He’d seen every inch of her tonight, but she still felt horribly exposed as she all but leapt off the bed to grab her phone before it went to voice mail. Because if her sister couldn’t reach her, who knew what she’d decide to do next? Or how bad it would end up being.
“Colleen? It’s Kerry—tell me what you need. Where are you?”
Her insides twisted as soon as she heard her sister’s voice while Colleen gave her the name of a bar in a really bad part of Seattle. Slurred. High. Either on the verge of laughing or crying or both in that manic way Colleen often had when she went out on Friday nights to try to numb her emotions.
“I’m coming right now to get you,” Kerry told her. “Don’t go anywhere with anyone. Promise me you’ll call me again if anyone tries anything.”
But instead of giving her that promise, her sister hung up on her.
Kerry grabbed for her clothes and began to yank them on, not even the slightest bit concerned about her nakedness anymore. “I have to go,” she told Adam, even though it had to have been obvious from him hearing her side of the conversation.
“I’ll go with you.”
He was already putting on his clothes as she told him, “Thanks, but I can handle this myself.”
“Kerry.” He was magnificent standing in front of her in only his pants, his chest bare. “The volume on your phone was up loud enough that I could hear the name of the bar you’re headed for to pick up your friend.”
“My sister.”
“I get that your sister needs you, but I don’t want you going to that part of town at all, let alone by yourself at this time of night.”
“I’ve been there plenty of times to get her,” she began, but even as she said it, she couldn’t help remembering how scary most of those times had been. Or how last week her sister had been so wasted that Kerry could barely get her over to the car.
A car she didn’t even have tonight, since she’d taken a taxi to the hotel.
She looked up into dark eyes that were comfortingly steady. “How fast can you drive?”
“As fast as you need me to go.”
* * *
Kerry was glad that Adam didn’t expect her to make conversation as they drove. He didn’t waste any time trying to find a parking spot, either, just turned on his hazards and left his car right out front. Any other guy with an expensive car would have been freaking out about leaving it here. Heck, every time she left her car in this neighborhood to go into a bar and get her sister, she’d been relieved that it was still there by the time they got back outside. But Adam simply put his hand on Kerry’s back as if to steady her while they walked through the crowd smoking cigarettes on the sidewalk.
“Colleen is taller and thinner than I am, with dark red hair to her shoulders.”
Her sister was a beautiful woman. At least she had been until she’d started drinking and partying so hard. Colleen was too old, and too smart, for places like this. Kerry knew Colleen was hurt by what had happened between her and her ex-boyfriend, but how could her sister think that this was any way to fix it?
“I don’t see her outside.”
Kerry was more than a little frantic. Please. She prayed Colleen hadn’t gotten into a car with some guy who would take advantage of her.
And as Kerry and Adam pushed through the crowd and into the bar, she was so thankful that he was there and that he’d insisted on coming with her. The sea of rough-looking men and women instinctively parted for him without him having to say or do anything threatening at all. Just from his sheer presence.
Thank God, it didn’t take them long to find her sister dancing and drinking, although the guy she was with looked more than a little scary. Over the pounding music screaming from the speakers on the ceiling, Kerry yelled, “Colleen, I’m ready to take you home now.”
Colleen’s eyes were blurry and red as she turned to look at Kerry. There was barely recognition there, let alone any thanks that Kerry had rushed over to get her. “Go away,” Colleen said as the song changed to one that allowed them all to hear. “I’m finally happy now with—”
“Zane.”
Colleen gave him a big, messy smile and ran her hands down his arms. “Mmm, Zane. Make my little jailor go away.”
Adam immediately stepped in and told the guy, “Colleen is going to have to take a rain check tonight.”
Colleen’s gaze shifted to Adam, at last. She tried to whistle, but she couldn’t control her lips quite well enough, so only air came out. “Where did you come from, gorgeous?” Zane was instantly forgotten as Colleen reached for Adam.