Free Only Hers by Francis Ray Page B

anything to remind me of the last two hours.” She opened the door, looked at the naked light bulb at the front door of the office, then back at Matt. Her voice hesitant, she asked, “You’ll wait here, won’t you?”
    “I’ll wait.”
    Offering a smile of gratitude, Shannon got out of the truck and went into the dingy office. The sight of the thin, unshaven man behind the counter caused her to shudder. She had been mentally groped by men before, but never had she wanted to rush home and take a scalding bath.
    “I’m checking out.”
    Hands under his armpits, his back propped against the doorframe of a connecting room of the office, he slowly turned toward her. As when she had registered, his gaze dropped to her breasts and stayed there. His tongue ran across his narrow lower lip.
    Shannon barely kept her disgust from showing. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. The key landed with a soft thunk on the counter. “I’d like a receipt.”
    His gaze lifted. “Didn’t take you long to get a better offer.”
    “The receipt.”
    Dragging his hands from beneath his arms, he went behind the counter and moved a sheet of paper. “Can’t seem to find the receipt book. Wanna come behind the counter and help me look?”
    “Not if my life depended on it.”
    “I’ll just see about that,” he snarled and started around the counter.
    Shannon spun for the door. She heard a curse, then the distinctive clang of a phone hitting the floor. She looked over her shoulder. Not seeing anyone, she cautiously peeped over the four-foot wooden countertop. The clerk was sprawled on the cluttered floor, the phone cord tangled around his bony legs.
    “Saved by Ma Bell,” she said, and began to laugh.
    The door behind her opened and she turned. Matt filled the doorway, his face harsh and relentless. “Having fun?”
    “Hardly. The clerk appears to be having some difficulty finding a receipt book,” she told him.
    There was another clank behind the counter, then a string of curse words. “When I catch that bi—” A head shot over the counter and looked straight into Matt’s dark, forbidding face. The man stumbled backward, tripped over the phone for the second time and went down.
    Shannon laughed again. Catching her sides, she glanced up at Matt. Laughter abruptly ceased. She well understood the clerk’s fright. Matt looked as if he could strangle her. She couldn’t imagine what she had done this time to annoy him.
    “Do you need help in writing that receipt?” Matt asked, his voice tight and clipped.
    “No . . . no, sir” came the hasty reply.
    Her eyes widened. Her gaze went to Matt. The pimply-faced, surly young man probably hadn’t said “sir” in his life. At least it was nice to know she wasn’t the only person intimidated by Matt.
    True to the clerk’s words, his head came back up thistime with a body and a receipt shaking in his grubby hand. “Nice having you, Ms. Johnson.”
    Matt snatched the receipt with one hand and Shannon with the other. He didn’t stop until he practically tossed her into the passenger seat of his truck. This time when he took off she had no intention of saying anything. Just breathing appeared to upset her reluctant rescuer. With no money she was at his mercy. She shivered. Not a comforting thought.

Chapter 5
    Less than five minutes later Shannon realized she wasn’t going to be able to keep her promise of not speaking to Matt. A small groan slipped past her lips as he slowed his truck and pulled off the highway behind her Allante. She had hoped he had forgotten about her car. The way her life was going she should have known that wouldn’t happen.
    Cutting the engine, he twisted in the seat toward her. “Which light came on?”
    “Light?” Long, sooty lashes veiled her eyes.
    Beneath his mustache sensual lips thinned in annoyance. “The red warning light in the dash.”
    “Oh.” She twisted uneasily in her seat. She had known exactly what he had meant. Stalling wasn’t