Whispers in the Dark (KGI #4)(44)

“June first.”

She couldn’t conceal her sound of dismay.

“What?” Nathan demanded.

“I was with them over a week,” she whispered.

He cursed and buried his face in her hair. “You should have called for me immediately.”

“I tried. I did. They drugged me. They kept me drugged. They would allow me to become lucid only for short intervals so they could question me.”

“I want to kill those sons of bitches.”

“So do I,” she murmured. “Grace isn’t safe. They’ll step up their efforts to find us both now that I’ve escaped.”

“I don’t want you to worry, baby. We’ll work this out, okay? Right now I need for you to know you’re safe and that I’m going to protect you.”

She nodded again. He leaned away and kissed her forehead. “It’s getting close to dark. I’ll need to go out and get us something to eat. I’m not leaving you alone, so that means you ride with me. I wanted to wait until dark so the chances of you being spotted were fewer.”

“And then? What do we do then?” she asked anxiously.

He settled her against the pillows and then swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for the boxers and T-shirt he’d discarded hours earlier.

“We need to talk about our options.”

It was the way he said it that made her go tense. Almost as if he knew she may not agree with his plan.

“Okay, what are our options?”

He hesitated a moment and then turned his head to her. “Let’s get you something to eat and then we’ll talk.”

She sat up and pushed her hair from her face. She didn’t have a thing to wear and she wasn’t putting on the same pair of ripped-up, stinky, dirty clothes she’d run all over California and Oregon in.

When she put her plight to Nathan, he frowned as if he hadn’t considered the issue of clothing. He rummaged in his bag for a moment and then pulled out a pair of sweatpants that looked at least a foot too long for her and a pullover white T-shirt that looked like it hit the bottom of her knees.

She wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but they would work until she get could get something else to wear.

As she pulled on the clothing, Nathan stashed his gear into his bag and removed the chair from the door. He did a quick check of the room to make sure they weren’t leaving anything and then he stood by the bed waiting for her to finish.

“Aren’t we coming back?” she asked, wondering why he’d left nothing in the room.

He nodded. “We’ll come back so you can eat and we can make plans, but if someone comes in here while we’re gone, I don’t want anything to point them to you, and I damn sure don’t want to clue them in that I’m in the mix. It works to our advantage for them to still think you’re alone and helpless.”

She scowled. “I wasn’t helpless.”

He grinned. “No, baby, you aren’t helpless. That wasn’t what I meant.”

He watched her pull on the pair of socks he’d given her and frowned. “I’ll get you some clothes and shoes as soon as I’m able.”

She nodded her agreement and then stood, wincing when she put her weight on her soles.

“Wait here,” he ordered.

He took the bags, walked out the door and shut it behind him. A moment later he returned empty-handed and motioned her over. He turned around and gestured for her to climb onto his back.

Touched that he’d noticed how sore her feet were, she hopped up on his back. He hooked his arms underneath her knees and hoisted her higher. He kicked open the door and carried her out to the jeep.

When he got to her side, he turned around so she could climb in without her feet ever touching the ground. Then he hurried around to the driver’s side to get in.

“What do you feel like eating?” he asked as he drove out of the parking lot.

She shrugged. “I don’t care. Whatever’s quick and convenient. I’m so hungry, I could eat just about anything.”

On the edge of town, he found a sub shop with a drive-in so he pulled in to order. Since Shea wasn’t picky, she just let him order whatever. It didn’t matter what it tasted like. She just wanted something in her stomach.

He got several bottles of water, for which she was grateful. She downed the first before they ever got out of the parking lot. The sandwich she’d wait for until they were back at the motel.

“I got you two,” he said. “You can eat one now if you want.”

Well, since he put it that way. She dove into the sandwich like a rabid predator eating a kill. She didn’t look in Nathan’s direction, sure he was probably appalled. By the time they got back to the motel, she’d already devoured the entire sandwich and was eyeing the next.

This time, she slid out of the jeep before Nathan could come around. Yeah, her feet hurt like hell, but he wasn’t going to be able to carry her everywhere, so she had to suck it up and deal. The quicker she worked out any pain and was able to move on her own, the better off they’d both be.

He frowned but didn’t protest. However, when she started toward the door of the motel room, he lifted her off her feet and turned, putting her behind him.

“Stay here until I check it out.”

“Yeah, good idea. Sorry.”