The Acceptance

With little conversation, she started to go up to her room. Bliss stopped her. “Gaby?”

She turned, saw Bliss’s upset, and jumped on the opportunity to indulge in destruction. “What’s the matter?” Gaby stomped toward her. “Did someone do something to you?”

Bliss blinked at her ferocity before twittering a laugh. “No, silly, it’s nothing like that. I’ve had a good night.”

Meaning she’d made an adequate amount of cash. Gaby’s guts burned. “Then what is it?”

Reaching out to touch Gaby’s shoulder, Bliss said, “I just wanted to ask about you. If you’re okay.”

Gaby reared back. What the hell? “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I dunno. You looked pretty sick before and now you look kinda sad. It’s not like you.”

Looking beyond Bliss, Gaby saw Jimbo standing alone, taking in the exchange with suspicion. Overall, Jimbo treated the women no differently than they expected. Gaby had yet to see him cross the proverbial line, to do anything to engage her wrath.

Wrapping her fingers around Bliss’s upper arm, Gaby pulled her farther away from the bright streetlamp and into the dark shadows of a door overhang. An outraged cat screeched and vaulted away.

Jerking in startled surprise, Bliss screeched, too. “Ohmigod. That poor l’il kitty scared me half to death.” She knelt down and made kissing noises. “Here, kitty, kitty. I won’t hurt you.”

Impatient, Gaby said, “The cat’s gone, Bliss.”

“Did it look hungry to you?” she asked as she straightened.

Compassion got a stranglehold on Gaby, all because Bliss was worried about the animal. Not for herself. Not for a lifestyle that put her in peril against nutcases and disease alike. But for a stray cat.

Another small piece of her heart warmed, melted, and turned to mush. Taking Bliss’s arm to regain her attention, Gaby said, “I need to know something, Bliss.” She cleared her throat, and her mind, and got right to the point. “When’s the last time you saw Lucy?”

Chapter 5

Nervously twining a long lock of her brown hair around her fingertips, Bliss said, “I dunno.” She stared up at Gaby. “Why? Are you mad at her for something?”

Frowning over that bit of absurdity, Gaby asked, “Why the hell would I be mad at Lucy?”

Bliss’s rounded shoulders lifted. “I dunno. But you look pretty pissed right now.” She licked her lips. “And you’re kinda hurtin’ my arm.”

Gaby dropped her hand so fast that Bliss stumbled back. Until then, she hadn’t even noted how the girl strained against her hold.

“I’m not mad,” Gaby repeated evenly, trying to prove it through a moderate tone and temperate disposition. “It’s just that I need to talk to her, but I can’t find her. That’s all.”

Bliss frowned in thought. “It’s been a couple of days, I think.” She reached out and removed a cobweb from Gaby’s hair.

Grooming her? Great. Just fucking great.

Teeth sawing together, but expression as affable as she could manage, Gaby said, “Try to remember, Bliss. It’s important.”

Lowering her head, Bliss concentrated, and finally said, “You know, I haven’t seen her since the first of the week. Do you think—?”

Rather than let Bliss’s mind start wandering down the wrong path, Gaby interrupted. “What was she doing when you last saw her?”

“Workin’, as usual.” Her blue eyes studied Gaby’s hair. “Well, sort of.” Distracted and far too familiar, Bliss urged Gaby to sit on a step, then she went behind her and, after retrieving a tie from her pocket, began finger- combing Gaby’s hair back into a ponytail.

It was the oddest thing to have another woman touching her, but the hookers were a familiar lot, free with physical contact. They did each other’s hair and makeup, modeled clothes for one another, gave advice, and all in all, grossly intruded into Gaby’s personal space.

Gaby would never get used to it, but she had learned to tolerate it.

Sort of working? “What does that mean?” She tried to twist around to see Bliss, but enrapt in her chore, Bliss didn’t release her hair, and Gaby gave up. “Who was she with? Can you describe the guy?”

“Actually . . .” Bliss put the tie in, securing the short ponytail. “It wasn’t a guy. Lucy was talking to a girl.”

Whoa. Okay, Gaby knew some of the ladies did whatever, and whoever, for cash. But she hadn’t known Lucy to favor other females.

It seemed more likely that she’d made an incorrect assumption. She turned toward Bliss. “For business? Or was she maybe chatting with another hooker?”

“Neither.” Bliss laughed, reached out, and tugged a few strands of hair loose over Gaby’s ears. “There,” she said. “That’s real pretty.”

Pretty would never be a word ascribed to Gaby. The compliment left her prickly with embarrassment. “Then who was she?”

“I dunno. I’d never seen her before. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t from around here.” Bliss licked her thumb and wiped a spot on Gaby’s forehead.

Swatting her hand away, Gaby asked, “Why do you say that?”

“She was young. Not really pretty, but . . . sort of refined-like.”

“Dressed fancy, you mean?”

“No. She was dressed real plain.” Bliss smoothed a wrinkle out of Gaby’s shirt. “The reason I noticed is because—” Suddenly Bliss’s eyes widened and she looked beyond Gaby.

Gaby stiffened, waited.

“Gaby.”

And there it was, that voice she’d never forget, the one she sometimes heard in her dreams, and in her daydreams.

The voice that made her stomach punchy and her breath short.

How the hell had Luther gotten so close without her knowing it?

Bliss met Gaby’s gaze, giggled at her expression, and rolled her eyes. She stood and smiled widely. “Hey there, Luther.”

“Hello, Bliss. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you.” She smiled over the formality, which was surely foreign to her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you two girls during such a fascinating exchange—of words and deeds.”

Bliss giggled again. “I was jus’ fixin’ her hair.” Around Luther, Bliss’s lack of good grammar became more apparent than ever.

“You did a beautiful job.”

Beaming, Bliss asked, “You’re on the wrong side of town, ain’t ya?”

“For a reason.” Luther’s big hands settled on Gaby’s shoulders with warm weight and outlandish possession. “I’m sorry, Bliss, but would you mind if I had a moment alone with Gaby?”

Gaby, who still hadn’t turned to face him, couldn’t seem to get her vocal cords to work. How much had he heard? How much had he seen?

A tidal wave of heat washed through her. Insane! Since when did she give a shit what others thought of her?

Since Luther, that’s when.

Before Gaby could object, the decision was taken away from her.

“Be my guest.” To Gaby, Bliss said, “We can talk later.” She gave a fingertip wave and headed off.

Gaby watched as Bliss made an almost immediate assignation with a young man who appeared to be waiting specifically for her. Then she felt Luther’s fingers gliding over her ponytail and she shot to her feet.