to an auto supply
warehouse for parts we’ll need today. I forgot about it last night.”

Blindly, she patted his thigh and settled her fingers on his
impressive bulge, comforted by his body’s strength and heat. “You were busy. I
forgive you.”

He offered a weak laugh, then fell silent.

Consumed with her own thoughts, what might prove to be her
foolish plan, Toni said nothing more.

At the shop, Zach wrapped his fingers around her wrist
before she exited the vehicle’s cab. Thumb stroking the side of her hand, he
said, “Don’t kill yourself in there. Let Angel or Robbie do the heavy lifting.”

Amused at his suggestion, she murmured, “I’m tired, not
infirm. People will talk if you start treating me like a girl.”

“Woman,” he corrected, his gaze traveling her features,
settling on her mouth. “An unbelievably beautiful woman.”

Surprise made her stare. Shyness followed, causing her to
blush. So many feelings ground through Toni, she found it impossible to ask if
she could stay, if they might have a chance together. Could be it was gratitude
for a great night of sex that caused him to say such a thing. Maybe he was just
being nice.

He squeezed her wrist gently, ending the moment, and brought
back his hand.

Suppressing a sigh at her lost opportunity, Toni hauled her
saddlebag off the cab’s floor.

“I shouldn’t be more than an hour,” he said, adding, “a
couple at most.”

“A couple? How far is the auto parts place?”

“A good drive. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Wait.” She held the cab’s door open. “Do you want me to
take the receipts to the bank? I can walk them over there. It’s not too far.”
That way, he’d be able to return a bit sooner so they could speak. This time,
she’d force herself to do so.

Zach shook his head. “Go inside. Let Angel handle the
invoices and payments at my desk when clients come in. He knows what to do.”

Toni watched him drive down the street. A few blocks up,
someone waved as he passed. From this distance, the figure sort of resembled
Em.

Inside his office, Toni placed Zach’s key on his desk, then
went into the bathroom to change into her overalls and rehearse her
I’d-like-to-stay-here speech. It refused to come. His remembered words kept
crowding it out, replaying in her mind.

An unbelievably beautiful woman.

This morning, her hair stuck out in all the wrong places.
She wasn’t wearing makeup. Faint maroon circles darkened the skin beneath her
eyes. On a good day, well-rested and made up, she wasn’t beautiful. Today, she
looked drab, plain, completely unattractive.

Chewing the side of her thumb, Toni wondered if Zach saw
something she didn’t because he did have feelings for her. Or if he’d
eventually consider her ordinary, not appealing, once the newness of their
sexual encounters wore off.

Her mind raced with uncertainty, her stomach twisting with
too many negative thoughts.

Back in the bay, the metal doors had just finished their
upward journey when Robbie and Angel shuffled inside, looking wilted. Even
Robbie’s usually stiff hair sagged.

“Bad night?” she asked, noting the smell of stale beer on
them.

Heading for the john, Robbie muttered, “Drank too much after
we dropped you off.”

Angel folded his burly arms over the metal tool cabinet and
lowered his head to them. “I should know better. I got a kid.”

Toni opened her mouth, closing it promptly before she
commented that having a child didn’t necessarily make for a good parent. At
least Angel was trying, just as her father always had. Like him, Angel was a
good man. She squeezed his beefy shoulder. “You always make certain to take
care of your son, see to his future, that’s what counts.”

“I’d die for him.”

Nodding, she brought back her hand and rocked on her heels.
“Can I talk to you about something?”

He winced as the sun streamed over the hills and buildings
to skim his face. Turning it away, he asked, “Is Robbie out of the john yet? I
really gotta use it.”

Toni looked at the closed door. “Want me to ask him to
hurry?”

“He won’t.” Angel hauled in a deep breath and spoke on a
pained sigh. “What did you want to talk about?”

Certification. Him helping her to get it. Having him put in
a good word to Zach about her staying here.

The door to the john popped open. Water streamed down
Robbie’s face and throat, dampening the front of his overalls.

“Is he out?” Angel asked.

“Yeah.”

Moaning, he hurried past her.

Zach approached the bank where he had a business account,
driving by it without a glance. Yesterday’s receipts were still locked in his
desk, forgotten until he’d lied to Toni about wanting to deposit them this
morning.

The auto parts store he’d claimed to be heading for was a
block past the bank. He drove by it too.

Last night, while he’d held Toni in bed, he’d troubled over
how to ask her to stay, to tell her the truth about what he knew. No way could
he keep the trust fund a secret. She had a shot at a real future now. She could
go to any college she wanted, get a business degree or study whatever field she
liked.

She could also give all the money to Belle and Lucky, then
continue to work even if it meant returning to the circuit.

Bile rose to Zach’s throat at the thought of Toni doing that
out of a sense of loyalty to the Starrs. Even if she didn’t want to stay with
him, she deserved so much more than the uncertain existence her mother and
Bauchmann had forced her into.

He drove past the town limits, entering unincorporated
county. An isolated landscape of dry washes and hard brown earth Toni had hiked
through to get to his shop that first day, arriving tired, hot, thirsty. And
why not? Outside of those areas bordering the washes, only a few cottonwoods
and manzanitas dotted the arid stream beds, providing little shade.

Zach recalled how dust had clung to her biker boots and
leather jeans. He remembered the gratitude in her eyes when he’d given her his
bottle of water. At the time, he’d had no idea how very alone she was. He did
now. Swallowing quickly, pushing sorrow back, he concentrated on his plan to
let her know about the trust her father had set up, to ask her to stay, while
also giving her the chance to leave. If that’s what she wanted.

Steeling himself against the uncertain future that awaited,
he made a right onto another county road and headed for the sheriff’s
department.

Four cups of coffee and two Tylenol had Angel functioning
enough to regain his sweet, giving nature. Bent over the engine of a Lexus,
checking its fluids, he called over to Toni, “What did you want to talk about
before?”

She looked up from the work order for a new radiator and went
over to him. “What you mentioned last night at the pizza place. Certification.
Helping me.”

He gave her a limp, hung-over smile. “We’ll start right away
if you want. How’s tonight sound?”

Toni shook her head. After work, she wanted to talk to Zach,
get confirmation that he’d let her stay at the garage. She’d sweeten the deal
by telling him she was going for her certification and looking for an apartment
so as not to crowd him. “Tomorrow night would be better.”

Angel nodded. Robbie joined them, looking a bit less pasty
than he had an hour ago. “I’ll help too. I got one of the best scores ever.”

“Not better than mine,” Angel countered. His eyes flicked to
Toni. “Passed it on my first try. A piece of cake.”

Robbie snorted. “Yeah, right. You threw up before taking
it.”

“I had the flu.”

“Whatever.”

Toni cut in. “I’d be grateful to have both of you help me.”
If Zach had any doubts about keeping her on, she hoped Angel and Robbie would
be able to convince him otherwise.

“Hey!” a gravelly male voice called out, his tone pissed.
“Is anyone in the office?”

Toni looked over, seeing an elderly man dressed in a knit
golf shirt and navy Bermuda shorts that accentuated his skinny legs.

“Morning.” She smiled. He did not. Toni got as serious as
him. “We’ll be with you in a sec, sir.” Swinging her head to Angel, she
whispered, “Want me to take this?”

“You better,” Robbie said, his voice low. “I can still smell
booze on his breath.”

“No different than yours,” Angel shot back.

“Tell you what, I’ll take this,” Toni said to them both,
then spoke to Angel. “If I need help, I’ll just ask.”

She gestured the customer into Zach’s office. “What can we
do for you?”

“My air-conditioning’s doing the same thing it did before. I
expect you to fix it right this time.” He pulled the ignition key from a metal
ring and dropped it on the desk. “Name’s Yacobi. You have me in the system.” He
gestured to Zach’s computer.

Toni glanced at it. She’d set up a similar system for Belle
and Lucky’s new shop. It should be an easy matter to figure out where Zach kept
the accounts. Surely, there was an icon for Excel or accounting software on the
desktop.

In an easy voice, she said, “Let’s get you taken care of.”
Sinking into Zach’s chair, she realized suddenly how horny and distracted he’d
been last night, forgetting to shut off his computer. The Windows logo flashed
on a black screen. Moving the mouse so the desktop would come up, Toni stared
at the page prompt requiring her to log in.

“Excuse me for just a sec.” She gave the customer another
smile and hurried into the bay area, heading toward Angel. Voice lowered, she
asked, “What’s Zach’s password to unlock his computer?”

“Meg forever. All one word.”

Toni nodded even as her heart sank at the reminder of what
Zach truly wanted, the life and woman he’d never have again.

Shaking off sadness, she returned to the office and rounded
the desk. “Sorry for the delay, Mr. Yacobi. I’ll have your account information
in a minute.” She logged in. The desktop came up, along with several bars at
the bottom of the screen.

Yacobi muttered something beneath his breath.

In a hurry, not wanting to piss him off further, she clicked
on the first bar without really looking at it. What appeared to be a report
jumped on the screen. She caught the word “Seattle” and the name of a neighborhood
she knew, before glancing at the other bars.

“Did you find my account?” Yacobi asked.

Toni’s eyes jerked to his, but she couldn’t answer. The
neighborhood’s name kept playing in her mind. What was it doing in that report?
Why would Zach have it on his computer? Confused, she returned to the document
and began reading.

Blood rushed to her throat and face, its heat biting her
skin. Disbelief, then dread turned Toni’s stomach as she stared at her name…her
real surname. Feeling ill, she scrolled up, reading the title of the report,
its date, the person who’d requested it.

Why had Zach done this? What had he hoped to find? That she
wasn’t a thief?

With too much clarity, Toni recalled how he’d insisted on
waiting for her last night, not wanting her to sleep on the sofa in here.
Because she’d have access to the shop’s invoices or clients’ credit card
numbers? And when she’d offered to take the receipts to the bank this morning,
he’d refused. Did he think she’d run off with them?

Yacobi let out an exasperated sigh. “What are you doing?”

As too many others had done to her, Toni lied easily.
“Searching for your account.” She hit the page down key, staring at pictures
from her life in Seattle, memories she’d held onto years ago when there’d been
little else.

One of the investigator’s statements caught her eye.
We
have concluded that she made no effort to locate her daughter.

The comment’s bluntness, its brutality hit harder than Toni
would have expected, bringing tears to her eyes. Scrolling farther, she saw a
newspaper photo of her mother, a woman she resembled closely, a parent she
still longed for.

One who hadn’t taken a moment to look for her.

Shaken, Toni forced down a swallow. In the photo, Joe stood
next to her mother, his grin wide, his soul untroubled. He’d just won a local
election. The hero police officer was now a well-respected politician.