They drove through another fast-food place for dinner, and Max vowed to wine and dine Ava once they got to Snow Haven. It sounded like a perfect place to relax and sink into luxury, but it wouldn’t turn out to be much of a haven for them with Ava cooking up potions in a meth lab while they looked over their shoulders.
Maybe they’d both jumped to conclusions. Given Cody’s lifestyle, it could’ve been anyone going through his stuff—maybe even the cops.
“We still have a few hours. You can take a nap if you like.” She patted the GPS stuck to the windshield. “I can get there.”
“We should’ve asked your brother for a hotel recommendation.”
“Aren’t we going straight to his place? I was going to call when we got to town to get his address.”
“I don’t want to go rushing up to his apartment, especially if it’s been compromised. Let’s get a feel for the place first.”
“Cody’s probably tending bar tonight anyway. I didn’t even ask him.”
He peeled the GPS from the glass and tapped it. “I think this will list hotels and restaurants, too. We can look something up when we get to Snow Haven.”
“I wonder if they have any snow yet. Do you ski?”
“Yeah. Do you?”
“That’s an expensive sport, and my family didn’t exactly have money.”
“How did Cody learn to snowboard?”
“Cody’s been playing pretty much since he graduated from high school—snowboarding, surfing, mountain climbing. He’s done it all.”
“How’d he afford that lifestyle?”
“Don’t ask.” She pursed her lips and stared at the highway.
Max closed his eyes, but he’d never mastered the trick of sleeping in a moving car or plane or bus. He never got tired though. He was wound too tight to relax. Tempest must’ve thought he was prime material for their spy games.
“Are you okay to drive the rest of the way? I can’t sleep anyway.”
“I’m good.” Her brow furrowed. “You need to get some rest.”
“You mean because it’s almost time for Mr. Hyde to come out?”
“I’m just wondering if you could hold out for a little longer if you practiced meditation or deep breathing or something like that.”
He lifted his shoulders and let them drop. “Never tried it.”
“My point exactly.”
He slumped in his seat and closed his eyes again. “I’ll start working on it right now.”
A few seconds later, Ava was poking his arm. “We’re here.”
He blinked and rubbed the back of his stiff neck. “Where?”
“In Snow Haven, and it’s not snowing.”
“You’re kidding.” He pressed his forehead against the cold window, as the outline of stark trees rushed by in the dark. “I actually fell asleep.”
She scrunched up her face. “It wasn’t a very deep sleep—lots of mumbling and twitching.”
“That must’ve been attractive. Any drooling?”
She giggled. “Not that I noticed.”
He wiped his chin with the back of his hand anyway and dug the GPS out of the cup holder. He tapped the display for places of interest and selected hotels.
Several popped up and he scrolled through the list. “How about the Snow Haven Lodge and Resort.”
“Sounds expensive.”
“Tempest is footing the bill.”
Her jaw dropped. “Is that where you got all this cash?”
“They owed me—big-time.”
“Let’s do it. It’s not like you’re going to return any leftover funds to Tempest, is it?”
“Not unless they pry them from my cold, dead hands.”
Ava sucked in a breath and punched his shoulder. “Don’t even joke about that.”
Hadn’t she figured out yet that he didn’t have much of a sense of humor? He rubbed his arm. “Ouch.”
“There’s more where that came from if you insist on tempting the fates with that kind of talk.”
Ava Whitman could be a fierce little thing.
He selected the Snow Haven Lodge and Resort, and the GPS told them to take the exit in two miles.
He yawned and shook his head. “I don’t think I could take your brother tonight anyway. I need a good night’s sleep, a meal and a shower first.”