Page 120 of Lawton

"You can't," she stammered. "I mean, I don't want you to."

And why is that?

"Chloe," I said, "be reasonable. A favor for me, alright?"

The way it looked, she was ready to cry. Wordlessly, she shook her head. I waited, wondering if she'd start sobbing again. I mean, it worked pretty good the first time, right?

Damn it. Stop being a dick.

I let out a long breath. "Alright," I said. "Have it your way."

She visibly relaxed. "Great. Wait right here. I'll get Chucky."

I watched in stony silence as she dashed to the front door, opened it up, and slipped inside. A moment later, I heard the door-lock twist into place.

What the hell? The lockhadto be for me. What a joke. If I wanted to get in, it would take more than a chicken-shit deadbolt to keep me out.

I gave the door a long, cold look. Later on, I decided, I'd be looking in that house, whether I had her blessing or not.

Chapter 52

A few minutes later, I was behind the wheel of Chloe's car, driving us back to my place. In the passenger's seat, Chloe sat, staring at the dashboard while the little dog squirmed in her lap.

For a long time, neither of us spoke. That was fine by me. I was too busy thinking.

Chloe's voice broke the silence. "Crazy night, huh?"

"Yeah. Crazy."

I wanted her to be safe, and I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to see her smile and hear her laugh. I wanted to hold her tight and never let go. I wanted all of those things and then some.

But this shit? No. I didn't want that. I didn't want secrets on secrets and no-go zones. And more than anything, I didn't want to wonder the thing I was wondering now. Was this girl playing me?

Thinking about it, something in my gut twisted. I recalled the knife pressed to her throat. Fake. I considered the whole kidnapping scene. Was that fake, too? Maybe. Maybe not. I thought of her smiles and then of her sobs. Fake? And more fake?

Hell if I knew.

Again, I thought of Brandy Blue. Supposedly, she'd been a college student, a part-time waitress, a nice girl who, in spite of her hot body, I'd kept out of my bed.

I felt my lips curl in that familiar disgust. Nice girl, my ass. Yeah, I'd refused to fuck her – except for that one stupid night that had made her a star.

Fucking actress.

And now, there was Chloe. An actress? No. Iknewher. Except I didn't. Did I?

After a few awkward minutes, Chloe spoke again. "I've got to work in a couple of hours." She hesitated. "Can Chucky stay at your place tonight? I’m a little worried about leaving him alone."

"Uh-huh." I kept my gaze straight ahead. "Sure."

Her voice grew quiet. "Lawton?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at me?"

We'd just reached the gate to my house. I pulled through it and parked near the front door. Ignoring her question, I said, "Let's get you inside."

Inside the house, Chucky dove for his favorite basket, some wicker thing with a checkered pillow. Funny, I'd picked the basket out myself just a couple of weeks earlier. I felt my jaw tighten. Hey, anything to make Chloe stay, right?