Page 16 of Brave Horizons (Barrington Billionaires #19)

TOPEKA

She watched the landscape blur past the window, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and fears.

The adrenaline from earlier events had long since worn off, leaving her exhausted and on edge.

The crushing weight on her chest seemed to be heavier with each passing mile.

She couldn’t help but feel like this was her fault.

If it weren’t for her, none of this would be happening.

The other three people in this truck wouldn’t be in danger right now.

With the tug of exhaustion at the corners of her eyes, she struggled to stay awake. She wasn’t sure how Alex had been doing it over the last few miles.

“We should stop soon,” she suggested, touching his arm gently.

“I’ll need to fuel up soon. Gas stations out here are probably closed.

We’ll have to pull in somewhere for the night.

” He glanced at Hillary and Russ in the back seat, who were barely staying awake.

“I saw a sign that lodging was a couple miles ahead. It won’t be anything fancy but we have to take what we can get. ”

After what felt like an eternity, Alex finally pulled into a small, rundown hotel off a back road. The sign was barely legible, half of the lights were burned out, casting a dim, eerie glow over the parking lot. “This is home for the night.”

Topeka eyed the hotel warily. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

“It’s the best option we have right now,” Alex replied, his voice fatigued but firm. “We need to rest, even if it’s only for a few hours.”

Alex and Topeka got out of the truck while Russ and Hillary stayed inside. The eerie atmosphere bit at her skin as they walked toward the entrance. The small lobby was dimly lit and smelled faintly of mildew. The wallpaper was peeling, and the carpet was stained and threadbare.

Behind the desk sat an older man with thinning gray hair and glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He looked up from a tattered novel, his expression suspicious.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice raspy.

“We need a couple rooms for the night,” Alex said, stepping forward. “I know it’s late. We were trying to drive through but got tired. Figured we better get some rest.”

The clerk eyed them both, then glanced at the nearly empty parking lot. “We’ve only got one room available.”

“One room? You’re nearly at full occupancy?” Alex asked, clearly unconvinced considering how many cars weren’t in the parking lot .

“We had a flood. Pipes burst. Only the one room is available. It’s got two beds. Take it or leave it.” The man shrugged and began reading his book again. That was the good thing about being the only motel in the area, Topeka assumed. You didn’t have to cater to customers.

Topeka exchanged a glance with Alex, and he nodded slightly. “We’ll take it,” he said, pulling out his wallet. He knew better than to use a credit card. Not until they had a full understanding of which parts of the operation had been blown.

The clerk slid an old-fashioned key across the desk. “Room 12. Around the back. Keep it quiet. We don’t get many visitors, and the ones we do don’t like a fuss.”

Alex took the key and thanked the clerk. They headed back to the truck, where Russ and Hillary were waiting. Topeka felt terrible for them. Their eyes were wide with worry and they were clearly jumpy.

“We’ve got one room with two beds,” Alex informed them. “It’s not much, but it’ll do for the night. I’ll pull the truck around back so it’s out of sight.”

Russ frowned, but nodded. “Better than nothing, I suppose. I can always sleep in the truck if...”

“It’s fine,” Topeka cut in quickly. “No one is sleeping outside. We’ll make it work. It’s only a couple of hours. We’re all adults."

Topeka climbed back into the truck, her unease growing. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were still in danger, that they were only moments away from being discovered. But she trusted Alex. He’d kept them safe this far .

Alex drove the truck around the back of the hotel, parking it in a spot obscured by a cluster of trees. They gathered their belongings and headed to room 12. Alex unlocked the door, and they stepped inside.

The room was small and sparsely furnished, with two worn-out beds, a tiny table, and a single chair. The wallpaper was faded, and the carpet was just as stained as the lobby’s.

Alex nudged Topeka. “Kind of makes you miss the tent doesn’t it?”

“Definitely.” She wanted to drop one of the bags but the floor didn’t look like a suitable place to set it down.

“Which bed?” Hillary asked, not looking too please with any of her options with these three strangers.

Alex looked through the dirty curtains at the parking lot. “We’ll take turns keeping watch. We can’t afford to let our guard down completely.”

“I’ll take the first watch,” Russ asserted. “Let me take a quick shower to wake up then I’m good for a couple hours. Then I don’t have to figure out which one of you I’m sharing a bed with.”

“Wake me up for the second shift,” Hillary said. “I like the idea of not having to play musical chairs with the strangers. No offense.”

“None taken,” Topeka answered with a weak smile. “I think I’d be more worried if you were looking forward to it. Alex and I can take this bed and you can have that one.”

“That’s not weird for you two?” Russ asked, his probing obvious .

“We shared a tent out in the middle of the woods. This bed will feel luxurious and spacious compared to that,” Alex replied quickly, trying to protect her honor and deflect any kind of awkwardness.

“I hope the shower is cleaner than the curtains,” Topeka offered, wincing at the sight of it all.

“I grabbed the sleeping bags,” Alex said, tossing one to Hillary. “Unzip them and lay them over the beds. We’re all so tired it won’t matter. When the sun comes up, we get back on the road.”

“To where?” Hillary asked. “Are you going to try to reach anyone on the satellite phone?”

“I have been,” Alex said. “I didn’t want to worry anyone.

The last few miles I’ve been pinging Kenan.

I can’t get through. I’m not sure what’s going on with it.

I’ll try a couple more times but we may need to wait until morning.

There’s a chance he knows we’ve been compromised and he’s cut off communication until he can get a handle on where the issue is.

If he thinks this satellite phone could lead to us, he wouldn’t open the line. ”

Russ lingered outside the bathroom as he tried to stay up to date. This last comment clearly didn’t sit right with him. “He would leave us in the lurch out here without communication? With no idea what might be right on our heels?”

Surprisingly Hillary was the one who answered. “That’s the right move. He has to assume Alex is still with us. We’re out in the middle of nowhere; he can’t risk leading people to us before he can get help our way. It’s called code black, going dark, and this is right time to do it. ”

“Seriously?” Russ pressed. “I feel like they’re leaving us out on this island.”

“They are,” Alex agreed. “And we’ve got to protect the island until help arrives.”