Free Black Dawn by Cristin Harber

hell?
    A pizza place’s sign caught his attention, and he pulled in. “Pizza?”
    “Sure.”
    He shifted into park. “What do you like on it?”
    “Whatever.” She studied her fingers knotting and re-knotting.
    “Lexi, toppings. What do you want on your pizza?”
    She looked up. Her innocent, blood-speckled eyes seemed so surprised that he cared. “I’m not the girl this happens to.”
    Except she was… and he wanted to rain hell. “But you are hungry, sweetheart.”
    Her forgotten smile came out for a second then disappeared. “Sausage and banana peppers.” Then her cheeks heated, and her eyes dropped. “But cheese is totally fine.”
    “Sausage and banana peppers?” It was a sliver of the girl he had known before, full of personality and unexpected answers. “Alright then.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Hey, does ‘bacon’ mean anything to you?”
    Her color faded. “Oh, crap.”
    “What?” Maybe he should’ve kept that to himself. What was it, a code for him finding her, hurting her? “Never mind. Just ignore that.”
    “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this, Parker. I’m really sorry.”
    Parker cupped a hand over her fidgeting, nervous fingers. The simple touch made electricity shoot up his arms. “If you recall, I carried you out.” She blushed, bringing some of her color back, and that surprised him, adding warmth in his chest to go with the shock of electricity. “Be back in a minute. Okay?”
    “Okay.” She nodded, and her shoulders shivered before she tried to hide it.
    “Warm up.” He’d been so fired up from wanting to pummel Matt. It had to be forty degrees outside, and he had the window cracked open. Parker pulled a jacket from the backseat for her, cranked the heat to full blast, then jumped out into the cold.
    Sausage and banana peppers. As though she was too lost to realize it was okay to order what she wanted. Maybe he should call Matt and tell him to get his ass off the couch, whether he wanted a fight or not. Parker pushed into the pizza place and bounced on the balls of his shoes as he waited in line to order and pay. Bacon, bacon, bacon. What the fuck did bacon mean?
    “Ten minutes.” The cashier handed him the receipt and change. “They’ll call your number when it’s ready.”
    “Thanks.” Parker dropped the change into a jar then headed to his Rover to wait.
    It was empty. No Lexi.
    Concern hit him hard in the gut. Matt? No… right? He pivoted, looking for her. Nothing. Just the sprawl of a shopping center on both sides of the street. Maybe she needed something from the grocery store? Had to hit the bathroom? But she didn’t have a purse and would’ve gone into the pizza place. This didn’t make sense.
    He walked by a few storefronts. Nothing she would likely go into. A blinds store, a pet food store. Where was she? Parker circled back to his vehicle, and still she was nowhere to be seen. He saw his jacket abandoned on the passenger seat. Finally succumbing to the dread that prickled at him, Parker pulled out his phone and dialed Matt.
    “Hey,” Matt answered.
    “Where is she?”
    “Lexi?”
    Rage made Parker’s muscles bunch. “Yeah, you dickhead.”
    Matt chuckled. “You told her about Bacon. Nice job. She called from a convenience store. I’m on my way to pick her up.”
    “Pick her up?” What the fuck had just happened? Parker hustled to his still-running SUV and gunned the engine, pulling out and leaving tracks. “Where?”
    “Good looking out for my girl. Thanks, buddy.” The call ended.
    His girl ? Parker stared at the blinking screen then looked up and saw the sign for a convenience store. Matt’s truck was ahead with Lexi, head down, shoulders slumped, making her way toward it from the wall full of lotto and phone card advertisements.
    Parker honked, and her head snapped up. She saw him, had to have , but she didn’t give him any more acknowledgment as she dragged herself toward Matt’s truck and got in the passenger seat. Matt had to have