Page 23

Chapter 22

“I desperately want a shower.” Mari glanced at the bathroom door in the motel room.

The place wasn’t god awful, but it wasn’t great either. She wasn’t even going to sit down on the bed, or in the little dining area. The bathroom was the only thing sparkling in here.

“Go ahead, but you’ll just have to put on the same clothes again.” Colin was standing by the window where the air conditioning was running, making the little curtain above it flutter with the movement.

“You’re right,” she muttered as she started to pace. Their clothes were dry and grungy. No sense in showering until they were back in New Orleans.

She couldn’t even check her phone, couldn’t reach out to anyone right now, and felt far too vulnerable. And she was hungry, something her stomach decided to announce to the room with a ridiculously loud growl.

Colin looked at her, eyes wide. “Was that you?”

She gave him a dry look.

“There were some pastries in the main office that actually looked good. I’ll grab you some. ”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s just wait.” She looked at the digital clock. “They’ll be here soon.” Only fifteen or so minutes to go.

“No one’s driven up,” he said, peeking out as another semi went by, given the rumble in the room. “I’ll be fast.” He grabbed a ball cap from his backpack and slid it on before he ducked outside.

Her stomach growled again.

“Hush up, you,” she ordered herself, only to be met with more noise.

Sighing, she headed to the bathroom to take care of business while Colin was out. After washing her hands, she stepped back out and saw him already there, hunched over his backpack. “Hey—” Oh shit, that wasn’t Colin.

She ducked back into the bathroom and slammed the door before turning the flimsy lock. Adrenaline surged through her as she leaned into the door, using her body weight to push back.

She jerked forward under a hit or kick from the other side.

“Open the damn door and things will go easier on you,” the man growled. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

Yeah, right . Her stomach made a loud protest, clearly agreeing with her that he was a liar. “The cops are on their way, asshole!” she snarled. Where was Colin? Had they hurt him?

He laughed as if he knew she was lying, and the door shook under his weight again.

Since she was short, she propped her feet up on the little sink and pushed back. But everything had gone really quiet. And with this flimsy door the only thing protecting her at the moment, she couldn’t hold him off forever.

Oh shit, was he going to shoot her? Because a bullet would tear through the cheap MDF door.

She eased down and stepped into the shower/bath combo as quietly as she could. The long, narrow window looked as if it had been painted over years ago, but maybe she could—

The man came flying through the bathroom door backward, hitting his head on the mirror. The glass cracked under the impact, shattering everywhere as he tried to push himself up.

Mari jumped, ready to attack him, but Colin was there, grabbing him by the shirt and dragging him back into the other room.

Mari rushed after them, looking for a weapon as Colin punched him in the face. This time, the guy sprawled backward onto the dirty carpet and stayed down.

She dove for her backpack, pulled out a bungee cord and tossed it to Colin before pulling out her flare gun, the only thing she had that could work as a weapon. She loaded the cartridge into the barrel as Colin rolled the man onto his back, started tying his hands.

Still crouching, Mari looked down the length of the barrel to check it just as the motel door burst open. A woman in dark boots holding a pistol strode in, expression hard.

Mari didn’t even think as she aimed and pulled the trigger.

A whooshing sound exploded as the flare slammed into the woman. She stumbled back under the impact, dropping her pistol outside the room onto the sidewalk. And that was when her puffy jacket burst into flames. Screaming, the woman threw herself onto the ground and started rolling around, trying to put herself out.

“Come on.” Colin grabbed his backpack as she slung hers over her shoulder and raced after him.

He scooped up the fallen pistol and tucked it into the back of his pants as they jumped over the flailing woman. As they ran across the parking lot, a man and woman who were sitting on the back of a truck drinking slushies stared at them, wide-eyed. (She also noticed they didn’t make an effort to call anyone, like the cops.)

The woman’s screaming faded as they ran the length of the motel to the front office. Mari was pretty sure they should call the cops at this point.

Or maybe… “That’s what they were driving!” She pointed at the Land Rover. “Can you hot-wire a vehicle?” She actually could, but not something that new. Too many electronics and computer parts.

“No need, your friends are here.”

Relief slammed into Mari so hard as a familiar SUV tore into the parking lot, tires squealing with the sharp turn.

She didn’t think, just grabbed Colin’s hand and ran for it.

The back door flew open to reveal Bradford already scooting over to make room.

“We were just attacked in our motel room,” Mari managed to gasp out as they dove inside.

“Are your attackers down?” Berlin asked as she turned the vehicle.

“Yes, but they have that Land Rover.”

“Hold on,” Chance murmured. Berlin slowed, clearly knowing what he planned. He jumped out, shot out the two back tires and jumped back into the SUV in seconds.

“The motel didn’t have any cameras outside that I saw,” Colin said as Berlin tore onto the two-lane highway. “Just one at the check-in.”

Now Mari could finally breathe. But she knew that they weren’t out of the woods. Not by a long shot. Because whoever was after them was persistent.

And she was pretty sure that guy could have easily killed her if he’d wanted to. All he’d have had to do was shoot through the cheap motel door. She couldn’t imagine why he’d want her alive—or why anyone wanted her dead for that matter.

But it was weird that he’d just tried to break into the bathroom instead of shooting through the door. “Did that guy say anything to you?” she murmured as she leaned her head on Colin’s shoulder.

“No. I just saw him attacking the door and threw myself at him. Probably not the best tactical decision,” he muttered, his arm around her protectively.

“It worked, didn’t it? Thank you for saving my life…again.” She repressed a shiver.

He didn’t respond, simply wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders. So she closed her eyes and leaned into him, feeling safe with him in a way she never had before.