Jodi_ByTheLight (13 page)

He waited until the paying customer left before he approached the counter. The tall, lanky clerk in his early twenties had a textbook spread open beside the cash register.

The clerk’s startled expression when he saw him made Damon want to shake his head. He knew he was big and intimidating and the ugly scar across his cheek didn’t exactly look like Mr. Sunshine. It was the same response he’d gotten from countless humans over the years. He’d never known a human or wolf to not seem uneasy around him. Well, that was until he’d met Ava. She didn’t seem scared of him, in or out of bed.

“We’re looking for someone.” He narrowed his eyes at the young man. “A young woman who came in here last night.”

The clerk gave him a wary look and stuck his hands under the counter. Damon growled at the sudden movement.

“Oh, for goodness sake.” Ava shoved him to the side. “You sound like something out of a mafia movie.” She gave him a warning glare.

“I do not.” He gave her an offended look. It was how he did his job. “I’m asking questions.”

“You really need to work on your people skills.” She smirked.

Jayden clamped his hand on his shoulder. “The lady is right, my friend. Your social skills are lacking.”

Shaking off Jayden’s hand, he turned his attention back to the clerk, but the guy’s focus was pointed elsewhere. On Ava.

She gave the clerk a smile. “Sorry about that. He’s not really a people person.”

Damon grimaced. “I’m not that bad.”

“Of course you are. But that’s how I like you.” Ava winked.

She turned her attention back to the clerk. “I’m hoping you can help us. Did you happen to work last night?”

He nodded, obviously eager to help her. “I came in after my Anatomy and Physiology test. I got here late, a little after nine.”

Her smile widened. “A&P is hard. You must be going into the medical field.”

The clerk relaxed and placed his elbows on the counter. “I am. I want to be a cardiologist.”

“Wow, that’s really ambitious. I bet you’ll make a great doctor.”

The clerk blushed and shrugged.

Damon scowled. Was there a male Ava didn’t affect? Probably not.

“We’re looking for a friend.” Her expression became serious. “She was on her way to visit her boyfriend and never made it. Her car was found a few miles from here.”

The clerk straightened. “The cops showed up here at lunch. Chet, the guy who works the day shift, said they were in here asking questions about a missing girl. They showed him a picture, but he didn’t recognize her. He said they’d be back tonight to see if I recognized her.” The clerk narrowed his eyes on Damon. “Are you a cop?”

“Do I look like I eat fucking donuts all day long?” He scowled. A cop was the last thing he wanted to look like.

Jayden laughed. The sound echoed through the empty store.

She shook her head. “No, we’re not cops, but she is a friend of ours. The cops aren’t putting much effort into looking for her, so we decided to look ourselves.” She shrugged. “If they knew we were here, we’d probably get in a lot of trouble. But I don’t care. She’s out there, alone and scared.”

He could hear the fear in Ava’s voice. The fear she had for Haley was the same fear she’d experienced the night she was kidnapped.

Damon cupped her cheek. “We will find her, okay?”

She looked up at him and nodded. Even if they found the girl she might not be alive, and if she were alive, what kind of condition would she be in? He wasn’t sure how he could tell her if that happened.

“You guys got a picture of her?” The clerk looked between him and Ava.

“Right here.” Jayden stepped up and pushed a photo across the counter with his finger. The clerk’s eyebrows shot up.

“I remember her.” The clerk tapped the photo with his finger and looked up at Ava. “She came in around ten. She was by herself.”

“Did she seem okay?”

“She seemed fine, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Did she talk to anybody?” Damon cocked his head.

The clerk shook his head and stopped.

“What is it?” She leaned across the counter.

“Well, I remember she was in line to pay for her gas because the debit machine wasn’t working on the pump. In fact, it got kind of backed up in here because people had to come in to pay for their gas. The guy in front of her was kind of an asshole, griping about how I wouldn’t accept his check because it was an out of town check. He even asked your friend if he could borrow some cash. She said she didn’t have enough, even though she was holding a hundred-dollar bill in her hand.”

“Do you remember the name that was on the check?” he asked.

“No, but I do remember it was an out-of-state check.”

“What state?”

“Arkansas.”

Chapter Six

Damon snaked his arms around Ava as she paled.

“Are you sure?” He spoke to the clerk but kept his gaze on Ava.

“Yeah. When I didn’t accept his check, he said he had some cash out in his truck.” The young boy raised an eyebrow. “I knew that was a load of crap, so I went to the door to get his tag. He sped off without paying.”

“Did you call the cops?” Jayden asked.

“Sure did. By the time they got here he was long gone. In fact they didn’t even bother writing down his license plate.” The clerk snorted. “The police force here is like an army of Barney Fifes. You wonder why people make fun of the South.”

“You got his license?”

“Yep. Got it right here.” The clerk flipped a couple of pages in his college textbook until he reached a florescent note. Peeling it off the page, he handed it to Damon.

He glanced at the note before handing it to Jayden. “Is there anything else you can remember about the truck?”

“It was an older model blue Ford. The handle must not have worked on the driver’s side because he stuck his hand through the open window to open the door. Does that help?”

“Yeah, it does. Thanks.” Ava gave him a grateful smile.

“Thanks, kid.” Damon nodded at the clerk before they headed toward the door.

“I hope you find your friend.” The clerk’s voice drifted out to them as they walked outside.

Ava spoke just loud enough for Damon to hear. “I hope we find her too.”

***

Ava sat in the backseat as Damon and Jayden stood outside the convenience store, each on their cell phones.

A chill ran down her back, like a single bead of water from an icicle, and oozed down her spine. Wrapping her arms around herself, she fought the disturbing images she conjured about what could have happened to the missing girl. Dread, deep and dark, filled her chest until there was no empty space.

She shook her head. She couldn’t do this. She had to stay positive or she would go insane with worry.

Rubbing the ache that had been building at her temples, she closed her eyes and tried to find some semblance of calm. She needed to focus. Worrying didn’t help anything. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking straight into Damon’s hardened gaze through the windshield.

She smiled tightly and nodded, letting him know she was okay. Jayden said something to him. Damon’s gaze never wavered from her as he answered back.

She glanced out the window and sucked in a bitter breath.

Haley was out there somewhere, and at the moment, she was alive. She could feel it. They just needed a little bit of luck to find her before it was too late.

***

It was well past dark by the time they got back to the casino. As they walked through the brightly lit lobby, Ava’s stomach growled.

Damon cringed. He was such a selfish bastard. He had been so consumed with trying to find the missing girl that they hadn’t bothered stopping for lunch.

“Why don’t we grab something to eat before we head up?” He looked over at Jayden.

“You guys go ahead. I’m going to run up to my room and call my contacts to see if anything new has turned up. I’ll order room service.” Jayden pushed the elevator button. “The steak is really good here.” Jayden motioned with his hand. “Head down that way past the slot machines until you see the restaurant.”

Damon rested his hand on the small of Ava’s back and led her through the casino. More than one male craned his neck to get a better look at her. Instinctively, he pulled her closer. When she gave him a quizzical look, he covered her lips with his. He needed to make it clear to any male watching, she was not available.

She laughed, the sound shooting straight to his heart. “What was that for?”

“I just felt like kissing you.” He always felt like kissing her. That was the problem.

“I didn’t peg you as the kind of guy who was into public displays of affection.” Her lips quirked up. “Not that I’m complaining.”

He ran his thumb across her beautiful mouth. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and gently bit the tip of his finger.

“Just wanted to make sure those two guys at the blackjack table knew who I was with, in case they didn’t see the kiss.” She gave him a heated look.

“You are like no other female I’ve ever known, Ava.”

She was beautiful, intelligent and strong. He doubted she would ever be the kind to live her life on the safe side or do what she was told. No, not Ava. She would squeeze every last drop out of life and never regret her choices.

Her eyes softened. “I like it when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m standing here without any clothes on. Like you wouldn’t hesitate to take me on the floor, right here in front of everybody.”

Lust stirred in his gut and his cock hardened. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Really?” She shifted, pressing herself intimately against him. “You’d do that? In a room full of people?”

Her scent filled his head, wrapping around him until he couldn’t think straight. He grabbed her ass with both hands. Her breathing turned to a heated pant. Her scent of arousal flooded his head as he brushed his lips across the shell of her ear. “There are always dark corners, Ava. I could have your jeans down and be inside you before anyone saw it.”

“Oh, God.” She dug her nails into his biceps and moaned.

Her stomach let out another growl.

Shaking his head, he reluctantly pulled away. “Come on. You’re hungry.”

“I’m not hungry.” She shook her head. “I want to find a corner.” She grabbed his hand as she scanned the busy room.

He laughed. “Come on.”

Inside the restaurant, they were quickly seated at a table for two near one of the large windows that looked out over the water. The attentive waitress took their orders and had their beers on the table in a matter of minutes.

Damon leaned back and studied her. “I talked to Barrett and gave him that Arkansas license plate. He ran it through the system and came up with a name. David Jenkins, resident of Little Rock.”

She sat forward. “Are we going to his house?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s too far. Barrett is sending some men over there to check it out.”

Ava picked up her longneck beer and took a drink. “What do you think they’ll find?” She picked at the label from her bottle with her fingernail.

He shrugged. “No clue. If it’s the same guys who took you, they’ve probably made sure to cover their tracks and haven’t left anything incriminating in their home.”

“Haley is alive.”

He reached for her hand. “Ava, the odds of finding her alive go down every second.”

“I don’t care what the odds are.” Her gaze locked on his. “I can’t explain it but I know she’s alive. I feel it.”

He frowned and cocked his head.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy.” She tried to tug her hand out of his, but he wasn’t letting go.

“It’s your animal instinct. That’s why you feel she’s alive.”

She snorted.

“Don’t dismiss what you are. Animal instinct has saved my ass more than once.”

“Really?” She paused, holding the beer halfway to her mouth. “For example?”

He took a long pull drink; the cool liquid quenched his thirst as his memories of that night rushed to the surface. “I was on my way to South Carolina to meet up with some of my bike-riding buddies. I pulled into a gas station near Augusta, Georgia. It was late, and there was only one other vehicle parked outside. By the time I filled up my tank and made a phone call, the car was still there.”

“So?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have thought much about it, except I kept getting a feeling that something was off.” Damon shrugged. “I even got back on my Harley and tried to ignore that feeling. But I couldn’t leave. That feeling wouldn’t let me leave. I got off and made my way to the store. As I walked closer to the convenience store I noticed the clerk was gone and there were two guys hanging out near the beer cooler, watching me.”

“You went in anyway?” She leaned forward in her seat.

He nodded. “I went in, walked over to the coolers, and grabbed a bottle of water. One of the guys stepped up to me and said the clerk was in the bathroom and that they didn’t know how much longer he’d be.”