Page 27 (1/2)

More giggles

“Yeah, I’d rather you took care of me instead,” someone else said

The bawdy laughter grew

“Okay,” he said with an indulgent smile “How about we start with soo from there?”

There hoops

“Who wants to volunteer?”

Every hand in the room shot up

Kirsty was torturing herself It wasn’t pleasant She’d been peeking out fro the women in Invertary turn up for Lake’s stupid class She kept telling herself it was none of her business She’d drop the curtain and return to the couch, where her laptop and unfinished website waited Five seconds later she was back peeking out theShe wanted to knohat he was doing to get soainst Goodness knows everything she did to fight the man seemed to backfire She didn’t have any lared at Betty’s shop—had wo to his door It drove her er She put on her black trench coat, grabbed a black wool hat from the back of her hall closet and went to snoop

It was dark in the alley behind Lake’s shop She tripped over a rubbish bin and lunged to grab it before it hit the concrete paving In Betty’s backyard, light spilled through s high on the wall,it easier to see Quietly, Kirsty picked up one of the ainst the wall She stepped up onto it, went up on tiptoes and held on to theledge She tried to think thoughts that would make her invisible as she peered into the room

It was packed with s throwing each other around There was lots of shouting and angry faces, interspersed with the odd giggle They see fun Kirsty was jealous Hoas she supposed to co That’s what She was stuffed

Lake was easy to spot He wove in and out of the group adjusting their positions and giving advice Without exception every woman he touched, or spoke to, blushed Kirsty frowned The man was a tart and he’d obviously dressed to tease He wore black track trousers and a grey vest with so on it His shoulders and upper ar It made her sick Most of the women in there had only seen muscle like that on TV No wonder theirdirty She scowled at him

As though feeling her aniht to theStraight to Kirsty A slow, knowing smile curved his lips Kirsty’s eyes ide She jerked backwards and fell froround She scrambled to her feet and turned to sprint out of the yard, but tripped over a pile of wood By the tihted herself, the back door slaate Her hand reached the latch as an arm wound around her waist

“Uh-uh,” Lake said in her ear “You don’t get off that easy”

“Let o,” Kirsty demanded

Instead he turned and carted her back into his building