"That means he doesn't fuck, Karly." Devyn headed toward the car.
Troy's ears stung with the crass term while Karly pouted like a child who was told she couldn't ride the…well.
Not like he expected or wanted Devyn to pretend to be somebody else, but she didn't have to take such pleasure in shocking or embarrassing him. Her tone more than hinted that she relished in his discomfort. A purposeful aggression. Almost testing him. How much could the pristine preacher boy take before he covered his ears and ran off?
It was suddenly a damn good question.
Damn, when would The Preacher get enough and get lost? The man irritated Devyn just by drawing breath. The way he tried to keep the dimple in his left cheek from showing when he smiled and that little habit he had of sweeping his tongue across his full lower lip when he was trying to decide what to say—he was trouble. Wasn't sure exactly how yet, but he was. Nobody was any kind of good without strings attached, Jesus boy or not.
And yet she couldn't help wondering if she'd be with a man just like him if her parents hadn't been killed when she was twelve. Not that anything ever worked out that way. In her current life, instinct screamed at the stupidity of letting a strange man—in his own freaky little goody way—know where the hell she lived.
Devyn tried to stretch her legs in the cramped back seat of Troy The Preacher's absolutely spotless little car. She could appreciate the new car smell, even though it was a couple of years old, but damn! The back seat wasn't big enough for a Barbie Stripper, let alone a real live one. Hopefully, that vouched for Troy not being a serial killer. He certainly couldn't use that car to haul dead bodies around before dumping them by the interstate.
"Take the next left, and our building is on the right." Karly's directions seemed too normal to have come from the giggling, slightly flaky whore who'd been trying her best to get in Troy's pants from the moment she laid eyes on him.
Devyn quelled her annoyance at Karly's behavior reminding herself she'd kind of put her up to it. After his offer to drive them home, she couldn't help being wary. He might not murder 'exploited' women, but that didn't mean he was a saint. Karly was a natural at bringing out a man's true nature but she sure as hell seemed to be enjoying herself – maybe a little too much. And so far he hadn't cracked. Not even a little. The man was clearly just tolerating Karly's presence, rather than jumping on her not-so-subtle offer.
Troy successfully avoided the worst of the potholes and swung his car into the parking lot. Watching him, Devyn noted his interest in their surroundings. He stayed away from the overgrown shrub that surrounded the parking lot, and pulled into a space not far from the main entrance. Not entirely stupid, at least.
As soon as he put the car in Park, Karly opened her door and hopped out. Devyn pushed the front seat forward and started to claw her way through the crack. Halfway through, Troy was there, offering a helpful hand. She wanted to ignore it, but getting into that car was entirely different from climbing out. Devyn placed her hand in his, swallowing some pride.
Troy wrapped strong, warm fingers around her hand and steadied her ascent from his car.
Finally on her feet, Devyn thanked him and drew her hand back, resisting the urge to rub his warm strength from her tingling palm. "We appreciate the ride home, Troy." The least she could do was thank the man. "Maybe we'll see you again sometime." She gave a little wave and pried a protesting Karly from the Good Samaritan's arm and led her toward the building. Karly was definitely having too much fun trying the man.
Just short of the stairwell doors, a slender form staggered out from the shadows on the unlit side of the entryway. Ratty hair that might have been blonde straggled over bony shoulders. An odd angle of the security light gave the illusion of grinning death approaching them.
Running footsteps drew Devyn's attention behind her. Troy. Jogging up, he stopped beside them. Somehow, his presence made her feel just a little safer.
The skeletal crystal meth face teetered before them, thin lips marred by sores pulled back to show teeth gone dark and barely hanging in place. "Hey, d'ere, Karly." The raspy voice and slurred speech grated on Devyn's nerves. "Ya ole man sent ya a message."
Devyn didn't miss the flinch in Karly's frame before she pulled on the bravado act. "Yeah, bitch? What he say?" She sidled up to the smaller woman, crowding into her face.
"He say tell ya' you ain't goin' nowhere, bitch, 'cepta hell." With a hacking sound that might have been laughter, or coughing, the skeletal whore limped away.
Devyn grabbed Karly's arm and pulled her around. "Karly, what the hell was that? How did he find out?" She resisted the panic riding her spine.