Chapter Four

Later that night, Bella sat in her car in the back parking lot of the kink club where she was going to work. After her diner job, she had driven around for a few hours. She wanted to find a place she could hide until her meeting in the morning with the owners that Daniel had set up. She didn't think her brother would figure out she'd left until maybe tomorrow night, but she wasn't taking a chance. She thought her brother would think it was the last place she would be.

The place was packed. She loved watching the people in their outfits going in and out of the club. Everyone looked happy, and she wanted to be a part of that. She'd never been in a club like this before. She'd been curious but hadn't had the guts or the time to experience it.

When she couldn't see anyone around, she got into her trunk, grabbed the bedding, slipped back into the car, and locked it. She made a bed for herself in the back seat. It wasn't the best, but she didn't care. She felt safe.

She reached over to the front seat and grabbed her purse and the bag of food she bought on the way there. Bella dug into a juicy burger and hummed. She couldn't remember anything tasting this good. She threw the wrapper in the bag and drank her soda. She tried to be careful about drinking too much because she didn't want to have to squat outside.

But if she had to, she had napkins and wipes if she needed them. She was curious to see if her brother was looking for her yet, but Daniel said to keep it off for the time being. The burner phone was just used to make calls and send texts. It was nothing fancy, so she really didn't have anything to do but rest.

She got comfortable, closed her eyes, and was asleep in less than a minute.

Her eyes shot open when a gust of wind shook the car. She sat up and looked around. Everyone was gone, and the parking lot was empty. The wind had picked up since she lay down, and the cold permeated inside the car, making her shiver.

She glanced at the time and saw it was only two-thirty in the morning. She still had six hours before her appointment with the owners of the club. If she didn't do something, she'd be frozen by then.

Bella crawled over the front seat console and started the car. She turned the heat up high and let it take the chill out of the car. She thought about getting more of her clothes out of the trunk, but she didn't want to let the cold in.

She kept her eyes on the gas and saw she'd be able to start the car for several minutes a few times, but then she'd have to turn it off. The next few hours were going to be a bit hard, but it was better than sleeping at her apartment, fearing one of her brother's friends would hurt or rape her.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and closed her eyes. She was going to try to get as much sleep as she could before the meeting with the owners of the club.

God, she hoped this was the right step.

****

Caden brought the glass of bourbon up to his mouth as he stood in front of the window in his condo. He was wiped out but still too revved up to lie down. He couldn't believe how well the club was doing. It far surpassed everything the guys thought or had anticipated.

They had to hire more employees. The motel they planned to build just down the road was already under construction, and it was to be done in the next three months.

His glass froze halfway up to his mouth when he saw the small car in the parking lot turn on. He waited to see if they would leave, but all they did was turn the car back off after a few minutes. He needed to talk to his partners about putting in more cameras. He knew the only one they had up in the back didn't reach as far as the car.

He set down his glass and reached for one of his guns before heading out of his place. He was cautious and took his time getting to the car to be sure there wasn't a threat.

Caden slid up to the side of the car and peeked into a window. The fact that it was cold out and the windows were fogged made it hard to see into the car, but he was able to tell that the person was very small, and he guessed it was a woman or child. He hated that he was going to scare them, but the person would freeze if they stayed out there. He tapped lightly on the side window and heard a muffled scream telling him it was a woman.

"Miss, my name is Caden. I'm one of the owners of this club. I saw you out here and I'm concerned it's too cold to sleep out here. Why don't you come in, and we'll get you warmed up and find a nice bed?"

He didn't hear anything from the inside. "You can call the sheriff and ask him if I'm a good guy if you want."

Caden heard the person moving around, and then the window slid down about an inch. He still couldn't get a good look at her, but at least she was responding.

"You're one of the owners?" she asked.

"Yes, Sweetheart. I don't like that you're out here alone and in this weather. Can we please go in?"

"I … I don't know."

He heard the hesitation and understood it. Women had to be careful all the time for any kind of threat. "Do you have a phone?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you the sheriff's number."

"I have it already. Daniel gave it to me."

"That's good. Do you want to call him?" Caden asked.

"But it's so late. I hate to wake him up."

Caden chuckled. "He's used to it. I promise."

He saw her reach for something and then her talking.

"Daniel, it's me, Bella. I'm behind the club…"

Caden heard Daniel's voice.

"Because I didn't feel safe anywhere," she said.

There was more silence from the woman as she listened to Daniel. "There is an owner here. He wanted me to call you so I would feel okay about opening the car door."

Caden heard Daniel.

"Which one is it?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure."

The woman peeked out the window, and all he could see were her eyes. He couldn't really tell what color they were because it was so dark out.

"Who are you? Daniel wants to know."

Caden smiled. "Tell him it's Caden."

He relaxed when he heard her giggle at something the sheriff said.

"Okay, I'll tell him. Thank you, and I'm sorry to wake you up." She listened for a moment and then hung up.

"He says you're safe and that you'll take care of me," she said.

"He's right about that. Roll up the window and unlock the door. I'll get your things, and then we'll go in. You just need enough for tonight. We'll come and get the rest tomorrow or get what you need if you don't have anything."

"I've got enough."

"I want us to talk about why you're behind my club sleeping in your car, but you're so tired right now that the questions can wait until morning," he said.

Caden heard the click of the lock and opened her door. His first glance at her left him speechless for a moment. He couldn't believe that the waitress who had been on his mind the last few days was sitting in front of him. He recognized her right away, but she had never been far from his thoughts.

He reached out a hand, took the bag from hers, and then helped her out. He could tell the woman was exhausted and very cold.

"Let's get you inside, Sweetheart." He'd made sure to tuck the gun into the back of his pants.

He wrapped one of his hands around her upper arm while his other arm carried her things. The last thing he wanted to do was make her fearful again, but he could tell how shaky she was, and he didn't want her to fall.

He put the code in and opened the back door. "The elevator is over here."

After Caden made sure the back door was secure, he maneuvered her into the elevator and pushed the button for his floor, and the doors closed. He'd let her go for a moment, but he noticed how she swayed before she stiffened. She was holding it together but barely.