Good question. If she were being honest with herself, her unease had already begun to slip away. For a human trafficker, he was an awfully good actor. His shock seemed real. Plus, greeting the victim at the door shirtless didn’t seem like the best plan.
His tongue crept to the corner of his mouth, and his eyes sought the ceiling, clearly thinking—which was in itself reassuring. If he were a criminal, he wouldn’t bother with the act.Right?
“What if you take a picture of my driver’s license and send it to a friend? Like insurance?”
That actually wasn’t a bad idea even if she didn’t currently have any friends she could send it to. But he didn’t need to know that. She nodded, and by the time he returned with his wallet, she was pretty convinced he wasn’t going to sell her—but she still made him toss her the card.
Keeping her eyes on him, she pulled the phone from the back pocket of her jeans and snapped a picture. She sent it to her brother Luke. She would think of a story later but just in case….
“Are we good?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“Did you just move here? Your license is from Virginia.”
“I said that. Can I have it back?”
She scowled at him. “I don’t know why you’re giving me attitude. I’m not the one who greeted a strange woman half-naked. You do know it’s the middle of winter, right?”
He looked down at his half-dressed body with surprise, then narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t think I gave youattitude. I was working out, and you were struggling with the door. I was trying to be nice.”
Technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was just that she hated feeling uncomfortable. And unfortunately, every time it happened, her automatic reaction was always her mouth. If she hadn’t lost her temper in Ibiza, Erik wouldn’t have wanted revenge.
“Let’s start over,” she said. “I’m Cara, Melody’s new roommate.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Wes Evans, temporary roommate.”
“And Melody’s not here? She’s in Italy?”
“It was a last-minute photo shoot. I thought she’d let you know. She’ll be back in a couple days.”
Cara nodded slowly, her mind assessing her options. She could stay with this strange guy, sleep in her car, or she could stay with her brother until Melody returned. None of them sounded especially appealing.
Her phone buzzed, and when she looked down, she saw a text from Luke.
Luke: Why are you sending me a driver’s license?
She chewed her lip for a second.
Cara: Sorry, just a guy I met. Didn’t mean to send it to you.
“Needless to say, this isn’t the living situation I thought I was walking into,” she said aloud, meeting Wes’s gaze.
“I can imagine. But I’m not a psycho. Promise.”
Cara was more cautious than she would have been the year before, and this might be a terrible mistake but… “I kinda feel like that’s what all psychos say, but…” She lifted a shoulder. It wasn’t his fault his girlfriend put them in this position.
Picking up the box, she placed it on the floor by her bed. She would just ignore him. When she returned from her car with the next box, Wes had put on a pair of black athletic pants and matching hoodie.
“Do you need help?”
She shook her head.
“I’m going to the grocery store. Need anything?”
She tried not to let her relief show. It would be a lot less awkward to get settled without an audience.
“I have some food, but thanks.”
Once he was gone, Cara finished unloading her car and put the few groceries she had brought with her in the kitchen. She didn’t want to take the time to make a meal, so with a bag of carrots and a tub of hummus, Cara retreated to her room. She called the number Melody had given her but was forced to leave a voicemail. For good measure, she also sent her new roommate a terse text asking for an explanation.
