She tipped her head toward the lobby. “That handsome guy over there must have the same problem.” She proceeded to add my snacks to a plastic bag.
Hotels were hard for me to sleep in. After my sisters and I had buried our dad, we’d traveled around the country and spent many nights in motels. I should be used to the uncomfortable beds, musty odors, rough sheets, and disgusting bathrooms. But the high-end hotel I was in that night was not a cheap one. The memory-foam mattress was by far more comfortable than any I’d slept on in a long time, if only I could sleep.
Damn nightmares. Damn screwed-up life. The way things are headed, I’m on a trajectory to hell.
She handed me my items, then we exchanged pleasantries. I pulled out the Mounds bar, my mouth watering in anticipation. Even my stomach growled. With my luck, I would be as big as a cow in another month or two.
Walking out of the store, I was concentrating on ripping off the wrapper when I bumped into a hard chest.
Hands grabbed the sides of my arms. “Miss.”
I glanced at the blue-eyed valet dude who had helped us when we’d arrived. Webb’s assistant had booked the hotel and a rental car. Then Steven and Tripp borrowed Jack’s car to pick up the SUV while the rest of us waited. Shortly after Jack and Steven’s tense conversation, I would’ve bet a ton of money Jack would take off to Chicago. But he surprised me and stayed, although he’d attempted to reach Noah several times. Jack assumed he’d lost the signal, and that might be true. My guess was Noah was running scared.
I smiled at the burly valet. “Sorry.” I held up the candy bar. “Important stuff right here.”
“That’s one of my favorites,” he said as he skirted by. “Enjoy.” He went right toward an office.
I went left, biting into the chocolate-coconut sweetness. My taste buds did a happy dance, and I moaned, rounding the corner into the lobby.
Webb sat stiffly on a couch, absorbed in something on his iPad. A crease formed between his brows. He was seemingly irritated with whatever he was reading. I debated whether to disturb him or not. Frankly, as good-looking as he was, he scared me. He had that vibe that if I fucked with him, he would embed his canines in me and not let go, and that gave me the freaking chills. Webb’s fangs were longer than most vampires’. At least they appeared that way to me.
Chewing and savoring the taste of the Mounds, I stopped behind a wingback chair in a lounge area outside the hotel bar. “Hey. You can’t sleep either?”
Without looking up from his iPad, he said, “You should be more aware of your surroundings, Layla.” His tone was rigid, as if he was talking to one of his soldiers.
I flinched, silently berating myself that I hadn’t kept walking. “Come again?”
Still not looking at me, he asked, “What if that valet snagged you?”
The candy bar was melting in my hand. “He didn’t. He’s not working with the people who have Sam,” I fired back as anger twisted my gut into a tight knot.
Ever so slowly, his chin lifted, then his eyes, angry and calculating. “Do you know that for sure? He could be working here incognito, watching us.”
Frustration crept along my arms. I was mad at myself because what if he was right? But I was also annoyed with how easily he put me on the spot. He and I had had a shitty day, to say the least. We were both on edge. But that didn’t mean he could take out his frustration on me. Unless he blamed me for what had happened. After all, he probably considered me the enemy since I was an Aberdeen.
Instead of lashing out, I finished off the Mounds. The darn thing was melting fast, and I didn’t want to waste it. We stared at each other while I wiped my chocolate-coated fingers on my jeans.
He opened his palm toward the couch on the other side of the coffee table. “Have a seat.” The man was a rock—impenetrable, emotionless, and cold.
I guessed he wasn’t done scolding me. Frankly, I wasn’t in the mood to argue. The crappy day, an emotional convo with Jack, a weird dream that made no sense—or maybe it did—were overwhelming, to say the least. Still, I had a ton of respect for Webb, and I wouldn’t mind hearing what he had to say. He, Tripp, Steven, and Jo had probably already planned their next moves. One of them was to snag Noah.
Once I was seated, I tossed the empty wrapper into the bag.
Webb’s hard glare made me edgy. Placing my hands in my lap, I dug my nails into my palms. “So, here we are.”
A long stretch of silence followed.
At any second, I would draw blood from my nails piercing my skin. “Are you going to talk?”
He tilted his head, his blue eyes hollow, empty. “If you’re not trained to know your surroundings right down to the speck of dirt on the ground, you’ll get yourself killed.” His tone was firm and unyielding. “While you’re with us, you will abide by our rules.”
“You don’t own me or command me. I’m not one of your soldiers.” I struggled to keep my tone even.
His features hardened even more. “I won’t argue with you. Are we clear?”
Whoa!I raised my hands. “I’m not the problem.”
The way he examined me critically from where he sat told me otherwise. “I beg to differ, Layla. You don’t think before you act. Today was a perfect example of that.”
