I Got You, Babe (10 page)

“Tom? You told
Tom
?”

“He didn’t tell the guy where you were! I swear! He’d never do anything to hurt you!”

Renee wanted to scream. Ever since Paula had first laid eyes on Tom, she’d been blinded by his blond, surfer-boy good looks and failed to notice that he went through women like most men went through a six-pack. She had also failed to notice that he hadn’t bothered to repay the two thousand dollars she’d loaned him when he’d been out of a job last summer.

In contrast to Tom, Paula was cute but ordinary-looking, with dark hair, a pixie face, and about fifteen extra pounds she couldn’t seem to get rid of, one of those girls who people always said had a nice personality because physically she was a little lacking. She really
did
have a nice personality, though, and about a thousand other fabulous qualities, and any decent guy would be lucky to have her. But she didn’t believe that about herself and always got stuck with guys who were losers. Tom just happened to be a very good-looking loser, and a
very
smooth liar. And sooner or later he was going to break her heart.

“Tom likes you,” Paula went on. “He doesn’t understand why you don’t like him.
I
don’t understand why you don’t like him.”

“Because he cheats on you, Paula! Get a clue, will you?”

“Tom says that has to be some kind of misunderstanding, that maybe you were mistaken—”

“Mistaken about the parade of women I’ve seen coming in and out of his apartment at all hours of the night? I’m
mistaken
about that? I swear to God, Paula—”

Renee took a deep breath. Good Lord. This was hardly the time or place to discuss Paula’s love life.

“I’m sorry, Paula. Really. I’ve got no right to go on at you like that.”

“It’s okay, sweetie. You’re under a little pressure. That’s all. Tom didn’t tell that guy where you were. Trust me on that, will you?”

Renee sighed heavily. Maybe Paula was right. Maybe Leandro just had a sixth sense or something, like some kind of bloodhound from hell.

“So how did you get away from him?” Paula asked.

Renee squeezed her eyes closed at the memory of her foray into arson. “Never mind. I managed to ditch him, though, and now I’m driving this cop’s car—”

“You’re driving a police car?”

“No. His own car. He doesn’t know I borrowed it, so I’ve got to ditch it in a hurry, just in case he—”

“Hold on a minute. Tell me more about this cop.”

Renee sighed. He’s drop-dead gorgeous and one hell of a kisser. And if he gets his hands on me again, I’m a dead woman.

“I’ll tell you about him later. But right now...right now I just wanted to...” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I guess I just wanted to hear a friendly voice.”

“So where are you going now? Still to New—” Paula stopped suddenly. “No—don’t tell me. Somebody could have my phone bugged.” She gasped. “Maybe that’s how that guy found out where you were. You called me from that motel, you know.”

Renee hadn’t even considered that. “Do you think that’s how he found me? Oh, God—could someone trace this call?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’d better go. Call me again when you think it’s safe, will you? Let me know you’re all right?”

“Yeah. Okay. I will.”

Paula hung up. Renee laid down the phone, and her eyes filled with tears again. Even if she got to New Orleans without anyone knowing, even if she assumed a new identity, even if she got a job, met a nice man, got married, and put together some semblance of a life, it would still be a lie.

And she’d still be a fugitive.

A hollow, empty feeling that had nothing to do with hunger settled in the pit of her stomach. It had been so damned hard to finally accept herself as a decent person, after being told by her alcoholic mother her entire childhood that she was a worthless human being. She’d lived up to that assessment for so much of her life that turning herself around had been a struggle unlike any other.

But slowly, over time, she’d built a life in Tolosa, a life she never thought she’d have when she was growing up, a solid, respectable life with a good job, good friends, a decent place to live, and the ability to look people in the eye and not be afraid of what they saw when they looked back at her.

And now it was over.

Paula Merani set the phone back down on the table and rested her head against the back of the sofa. She had no idea what was going on with Renee, only that it sounded bad, and she sounded upset. She felt so helpless sitting here, unable to do anything to make things right.

“That was Renee, wasn’t it?”

Paula spun around to see Tom standing at the doorway, his hand on the door frame above his head. He wore nothing but a pair of ragged Levi’s slung low on his hips, and it didn’t matter if nuclear war had been declared, Paula would have stopped to stare. He was tall, with lean, fluid muscles, green eyes, and flaxen hair that glinted like gold.

“Oh, Tom, Renee had a run-in with that awful man! The one who was here last night!”

“The bounty hunter?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how he found her, but he did. Somehow she managed to get away from him, but I’m not sure what’s happening now.” She sighed. “If only there were some way to know who really committed that robbery, she could come home again.”

“I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”

“You do believe she’s innocent, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. But the evidence is pretty strong against her.”

Paula knew what he meant. If Renee went to trial, she probably didn’t stand a chance. But Paula didn’t want to hear that. She wanted to ignore the truth and believe that somehow everything was going to work out.

“Where is she now?” Tom asked. “Still at that motel?”

“No. But I don’t know what’s happening. All I know is that she sounded so
upset!'

Tom brushed a stray strand of dark hair away from her cheek, then pulled her over to lay her head against his shoulder. She had to pinch herself every day to believe that a man as gorgeous as Tom was interested in her. In high school she’d always been the girl who’d been everybody’s best buddy and nobody’s girlfriend, and guys like Tom had never given her a second look.

Paula didn’t know why Renee didn’t like him, aside from her misconception about the other women she thought he was seeing. He was nothing like his cousin, Steve, but she didn’t think Renee had ever believed that.

Nine months ago, Tom and Steve had moved into an apartment down the hall from Renee. Until a few months before that, they’d played in a band together. They’d finally realized that the local clubs in Tolosa, Texas, were about as far as their act was likely to go, and they’d broken up. Tom had gotten a job and headed for junior college, but Steve had stayed around the club scene, getting DJ gigs at various clubs and gambling most of his paycheck away.

Then Renee had a party and invited them both. At least half a dozen women in the room that night had their eyes on Tom, but Paula was the one he’d invited back to his apartment. He’d played his guitar for her, singing dumb love songs with that incredible tenor voice of his. If she hadn’t already fallen for him, that would have cinched it.

Renee and Steve had started to date about that time, too. They broke up within a few months, but Paula’s relationship with Tom only grew stronger. For a long time she waited for the ax to fall, for Tom to wise up and realize he was dating a woman who was ordinary when he could have one who was extraordinary. But he hadn’t. And now, several months later, she was finally starting to take his word that he really did love her.

Tom had aspirations for something better, even if Steve didn’t. Why couldn’t Renee see that? Sure, Tom had had a few months of unemployment when she’d helped him out financially, but since he was in college and working toward something better, she’d done it gladly. He’d pay her back someday. After all, they were in love with each other, weren’t they?

“Tom?”

“Yes?”

“Have you thought any more about moving in here? If you give up your apartment, you’ll save hundreds every month. I know it’s hard for you to make the rent ever since Steve moved out.”

“No. I know it would be cheaper to give up my apartment, but I just can’t do that.” He shook his head. “Damn. I
hate
owing you money. I’m just—I’m just having a hard time getting back on my feet again. That’s all.”

“It’s okay. I know you’ll pay me back when you can.”

“I have this feeling that I might be coming into some money pretty soon. And when I do—”

“I told you not to worry about it. I’ll help you as long as you need it.”

Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, kissing her hair, then hugging her tightly. “Paula?”

“Yes?”

“Do you love me?”

She pulled away and stared at him. “What kind of a silly question is that? Of course I love you!”

“Renee doesn’t like me. I’m afraid someday you’re going to listen to her.”

“She just doesn’t know you like I do. That’s all.”

“But you don’t know everything about me,” he said, an odd, faraway look on his face. “You might not love me if you did.”

“There isn’t anything you could do that would change the way I feel about you.”

“I know you think that now, but...” Tom let out a nervous breath. “There’s something I really ought to tell you.”

In spite of all his professions of love, Paula had a feeling of foreboding. This was it. She was sure of it. This was the part where he was going to say,
It’s been fun
,
but now it’s over. You didn’t really think it would be forever, did you?

“Tom,” she said. “Tell me the truth. Please. You’re not seeing another woman, are you?”

“Of course not!” He took her face in his hands and fixed his gaze on hers. “Renee is wrong about me. I swear she is. There’s nobody but you, Paula.
Nobody
.”

“Then what is it?” Paula said.

He stared at her a long time, those green eyes exuding more power over her than a hypnotist’s pendulum.

“Never mind,” he said finally. “It’s not important.”

He kissed her, a sweet, tender kiss that soon evolved into something much deeper and more intimate. She slid her arms around his neck as he pressed her down to the sofa, astonished that in all these months the thrill of his touch had never faded.

Yes, he’d borrowed an awful lot of money from her, but he’d promised to pay it all back. Renee kept saying he was taking advantage of her, but Paula knew that wasn’t his intent at all, and if she ever thought it was, it was simply her own insecurity showing. Tom would never do anything to hurt her.

Never.

When John pulled into the parking lot of the Winslow Medical Center, he wondered how the tiny building had the nerve to call itself a hospital. A facility like this generally specialized in treating cases of the flu and sprained ankles. Fortunately for Leandro, a broken nose might be just the kind of challenging case they were looking for.

John spied a pay phone in the lobby. As he dug through his pocket for change, he watched Leandro approach the reception window. The receptionist looked up, undoubtedly expecting to see a runny-nosed kid with a cold, or maybe a middle-aged guy with a beer belly and chest pain. She did not expect a bald, six-foot-five, hard-as-steel monster with a face that could make the devil himself run screaming into the night.

Leandro slid the window open, leaned in, and said something to the woman, and by the way her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened, he’d probably told her about some form of bodily damage he intended to inflict on her if he was forced to plant his butt in a waiting-room chair.

She turned and yelled at somebody in the back room. A fortyish Hispanic woman emerged. She had the world-weary look of one of those seasoned health-care professionals who could eat lunch over a severed leg and still want dessert. But when her gaze panned up to Leandro’s face, even she looked a little woozy.

John plugged coins into the pay phone, then watched as Leandro was escorted immediately into an exam room. Strangely enough, nobody in the waiting room seemed inclined to challenge the staff’s triage decision.

John started to dial, then had a thought. It was a long shot, but there just might be a way to locate Renee without having to mess with the local cops. It was worth a try, anyway.

He dialed the number of the phone in his car.

The phone rang once. Twice. Then three times. This was a crapshoot, of course. Surely Renee wouldn’t be dumb enough to—

Click.

“Hello?”

He couldn’t believe it. She’d actually picked up the phone? Shaking off his surprise, he assumed the nastiest cop voice he could muster and went straight for her throat.

“Now get this straight, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ve already reported my car stolen. Every cop in the area will have his eyes wide open and his weapon drawn, and seeing as how you’re already a fugitive, they might not think twice about using them. Ever seen a pissed-off cop, Renee? I mean, really pissed? It’s not a pretty sight. Especially out here in the middle of nowhere, where funding is slim and they don’t have video cameras on their cars to record their every move like they do on those cop shows. I mean, who’s to say you weren’t resisting arrest? Are you following me, Renee?”

He paused for a reaction. He could hear her breathing hard, like a teenager in a horror flick right before the knife falls.

“I already ditched your car,” she said finally, her voice choked. “I swear.”

“And you’re still carrying around my phone?”

Silence.

“You’re a liar, Renee.”

“No! Really! I’m not driving your car! I’ll even tell you where I left it. You can go there yourself. It’s about a mile down the highway from that diner we were at, on the side of the road, the opposite way from Winslow. That’s where I left it, with the keys behind the left front tire. I’m not there anymore. I’m...somewhere else.”

“I’m not buying this.”

“And seeing as how I didn’t have your car for more than twenty or thirty minutes, and seeing as how I gave it right back, surely you won’t—”