“Hello?”
“Tara.” Alex’s deep voice came through the phone. Despite his grumpy tone, she immediately relaxed at the sound of his voice.
“Alex, how are you?”
“Impatient.”
She raised her eyebrows. Alex was one of the most patient people she’d ever met.
“I’m not used to sitting by the phone, waiting for it to ring.”
No, she didn’t suppose he was. She wasn’t avoiding him on purpose, still she felt kind of guilty.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been really busy at work.” She knew how lame that sounded. If some guy said that to her, she’d be certain he was brushing her off. “I’m free now.”
Alex had promised her a punishment for sneaking off after that first night they’d spent together. Thoughts of that punishment had kept her awake at night, wondering, dreaming. She wasn’t into a lot of pain, but she knew that Alex would never push her past what she could take.
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“At work. Well, I’m about to head home now.”
“At work? Still? What the hell kind of job do you have?”
“The kind I need to keep,” she said dryly. “My boss wasn’t thrilled that I was late the other day.”
“It’s ten at night! Surely you’ve made up for that. Give the taxi my address. I want to see you.”
She didn’t bother to correct him, but there was no way she could afford a taxi. She exited her building, smiling at the security guard. She immediately started walking toward the nearest bus stop. This was a good part of town and she wasn’t worried as she wandered down the street.
“Alex, I’m tired. I need some sleep—hey! Watch where you’re going!”
She turned to glare at the person who’d bumped into her, only to freeze at the knife she saw in his hand.
“Give me your phone and bag, lady.”
“I don’t have any money.” Losing her phone was going to suck. Plus, Tim would kill her since her company phone was in her handbag.
“Tara? What’s happening? Where are you?” Alex demanded through the phone.
“And I thought Lavaca was a safe street,” she muttered, trying to give Alex a clue.
“Hang up and give me your phone, lady.” The man swung the knife around, making her gulp in fear. He briefly stepped into the light from a building and she could see how crazy he looked. Drugs. He was on something. She handed over her phone without saying anything more to Alex. With shaking hands, she dragged her handbag off her shoulder and handed it over. The guy grabbed it and took off, leaving her shaking and scared.
She clasped her hands together, trying to warm them. Despite the warm evening, she was freezing. What the hell was she going to do now? She had no way of getting home. No way of contacting anyone. She looked around her. No way was she hanging around here. She ran back to her building and pounded on the door until the security guard opened it with a frown.
“I was mugged,” she said, panting even though she’d only run a small distance.
***
Alex cursed as he cruised down Lavaca Street, searching frantically for Tara. He couldn’t see her anywhere. He tried calling her phone again. It went straight to voicemail.
Cursing, he called Roarke.
“Hey, Alex,” Roarke answered.
“Do you know where Tara works?” Alex asked quickly. He had no time for social niceties. How the hell did he not know where she worked? “It’s important, Roarke,” h
e said urgently.