Page 36 of Sackett (Demented Souls #17)
S elena didn’t take an easy breath until they stepped into their hotel room, and she heard the deadbolt click into place. It took several deep breaths as she forced herself to focus to ease the tension in her muscles.
“How did they find us?” she asked when she could speak without the tears of frustration escaping.
“I’m not certain, but I have an idea. Can I go through your bag?”
She looked at him with a frown. What bag was he talking about? Her suitcase? They’d never been anywhere near her suitcase.
“The one you grabbed the night we pulled you out of the compound.”
“Oh!” That made a lot more sense. She went to her side of the bed where she’d left it and lifted her briefcase onto the bed housekeeping must have made while they were out. “It’s my briefcase. I do have client files inside but here.”
She watched as he systematically emptied it, then went through each of the pockets, even checking the seams, until he pulled a slim square disk from one of the pockets.
“I take it this isn’t yours?” he asked with one lifted brow.
She looked at it for a moment before she realized what it was. “Is that a GPS tag?”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
“No. Not mine.” She scowled at the thin piece of plastic. Much of the tension and nerves of the ride back to town returning. “But that didn’t lead him to us today. It was here in the room, not in Silverton with us.”
“I think I have that figured out.” He looked up at her and seemed to be sensing her tension. “I could put all this back but I’m sure you had some kind of order to it that I won’t get right. Do you want to do it, or do you want me to?”
She looked at her now empty briefcase then at the neat piles of papers, pens and other things that he’d made while unpacking it. He hadn’t just dumped it in order to search faster, and she appreciated it.
“I’ll do it.”
He stepped back and she took his place beside the bed.
“Tell me how he found us today, or at least your theory.” She didn’t look up from where she began to put things back in the pockets where they belonged while she waited for him to talk.
“I’m pretty sure he followed the signal on this thing,” he lifted the tag between two fingers, “here to the hotel. They probably waited for you to go outside, planning to follow you and recapture you when it was convenient.”
“They?” she was afraid to ask, but still felt like she knew what he meant. Still, she needed to know it wasn’t just her own brain coming up with the worst case scenario.
“I don’t think he’s alone. I mean if it were me, I’d have brought help, so I assume he did too. By the way, Mr. Smarmy’s name is Jacob Harper. He’s the man in charge of the commune, according to our intel.”
Selena stared at him, not sure what to say. She knew the man had a name but had never thought that Sackett and the others had information on the group and might know names and faces. She couldn’t think about that now. She pushed it out of her mind, choosing to focus on something more immediate.
“If they tracked us here, are we safe tonight?” She looked up at him, knowing he’d tell her the truth, good or bad.
“I think so. They’ve taken only calculated risks.
They didn’t try to take you in public this morning or all day.
Once you spotted him, I was careful not to give them an opportunity.
But I think if there’s a chance for witnesses or evidence, they won’t risk it.
Even if they track us to this room, they have to get past me. And that’s not going to be easy.”
She stared at him for several long seconds. Her chest ached and she didn’t know what to do. She trusted him but what if they got the drop on him?
“Hey, don’t worry. I’ve got this.” He stepped close and held his arms open, as if seeing she needed reassurance, but not wanting to do something she wasn’t comfortable with.
Selena stood frozen for a moment, staring at him.
Then, without overthinking it, she stepped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him.
His arms came around her, making her feel safe.
She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and releasing the tension that had been building back up since he discovered the tag.
He had this. She trusted him. If he said they were safe, then she trusted him with that.
Still, it was hard for her not to worry about it.
She was used to being the one in charge.
The one who thought of everything and took care of all the details.
Letting someone else step into that role took more presence of mind, more reminding herself that she wasn’t the only one who could do it than she’d been prepared for.
She stood there, wrapped in his arms and her head resting against his chest for the space of several moments. After a while she loosened her grip enough she could look up at him, her chin propped on his chest.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?” He tipped his head to look down at her.
“Everything.” She took a deep breath. “For getting me out of there, for staying with me, for making sure I’m safe. For all of it.” She maintained eye contact as she spoke, trying to read what she saw there. Was that warmth? Desire?
Hoping she wasn’t wrong in what she thought she saw, hoping he wouldn’t reject her advances, she lifted up on her toes, stretched up and brushed a kiss across his lips.