Page 13 of Lawton

Under the covers, I felt my fingers tighten, struggling to form a fist. Too loose. Damn it. I wanted to smash that fist into his face and watch his teeth go flying. It wasn't just the comment. It was something in Sammy's voice, and not just lust.

But I needed to be smart. Not for me. For her. "Yeah?" I mumbled. "You get her number?"

My fingers tensed.Or her name? Or her address?

"For me?" Sammy laughed. "Or for you?"

I opened my eyes and forced out a weak laugh. "Me. I saw her first."

Sammy leaned back in his seat. "Yeah? And where was thatexactly?"

I kept my gaze unfocused. On purpose? Or for real? I still wasn't sure. "Huh?"

"Wheredid you see her?" His gaze hardened. "First."

"First?" I squinted up at him. "The E.R." It was a lie. But was it a good one? I sure hell hoped so. I made myself ask, "You?"

Sammy looked at me for a long time, and then shrugged. "Eh, it don't matter. Didn't get her name."

With an effort, I choked down my sigh of relief. Sammy picked up the remote and gave it a click. Noise from the TV filled the room. Sammy kept on clicking, and I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

She was safe. For now. But this was no time to get sloppy. I had to get the hell out of here, like yesterday.

Watching the screen, Sammy spoke again. "Forget her."

As if I could.

"Girl like that," he continued, "too much work."

Maybe. But a girl like that? She'd be worth it.

Sammy gave a low chuckle. "I saw her folks." His lips twisted. "On their way to Aspen."

I tried to think. Aspen. The ski place?

Sammy snorted. "Stopped by to give her some jewelry."

"Jewelry?" I mumbled.

"Yeah. Some necklace. Looked like the real deal. Worth a grand, maybe more."

A thousand dollars for a necklace? Sammy would know. He had a brother who fenced things like that on the side. I tried to think. Who had that kind of money?

Not me.

But she did, obviously.

He spoke again. "The way it sounds, someone crashed her Porsche."

HerPorsche? How much did those things cost?

More thanIhad, that's for sure.

Sammy was shaking his head. "Rich bitches. Go figure." He stopped with the clicking, and turned to give me a long, steady look. "Of course, the boss might like her. Name or not, he'd track her down." He smiled. "And if she talks, she won't be getting no more jewelry."

His gaze bored into mine, and the bullshit fell away. And that's when I knew. Hehadseen her on the sidewalk. And if she ever came up, he'd be seeing her again.

And so would the boss.