Chapter 3: Shawna

The neighborhood where Ms. Crystal's was located was one of the ritzier communities in Rexville. It was filled with mansions, BMW's and sports cars of all kinds. Lots of walled-in houses. All with automatic gates and guys working security. Ms. Crystal's house was behind an eight-foot high brick wall with an iron gate that was controlled from the inside. There were rumors that Ms. Crystal had a pack of Dobermans that she let wander the grounds when the place was closed but I had never heard nor seen any sign of the dogs. I was hoping that it was only a rumor. I hated the idea of shooting some dumb dog just because he was doing what he'd been trained to do.

I didn't try to sneak up on the place. I saw no real reason to. I just walked up to the gate, intending to talk my way in. There was no need, though. As I stepped up to the gate, two guys in an SUV pulled up on the other side. Both were dressed casually in jeans and tee shirts. Both had a holster on their hip with a pistol inside. "Ms. Crystal has asked us to bring you to her, Mr. Knight," one of the men said as the lock clicked on the gate. The gate clanged once and then started to slide open.

"Excellent," I said.

Both of the men stood over six feet tall and both had muscles that could be seen clearly through the tight black tee shirts they wore. The one who had spoken had his head shaven, the other has his blond hair cut into a high and tight, like a Marine.

"We're supposed to search you before you go inside," Baldy said and put a hand up to my chest.

It was just like back in the hotel room when I shot Mr. Big and then automatically went after Snerdly. My body just did what it wanted, not bothering to worry about what my mind wanted. It almost seemed like, for a moment there, someone else, somewhere inside me, had taken over. I had noticed the same thing when Snerdly and Mr. Big woke me earlier.

My left fist flew out and made solid contact with the baldy's jaw. His head snapped around and he stumbled back before falling onto the ground. As this was going on, my right hand went into the pocket of my coat, and, before the first guy hit the ground, I had my pistol in my hand and aimed right between the eyes of the other guy. I flipped the safety off and I smiled at him. "Do you wanna go home tonight?" I asked him very casually. He nodded and moved his hands clear of the holster. "Good. Me too. So why don't you just use the keypad and close the gate. Then you and I will get in the truck and go up to see Ms. Crystal."

He nodded and tapped a button on the keypad. We both went to the SUV. He got in the driver's seat. I got in the passenger's seat, keeping the pistol aimed at his face the entire time. He started the engine, backed up into the grass, turned the truck around, and we headed up the long driveway towards the house. "How many others are on security detail?" I asked the guy as he drove.

He refused to answer me. Adam Knight normally would have beat the shit out of him for refusing to answer the question, but, considering he was at the wheel of the vehicle I was riding in, I chose to wait until later to discuss showing proper respect to a guest in your establishment, and I just kept the pistol aimed at him.

When he pulled up in front of the house, there were four more huge guys, all dressed in jeans and tee shirts, all four with pistols drawn, standing on the stairs. All of their pistols were aimed right at me. At least I now knew how many guys they had on the security detail. Damn it!

As soon as the SUV came to a stop, I slipped off my seat and knelt on the floor of the SUV. I had no idea whether the truck was bullet proof, its possible the windows were bullet proof, but even if none of it were armored, the metal of the body would provide me a hell of a lot better protection than the window. I shoved the barrel of the pistol in to the driver's ribs. "Roll down your window. Tell them to drop their weapons and go away or I'm gonna shoot you." The guy laughed. He didn't believe me so—I shot him. Once, point blank in to the right side of his chest, the round entered just beneath his right armpit and didn't come out the other side. He crumpled over the steering wheel.

I wasn't too surprised when the four goons all opened up, firing round after round into the side of the SUV. I wasn't sure I was going to live through this. I, personally, had never been a real live gunfight. Adam Knight had been in one but not at four to one odds against, and I had no idea whether more might join in at some point. I doubted they would be on my side. I covered my face with my arms as the windows shattered all around me, answering the question of whether they were bulletproof or not.

The metal of the car did a good enough job of protecting me. When the shooting stopped, I was covered in glass but uninjured. I knew I should have counted how many rounds had been fired. Who knows, maybe the four had all emptied their magazines. But they fired so fast and so furious, I simply couldn't count that fast. I uncovered my face and waited.

These guys weren't very well trained. One of them stuck his head through the shattered passenger's side window. I jammed the barrel of my gun in to his neck. He froze. "If you want to go home tonight, tell your buddies to drop their guns and get the hell out of here," I told him quietly.

I have no idea what he was thinking but he didn't do as asked. Something moved on the other side of the truck and I saw one of the goons circling the truck to check on the driver, or maybe to check on me. I kept the pistol jammed into the first guy's neck, pulled the small revolver from my boot and shot the one on the other side of the truck. The bullet slammed into the center of his forehead and he dropped.

The one I had the pistol on, must have thought I was distracted and tried to pull his head back out the window. Oops. Another one dead. This one scattered blood and brain matter all over the roof of the SUV and all over me. 'Another good leather jacket gets bloody, ' was all I could think as I climbed up into the seat, pistol in one hand, revolver in the other. I brought both guns up and started firing at the remaining two goons, one of whom was now in front of the SUV and the other was still on the stairs. The one to the front took three rounds from my revolver to the chest before disappearing. The other took one shot to head from the 9mm and tumbled head over heels down the steps.

Using my left hand, I unlatched the passenger's side door and stepped out of the now bloody SUV. I took a look around to make sure no one was gonna shoot me in the back, stepped over the guy who had left his brains in the SUV, and then headed up the stairs, taking a quick glance at the one at the front of the SUV. He was groaning and moaning and seemed to be having trouble breathing. I didn't figure he was a real threat.

I reached the door of the house only to find it locked. I shrugged and rang the doorbell. Much to my amazement and amusement, someone, a man, from inside used the intercom and asked who was there. I tapped the intercom button with a blood-covered finger and told him, "Adam Knight. I think Ms. Crystal is expecting me."

"I'm sorry, sir," the man on the intercom said. "But Ms. Crystal is very busy today, and, unless you have an appointment, I don't believe she'll have time to see you."

It had to be the butler. Ms. Crystal had this old man, or he looked old to the old Adam Knight, who always wore a black tuxedo and was there to answer the door and show the guests in. I was now sure that's whom I was talking to. I slipped the two guns back into my pocket, pulled the shotgun from under my coat, leveled it at the doorknob, and fired from about two feet away. I then tapped the intercom button again. "If you don't open the door, Jeeves, I'm gonna blow it off its hinges. Now, do you think Ms. Crystal can spare a few minutes for me."

"Hold on, sir. I'll check."

I was actually giggling. The old man was good. He was keeping his calm, doing his job and being pleasant about the whole thing. I really hoped I wouldn't have to kill him. I stood there and waited a few minutes, watching the front yard for signs of movement. It was about three minutes before Jeeves came back.

"I'm sorry, sir. Ms. Crystal simply has no time to put you into her schedule today. Perhaps if you come back tomorrow."

I aimed the shotgun at the door again and blew a few more holes into it. Then I used my leg and kicked the door open.

Jeeves, as expected, was standing about four feet inside the house. I aimed the shotgun at him. "Told you, Jeeves. I guess Ms. Crystal didn't believe me."

"Oh, no, sir," Jeeves said, still perfectly calm. "She believed you would break down the door. My orders were to keep you busy while she and the girls escaped." He gave me a "Cat that ate the canary" grin and then turned his back to me and headed off to somewhere else in the house, moving very slowly. He was an old man. Good thing. too. If it had been anyone else, I think I would have shot them.

It was just about then that I heard a low rumble. I tried to identify what it was. When I heard the squeal of tires outside, I figured it out real quick. On the way up to the front of the house, we had passed a four-car garage. The noise was that of a garage door opening. I spun around just in time to see what looked like a dozen young girls piled into two black SUV's tearing down the driveway. It was too far away for a shot at the tires and I didn't want to risk the lives of the girls by taking a shot at the driver or gas tank.

Ignoring the SUV's for the moment, I stepped back into the house. Jeeves was still slowly making his way down the hallway. "Hey, Jeeves," I hollered and waited for him to turn around. I pulled one of the cocktails from the inside pocket of my coat and a lighter. "How many are still in the house?"

"Three, sir," he stated. "Myself, the maid and the cook."

"Is there another door?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good," I said and lit the fuse of the cocktail. "You might want to get them and get the hell out of this house." I did a baseball throw and tossed the cocktail into what served as the sitting room. The cocktail landed right on the Persian rug and burst into a million pieces allowing the fuel inside to get out. The fuse lit the gas and the room exploded into fire.

Jeeves stood there, very calmly and watched all of this. "Yes sir," he said, then turned and continued down the hall. He did move a little quicker now.

I turned around and ran out to the SUV that had been shot up. I pulled the dead driver out and dumped him unceremoniously onto the pavement, jumped in, and started the truck. I was amazed that the truck still worked. I backed out as quickly as I could, slammed it into drive, and tore out after Ms. Crystal and her girls.

Apparently, Ms. Crystal, who I was sure was driving the front SUV, didn't do a lot of get-away driving. She was taking the narrow driveway awful slow. I wasn't. I pulled up behind the second SUV just as the gate came into sight. Ms. Crystal must have had a remote for the gate in the car because it was starting to open to let her out. I realized I had a decision to make. My assignment was to save Abby, get her home, close down Ms. Crystal's bordello, and to save whatever girls possible in whatever way possible. For the moment, Abby was safe. Until Ms. Crystal could get her house repaired from the fire or find a new place of operations, her establishment was shut down. What was my main responsibility? To catch Ms. Crystal so I could question her about Robert Richards. That would mean ignoring the second SUV and going after the first. On the other hand, should I ignore Ms. Crystal for now and try to save the girls in the rear SUV?

How hard can it be to find a three hundred fifty pound, forty year old prostitute with a bunch of teenaged whores?

I took the SUV I was driving off road, passed the rear SUV on the right and cut them off just before the gate. Whoever was driving the rear SUV spun the wheel to the left to avoid hitting me and went into the grass. She got the truck stopped just before it was about to hit the wall. I hit the corner of the gate with my SUV and the engine died. I was amazed it had run at all after the pounding it had taken earlier.

I was out of the truck as soon as it came to a stop and headed for the girls in the other truck. The driver put the truck into reverse. I pulled my pistol, put two rounds each into the front and rear passenger side tires. She tried to get the truck moving forward but had no luck at all. I looked up and noticed it was none other than India driving the truck. Our eyes met for just a second and then she pulled her own gun, a .32 revolver. We pointed our guns at each others heads. "Don't make me shoot you, India!" I shouted. We stared at each other for another long second. I could see at least a half dozen other girls in the truck. Most of them screaming for her to put her gun down or crying hysterically.

India released her hold on the trigger and tossed the gun out the open window. I moved over and picked up the gun. "Get out of the truck," I ordered as I slipped her gun into my coat pocket.

India stepped out of the truck. "On the hood. I imagine you know the routine." With her hands up, India moved to the hood and assumed the position. "You, in the passenger seat, get out and come around the truck."

A young girl with short red hair, the only one not screaming or crying, climbed out and circled the truck. I tossed her a pair of handcuffs and told her to cuff India's hands behind her back and sit her down beside the tire. The girl grabbed India's right hand, cuffed the wrist, grabbed her left hand and cuffed it, gave India a quick rabbit punch to the kidney, said something to her that I couldn't hear, and then pushed her to the ground.

I put my gun away, told the rest of the girls to get out, and moved up beside the red head. "What was the punch for?"

"She beat a friend of mine a few days ago for no reason at all," the red head said with a shrug. "Just getting a little payback."

"Good for you," I said and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. India was squirming in the grass trying to sit up.

As it turns out, there were eight girls in the truck, nine if you included India. "What do we do now?" the red head asked.

"What's your name?"

"Shawna."

"Get all the girls over there," I said, pointing to the other SUV. "I'm going to search India, and then we'll figure something out."

Shawna rounded up the other seven girls, all looked to be between the ages of twelve and sixteen, and led them over to the SUV I had crashed. I yanked India to her feet, threw her against the hood of the SUV, and patted her down. I found a six-inch lock blade knife in her jeans pocket but other than that, nothing. I tossed the blade into the woods and then spun her around. "Where was Ms. Crystal headed?" She spit in my face. I slapped her hard across the face, which sent her back down to the ground. I sat on top of her, pinned her to the ground, and rubbed her face in the grass and dirt. "Where was she headed?" I asked again.

"Fuck you!" was India's answer.

I couldn't bring myself to beat the answers out of her so I just had to hope one of the other girls could tell me where they were going. I got out another set of cuffs, bound her ankles together and stuffed India into the backseat of the SUV I had been driving and tossed the keys into the woods. With the help of the seven remaining girls, we got two tires off the SUV I had been driving and replaced the tires I had shot out. We then all piled into the SUV India had been driving. The fire trucks were roaring down the street as I pulled out of the driveway and headed for the Camaro.

"Any of you know where Ms. Crystal was going?" I asked as I drove us to where I had parked my car. The girls and I wouldn't all fit in my car and none of them looked old enough to drive so I would have to use the truck until I found somewhere to leave the girls, where they would be safe from Ms. Crystal until I could find her. Closing down a brothel sounds like a nice easy job but this had gotten very complicated between Mr. Richards trying to kill Abby and Ms. Crystal doing everything she could to avoid me.

"She was headed for the other house," Shawna, who was sitting in the seat beside me, stated.

"Do you know the address?"

Shawna shook her head. "No, but it's in the bad part of town. I can show you where it is."

"Can you point it out on a map?"

"No, you'll have to take me with you."

'Women!' I thought shaking my head. 'Always wanting to go somewhere when they're not wanted!' I decided to deal with that later. Maybe Abby, or one of the others, could give me an address. I pulled the SUV up beside my Camaro and got out. I took the keys to the truck and got out. Don't get me wrong. It's nothing against the girls. I just didn't know them well enough to trust them with the truck when I was supposed to be saving them.

I opened the trunk of the Camaro and dumped the shotgun, the unused cocktail, and the blood covered leather jacket, minus my Glock which was once more in the waistband of my jeans, into the trunk as well as India's gun. I reloaded my own pistol, locked up the car, and got back behind the wheel of the SUV.

"Anyone here happen to have family nearby who'd be willing to take you in?" The odds were against me on this one but I had to try. None of the girls had family nearby, or at least, none they wanted to admit to or go visit. "Anyone have any idea of where I can take you where you'll be safe from Ms. Crystal?"

"Why can't we go back to Ms. Crystal?" a young blond in the back seat asked.

"Ms. Crystal is going out of business, darling. Going back would just be a waste of time."

"Are you going to kill her?" an older blond asked.

"Not unless I have to. My job is to shut her down, not kill her."

"What about India and Janet?"

"Well, the police will find India when they get to Ms. Crystal's place. I don't know what she'll tell them but it should be an interesting story. I imagine, by the time I'm done, Ms. Crystal, India and Janet will all be in jail for a very long time. Which gives me an idea," I finished with a huge smile.

I took a left at the next intersection and drove the girls to the nearest Rexville City Police Station. I put Shawna in charge and told her to take the other girls, go inside and tell the police everything that had been going on. I told them to tell the cops all about why they had runaway from home, how they found Ms. Crystal, all about their jobs with Ms. Crystal, and all about how India and Janet had kept them in line.

When two of the girls protested, saying they were afraid the cops would send them home, I gave them all my cell phone number and told them that if the cops sent them home, to give me a call and I'd come have a chat with their parents about the proper way to treat a pretty, young lady. They all giggled and blushed. It was enough to get them out of the truck and into the police station.

I went in with them and stayed just long enough to hear the older blond girl go up to the desk sergeant and tell him they needed to talk to a detective. When the sergeant asked what they wanted to talk about, Shawna answered, "We want to tell how we all became teenaged prostitutes." The sergeant's eyes got big for a second as he looked at each girl. Each girl gave him a nod. He picked up the phone and called a detective down.

Satisfied the girls would do their part and help clear my name, I headed back out to the SUV. When I got in to the truck, Shawna got in also. "What are you doing?"

"You need me," Shawna said, giving me a smile. "I know where Ms. Crystal is going, remember?"

"Damn it!" She was right. I did need her. I was so happy to be getting the girls off my hands that I had forgotten all about that little tidbit. "Get in!"

I got behind the wheel and headed off to find Ms. Crystal. "Here's the deal," I told Shawna, once we were moving again. "You show me the house. Once you have, I bring you back to the police station. You give them your statement and that's it." Shawna opened her mouth to protest but I shut her down before she could say a word. "No, Shawna! That's the way it's going to be. If you don't like it, I'll take you back to the police station right now."

Shawna harrumphed at me but didn't say anything else. "Now, where's the house?"

"You know where the original Valiant Department Store was?" I nodded. Adam Knight had memories of shopping there. "It's down near there." Luckily, I was headed in the right direction. I gave her a nod.

"What are you going to do when you find her? Ms. Crystal, I mean."

"I'm gonna put her out of business. I also have a few questions I want to ask her."

"Questions about what?"

"Doesn't matter right now," I told her hoping to end the discussion. "How old are you?"

"I turn seventeen next week. Ms. Crystal had already told me that I'd have to leave soon. That's why this isn't bothering me as much as it is some of the other girls."

Shawna looked young for her age. A bowl cut of orange hair, bright green eyes, a round face covered with freckles. She stood maybe five foot four with nice round tits and a slightly large bubble butt. She was the very definition of cute.

It took us more than an hour to reach the old Valiant Department Store due to traffic. By the time we got there, it was almost three in the afternoon. From the store, Shawna guided me to the house she thought Ms. Crystal would head for. "From what Ms. Crystal and India have said, Ms. Crystal owns a couple houses here in town. This one, the one we're going to, is the biggest after the mansion. With that many girls, she's going to need the room. That's why I figure they'll come here."

It made sense to me but we were disappointed when we arrived. It was obvious that the house was sitting empty. In fact, it was for sale. "Shawna," I said as we sat in front of the house, staring at the realty sign, "Do you know where any of the other houses are?"

"I was at one other but I'm not sure if I can find it. It's somewhere over near Brockwater Park. Near the playground."

I nodded and we headed that way. If they weren't at the second house, I intended to return Shawna to the police station and then stake out both of the houses and hope that Ms. Crystal or one of her girls showed up.

Traffic was even worse this time. While heading for the Valiant, we'd been moving against the flow of traffic. Now we were stuck in it. From the radio reports we were hearing, there was no way around it either. The bypass around the city was even more congested than the city streets. By the time we got near Brockwater Park, the sun was down. "I'm never gonna find it in the dark," Shawna admitted almost as soon as we arrived at the park.

I parked the truck and sat back and thought about what to do next. I wanted to know the location of the second house, if there was a second house. I wasn't real sure I could trust Shawna on that tidbit. It seemed to me she was doing everything she could just to stay with me and not go back to the police. If she was just messing with me, I was going to be real ticked. Now I had a couple of hard decisions to make. What to do with Shawna was one, and what to do about Abby was the second.

Abby, as far as I knew, was still at The Beaver's Lodge. Who knew what Sandra had put her up to. I wasn't real worried about that. Sandra protected her girls almost as fiercely as Ms. Crystal protected hers. Despite the fact that Sandra considered this a favor to me, I was pretty sure she would keep Abby safe and sound. The problem was I had promised Sandra I'd come by and pick up Abby. With darkness falling and no clue where Ms. Crystal had disappeared to and still no lead on who this Robert Richards was or his whereabouts, I was pretty much in the same situation as I had been first thing that morning.

I had to get Abby by midnight or so and I had to find something to do with Shawna. Did I want the two girls together? Did I want to involve Shawna even more in this? Did I have the right to endanger her life by having her associate with Abby and I, just for a possible clue as to the whereabouts of Ms. Crystal and her girls? Would Mr. Richards' goons check the identity of the teenaged girl I was with? They must have figured out who I was by now. The death of Mr. Big, I would bet, had caused quite a commotion.

"What are you thinking about? Trying to figure out how to get rid of me?"

"There's a lot you don't know, Shawna. If you did, you might be looking for a way out yourself. If you'd known the whole truth, I doubt you would have come with me at all. The longer you're with me, the more danger you're in. Problem is I really need to find Ms. Crystal, and not just to shut her down. I'm trying to figure out what to do next.

"We can't find the house at night. If I take you to the police, they won't let you ride around with me tomorrow, especially after what happened at Ms. Crystal's house. Hell, it wouldn't surprise if they arrested me. So, I'm trying to figure out what to do with you to keep you safe and available to me."

"Take me home," Shawna said with a smile.

"Home where?"

"Your home, silly!"

I laughed. "The people who are threatening me, will be watching my house. They see you, they may not look carefully enough and decide you're the one they want. That wouldn't be a good thing."

"But," Shawna said, obviously confused, "Aren't they after you? Why would they be after me?"

"They're not after you, Shawna. That's my point. They might think you're the one they want, though. The person they want is the person I'm trying to protect."

"So where is she? How are you protecting her, if you're here with me?"

"She's with people I trust. She's fine."

"Well, you can't turn me over to the police until I show you the house. So I vote, we go get whoever it is you're supposed to be protecting and find a hotel for the night."

At that moment, I had an epiphany. I smiled at Shawna, wanting desperately to kiss her for inspiring me. I resisted the impulse. I started the truck and headed for where all this started. Back to Ms. Crystal's. "Can you drive?" I asked her as I pulled the SUV in behind my Camaro.

"I don't have a license but I know how."

"Excellent! Come on!"

I got out of the truck, leaving it parked on the side of the road and went and got into my car. I prefer my small sports car to a big-ass SUV any day of the week. Shawna followed me and climbed in. "Okay, why did you ask if I knew how to drive?"

"You'll find out later. For now, buckle up and hold on. We have to go fetch Abby."

"Abby?" Shawna asked as I pulled out and headed back to The Beaver's Lodge. "Abby who?"

"Don't worry about that. Abby is my client. I've been charged with protecting her."

"By who?"

"My employer."

"And who's that?" Shawna asked.

"You'd never believe it. Hell, I'm not sure I believe it, but I'm here and that means something."

We got to The Beaver's Lodge in good time. I parked in the alley behind the Lodge just as I had earlier and banged on the door. Unlike last time, I only had to bang once before the door popped open and there stood Sandra. "Hiya, stranger," she said with a grin. Then she noticed Shawna. "What are you doing, Adam? Going around town picking up young girls today?"

I smiled and pushed my way in with Shawna following me. Once the door was shut, I took a second to explain what was going on to Sandra. "Sandra, this is Shawna. Shawna, Sandra," I said by way of introductions. Sandra nodded. Shawna just gave her a smile. "Shawna is a witness with important information I need. What I need right now is Abby. Where is she?"

"Performing," Sandra said and turned and led us down the hall. "She's a natural. Seems to know exactly what the guys want her to do. If she were eighteen, I wouldn't let you have her back."

"So you let her dance?"

Sandra nodded. "I started her by having her bus tables and washing dishes. She's a natural born flirt though and some of my regulars started asking when she was gonna dance. I put her in a booth and only let in regulars I know and like. She's been in there all night. Word of mouth spread. She's been full all night. The fact that she looks about twelve is making me a fortune."

"I'm glad to hear you made some money."

Sandra led us into a room that was full of one way mirrors. Each mirror showed a view into a "peek-a-booth" where a girl was dancing. A customer could go into a small closet-like room, put in fifty cents and watch the show in privacy. Sandra led us to one of the mirrors and we saw Abby.

She was in a small room, maybe eight feet by eight feet with windows all around. The guys could see her but she couldn't see them. She was buck naked, had her head thrown back, her eyes closed, her legs spread and her fingers had her vaginal lips spread and one finger rubbing her clit. I couldn't blame the guys for watching her. I popped a boner the minute I saw her.

"How much longer has she got?" I asked.

Sandra checked her watch. "She goes on break in about ten minutes. You all can wait here and I'll bring her to you as soon as she's done." Sandra turned and left the room.

"Holy shit! That's Abby!" Shawna said, her jaw almost on the ground.

"You know her?"

Shawna nodded and responded but never took her eyes off Abby. "Yeah. We roomed together at Ms. Crystal's for a while right after we got there. She's one of my best friends."

"Good," I said. "Then I won't have to keep you two entertained. You can entertain each other."

Shawna laughed. "I'm willing but she says she doesn't swing that way."

Okay, so I'm a little slow. It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about. I hid my own stupidity from Shawna and walked around the room, checking out each of the various rooms. Shawna didn't move from in front of Abby's room.

About ten minutes later, the shade drew down over Abby's window. I had forced myself to check on her only occasionally. I didn't really have a problem with Abby stripping or whatever but watching her felt perverted with Shawna beside me. It was another five minutes before the door opened and Abby walked in, now dressed in blue jeans and a sleeveless denim shirt. She had her hair pulled back in a single ponytail, setting high on the back of her head. "Here's your girl," Sandra said as they entered the room.

Shawna squealed and ran to Abby, hugging her fiercely. Abby was surprised at first but when she realized who it was, she squealed and the two ran off to a corner and began to chat. "I think they know each other," Sandra said with a smile.

"I get the feeling they like each other," I said as I watched the two chattering in a low whisper. I turned back to Sandra. "I really do appreciate you hiding her like this."

Sandra nodded and ran a hand down my arm. "Just remember, stud. You owe me one. Get these girls out of here before the cops close me down." Sandra gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, turned, and left the room.

"You two ready to go? You can continue your conversation in the car."

Abby took Shawna's hand and led her over to me. When they got close, Abby released Shawna's hand and threw her arms around my neck. "Thank you for saving my friend," she whispered in my ear. She kissed me on the cheek and then let me go.

I just nodded. "Come on. The car's waiting."

I led the two girls to the back door, checked the alley to make sure no one was waiting, and waved them out. Shawna got into the little back seat while Abby got in the front beside me. I climbed in behind the wheel and backed out of the alley. "Where to now?" Abby asked.

"Shawna came up with a plan that just might work and keep us all alive until tomorrow morning."

"I did?" Shawna asked from the back seat as I pulled the Camaro out onto the road, shifted into first gear and stomped the accelerator.

"Well, sort of," I said with a nod. "You gave me the inspiration for my plan. We're going to go back to where we left the SUV. With luck, the police haven't found it and impounded it yet. When we get there, Shawna, I want you to drive the truck and follow me to the motel where we'll be spending the night."

"Can I ride with her?" Abby asked immediately.

"No!" And I didn't give either of the girls a chance to protest. "We'll get two rooms on opposite sides of the motel. We'll park the truck in front of one and the Camaro in front of the other. Then we'll sleep in the one by the truck."

"What good will that do?" Shawna asked.

"The people after Abby don't know about the truck but I'm pretty sure they're looking for the Camaro by now. If they spot the Camaro in the parking lot, they'll go to that room first. If they bust down that door, it'll tell us they've found us and we'll know it's time to leave or make a stand. Either way, at least we'll have some warning."

"Where'd the truck come from?" Abby asked.

"He stole it from Ms. Crystal."

Abby smacked me on the arm. "You bad boy." She smiled, then leaned over and hugged my arm. "I'm glad you're back. I feel safer with you around."

I wish I felt the same. I wasn't real sure this idea would work. It hadn't occurred to me previously but there was the possibility that Ms. Crystal and Mr. Richards were working together. Which meant that Mr. Richards may well know about the SUV and be looking for it. Not that it mattered. If they found the hotel, even if they knew about the truck, we would have a fifty-fifty shot of them picking the wrong room. I wasn't expecting to be getting much sleep that night.

We found the SUV where we'd left it. I handed the SUV key to Shawna. Abby let her out of the backseat. They hugged quickly, Abby got back in, and Shawna got in the truck. I waited until she had her seat belt on and the engine started before I pulled out onto the road. She followed right behind me. I think my eyes spent more time watching Shawna and the SUV in my rear view mirror than on the road ahead of us.

"Why couldn't I ride with her?"

"My job is to protect you. Not Shawna. That's why she's driving the truck and not you. It's why you're in the car with me instead of in the truck with her. It's why we're in the Camaro instead of the truck. I know and trust my Camaro. It has good pick-up and can out-run pretty much anything on the road."

"In other words, if something happens, you're gonna ditch Shawna."

I nodded once. "Only if I absolutely have to, but yes. My assignment was to shut down Ms. Crystal's, keep you alive and do what I could for the other girls. My employer didn't tell me which of my assignments was most important. The way I see it though, your life comes before any of the others. If needed, to keep you alive, I'd kill Ms. Crystal, Shawna, and every other girl who you worked with plus Mr. Richards and any of his hoodlums who got in my way."

"I think I'm a little flattered and a little scared at the same time."

"You and me both."

I drove the car out of town. Considering her age, Shawna drove pretty well. Even when a cop pulled up beside her, she kept her cool and kept the truck moving. I don't know whether the cop checked her out or not but if he did, he must not have found anything too suspicious. He turned left after about two blocks. I pulled into a motel south of town, about as far from the hotel Abby and I had stayed at the night before as I could get. The only reason I stopped is because it was getting late.

I went in and got two rooms. I was ready to tell him that my two sisters were mad at me for some thing and that they wanted a room as far from my own as they could get. He never asked why I wanted two rooms on opposite sides of the motel, though.

The motel was built in a U-shape with two floors. One room was on the first floor, the other on the second floor. I parked the Camaro in front of the second floor room and had Shawna park the truck in front of the first floor room The second floor room may have been somewhat more defensible but the first floor room gave us more options if we needed to leave quickly. I didn't see myself deciding to make a stand with two teenaged girls in the room with me. My job was to save Abby, not put her in danger.

With the vehicles parked, we all gathered in the first floor room. "Abby, you are not to leave this room tonight for any reason unless I say otherwise. If you want a drink, if you need ice, if you want food, you let me or Shawna get it. Do not go near the window. The curtains stay closed, and, Abby, you don't even peek out of a corner of the window. If you let Shawna or I into the room, you stay out of sight, either stand beside or behind the door. If someone comes to the door, you go in the bathroom. Understood?"

"Yes, Adam," Abby said.

"Shawna?"

"I get it!" She said. "I'm her slave for the night." She smiled at the end to let Abby and I both know she was kidding.

"Good. Shawna, see if you can get the number for a pizza place that delivers. Order us something. I'm gonna go take a shower while you two jabber. Do not unlock or open the door for anyone!" I ordered. They both nodded and the two started talking about whatever it is teenaged girls talk about. I put the revolver from my boot on the cabinet by the TV. I took off my boots and then went into the bathroom.

I undressed, realized once again that I had nothing to change into, and started the shower. My cock had been at half mast all night just thinking about Abby at The Beaver's Lodge and thinking about what Shawna had said. I couldn't help but wonder whether she was joking or if she was serious. I got into the shower and got myself washed.

Washing my privates put little me at full staff and I knew it wouldn't go away without some kind of satisfaction so I jerked myself off as best I could. I seemed to have forgotten how to jerk myself off or maybe Adam's cock just wasn't used to it. It took me about fifteen minutes before I shot my wad into the bathtub. I watched the little swimmers all disappear down the drain feeling just a little sad.

As I got out of the shower, something dawned on me. I had been here, in the body of Adam Knight, in Rexville, for about twenty-four hours. In that entire time, I hadn't missed my old wife or children once. Except in passing, I hadn't even thought about them. Standing there in front of the mirror brushing my hair and teeth, I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing, and what they would think of me now. Would I'd ever see them again? And if I did, what would their reaction be? Was I even allowed to contact them? If so, what the hell would I tell them?

I pushed those maudlin thoughts to the back of my head, filed them away for later consideration, and dressed in the same clothes I had been wearing since I'd woken up in Adam Knight's body. It was time to do something about this situation. The clothes were going to become a burden. I wouldn't be able to go anywhere in public because my clothes would stand out, the smell of them even if they weren't becoming stained. I needed clean clothes. Doing laundry simply wasn't a possibility and wouldn't fix a bullet hole anyway, and none of us, Shawna, Abby or I, had anything to put on while they were washing anyway. 'No, ' I thought, looking myself in the eyes. 'A shopping trip is definitely needed.'

With that realization, came the question of how to go about it. I could send Shawna out but there was no cash. I would have to use the credit card. They would, without doubt, ask Shawna for some proof that the card was hers or that she had permission to use it. If she couldn't produce it, they might call the cops. By now, the cops must know what had happened at Ms. Crystal's and were, no doubt, looking for me. If they arrested Shawna, she might tell them where I was just to clear her own name. Even if she managed to get the clothes, there was the chance that she'd be followed back to the hotel, either by the cops, Ms. Crystal, or goons working for Mr. Richards. That left only one option: Leave the girls in the motel room, hope nothing happened while I was gone, and go shopping myself.

With that settled in my head, I left the bathroom. I found the two girls both sitting up on the bed nearest the door, with the TV turned up and rap music blaring. I grabbed the remote and turned it down. "We don't need to draw any attention to ourselves here," I told them. "We don't need any potential neighbors calling the desk to complain about the noise. Keep it down." I handed the remote back to Shawna and got an apology from both girls. "Did you order something for dinner?"

"I ordered Chinese. They deliver and Abby and I are both tired of pizza."

"That's fine. How long did they say it would take?"

"About fifteen minutes. Should be.—" she checked the clock. "Should be here in about five minutes now."

I nodded. "Abby, you know what to do when they get here?"

Abby nodded. "Go into the bathroom, right?" she asked with a smile.

I nodded. "Good girl. Don't turn on the light and don't close the door. Just stand in there being as quiet as possible until I tell you it's okay to come out." She nodded in understanding.

"After we eat, I'm going out. You two are staying here." I could see the protest in Shawna's eyes and the horror in Abby's. "It's necessary. I can't risk taking you out, Abby. It would just put you in more danger and I don't want to leave you alone."

"I could go," Shawna volunteered.

"I considered that possibility but I have no cash. I'll have to use a credit card. I don't know if they'd let you use my card and you have no idea how to spot if you're being tailed or how to lose them if you do spot them and to top it all of, you don't have a license. No, I'm elected."

"Where are you going?" Abby asked, I could see tears welling in her eyes.

"To a department store. I'm going to get us all some clean clothes to put on. We all need them. I've been in these since early this morning," I said holding my shirt away from my body. "These are getting rather raunchy." Both girls giggled at that. "Don't worry. I'll leave you my cell number. If something happens, get away! As soon as you can, call me and I'll come get you." Both girls nodded. "I need you both to write down your sizes. Unless you want clothes that don't fit."

Shawna pulled open the nightstand drawer and pulled out some note paper, a pen and a Bible left by the Gideon's that she used as a lap desk. She wrote her own sizes and then handed it to Abby. Abby was forced to pause her writing when there was a knock at the door. She jumped off the bed, ran into the bathroom, and sat down on the toilet, leaving the door open and the light off as instructed. Shawna laid on the bed, looking bored with the TV as I answered the door, used the credit card to pay for the food, which the delivery guy wasn't real happy with until I told him to add a ten dollar tip to the total. Then he became real polite and nice about the whole thing.

I closed the door, set the food on the bed, and peeked through a hole in the curtains and watched as the delivery guy returned to his pickup truck and drove away. Only once he was out of the hotel parking lot did I call Abby back in.

Dinner went fine. We all had bites of everyone's food. The two girls kept me laughing the entire time we ate, joking about their experiences with johns at Ms. Crystal's.

After dinner, I took the list of sizes they had written down for me, made sure to take my 9mm and the revolver, which I returned to my boot, and headed for the Camaro. As I walked across the lot, I looked around counting the number of cars and taking note of what kinds of cars were parked there. I also looked for anything suspicious, such as someone sitting in a car or aimlessly wandering around or just hanging out. I didn't see anything. I got into the Camaro and took off. I watched my rear very carefully looking for anyone who might be trying to tail me as I headed back into town. If someone was following me, I couldn't spot them.

I was finding myself fortunate to have Adam's memories because in my previous life, I had no experience with spotting a tail, shooting a gun, or any such thing. I would have been killed quickly if it wasn't for the memories and skills that Adam Knight had left behind.

I found a Wal-Mart and went inside. I headed to the girl's department and found a young woman who worked there to help me. I told her I had two sixteen year old nieces at home who had just arrived for a visit and the airline had lost their luggage so they had no clothes except those they were wearing. "The airline has promised us that they will find the luggage and have it for them tomorrow but they need something to wear until then."

The young woman was very understanding and very helpful. Within twenty minutes I had enough clothes for me and the girls. While waiting in line to pay I thought of a half dozen other things we should probably have so I went wandering through the Wal-Mart picking up what I felt we needed. The last thing I picked up was a large overnight bag to carry all this stuff in. With that done, I headed for the registers and checked out. It cost me nearly two hundred dollars. I stood there hoping that Adam Knight had the resources to pay for this shopping trip.

With that finished, I pushed my cart, now full of Wal-Mart bags towards the door. I was almost there when something caught my eye. It was an ATM machine. It was just outside a bank located in front of the Wal-Mart. The bank was closed but that isn't what caught my eye.

What caught my eye was a sticker on the ATM showing the credit card I had. I wondered if I was an idiot for not having thought of this before. I went over to the ATM, pulled the card from my wallet, and noted that the card had been issued by the same bank. How lucky can a guy get? I slipped the credit card into the machine, and, without even really thinking, typed in the PIN.

My jaw fell open when the number worked. I had access to someone's bank account and I couldn't afford to not take advantage of it. I did an account balance inquiry and got a receipt that stated there was more than ten thousand dollars in the account. I told the machine I wanted to make a withdrawal. The machine limited the amount I could take out to four hundred dollars, but that was fine with me. I withdrew the four hundred, stuffed the money into my pocket, got my card back, and, pleased with myself, I headed for the door.

At the car, I loaded all the goodies I had bought into the back seat and passengers seat and then headed back to the hotel, not taking the direct route. Instead I looped in and around, moving quickly from street to street and sometimes going in circles just to see if anyone was following me. I was pretty sure I wasn't being followed and headed for the city limits and the motel.

I got back to the motel about two hours after leaving. I grabbed all my goodies, hooking bags and bags over my arms, went to the motel room door, and knocked. A moment later, Shawna opened the door and let me in. I smiled when I didn't see Abby in the room. I entered the room and dropped my purchases onto one of the beds as Shawna closed the door. "Lock it," I told her and heard the deadbolt slide into place. "You can come out now, Abby." A second later, Abby appeared from the bathroom. I gave her a nod and a smile. "Good girl."

She blushed shyly. A minute later I was overwhelmed with teenaged girls on a stampede to look at the clothes I had bought them. I moved out of the way after grabbing my own clothes and let them go. After about ten minutes of constant talking and holding up clothes, they seemed to calm down some. "Who gets the shower first?" I asked.

The two girls looked at each other, locked eyes for a moment and then smiled. "Share?" Shawna asked. Abby nodded. They each got a the nightgown I had bought for them and a pair of panties and then, holding hands, the two ran off to the bathroom, closing the door behind them. I just stood there and smiled and shook my head.

Once I heard the water running and was pretty sure the two girls wouldn't walk in on me, I stripped and changed into my new and clean clothes. After the girls finished their shower, they came out and we all settled in and watched some prime time TV. At about eleven, with both girls already asleep in the other bed, I turned off the lights and the TV, slipped down under the covers and closed my eyes.