“What was that?” Harry roared.
Pivoting, Ivy leaned back and kicked the door by thedoorknob like she’d been taught. The cheap plywood slammed open, hit the wall,and careened back at her. Grunting, she kicked it again and then moved in, hergun aimed at Harry.
Leah came rolling in from the bathroom, several cuts downher arm.
“What’s going on?” Harry yelled.
“Sit down and shut up,” Leah said, kicking him squarely inthe back of the knee. He went down on his other knee and quickly jumped up,tackling Ivy into the wall. Pain detonated in her cheekbone while the tornwallpaper scratched her face.
She punched him hard in the nose, and blood spurted.
Leah kicked him in the back of the neck, and he went down onboth knees. She pointed her gun at him, and he froze.
The motel room was cheap, with one bed and a dresser acrossfrom an old table with a box TV. A young girl sat on the bed, wearing jeans anda tank top, a glass of something red in her hand. She looked to be abouttwelve. Her eyes were blue, and she had her hair up in pigtails. She instantlystarted to cry.
“It’s okay,” Ivy said, moving for her. “You’re all right.”
“What are you doing here?” Harry boomed, starting to standup.
Leah turned and executed a perfect kick to his face. He flewback, his head thunking against the table holding the TV. “Getting your assarrested is what we’re doing.” She looked at Ivy. “Call 911.”
“No,” the girl said, holding up a hand. “Please, don’t. Mymom will kill me.”
Ivy reached forward and slipped an arm around her shoulder,keeping her gun loose in the other hand. “I’m sure your mom won’t kill you. Areyou in danger at home?” She had to find out the whole truth.
The girl shuddered. “No, not really. I just... I don’t know.We moved here, and I miss all my friends. And then I made friends with Harry.Except I thought he was only twenty and in college and...” The girl shook herhead and started to sip the drink.
“Whoa,” Ivy said, taking the cup away from her and sniffingit. The liquid smelled like wine, but she knew better. “What’s in here, Harry?”
Harry blinked and frowned, squinting at her. “I know yourvoice.”
“Yeah, you do. I’m TaylorTots,” she muttered.
He looked her up and down. “You’re older than you said.”
“So are you,” she retorted and then leaned toward the girl.“What’s your name?”
“Susie,” the girl said, looking at the smashed doorway.
“All right, Susie. Do you have any idea what was going tohappen here tonight?” Ivy kept her voice gentle.
Susie paled and looked down. “I think I’m getting the idea.Honestly, I thought he was in college. He sent a different picture of a cuteguy and said he was looking for models for a school project and I don’t know. Iwas stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid. You’re young,” Leah said, reaching forzip ties from her back pocket. “You’re going to need to tell the truth, though,okay?”
The girl gulped and nodded. Movement sounded by the door,and Athan suddenly filled the space, so much energy rolling from him that thealready frightening aura of the room swelled and heated to something even moredangerous.
Chapter Nine
Athan took in the scene with a glance and then all of itmade sense. He looked at Ivy. “The pictures of you on the internet? You’reoperating some sort of trap for pedophiles?”
She grimaced and stood between him and the shaking girl onthe cheap bedspread. “Yeah, it’s my new job, and I’m not done with it, so I’mnot going anywhere until we finish the cases we have.”
“Cases?” he muttered. What in the hell was going on here?“You’re not a cop, Ivy.” He looked at Leah. “And you’re not going anywhere.”
Leah showed no fear but started edging toward the bathroomat the back of the room.
Athan growled. “I’m not kidding.”
