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ALLISON

A llison wakes with a start. Her phone is vibrating on the nightstand. She grabs it, silencing it so it doesn’t wake Russell who is out like a light. He must be as tired as she is after all the delicious sex they’d had before falling asleep. Looking at her phone, she sees Butch,her street contact, is calling. The man is really good at getting her information for various stories from time to time. He’s been digging into the kidnappings but hasn’t been able to give her much of anything so far.

“Hello?” Allison whispers, slipping from the bed and heading into the bathroom. She quickly closes the door and flips on the light.

“Hey, got a lead for you,” Butch begins without preamble. “I got an informant who says she knows who is behind the kidnappings and where the girls are being held, but she will only talk to you in person.” Allison considers this, working out the logistics in her head. Getting back to Nashville and an earlier flight to San Diego.

“Okay, great,” Allison answers, her mind still racing with everything she’ll need to do.

“Meet me in an hour at our usual spot. I’ll take you to her,” Butch says in a demanding tone. Butch has always been an in-your-face kind of guy, but he is being a bit over the top tonight.

“I’m out of the state at the moment,” Allison answers. “I can’t meet you in an hour. Can we meet tomorrow?”

“No!” Butch grumbles, “She is skittish as hell. I don’t know how long she’ll be available.”

“I’ll head back now, but it’s going to take me a long while. I’m in Tennessee.”

“Tennessee? What the hell are you doing so far away, girl?” Butch sounds irritated. “You find a lead that took you all the way out there?”

“No, it’s a family thing,” Allison informs him, but she isn’t going to tell him all the details. While she trusts Butch to a point, he is a gang banger who could easily turn on her for the right price. She isn’t going to give him anything he could use against her later. “I’ll text you when I get into town.”

He makes an annoyed sound. “Hang on,” he growls. A shuffling sound comes over the line, like he has covered the phone with his hand. After a long pause, the muffling of background noise fades, and he continues, “All right, just don’t take too long. Safe travels. I’ll see you soon.” Butch ends the call without another word. Weird!

Allison uses the facilities, noting the soreness between her legs. She can’t keep the smile off her face when she remembers how good Russell had made her feel. He’d been the perfect combination of bossy and demanding but also thoughtful and sweet. It’s a good thing she’s heading home because she could see herself falling for a man like him. Oh, hell! Who am I kidding? I’ve definitely already begun to fall.

With a heavy sigh, she exits the bathroom and hurries to pack her things, making sure to be as quiet as possible so she doesn’t wake Russell. She doesn’t want to have to explain to him why she has to leave so quickly. She has the feeling he wouldn’t like knowing she is going to meet up with a gang banger and some unknown person.

Emma is going to be upset with her for leaving before the good-bye brunch, but this lead is too important. It’s just the thing she’s been looking for. It has become obvious the police aren’t going to do anything about the missing kids or involve the FBI. Allison has lost a lot of sleep worrying about what the poor kids are going through. She has to find them.

Once she has her things packed, she pauses, looking at Russell’s sleeping form. He is gorgeous even in sleep. She resists the urge to touch or kiss him one last time. She scribbles down a quick note with her cell number, leaving it on the nightstand under Russell’s phone.

Using an Uber, she heads to a car rental place that’s open all night. During the drive, she finalizes her flight plans from Nashville to San Diego. Thoughts of Russell keep creeping in, but she pushes them away. Those missing kids are depending on her.

Worm

Worm jerks awake. His arms are empty, no warm, soft body cuddled up next to him any longer. Throwing off the cover, he sits up knowing immediately Allison is gone. Taking a look around, there aren’t any clothes scattered around like there had been when they’d fallen into bed.

He grabs his phone checking the time. A slip of paper catches his eye as it flutters to the floor. He snatches it up. It’s a note from Allison.

Something urgent came up, and I had to head back early. Thanks for a great night! Call me sometime 619-555-0518. Ali

Worm stares at the words, disappointment running through him. He knew going in this was a one-week deal, yet the feelings rolling through him…hurt, disappointment, and longing won’t calm. He shoves off the bed, heading into the bathroom. He uses the facilities then dresses and grabs his phone off the nightstand. It’s five in the morning. He stares at it, debating. Should he put her number in his phone?

Obviously last night didn’t mean that much to her since she left without waking him to say good-bye, but…she did leave him a note and her number. Maybe she really does want to keep in touch with him.

After a few mental back and forths, he adds her to his contacts. His fingers hesitate over his next move. He quickly types out a message and hits send before he can talk himself out of it.

Hey this is Russell. I had a great time, too, until I woke up alone. :( Have a safe trip home. Call me when you get there.

He waits to see it’s been delivered. When it doesn’t say it’s been read and there aren’t any dots indicating she’s answering, he pockets his phone. He leaves Allison’s room to head to his. He is undressing to get in the shower when he hears a ping. He grabs his phone to see a reply from Allison.

Almost to the airport, I’ll text you when I get there

Worm can’t keep the smile off his face. He shouldn’t be this happy about receiving a text from a woman he’s only known a few days, but he is. He really, really is, and he isn’t going to hide from his feelings. He gets in the shower, feeling great and looking forward to hearing from Allison.