“How’s the pressure?”
“Great, babe.”
Sin lost track of time. At some point, she whispered, “Roll onto your back.” She massaged his chest and arms, all the way down to his fingers. She spent a lot of time working out the knots in his calves. After giving him a phenomenal foot rub, she topped it off with a scalp massage. He couldn’t recall when he’d been that relaxed or the last time someone had given him such a generous gift.
“I’d love to give you a happy ending. Would you like one?” He could hear the playfulness in her voice.
As he opened his eyes, a contented smile rolled across his face. “Youare my happy ending.”
Their lips met in a heartfelt kiss. By confiding his darkest secrets, he had tied his soul to hers. And in that moment, he felt free.
* * *
In the morning, she and Sin stopped by four Easy Does It rental locations, but they were given the stiff-arm. None of the franchisees would provide them with any information regarding their customers.
Despite the setback, Sin and Jacoby spent the afternoon knocking off a few more locations while Evangeline contacted all the churches in the greater Asheville area. With every phone call she made, her suspicions grew. No one she spoke with knew Pastor Joey Thomason. By day’s end, she was convinced Joey Thomason was here on business, but that business didnotinclude providing counsel to church-going parishioners.
Three long days of visiting every truck rental shop yielded zero results. Regardless of their approach, neither Sin nor Evangeline could get anyone to discuss the rental date in question.
Throughout the week, Sin maintained his in-control demeanor and well-seasoned poker face, but she could feel his frustration growing. With each passing day, she’d become more and more concerned about him roaming around the region with his usual take-on-the-world bravado while someone stalked him from the shadows.
Late Friday afternoon, under cover of darkness, Evangeline arrived at Mac’s in Arlington. Armed with Sin’s night-vision camera, she drove to the end of the shopping strip, pulled around the side of the building beside the grille, and cut the engine. Dressed in all black, she covered her hair with her hoodie and climbed into the cargo area of her SUV to wait for Joey.
Thirty minutes later, she spotted him. But, as he made his way across the parking lot, he kept his head down.C’mon. I’ve gotta get a break here.
Four women hurried past him toward the entrance and he jerked his head up to check them out.
Click-click-click-click.
He spoke to them and they turned around. Now, he was full-on grinning.
Click-click-click-click.
One of the ladies took a few steps toward him while Evangeline continued snapping away.One of these pictures has gotta work.
As soon as they entered the bar, Evangeline checked the viewfinder. Hopeful she had a picture she could use, she tucked the camera behind the back seat and moved her vehicle to the front lot. Then, she called Sin.
“Hey, babe,” he answered. “How’d it go?”
“I got some pictures and I’m heading into the bar now. Where are you?”
“Down the street from Joey’s place.”
“Good luck.”
“You, too.”
She hung up, removed her sweatshirt, and entered the bare-bones grille wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
Joey was hanging at the bar with the four ladies he’d met outside. As Evangeline sauntered over, he spotted her. After breaking into a grin, he whispered something to one of the women before greeting her. “Hey, you made it!”
Evangeline glanced over at the woman. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
“Not a problem.” He paused to check her out. “You look great. You wanna grab a booth?”
Once they got settled in one, she asked, “You drink beer, don’t you?”
“I’ve been known to toss one back on occasion.”
