“Just give me a second and I’ll take him to the other room,” I tell her.
“Okay,” she easily agrees. “You should, ah, probably throw the towel in there with him.”
“Yeah,” I say while still on my knees. My body isn’t taking orders yet, refusing to give me enough strength to get to my feet. It feels like an elephant is sitting on my shoulders, holding me down. “Keep an eye on the door?” I suggest to Tessa.
“Sure.”
“Upstairs,” I add because I think I need a few moments alone to collect myself before I do what needs to be done to finish this part. As Tessa starts up the stairs, I tell her, “I’ll be up as soon as I’m done.”
Chapter Eight
Tessa
* * *
I wait upstairs for about fifteen minutes before Verek joins me in the hallway that leads to the side door. I immediately notice that his body looks heavier than it did when we came in as he walks slowly toward me. He has to be so tired and ready to get some sleep, while I’m feeling wide-awake. Guess that’s because I didn’t have to do any of the physical work.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yes. The parking lot is still empty.”
“Good. That’s good. Let’s get back to the hotel and clean up,” he suggests.
Verek is quiet the rest of the way to his motorcycle, and then it’s impossible to talk over the roar of the engine.
I almost ask if we should maybe get out of town, just in case someone saw us, but I can tell Verek definitely needs some rest before we leave.
After he parks his bike at the back of the hotel, we walk around to our room, Verek somewhat staggering. As soon as we’re safely inside, he grabs the wall and says, “I don’t feel so good. Think I’ll rest a minute and then, ah, get a quick shower.”
I’m so keyed up that I don’t really want to be alone. But I understand he wants to get cleaned up. I’m also glad when he pulls a small black flip phone from his pocket and tosses it on the closest bed before he sits down on the other one. “Call Charlotte if you want, just don’t tell her where we are.”
“Thanks,” I reply when I go over and grab the device. Punching in her number that I know by heart, I put the phone to my ear and hope she picks up her cell phone.
“Hello?” Charlotte answers on the first ring.
“Hey, it’s me,” I say as I walk over and sit on the other bed.
“Tessa! Where the hell are you? Do you know how worried we’ve been?” she asks, making me wince.
“I’m sorry. I just, I couldn’t tell you where I was going, or you would’ve told Roman.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That’s good. Now, where are you?” she demands, her tone growing sterner as it changes from concern to anger.
“I can’t tell you that. I just wanted to call and let you know I’m okay.”
“Are you with Verek? Roman’s been trying to find him all day, and he appears to have gone MIA too!”
“Yes, he’s here with me.”
“Are you two eloping? I mean, what else would have you sneaking out of the house, apparently in the middle of the night, and refusing to tell me!”
“We’re just…handling some business.”
“Business?” Charlotte repeats. “Does this business have to do with the names of the men Roman’s been waiting to hear back from before his phone went missing?”
“Yes.”
“He wants to talk to you,” she says.
Before I can even protest, Roman’s gruff voice is on the phone. If I thought Charlotte was pissed, it’s nothing compared to Roman’s ire. “Are you out of your fucking minds?” he asks.
“Maybe,” I answer honestly.
“Let me talk to Verek.” he orders.
“Okay. Just a second.” I get up and take the phone to Verek, who is already holding out his hand expectantly. I’m sure he could hear Roman yelling through it from across the hotel room.
“Yeah?” he says as he falls backward on the bed and stares up at the stained ceiling.
Roman is still so loud that I can clearly hear his voice through the phone when he yells, “What the fuck were you thinking? I don’t know if you’re on a suicide mission or what, but do you really want Tessa to end up serving life in prison for this stupid-ass decision of yours?”
Verek closes his eyes before he answers. “That’s not going to happen.”
“You’re an idiot trying to do this on your own, you know that, don’t you? It’s going to bite you both in the ass, and then the rest of us will have to figure out how to pick up the pieces!”
“It’s done now, and everything went smoothly,” he says, even though that’s not the full truth. We still have one more stop to make.
“That’s what you think!” Roman yells. “If you had been patient, we could’ve done this right and made sure we all stay clear, especially Tessa! I don’t know if this was supposed to be some sort of romantic gesture or what, but you have royally fucked everything up, not to mention bailing on your goddamn job at the club last night!”
“I asked Leo to cover for me every night I’m gone. He was fine with that. And Tessa and I wanted to keep the heat off of the Kings. We’ll be on the road before anyone here is the wiser,” Verek says calmly.
“You’re done! You know that, right? Not only did you disobey my direct order, but you’re supposed to be running the nightclub! Get your ass back here now! Send your cut in with Tessa when you drop her off at my house, and then your dumb ass better not ever step foot in my city again!” Roman demands before the phone line goes silent.
Verek sits up and closes the old flip phone, then tosses the device down before he jumps up and makes a run for the bathroom.
I slap my hand over my own mouth when I hear him heaving over and over again. When the horrible sound finally stops, I yell, “Are you okay?”
“Getting a shower,” comes his muttered response just before I hear the water cut on.
Restless, I get up and turn the television on while he’s washing up, pacing around the small room, waiting for him to come out so I can see if he’s okay. Of course he’s not okay. After what we did, it made him physically ill!
Half an hour passes, then forty-five minutes while I grow more and more concerned, and yet the water still doesn’t cut off. Steam is steadily pouring out of the bathroom and into the room since Verek left the door open.
After it’s been an hour, I finally give in and go to check on him.
“Are you okay in here?” I ask when I see his profile through the clear, fogged-up shower curtain and try to tell my eyes to look away. But his body is just too perfect to not stare at. His palms are braced above his head flat against the shower while his head hangs between his strained biceps. There’s not an inch of fat on any part of him, just lean muscles down his front and backside, down to his round ass and strong legs.
At first, I think it’s the sight of him that has me roasting, but then I realize it’s the temperature in the bathroom.