We’re on the opposite side of town, nowhere near the compound, but I can’t take a chance that I’ll run into any members of the bratva.
My head swims just thinking about what it all means. Luka was in the car with me in the woods. Did Anton and Savannah kidnap him? Kill him?
“Are you sure I was brought into the hospital alone?” It doesn’t make sense. Why leave me to die and not Luka, too?
“You’re the onlyhikerI tripped over,” Sadie says. However, she forces the use of the word hiker. She isn’t an idiot.
Is she aware that I wasn’t in the woods to go hiking?
“Why?” Sadie asks as she glances at me before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
She’s nervous.
Why?
Do I scare her? Or does she know something that she’s not saying?
“No reason.” The less I say, the better. It’s for her safety. There are men who want me dead, any number of men, least of all the bratva, which have somehow now been added to that list.
We finish shopping, she pays, and I feel guilty that I can’t cover the essentials. I will pay her back, even if it means having to rob a bank to get her the funds. I drop the bags into the trunk of her tiny car. “I can drive,” I offer.
“With that head injury?” She points at the scar on my head.
“It was weeks ago,” I counter. I’d caught a quick glimpse of the scar in the reflection coming into the store through the glass doors. It doesn’t look that bad.
“And your ass just woke up from a coma. No thanks. You can ride shotgun.”
It’s her car. And while I want to make her turn over the keys and demand she does as I say, the girl is helping me out. I should be thankful, which isn’t an easy emotion to deal with, given my line of work.
“Yeah,” I mutter, and climb into the front passenger side. I slam the door shut and yank the seatbelt tight across my waist, waiting for her to start the engine and pull out into traffic.
Every so often, she glances at me. I can tell she wants to ask me something because she keeps opening her mouth, and her tongue darts out, swipes across her lips, before she shuts her trap.
Smart.
Stay quiet.
It could save her life. Not that I intend to harm her. She’s given me no reason to be a danger to her.
Besides, I’d never hurt a woman. There are some lines that I won’t cross. Ditching her ass, however, is a very real possibility. But I need her help.
Sadie drives us haphazardly to the hotel. She parks the car a little too abruptly, forcing my seatbelt to lock. “Where’d you learn to drive?”
She laughs under her breath. “Come on, let’s get you a room.” She shuts off the car and climbs out.
I follow, waiting for her to unlock the trunk. Once she opens the lid, I grab my bags. I didn’t buy much, and I will repay her every cent.
Sadie strolls into the hotel like she owns the place. Her confidence is unwavering. “Hi, Pauline.” There’s a friendliness to her that seems to fit her personality, like she’s not just putting it on for show.
“I thought you were off today.”
“I am, but I left my phone somewhere around here.”
“Did you check the break room?” Pauline asks.
“I did not. Can you check it while I call my phone?” Sadie grabs the landline and begins to dial her cell phone.
“Of course,” Pauline says, and wanders down the hallway.