Page 23 of Gentle Persuasion

“Come on, Morgan. If I go with you and sit and wait, then you’re simply going to have to come back with me and sit and wait some more. None of that makes any sense, now does it?”

He sighed and grinned. “You’ve got me there.” And then he pointed his finger in her face. “But when you’re ready to come home, call a cab from inside the mall, and then wait at the door until you see it drive up. Don’t stand outside. You’ll simply be an easy target for some thug.”

“Okay, okay,” she agreed. “But don’t worry. This is no different from any big mall anywhere. I’ve survived Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City. I’ve survived the Galleria in Dallas. Surely I can survive Laguna Beach’s Village Fair.”

He nodded. “Do you have enough money?” And then before she could refuse, he thrust several twenties in her hand. “Don’t argue with me. It’s either this, or you come with me.”

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “See you back at the house.”

He waited until she was inside and then drove off, thankful that this little bit of nothing had come into their lives and thankful that he could now maneuver around more or less on his own.

***

Two hours and several shops later, Debbie looked at her watch in surprise. It was later than she thought. She’d better hurry. If Morgan got home before she did, he’d send out the troops—or Buddy—to look for her. It would be hard to guess which would cause more commotion, an entire battalion or one absentminded computer genius.

She grinned as she hurried out of the store, her small sack of makeup clutched in her hand. She made a mad dash for the escalator. There was one more shop she wanted to visit. The morning paper had mentioned a sale.

Her foot caught the step as it unfolded and began its ascent toward the next level. She looked up, partly out of habit, partly to see where she was going, and then forgot to breathe.

On the next aisle, coming toward her, coming down, was a young man. His face was familiar…too familiar. And the last time she’d seen it…he’d been flipping off the world and stealing an old woman’s purse.

***

Thomas Holliday was bored. It was why he’d come to the mall. He’d been here most of the day, filching what he could when he could and laughing to himself at not being caught. He was invincible. He was a stud. And tonight, after he picked up Nita Warren, he’d show her what being a stud meant.

And then he saw the woman. At first, he couldn’t place her…and then his belly turned and sweat ran. He reacted before he thought.

The escalator was almost empty. Only one woman with two small children behind her…no one behind him. He could tell she was nervous. That told him she’d recognized him, too. It made him feel strong.

Debbie looked up, and then she turned and looked behind her. If the woman and her children hadn’t been there, she’d have backtracked. Now, it was impossible. There was only one thing left for her to do. She’d ride up and call Cole. And then everything went black.

Thomas’s fist shot out. It connected with her chin as his hand yanked at the bag on her shoulder. But something went wrong. The purse wouldn’t come loose. And then he noticed that she had it over her head and then across her shoulder. And he’d just knocked her out!

She went limp and loose as an uncoiled rope as the stairs carried her out of his reach. He cursed and ran down the stairs and out of the mall, with the woman and her children’s shrieks ringing in his ears.

***

“Hey, partner,” Rick yelled as Cole came out of the washroom at the service station. “We just got a call to go out to Village Fair Mall. Isn’t that close to your house? The call said a lady requires your services.” He smiled and leered, giving his best Groucho Marx imitation.

“Just shut up and drive,” Cole grinned.

He slid into the passenger side of the unmarked unit. It had been a slow day. They’d simply been following up on some leads, eliminating the bad, taking note of the ones that might lead to something more.

They weren’t far from their destination. It didn’t take long to get there. It took less time to park. It was not in their nature to dawdle, even when something was not earmarked an emergency. But the emergency quickly presented itself as Cole and Rick walked into the small security office and Debbie stood up from the chair in which she’d been sitting.

“Cole.”

The quiver in her voice was nearly his undoing. But his training stood him in good stead. He saw the new bruise on her face, and the color receding from her face. He caught her just before she fainted.

Chapter 5

“What the—?” Rick Garza took one look at his partner’s face and the woman he caught in his arms. The fear in Cole’s voice told him the rest.

“It’s Debbie,” Cole said.

Cole searched her body for further signs of injury beyond what he could already see. The obvious ones were enough to make him sick. He was desperately trying to maintain his rational thinking when all he wanted to do was vent the rage that was threatening to overwhelm him. Someone had hurt his lady.

“Your Debbie?” Rick was beginning to understand. Cole had talked of nothing else since her arrival. He was either constantly ticked off because of what she’d done or worried because of something she hadn’t.

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