“It’s a cheap motel. What do you expect?”
“Maybe I asked the wrong question,” I say, starving off any deep breaths. “What are you doing here? Last I checked, you had loads of money, and you were sitting on a mountain of gold.”
She shakes her head and moves to the mini fridge just below the counter, then grabs out a bottle of water, handing it to me before reaching for another. “If you’re lingering to ask me to leave, save your breath. I’m staying so—”
“Sorry, but if you’re staying here, I’m staying with you. There’s no way in hell I could leave you here alone. This place is crawling with assholes that would give anything to break into this room. I heard a few of them talking about it as I made my way up the stairs.”
Her eyes roll and she sits on the end of the bed. “No, you didn’t. You’re making stuff up, so I get scared, and leave with you.”
I am, in fact, making it up, but I don’t concede to anything.
“You’re fresh meat to these people. Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”
She sighs and folds her arms in front of her chest. “Are you going to tell me why you left Alaska for good? Everyone whispers around town like you’ve got big secrets, but you never tell anyone much.”
“If you think you’re going to blackmail me into spilling my secrets, it might work.”
Her eyebrow peaks. “Oh yeah, let me guess… I agree to leave this awful place and you tell me more lies?” She grins. “I’m not sure I care that much, cowboy.” She flicks the rim of my hat and turns back toward her bed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to—”
A gunshot interrupts her smart-ass remark. Then there’re the sounds of a scuffle, followed by the footsteps of one person chasing another through the breezeway, and ultimately two more gunshots.
Where the hell are the cops?
“Okay,” I say, striding toward her, “you’re coming whether you like it or not.” I lift her up and over my shoulder as she kicks and pounds at my back.
“Let me down. You can’t take me against my will. Do you know what kind of fine there is for kidnapping the mayor?”
I laugh. “Mayor?You’re not the mayor yet. Right now, you’re just some hot chick making poor decisions.”
The hot chick comment gets her to stop beating on me just long enough to lift her bag into my other hand. “Is there anything else you need me to get before I drag you out of here?”
“I have things in the bathroom. Let me down and I promise I’ll follow.”
I can’t help but laugh as I make my way to the dingy bathroom in the back to gather a small bag of personal items. This isn’t easy with her kicking and punching at my shoulder, but I make my way out of the hotel room and down the stairs with no drama. I actually think her struggling may have helped us a little. The people standing in the hallways are looking as though I’m the bad guy and they don’t want anything to do with that. In fact, I’ve never seen people look away quicker.
When we get to the truck, I settle her into the passenger’s seat and round to the driver's side door. She’s leaning against the window, and I notice tears streaming down her cheeks.
Fuck. I know I’m a barbarian, but am I really that big a prick? I only wanted her to be safe.
“What’s wrong?” I reach out for her, but she flinches away.
“Just drive.” Her words are broken and cracked as though there’s pain behind them and I’m not sure what to make of it.
“Where am I going?”
“Back to Rugged Mountain. That’s what you wanted, right? All anyone wants to do is drag me back into the thick of it. Let’s go!”
“You know, I’d be a lot better help if you’d tell me what’s going on.”
She twists toward me, a glare in her eyes so dark that I can only imagine it’s something awful, something that maybe she really did need space to manage.
Fuck. Maybe I am a prick.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “You don’t have to talk about it. Just rest a little and I’ll take you somewhere quiet and safe. I have a place where no one will bother you.”
I’m not sure what reaction to expect, but she doesn’t give me any. She only turns her gaze back out the side window and closes her eyes before saying, “They were supposed to be mine.”