Page 8

ROSA

Light fills the room. It’s not Melanie’s bedroom. I jerk more awake and realize a warm cocoon holds my body, and I remember. Rory. His scent permeates my nose with the scent of sex to remind me of the wee hours in the morning. This is the safest I’ve felt since Prague. His strong arms wrap around me. Nothing can hurt me so long as he’s here. The need to pee drives me out of his arms.

“Baby?”

“I’ve got to pee.” His chuckling feels so right. I move to the bathroom and relieve myself. Glancing in the mirror, I’m naked, and my hair looks like I’ve shoved my finger in a light socket. I’ve got nothing to smooth it down. The shower looks so inviting, but my only clean clothes are across the hall.

A knock startles me. “One second.” I move to answer the door.

“Here are your clothes.”

The man washed and dried my clothes. I stare at the basket and then raise my eyes to his. “Thank you.” I reach for the basket as he smirks, edging around me into the bathroom.

“Grab a shower. I’ll rustle up some breakfast.” He kisses my forehead before he exits the door, leaving me staring at his retreating backside.

Standing in the shower with the water streaming down, I can’t get the man out of my head. To be honest, I haven’t been able to forget him. My body hums. What he did with my body this morning and in Prague, fills my soul with happiness. I finish my shower and put on fresh clothes. Is today the day they find me? Dread creeps up my spine as I walk out the door.

The table is set for two people and Rory stands next to the table like an expectant child waiting for a present. “Breakfast should be here soon. I got a sampling of everything from the diner down the block.”

“I’m starving. Thank you.”

He motions for me to sit as I catch his scent again. Would I be a slut if I jumped him right now? The tapping at the door prevents me from answering my own question, but it hangs in the back of my mind. I want him. To be honest, he’s the only man I’ve ever wanted.

He sets the bags on the table and dishes out the food. “You’ve lost weight since Europe.”

I glance down at the tank top and boy shorts I put on. “It’s been hard to stay on a routine. I’m afraid.”

His hands wrap around me, pulling me onto his lap. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’m here now.”

Could it be that easy? I rest my head against his chest. The luscious aroma teases my nose as I lean for the plate of food and my fork. “My favorites.”

“I’m glad you like what I ordered.” He adjusts me on his lap so I can eat off my plate, and he can eat off of his. “Are you ready to tell me all about what’s going on?”

His tone compels me to speak. I open my mouth and jump when a loud bang slams in the hallway. Rory grabs his phone. He’s looking at a view of the hallway. He has a camera? I stare at him while he watches the screen.

“I always set up a camera to guard my door. It just happened to cover your door across the hall as well.”

I nod. “It’s them.” Men in black motorcycle leather with ‘Phoenix Inferno’ written on the backs. The emblem is different from the guys at the bar. My hand instinctively goes to my mouth.

“You’re okay.” Rory moves me back to the bedroom. “Stay here.” He closes the door as I sit in the closet with my fist against my mouth.

It’s an eternity until Rory is back. He’s dressed and has my clothes basket in his hands. He sets it on the floor next to the closet. “Get dressed and throw your clothes into my black bag.”

“I’ve got stuff in the apartment.”

“Yeah. I guessed that. Is the thing you stole there too?”

I shake my head slowly. “It’s with me.”

“Okay. Be ready to leave in a few minutes.”

“Really?”

“We’ll be okay. Trust me.”

I take a deep breath. I do. I can’t explain why, but I do.

Rory comes back moments later and picks up his black bag. “Stay close. We’re stepping across the hall to grab your other stuff, then coming back.”

He checks his phone and cracks the door open to peer out into the hall. Grabbing my hand, he leads me across the hall to the broken door that hangs haphazardly on a single hinge. He pushes the door, and we slip by, into the living room. “Grab your stuff.”

I grab my bags and scoop the random stuff back in. They took my cash and the extra visa card. I scan the floor, looking for anything they missed. Rory reaches his hand down to me as he grabs my bags. I blurt out. “They could come back.”

“I think we’ve got a few minutes. But we need to move.” He wraps his arm around me and sticks his head out into the hall. Moving across the hall, we duck back into his condo. He shuts the door behind us and heads to the window to surveil the back parking area. “Grab the snacks out of the basket in the fridge and on the counter, throw them in one of the bags, and let’s go.”

I do as he orders, offering a silent prayer that we get away from the men to safety.

He hands me my backpack and hoists the other bags on his shoulder, leading us into the hallway. We walk by the plant and his camera catches my eye. “Shouldn’t you grab that?”

“No. It’ll be good to see if they come back here.”

“Okay.”

He steps out of the door into the side parking lot and uses a fob to open a black SUV parked nearby. We hustle to the vehicle as he tosses the bags in the back as he holds the passenger door open for me. “You should crouch down on the floorboard in case someone is watching vehicles leave.”

I skooch down and hold my breath. The vehicle shifts into gear, and we drive. A few moments later, the SUV raises and lowers over a speed bump. By the time I expel the breath I’m holding, Rory is making a right turn onto Camelback Road.

“You can sit up.”

“How the fuck do they keep finding me?”

RORIC

My eyes drift to her face as she catches my glare. “Start from the beginning.”

She blows out her breath. “I don’t want to get you involved. They are dangerous men.”

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I can handle them.”

“You don’t understand.” She swallows. “They’re killers.”

My chuckle sounds more ominous than I want, but her brow lifts. “I can handle them!”

“I saw my father murdered.” Her head snaps to watch for a reaction from me. I make sure to keep my face very still. “But that’s not why they’re after me. My father’s family knows I took a flash drive with files about the family business. They aren’t good people, if you get my meaning.”

“Go on.”

“I didn’t plan it, but after he was shot, it was just there in the laptop, so I pulled the flash drive and pocketed it. My father was akin to the devil. I mean that literally. His uncle is evil. He does evil things.” She shudders. “He would have trafficked me to some old rich dude, but my mother’s family has connections.” Her eyes focus on a moth against the glass, and then pivots to study my reactions.

Every part of me wants to pull her into my arms and hold her, making sure no one ever scares her again. “Where is your mother and her family?”

“My mother has lived in Mexico for the past twelve years. Her family lives in Dallas. Her parents’ friends ostracized her when my father’s identity was revealed. The rich girl who succumbed to the dirty criminal. She couldn’t take the spitefulness, so she left. The cartel…” She shakes her head. “You didn’t hear that.”

“It’s fine.” I hate the Aguilars more than I did before. Papa and Cynric need to know about the flash drive, and everything in my soul wants to keep her safe. “We’re going to get to safety. They won’t get their hands on you, but we need to figure out what’s on that drive.”

“I don’t care anymore what’s on it. I just want them to leave me alone.”

“Nevertheless, we need to figure out what they’re hiding, so we know how to protect you.”

She scoffs. “It’s not like we can just walk into the computer store and plug this into a USB port and read the files.”

“True. But I have a friend who can.”

“A friend? You… trust this friend?”

“I do. His name is Fingers. You’ll like him. I’ll call him, and he’ll meet us.” The lilt in my voice conveys confidence.

“Sure. Do you think what’s on the flash drive will help me?”

“Maybe. It’s better to know what’s on it, and Fingers is good with computers. He’ll figure out why they want it back so bad.”

She pulls her legs up into the seat, nodding. “I’m hungry.”

I scan the horizon for restaurant signs. A blue sign for a diner catches my interest as I take the off ramp. Pulling into the crumbly asphalt lot, I pick the parking spot closest to the restaurant’s rear door. There are half a dozen cars parked around the lot, but none catches my eye. Stepping inside, it’s a typical off-ramp diner. The lady behind the counter waves and points to a booth. We take our seats as the woman hands us the legal-sized, laminated menus.

“The special is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable.” Her eyes direct us to the glass container at the end of the counter where there are slices of pie and other desserts. Rosa’s stomach growls from across the booth. The server asks. “What would you both like to drink?”

“I’ll take a coffee, and she’ll take an iced tea with lemon.” She walks away as Rosa peruses her menu.

I’ve never been a big fan of diner food. I’ve eaten my share of meatloaf. It was a dish my mother often cooked herself, rather than having our housekeeper make something.

Rosa sets her hands on her menu. “You remembered how I like my tea.”

“Yeah. I paid attention when we talked about the things you like in the car.” It seemed like the thing to do. She’s slowly slipping under my protection. I need to look through that flash drive and see if there is anything about us on it.

“Rory, how do you know they won’t find us?”

“I’m better than they are. No one is going to hurt you.”

“Can you just stop working for your company to help me?”

“Yes. You’re more important. I texted my father. He understands that this is what I need to be doing. The other things can wait.”