Goldie Lox And Her Trio Of Bears (Goldie Lox Prophecy Book 1), стр. 51
“You’re a lifesaver.” Jillian extended her hand and resisted the urge to howl in pain when the woman shook it. “I’m Jillian, by the way.”
“Elsa.” The housekeeper looked at Conner. “And you are?”
“Dave.” Conner cleared his throat and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The three of them piled into Elsa’s minivan. Freedom was so close they could taste it when the shadow of McDonald's bald head caught Jillian’s eye as he drove slowly up the street. Jillian slid into the front floorboard, and Conner laid down in the back seat; Elsa froze. As soon as the hum of McDonald's car faded into the distance, Elsa turned off the ignition.
“Explain yourself.” The woman squinted at them with an indignant pout on her face while Jillian gaped up from the floorboard, her eyes pleading. “Tell me the truth; are you doing something illegal?”
“Ma’am,” Conner interjected.
“Zip it, Dave!” The woman snapped. “If that’s even your real name… I’ve been around the block with pretty boys like you.”
“I didn’t mean to drag you into this.” Jillian put her hands on the sides of her head. “But we need your help.”
“No friggin’ way.” The woman crossed her arms. “If you think I’m going to drive the getaway car so you two can disappear with a backpack full of cash, you have another thing coming.”
“There’s no cash in there.” Jillian held up her hands, and the woman saw the blisters.
“Jesus!” Elsa’s eyes bulged. “What happened to you?”
“The less you know, the better.” Jillian huffed.
“Look.” Conner persisted. “Her father is after her, and her ex is after her. And if you don’t help her, you’ll be helping rich douchebags repress the people who are trying to make the world a better place! Is that what you want?”
“Is all of that true?” Elsa’s brow softened as she looked back at Jillian.
“As insane as it sounds.” Jillian frowned. “It’s the truth.”
“Where do you need to go?” Elsa turned the key in the ignition and buckled her seatbelt. Jillian gave her directions to Elaina’s place, but a quick drive by revealed three identical black SUVs, the same make and model as the one McDonald was driving.
“Keep going.” Jillian shrank back into the floorboard. “I should have known Elaina’s would be the first place they would look.”
“As much as I want to help you out.” Elsa glanced into her rear-view mirror. “I have to buy groceries and get back to the house, or I’m going to end up losing my job.”
“Of course.” Jillian nodded. “Can you drop us off at the next café we pass? I need a place where I can plug in my computer.”
“There’s a tea shop on the left.” Conner pointed. “If you just drop us on the corner, we’ll find our way from there.”
Elsa pulled up on the curb, where Jillian and Conner got out.
“Thanks for everything,” Jillian said before closing the door.
Elsa rolled the window down and smiled.
“Don’t you give up on whatever it is you’re standing up for. You hear?”
“Promise.” Jillian nodded as the kind Samaritan pulled back out into the street.
“We’ve got a problem.” Conner nodded to a sign on the door.
Free Wi-Fi is for
paying customers
ONLY
“That’s fine.” Jillian pulled the wallet out of her backpack.
“Whoa.” Conner pushed it back inside. “Unless you have cash, using your card is only going to alert them as to where you are.”
“Fuck.” Jillian glanced around. “Well, what do we do then?”
“I have an idea.” His cheeks reddened. “But you’re not going to like it.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They walked for two hours, finally reaching a seedy neighborhood that Jillian didn’t recognize. Garbage filled the streets, and homeless camps ran up and down every alleyway… except for this one.
“What is this place?” Jillian tucked in her elbows as Conner took her hand, leading her around dumpsters as she tried to ignore the sticky smells and puddles of unidentifiable fluids.
A large man stood next to a black door with his arms folded, wearing an intimidating expression. The muffled bass of club music vibrated the walls, and Jillian clutched Conner’s hand a little tighter as they approached.
“Where the fuck have you been?” The man narrowed his eyes at Jillian. “Hold on. No backpacks.”
“She’s got money,” Conner explained. “We’re only here so she can use the Wi-Fi and her laptop’s in the bag.”
“Show me.”
Jillian nodded, unzipping the backpack as the man reached inside, rifling around. “No taking pictures and no selling drugs. These are good girls, and I want to keep them that way, are we clear?”
What the hell kind of place is this? Jillian clenched her teeth, her cheeks burning as she tried not to glare at Conner. I can’t believe I almost fell for the kind of guy that frequents some shady sex-club.
“Come on, Randy.” Conner scoffed. “You know me better than that.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t seen you in a long time, and frankly, you’re looking pretty rough.” Randy shrugged. “This city changes people.”
“No drugs.” Conner held his hands up. “We were out all night and honestly just want to use the internet connection, but we’ll spend some money on the girls while we’re here.”
The man’s stern expression didn’t waver, but he nodded toward the club, allowing them inside.
Calm down, Jillian. She took a breath. The guy did say Conner hadn’t been here in a long time. Maybe this is a hobby he put behind him.
“The password today is buttercup,” Randy called over his shoulder as they moved down a long hallway toward a small ten by twelve room where a woman in a tight, purple corset stood behind a counter. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all painted red. Strobe lights flashed around the edge of a red curtain that hung