She deadpanned and stared at him. "Do I look like I have a four-wheeler on the fourth floor?"
"You'd be amazed at the things we see around her, ma'am."
"I'm sure Phil has it. I wasn't aware that there was a time limit."
He had no idea if there was or not. "Maybe someone at the desk got things screwed up. I thought you requested me to pick it up for you."
"It must have been Phil."
"Where can I find Phil?" Colton could feel his heart rate pick up.
"Probably over in the training area. Just have them charge it to my room." She paused as she started to close the door. "And cowboy, if you change your mind about the massage, let me know."
He played along. "Massage for you, or massage for me?"
"However I can get my hands on you."
He smiled at her. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Nita. And don't be shy using it." She shut the door with a wink.
Colton almost rolled his eyes as he headed back down. He frowned as he turned away. He was missing a detail from their exchange, but he wasn't sure what it was. But nothing about her said anything about kidnapping Ellie.
He had no idea where the training area was, or even what it was, but he knew where he could find out. He could feel his dragon straining to be released instead of taking the stairs, but he chomped back his own impatience. He was a step closer to finding Ellie.
The girl at the front desk was still there. She smiled as he approached. "Did you have another question?"
"I sure do. Can you tell me what you train around here?"
She frowned. "Train?"
"Yeah. Like is there a training area here at this resort?"
"You mean for the horses?"
He bit his tongue against a sharp retort. This was worse than pulling teeth. "Horses would be good. Is that what you train here at the resort?"
"We have an arena on the back of the property. They train horses back there sometimes for people who want to trail ride, but it's normally empty unless we have a rodeo event. This time of year, there's no one back there."
Colton was willing to bet any amount of money that she was wrong. "Thank you, sweetheart. I owe you. Again."
He heard her calling out a dinner invitation as he hurried off and just pretended that he hadn't. Once he got outside, he wanted to fly. This time he wasn't denying his dragon; he just needed to find a safe place to shift.
A clump of trees provided the perfect camouflage, and he was soon soaring high overhead. It only took a moment to locate the arena, and he scanned the area for signs of Ellie. The four-wheeler was parked near a side door, but there was no one around that he could see. He dove down and landed before he took his two legs again.
There were two horses in a stall off to the side of the arena when he made his way around the back. He watched for a moment to see if anyone was dealing with them, but when no one made an appearance, he headed for the heavy swinging doors that led inside. He eased one of the doors to the side and found himself in a prep room, where the cowboys and girls would gather before a rodeo. In the corner of that open area, he saw another set of doors that had light shining through the windows.
As quietly as possible, he made his way to where he could peer through the glass. Ellie sat at a table rubbing her wrists while she talked to a tall, heavyset man who had his back to the doorway. Colton shifted his position so he was closer to the door, and he could just make out what they were saying.
"Dragon?"
His heart sank at Ellie's question to the man. "Did you say dragon?"
Colton groaned silently as he listened to the answer that she received. The man had seen him put the fire out.I should have told Ellie while I had the chance.The fact that he had been seen hadn't even crossed his mind.
He heard the phone ring and waited for his opening to rush in and grab her. The expression on her face as she glanced at the phone before the guy picked it up made him hesitate. It was a look of surprise and anger, mixed with betrayal and pain. Under the circumstances, it was a very strange mixture of emotions. But when the guy picked up the phone, Colton didn't have time to contemplate Ellie's reaction.
He backed away and tucked himself in a corner to remain concealed when the man walked out talking on the phone. He didn't go far and stood where he could see Ellie. "No, I didn't tell nobody to come pick up the four-wheeler."
