As the road banked, he felt Kennedy slip. Reaching back, he slapped her thigh, trying to wake her up. She jerked awake, grabbing Cree in a desperate attempt to stay on the bike. The sudden movement had his hands jerking the handlebars, and the bike came up too fast, almost sending them off the highway. At the last second, he managed to lean deep into the curve and not dump the bike. Coming out of the curve, he saw in the distance the neon light of a hotel sign. Tapping Kennedy’s leg again, he pointed in the direction of the hotel. She tapped his shoulder, letting him know she agreed with stopping.
Cree putted into the hotel parking lot and parked in front of the entrance. Peeling himself off the bike, he wrapped an arm around Kennedy’s shoulders, keeping her upright as they walked inside to grab a room.
“Hi, can I help you folks?” a young girl asked from behind the counter.
“I’m hoping you have a room,” Cree told her with a wink.
“Um, yes, we have quite a few. Not much going on around here in the winter. Any preferences?”
“First floor with a window view of the parking lot.”
“I have one by the side entrance.”
“That would be perfect.” Cree was digging out his wallet when he noticed Kennedy fidgeting. “Is there a bathroom in the lobby?”
The girl looked from him to Kennedy before answering. “Yeah, right around the corner.”
“Thanks,” Kennedy said before taking off quickly for the restroom.
“We’ve been on the bike for a while,” he commented as he handed the girl his credit card. “I know it’s late, but is anywhere open for food?”
“We have a twenty-four-hour pub that delivers.” The girl handed Cree a small paper menu for a place called The Pub.Not much went into naming the place, he thought. “Thanks. I didn’t catch your name.”
“Elaine.”
“Thanks, Elaine.”
Elaine handed the credit card back along with two room keys. “In the morning, we do a decent breakfast buffet. It starts at six and ends at eleven.”
Cree looked to the side as Kennedy eased back up to him. “Better?”
“Yes.”
Handing her a key, he told Kennedy to go to the room while he brought the bike around. Thanking the counter girl for the help, he headed for the bike as Kennedy went in search of their room. Now, if they could get something to eat and a few hours of shut-eye, it would go a long way to make the rest of their run a better one.
Kennedy paced the room, waiting for Cree to get there. It felt like it had been at least thirty minutes since she left him in the lobby. Maybe he’s chatting up the cute blonde behind the counter. Maybe the guys from that gas station followed them. Shit, did Dino and Chuckie catch up to them somehow? Kennedy had her hand on the doorknob when she heard the bike outside the window. Rushing for the window, she pulled back the curtain to see Cree backing the bike into the spot right outside.
Dropping the curtain, she stepped over to the bed and sat down. Tears flooded her eyes. Her mind was not functioning on a level of rationality, but she knew if anything happened to Cree, she would be done for.
Sounds in the hallway had her running across the room to look through the peephole. Seeing Cree, she opened the door and stepped back so he could come in with their bags.
“Thanks,” he said as he moved past her. Closing the door, she followed behind him farther into the room.
“Damn, this is fancy for a dinky little motel.” The room was split into two sections by a wall that was solid at the bottom with open geometric shapes at the top. In the sitting area, there was a sofa and coffee table along with a large flat-screen TV. The bedroom had a king bed and side tables with lamps along with a set of chairs and a table.
“Does the bathroom have a tub?” he asked. “It would do you good to soak in some hot water.”
“What about you?”
“You want me to soak in a tub with you?”
“I’m so tired, I’d let you just so I wouldn’t drown.”
“That sounds like you want to use me.”
“Every chance you’ll give me.” What was she doing? Flirting? It was the exhaustion making her act that way. Wasn’t it?
“Why don’t you check on the tub? If there is one, go ahead and run a bath for yourself.” Any other time, any other girl, he’d be stripping his clothes off as he moved her toward the tub or shower. But this wasn’t the time, and she was his brother’s sister. There might as well be a big, bright, blinking light over Kennedy’s head that said ‘off limits’.
