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  Rescuing Rita - A SANCTUM Novel

  Pepper North

  Cover Artist

  Allysa Hart

  Text copyright ©2019 Pepper North

  All Rights Reserved

  Author’s Note:

  The following story is completely fictional. The characters are all over the age of 18 and as adults choose to live their lives in an age play environment. This is a series of books that can be read in any order. You may, however, choose to read them sequentially to enjoy the characters best. Subsequent books will feature characters that appear in previous novels as well as new faces.

  Other titles by Pepper North

  Zoey: Dr. Richards’ Littles 1

  Amy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 2

  Carrie: Dr. Richards’ Littles 3

  Jake: Dr. Richards’ Littles 4

  Angelina: Dr. Richards’ Littles 5

  Brad: Dr. Richards’ Littles 6

  The Digestive Health Center: Susan’s Story

  Charlotte: Dr. Richards’ Littles 7

  Sofia and Isabella: Dr. Richards’ Littles 8

  Cecily: Dr. Richards’ Littles 9

  Tony: Dr. Richards’ Littles 10

  The Keepers: Payi

  Abigail: Dr. Richards’ Littles 11

  Madi: Dr. Richards’ Littles 12

  Penelope: Dr. Richards’ Littles 13

  Christmas with the Littles & Wendy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 14

  Olivia: Dr. Richards’ Littles 15

  Matty & Emma: Dr. Richards’ Littles 16

  The Magic of Twelve: Violet

  Fiona: Dr. Richards’ Littles 17

  The Keepers: Pien

  Oliver: Dr. Richards’ Littles 18

  The Magic of Twelve: Marigold

  Luna: Dr. Richards’ Littles 19

  Lydia & Neil: Dr. Richards’ Littles 20

  A Little Vacation South of the Border

  The Magic of Twelve: Hazel

  Roxy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 21

  Dr. Richards’ Littles: First Anniversary Collection

  Jillian: Dr. Richards’ Littles 22

  The Magic of Twelve: Sienna

  Hunter: Dr. Richards’ Littles 23

  Sharing Shelby: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Magic of Twelve: Pearl

  Dr. Richards’ Littles: MM Collection

  Electrostatic Bonds

  Grace: Dr. Richards’ Littles 24

  Looking After Lindy: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Keepers: Naja

  Tales from Zoey’s Corner - ABC

  Steven: Dr. Richards’ Littles 25

  The Magic of Twelve: Violet, Marigold, Hazel

  The Magic of Twelve: Primrose

  The Keepers Collection

  Protecting Priscilla: A SANCTUM Novel

  One Sweet Treat: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Magic of Twelve: Sky

  Sylvie: Dr. Richards’ Littles 26

  (appears in the Dirty Daddies Anniversary Anthology)

  Tami: Dr. Richards’ Littles 27

  Liam: Dr. Richards’ Littles 28

  Dr. Richards’ Littles: 2nd Anniversary Collection

  Picking Poppy: A SANCTUM Novel

  The Magic of Twelve: Amber

  Tim: Dr. Richards’ Littles 29

  Once Upon A Time: A Dr. Richards’ Littles Story

  Dear Readers,

  I can’t believe Rescuing Rita will be the sixth in the SANCTUM series. As the book releases, I’m listening to the audio tracks for Sharing Shelby, Looking After Lindy and Protecting Priscilla. They will be coming out in October of 2019 as a large combined audio set on Audible. I absolutely love hearing these books read aloud!

  As I write this, I’m stacking up events to attend next year. If you’ve never been to a book conference or signing, you need to experience this fun! I’m trying to hit different parts of the states and have plans to travel outside the continental US in coming years. Let me know if you have a great event near you!

  Hugs,

  Pepper

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Afterword

  An invitation to be part of Pepper’s Littles League!

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Margarita Alma sized up the pool hall as Eddie thrust her through the door. There were probably forty pool tables in organized rows around the large, open space. A long bar and a restaurant with a small gathering of tables completed the interior. Already, it was filled with people. Those that you would expect—tattooed men who would look perfectly at home on a motorcycle and those you wouldn’t—friendly suburbanites who enjoyed a night out with friends.

  Some people in that last group especially caught her eye. Not because they weren’t hard looking. She’d run into all types of people in bars and pool halls during her bartending days. These individuals were in couples and triads. Still normal, but not. She could tell that some were in charge and dominant, while others followed their instructions, at least most of the time. All were having a blast learning how to play pool. One cute blonde even sat on her escort’s lap as she enthusiastically encouraged the others.

  Rita’s eyes widened. They were Littles. That meant those people had to be Daddies and Mommies? Inside, her heart broke just a bit more. She’d been looking for her Daddy for a very long time.

  She’d almost convinced herself that people didn’t get to live in this special kind of relationship. That only the lucky characters in her books were able to enjoy having someone care for them so deeply. Now faced with proof that there were Daddies and Mommies out there, Rita couldn’t help being jealous and sad even while she was in this crappy situation. Why did they get to have a Daddy, and she couldn’t find one?

  A rough hand shaking her arm forced her attention back to the present. She stared hard at the ugly man who gripped her upper arm. His fingers had tightened as he glared at her. “Remember. You say nothing! We’re here to meet my … the buyer and then, we’ll leave. Look happy!” he’d demanded when her face revealed just what she thought of him.

  Rita despised this weasel of a man. Eddie Schaffer was the new owner of the bar she’d worked at for a couple of years. When he’d taken over two months ago, she had never trusted Eddie Schaffer. His long, thin face always looked like he was sucking on lemons. She was sure that there was no joy in his life. Now, standing in this pool hall, she knew he was up to no good.

  Walking into the office earlier that night to give notice that she was quitting in two weeks, Rita had discovered him snorting a thin line of white powder. A plastic bag of a large quantity of the obvious drug sat on the desktop. Frozen in the doorway, Rita hadn’t recovered fast enough to get herself out of there before Eddie pulled a gun from the desk. Scooping the drugs into a leather satchel, Eddie had forced her out the backdoor of the bar and into his car.

  Under threat that he would shoot her and everyone around, Rita had cooperated. Now looking around at the Littles, Rita knew this wasn’t the time to try to flee. She stood quietly with Eddie as he waited for someone that he was meeting there.

  The curvy brunette kne
w he was nervous. Sweating bullets, Eddie was on his third beer. The bastard hadn’t even been happy when the waitress brought her a glass of water when he wouldn’t order anything for her. Nodding her thanks to the thoughtful server, Rita heeded the tightening grip on her arm, warning her not to say anything.

  When his phone buzzed, Eddie set down his beer and looked at the screen with relief. Looking at Rita, he hissed quietly, “You stay here. I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t try anything funny. I know where you live.”

  Nodding cooperatively, Rita took a sip of water to cover her immediate reaction. The moment he walked out that door, she would be out of here. With one last glare at her, Eddie released her arm. She watched him walk through the crowd. As soon as the pool players blocked her view, Rita turned and hurried to the restrooms.

  Just as she hoped, there was an exit to the back parking lot. Rita darted through the door and froze. She could see Eddie standing behind the second row of cars talking to a scary-looking man. He hadn’t seen her. Rita cursed the cute white and red top that she’d worn that night to work. It practically glowed in the dim light.

  Moving as quickly as possible, Rita ducked between the cars to hide from the two men. Panic overwhelmed her thought processes as she focused on one word, escape. She didn’t have a phone to call someone. Rita dropped her forehead against the nearest car. She had no credit cards to pay a cab or an Uber. It was a very long way back to her apartment, but even worse, Eddie knew where she lived. He had access to all her employment records as well as her purse that was tucked in its usual cubby under the bar.

  The curvy brunette peeked over the car when she heard her name. The man Eddie had met wasn’t happy.

  “Why didn’t you just shoot her on the way over?” he demanded.

  “I’ll take care of Rita later. She doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. She’ll follow my directions,” Eddie tried to convince him.

  “Bullshit! You’re risking the whole operation. I’m going to jail because you can’t remember to lock your office door. Go get her. I’ll take her with me and get rid of the body,” the threatening man directed.

  Crap! She thought as she watched Eddie walk toward the rear door. He would discover that she was missing in just a few seconds and start looking for her.

  An old-fashioned telephone ring sounded very close to Rita. Double crap! That scary-looking man was almost at her hiding spot. She heard him answer.

  “What’s she look like?” the man demanded, before directing, “Go look out front for her and then circle around to the back parking lot. She hasn’t gotten away yet. I’ll start looking back here.”

  Trying not to panic, Rita moved as quietly as possible to the last two cars parked in that row. Next to them, a large truck pulling a horse trailer was parked. In an open field next to the billiards house, a well-built man was slowly walking a large horse around. She couldn’t help but scan his athletic body.

  Cowboys definitely were nice to look at, she thought before panicking as she heard the footsteps of the man Eddie had met within the parking lot. Out of cars to hide behind, Rita ran to the closest shelter that she could find. Three quick steps and she was inside the horse trailer. Quickly, she ducked behind the barrier between the horse and the storage area at the far end of the trailer. Huddling behind the hay bales, she watched the shadowed entrance intently.

  “Hey, cowboy!” the harsh voice spoke next to the open trailer.

  “Yes? May I help you?” A warm, deep, masculine voice sounded from the other side of the lowered gate.

  “Did you see a fat, dark-haired Hispanic woman running away out here? My missus and I had a misunderstanding. I’m trying to find her to apologize,” the cretin answered.

  Rita bristled at his description of her. She hated the word fat. She was curvy, but she’d still try to kick his butt if she wasn’t sure that he had a gun. The thought of getting shot cooled her anger. Freezing where she was, Rita was confident that neither man knew where she was.

  “I saw someone with dark hair headed toward that green car over there.” The cowboy’s voice had lost its warmth.

  Hearing the scuff of the dangerous man’s footsteps on the asphalt as he walked away, Rita breathed out a silent sigh of relief. To her horror, she heard the cowboy murmuring to the horse at the entrance of the trailer.

  “Come on, Gumdrop. I should have known better than to stop here on a Friday night. Let’s get you loaded up, and we can head to SANCTUM.”

  The voice was low and coaxing. Rita could hear the caring that this man had toward the giant horse. She cringed back against the hay bales as the man backed into the trailer, gently leading the animal inside.

  What should she do? If she said something, the man could reveal her presence. They were obviously headed somewhere. The horse stepped his front feet into the trailer when she smelled Rita. Her flaring nostrils and the snort of distrust made the cowboy stop immediately.

  “Whoa, girl. It’s okay. What’s wrong?” he asked the horse, plainly expecting her to answer him.

  Charmed by the man’s sweetness toward the mare, Rita took a chance. “Please, don’t let that man know I’m here. They’re going to kill me. I’m sorry I spooked your horse. I’m a good person. I promise,” she whispered. Even she could hear the desperation in her voice.

  “Whoa, Gumdrop. It’s okay. I know you don’t like the trailer,” the man continued as if he hadn’t heard her at all. Silently, he turned to search the darkness at the front of the trailer. His eyes spotted the cute, white stripes of her sailor top immediately.

  In a low voice that Rita had to strain to hear, he directed, “Gumdrop won’t come in with you here. Quietly, let yourself out the door to your left. The men are on the other side of the parking lot. My truck is open. Get in the passenger side and hide. Be careful as you get in. There’s large metal pole extending through the cab on that side.”

  Without asking a single question, Rita quietly unlatched the door and snuck out. It took a bit of embarrassing wiggling because the door was narrow, and her bottom wasn’t. She turned and relatched the door from the outside. Rita looked around the front of the trailer before crossing the gap between to get to the truck.

  The last of her bravery was dissolving. Racing up the side of the large, heavy-duty truck, Rita eased open the door and jumped into the high seat. She missed the first time. Her legs were too short. She tumbled back to the ground, thankfully landing on her hands and feet.

  Death by lack of athletic ability, she thought desperately. Lifting her foot again to the floorboard of the truck, Rita stretched upward to wrap her fingers around the grab bar above the window. With a determined lunge upward, the curvy young woman heaved herself up into the seat.

  WHACK! Rita’s temple bashed into something hard. Fortunately, her bottom slid into the deep seat, and she quickly closed the passenger door. She could hear the horse’s feet clomping as she stepped into the trailer. Rita crossed her fingers that her impact with the bar had not been heard over that.

  Shifting her body into the floor space of the big cab, Rita’s shaking hand gently traced the rapidly swelling bump where the side of her head had crashed into the pole. She looked up to glare at the pole and immediately felt nauseous. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried not to vomit.

  Can this evening get any worse? She thought before trying to push that thought from her mind. With her luck tonight, it could.

  Chapter 2

  The slide of the two bolts seconds apart from each other told her that the cowboy had closed the trailer. Rita could hear the voices of the two men searching the parking lot getting louder. They were retracing their steps back toward this side of the parking lot.

  She jumped when the driver’s door opened. The interior light revealed the cowboy’s handsome face. Rita’s tension dropped. The man got in without looking at her at all. He pulled a large piece of fabric from that horrid bar over her seat and dropped it on top of her head, covering her body completely.

  Starting the heavy-dut
y truck, he smoothly shifted it into gear and rolled forward gently so he didn’t jerk Gumdrop behind them. The truck moved slowly down the drive on the far side of the pool hall and out onto the road. Rita held her breath that the men wouldn’t suspect where she was.

  Several minutes later, her savior announced, “It’s safe to come out now.” He pulled the blanket from over her head, dividing his attention between the road and glancing at her.

  Rita moved in slow motion as she tried to convince herself that she was okay. Each shift in her position caused wave after wave of sickness to crash over her. Finally, she slid into the seat next to him with her hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

  “Sorry. You warned me, but I was too short to get into the truck, I jumped up but hit my head. It’s thrown me for a loop. Thank you for helping me. I was in real trouble back there.” Rita laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes again. The glare of the on-coming cars aggravated her blooming headache.

  “Little girl, I’m so sorry. You’ve had a bad evening,” the man whispered as if reading her mind that everything was too loud.

  “Little girl? If that’s a fat joke, you can let me out right here,” she demanded, leaning toward the door as if to jump out. Rita had been the brunt of mean girl vindictiveness in school when she couldn’t get away from them. Now, she didn’t put up with any unpleasantness.

  His hand reached over to take her hand, tethering her in the car. “No. You will hurt or kill yourself. I will never say negative things about someone. That’s not my way. I meant Little girl in another form. Not size but lifestyle.”