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Craig seethed in quiet frustration as he signed his tab and put his credit card back in his wallet. So far as he knew, Rachel never had a photograph of him, but her mother certainly knew who he was. He clinched his teeth as he headed toward the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he took a quick glimpse inside the private dining room as he passed the hostess station. Rachel stood between her mother and Bill. All three had their backs to the door and were talking to several other people. No doubt the entire room would be soon alerted to his presence. All he could do now was make a hasty exit. He stomped his way across the parking lot and jumped into his truck, slamming the door so hard the window rattled. His teeth remained clenched as he fired up the engine and flipped on the air conditioning. Why did the stupid bitch have to tell her mother what he looked like?
As he waited for the inside of the truck to cool down, he realized he needed to cool down himself. He took a few deep breaths, and as his body relaxed he remembered; the magazine always printed his photo next to his byline. No doubt Rachel would have sent copies home to her mother, who, no doubt, would have told anyone who would listen to her about what a fabulous art director her daughter was. The thought turned his stomach, and he once again reminded himself to stay calm. He would have to wait for his client to pay him the six hundred dollars and fuming about it wouldn't make it come any faster. What mattered was that once he had the funds, he would contact Boris, and he would soon be back to hacking into her email accounts while she'd be none the wiser. He took a deep, relaxing breath and put the truck into gear. Driving out of the parking lot he remembered something else. He still had a printed copy of an earlier email with the date and location of Alice's wedding. He yawned as he turned onto the main road and headed home. He needed a nap before heading off to work. Tonight would be his final night working the graveyard shift. He looked forward to working regular hours again.
***
CRAIG PUNCHED HIS TIMECARD and went into the lobby. Tom, who worked the evening shift, stood behind the counter.
"How's it going, Craig?"
"It's actually going pretty good."
"I hear you're starting the day shift on Monday."
"That's right. No more vampire hours for me."
"Good for you." Tom reached underneath the counter for his backpack and motorcycle helmet. "Well, I guess I'll see you then." He nodded toward a man sitting on a sofa in front of the lobby. "By the way, there's someone here who wants to talk to you."
Craig furrowed his brow. "Really?"
"Yeah. He must have a tip on a story or something. Anyway, I'm heading out, so you guys can talk. Have a good night."
"Thanks, Tom."
Tom left and Craig stepped up to the counter. He didn't recognize the man. Could word of his human smuggling story been leaked to the Border Patrol? He took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you Craig Walker?"
"Yes, I'm Craig. What can I do for you?"
The man stepped up to the counter and handed Craig a sheet of paper. "You've been served."
Craig gave the paper a quick glance. It was a legal document. He looked up, but the man was already halfway out the door. He studied the paper more closely. It was an injunction against harassment, filed by Rachel Bennett and signed by a judge. As he read through it, a smile broke out across his face.
"So, you think you've won? Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?"
***
SHANE KEPT A WATCHFUL eye out for a red pickup truck as Bruce, Julie, and Grandma Alice strolled across the parking lot with him and Rachel. To his relief, he didn't see one, and as they stepped up to his car it was time to say goodnight.
"I mean it, Rachel." Her mother's voice was firm. "You need to get going on that lawsuit. The sooner, the better."
"We'll discuss it later, Mom." She turned to Bruce and her grandmother, giving both a hug and a kiss before she slipped into the passenger seat. Shane closed the car door and she waved goodbye. As the others stepped away Shane got behind the wheel and fired up the engine.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine." A huge smile broke out across her face. "In fact, I'm more than fine. We foiled whatever he was up to. Mother even mentioned him sitting by a big table full of women. How much do you want to bet he got here before they did, thinking it would be our table? Thank goodness they put us in a private room. There was no way he could get to me in there." She paused for a moment as Shane drove toward the exit.
"I am, however, going to have to have a serious talk with my mother. You heard her. She won't let up about me filing that lawsuit, and I still have a bad feeling about it."
Shane turned onto the main road. "I know you keep saying that. What kind of a bad feeling are you getting? Are you worried about the cost? Or are you afraid you won't win?"
She shook her head. "Neither one. It's hard to explain. I just have this deep, foreboding fear that if I file this thing, it won't end well."
"So you're afraid you'll lose."
"I'm not sure. Maybe." She thought it over for a minute. "No, that's not it. I just have a very bad feeling that I'll be opening some sort of Pandora's box. I know it probably doesn't make sense."
"Actually, it does. Getting up in front of a judge is scary enough. Plus, you'd be going up against a bully who's not all there. The whole idea scares me as well, but for now, as you've been saying, we'll wait and see what happens with the restraining order. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll decide it's not worth going to jail for and back off. He already had one night in jail, back in Reno, so he probably won't want to have another one."
"I hope so, Shane. I really hope so."
They remained quiet for the rest of the drive home. Once they arrived, Shane put Lucy in the backyard and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. A few minutes later he knocked on the guesthouse door. Rachel opened it and Lucy rushed inside, making herself at home on the bed.
"I'm beginning to think my dog loves you more than she loves me," he said with a grin.
"We are becoming gal pals."
"I thought so."
He reached into his pocket for his flash drive. Rachel nodded before she excused herself and stepped into the bathroom. He heard the shower running as he worked. The bathroom door opened a few minutes later, but he was still busy running a diagnostic. The bed creaked as she sat down on it.
"How's it going?" she asked.
"So far so good." His eyes remained on the screen as he talked. "Everything appears to be normal, and so far I'm not seeing any sign of any kind of malware."
"How long before you're done?"
"Not much longer. I just need a few more minutes."
She remained quiet as he continued working. Finally, he removed the flash drive and turned his chair to face her. She sat at the foot of her bed. Her bathrobe was loosely wrapped around her, and he could see her cleavage as she gave the dog a belly rub. He felt himself becoming aroused.
"Your computer is safe and secure. There's no sign of any malware."
"Thank goodness," she said as she smiled in relief. And Shane, once again, I'm so sorry for getting a little uptight with you at the restaurant. When Mother told me Craig was there, I got scared and angry."
"I see," he said as he kept his eyes on her chest. The dog rolled over, and as Rachel leaned over to pet her, he could see more of her breast. He suddenly felt like a hungry dog himself. He walked up to the bed, his eyes staring down at her chest.
"So, how sorry are you?"
She followed his gaze and looked down at her chest, giving him a coy grin. "I'm really, really sorry, Shane. More than I can possibly say."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." Her voice had a playful tone.
"Well, in that case, you'll have to apologize to me, again. And while you're thinking of what to say, I'll put Lucy outside." He opened the door and called the dog. Lucy leaped off the bed and ran out the door. Shane closed it behind her and sat down next to Rachel. Her robe remained loose.
"So, you'd better apologize to me again." He laid his head on her shoulder and patted her thigh.
"I'm so sorry, Shane, I truly am."
"Are you now?"
"Yes, I am. I'm really, truly sorry."
"So, how sorry are you?"
She chuckled. "More than I could possibly say."
He leaned over and kissed her. "That's kind of a vague answer. I think you need to apologize to me again."
Rachel tried to suppress her laugher. "I'm sorry Shane. I truly am."
"Keep talking." He kissed her again. "I can't hear you. Keep talking."
"I said I'm sorry, Shane, I'm really, really sorry."
He too tried to suppress his laughter as he shook his head. "I don't know. It didn't sound very sincere to me. I think you need to say it again."
She laughed as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Shane, and I mean it. I really do." She doubled up with laughter and lay back onto the bed.
"Now that's what I wanted to hear." He reached down and untied her robe. "Now say it again, only louder this time." He kissed her and she moaned.
"Louder. I want to hear it louder."
Once again, she tried to suppress her laughter. "Shane McLeod, I would like to sincerely apologize, and I deeply regret any inconvenience my actions may have caused you. However, it appears that a verbal apology simply may not be enough to satisfy you, so I'll apparently to have to show you just how deeply and sincerely sorry I am."
"Indeed, you will."
She giggled as he lay down next to her. After they made love, he held her in the afterglow.
"Apology accepted, Ms. Bennett, but don't let it happen again."
"I'll try not to, but I'm not making any promises."
"I see. Well, if you mess up again then I guess you'll just have to apologize to me again. And again and again and again and again." He kissed and squeezed her breasts.
"Stop that."
"What was that? How rude. Now you owe me another apology."
"Shane MacLeod, what am I going to do with you?"
He gave her a puppy dog look. "You're going to apologize to me."
"Later. Right now, I'm going to take another shower."
Shane sprang off the bed. "Good idea. I'm coming with you. We have to conserve water you know."
She sat up and reached for her bathrobe, but before she could grab it he kicked it away.
"You don't need that." He helped her off the bed, patting her bare fanny as she walked toward the bathroom.
"Something tells me I won't be getting much sleep tonight."
Shane shook his head in mock anger. "See, there you go being rude to me again. Tomorrow's Saturday, so we can both sleep in. Now you owe me two apologies."
Rachel let out an exaggerated groan as she stepped into the bathroom. He followed her inside and closed the door behind him.