She exhaled in relief then winced.
“Michelle’s been hurt,” I said.
She opened her mouth to object. I shook my head at her.
“She needs to rest.”
Dad covered the phone and spoke to Mom for a moment.
“Give your Mom a few minutes to make a reservation for you.”
I listened to Mom in the background, weaving a nice story about her son and new bride whose luggage was lost by the airline and who were mugged on the way to their hotel. They were without wallet, purse, luggage or even shoes. She needed to set them up in a room until everything was straightened out in the morning. She was artful in her lies and far too convincing. I wasn’t surprised when Dad gave me an address for a different hotel.
“And, Emmitt, be careful.” His words were laced with fatherly concern, not blame.
“We will,” I said.
I would be much more careful with my Mate. My heart.
Michelle hung up the phone, and I took the opportunity to steal a kiss, until a passerby shouted encouragement. Pulling back, I studied Michelle’s dazed, content expression and bent to touch my forehead to hers.
“I won’t be able to let you go for a while.” Losing her had taken years from my life.
She kissed my cheek. “I don’t mind.”
Satisfied, I left the booth, started walking toward the address Mom had provided, and reached out to Grey.
I called home. Mom set us up in a new hotel. I gave him the new address.
We’ve been running patrols around our hotel and around the hotel where Michelle was taken to confuse any trails you two might have left. We’re going back to the old hotel to see if anyone interesting shows up tonight.
Be careful, I sent back.
Always, son.
Having a safe endpoint where Michelle could rest drove me onward despite her occasional flinching. She leaned against me the entire time I ran. By the time we reached the hotel, the streets were empty except for the occasional car.
The hotel looked expensive. A smiling attendant greeted us outside and moved to open the door as we approached. The plush red and gold patterned carpet in the reception area muffled sound, and every piece of highly polished metal gleamed in the lights. And, there were cameras everywhere.
Michelle would be safe.
The receptionist welcomed us with a smile. “Mr. Cole. Good to see you. Your mother’s description was very accurate.” The man held out a room card, which Michelle took for me. “Room service will be up with your meal. Please let me know if you need anything else. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
Sometimes the things Mom could do amazed me.
“Do you think someone could get me some socks and shoes? I lost mine,” Michelle said.
The man nodded and made a note about the size she requested. “I’ll have something delivered as soon as possible.”
I turned and made my way to the elevators. Michelle pressed the “up” button and the doors immediately opened. As soon as she swiped the card and selected the floor, the doors slid shut. I was impressed with the security.
“Could you set me down?” Michelle asked softly. “I don’t want to attract any more attention than we already have.”
Carrying her kept her scent trail minimal. Even with the heightened security, I was hesitant to take the risk. But, the look in her eyes suggested she wasn’t requesting to be set down. Carefully, I eased her to a standing position. I didn’t miss the way she winced when her feet touched the floor. I took her hand in mine and started to rub slow circles over the pulse in her wrist.
After the elevator stopped and the doors opened, I inhaled deeply. The air was clear of any disguising chemicals. It was also clear of werewolf. Holding her hand, I led her into the deserted hallway.
“Are we okay here?” she asked.
“Better security,” I said, pointing to a camera mounted just outside the elevator. I wouldn’t promise we would be okay. I’d already made that mistake once.
We walked down a long hallway toward our room. Michelle kept pace with me but had a hitch to her step. I needed to look her over and assure myself she was all right, but I wondered if she’d let me.
The room card opened the second door on the right side of the hall. Stepping aside, I let Michelle enter first. The door closed behind us with a click, and I released Michelle’s hand and kicked off my shoes as I watched her look over the suite of rooms.
Decorated in neutral colors with black accents, everything looked and smelled clean. The light cream walls of the kitchenette flowed into the main room where electric flames danced in a fireplace. Michelle stared longest at the leather sofa and oversized chair, then turned toward the bathroom through an open door to the right. It had a glass corner shower with dual shower heads, a whirlpool tub big enough for two, and a heated towel rack. If she wasn’t so exhausted and hurt, the tub might have interested me. Now, I just wanted her to rest.
“I call dibs on the tub,” she whispered, half-reverently.
The look on her face had me chuckling. Nothing would stop her from taking a bath. So much for rest first. While she moved into the bathroom and turned on the water, I went to the couch.
We made it. Safe and sound. This place has decent security. We shouldn’t have any problems.
Good. Everything’s quiet here. We are leaving it up to Michelle if she still wants to go to the lawyer’s tomorrow.
I dropped my head into my hands, wondering if that was the best decision. Michelle wanted to protect her brothers above all else, even above her own safety. That Blake’s men had taken her from a hotel room showed the lengths they would go to retrieve her. When I’d first met Michelle, she’d said those hunting her wouldn’t stop; she was right.
How could I keep her safe if she chose to go to the lawyer’s office? Would the media be enough? Blake had already broken our laws by killing Richard in public. What would stop him from doing something tomorrow?
Michelle left the bathroom just then. I lifted my head and watched her walk through the room, looking around with a slightly troubled expression.
When our gazes met, her expression cleared and she came to sit beside me. She rested her head on my shoulder and gently touched my arm.
“Don’t dwell on the past. It doesn’t do any good,” she said.
She read me too easily.
I kissed her forehead. “Go take your bath.”
She gave me a quick hug then stood and wandered toward the bedroom. The troubled expression was back.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Just checking things out. Something seemed familiar, and I can’t figure out why.”
When she reached the bedroom doorway, she froze. I went to her and looked over her shoulder at the room. There was a single, big bed. Was she really worried about that now?
Her scent alternated between anxious and interested while her pulse beat erratically.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She whirled to face me, startled.
“Yep. Fine.” Her gaze dipped to my neck, she flushed, then quickly looked up again. “I’m going to rinse in the shower then take a nice long soak. Let me know when the food’s here, okay?”
She gave a nervous smile and started to step around me. I mirrored her move, blocking her escape. After everything she’d been through, I couldn’t believe it was the bed that was causing her unusual reaction.