Good. That was exactly the answer Taryn wanted. She’d leave them here in case there were extra trackers.
“One more thing.” She reached into the bag and pulled out the final piece of her plan. The crystalline tube held a blue liquid under a high-pressure seal. When the seal the broke, it became a gas that dissolved organic matter, like the invisible bits of DNA that she and Giselle left in the room. Everyone said that it wouldn’t dissolve people, but Taryn refused to remain in the room to test it. She’d purchased the tube on the black market and, well, you couldn’t always be sure of the quality.
“Listen, I need you to do two things for me.” Taryn didn’t usually involve them in this part, but Giselle seemed to be holding it together better than other girls had.
She nodded, her eyes wide.
“Pick up the cage after I take the rat out. And take this.” Taryn held out the cylinder.
Giselle didn’t reach for it immediately. “What is it?”
Deciding “a highly concentrated chemical soup” would only freak the girl out, Taryn said, “A chemical eraser. It’ll make sure there’s no trace of us left in the room.”
“That sounds dangerous.” She tucked her hand behind her back.
Dammit. Taryn couldn’t afford for her to get squeamish now. “Less dangerous than your pimp.” The words were harsh, but true. “It’ll make it harder for him to find you.”
Apparently, those were the magic words. Giselle plucked the cylinder out of Taryn’s grasp before the words were out of her mouth. “What do I do?”
“When we get to the door, I’ll open it. You throw the tube at the back wall of the room. Hard. I’ll close the door, let the rat go outside, and then we’ll get the hell out of here.”
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Taryn grabbed the damn rat out of his cage. He wiggled and she resisted the urge to drop him. Not until they got outside. She opened the door the moment Giselle picked up the cage and the three of them stepped into the dark parking lot.
Chapter6
Their exitfrom the motel had gone as planned and the ride back to the bar was uneventful. Once there, it took Taryn almost an hour to get Giselle settled into one of the back rooms. The excitement of the evening had masked Giselle’s fear, but once they slowed down, she was understandably afraid that her pimp would find her.
Taryn didn’t blame her. Escape was hard, often impossible. She’d tried over and over and had the scars to prove it. Only time and support would ease Giselle’s fears.
She stood outside Giselle’s door, waiting for the telltale snick of the lock. There it was.
“Good girl, Giselle,” she murmured. The new girl was smart. That would increase her chances of being one of the ones who made it.
Exhaustion flooded through her. It wasn’t last call yet and she debated about checking in with Dani. No, the bar was in good hands and Taryn was totally drained. Rescues were high stress. Any number of things could go wrong and she had to be prepared for all of them.
She turned down the hallway that led to her room and found Jenna, one of the waitresses, waiting for her.
“That guy’s here.”
“What guy?” Taryn stared at her blankly. It wasn’t a date. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a date. Or anything resembling one.
“The one who wanted to see the Jack. Dani said to let you know.”
“Shit.” Now she remembered him. The cute corporate drone who had been savvy enough to be aware of the Jack, but not who the Jack was. “He came back?”
Jenna shook her head. “He never left.”
Fuck. She was so damn tired. Official meetings with the Jack required all her focus. Taryn forced a smile. “Give me fifteen minutes to clean up then bring him to the office.”
“Will do.”
Jenna turned to go and Taryn put a hand on her arm to stop her. “If you could get me a coffee, too, that would be amazing.”
With her coffee in hand and the first gulps of caffeine hitting her system, she studied the man on the other side of her desk. Dark hair that gleamed in the brighter lights of her office. Boring clothes that didn’t improve with better lighting. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. Gray eyes that held pools of shadow. She pegged him for about her age, but the dark circles under his eyes made him look older.
He’d blurted “You’re the Jack?” when Jenna let him into her office and he’d continued to study her when she’d nodded. He hadn’t said anything else after that.
Taryn wanted this over with so she could get to bed. She leaned back in her chair, enjoying the way it conformed to her body. “What is it you think the Jack can help you with?”
