I turn the engine off, get out, and head for the entrance. At the receptionist desk, I find a man standing behind it and ask for my wife’s room. He doesn’t question me and hands me a key card.
At least he was smarter than the man at the car rental place.
With the key card in hand, I head for the elevator.
A few minutes later, I’m standing outside her room, holding the card to the door. Once it turns green and the lock unlatches, I find she’s got the hook in place. It’s not hard to maneuver it off.
The room is silent and the bedside lamp is on, giving the room a soft glow.
My eyes land on her instantly, seeing she was passed out, curled on her side, facing the window over the covers.
Fuck.
I toe off my shoes at the same time shrug out of my jacket, tossing it to the chair where her bag is sitting. Needing to hold her, I climb into the bed behind Emerie and wrap my arms around her small frame.
After a while of holding her, I pull one arm from around Emerie to maneuver us under the blanket. All without waking my wife. She sleeps like the dead. Which is a good thing at this moment for me, but it’s also a bad thing because anything could have happened to her and she wouldn’t have been aware of it until it was too late.
Closing my eyes, I figure when we both get up, that will be one of the things we discuss. First priority, however, will be her learning that she’s not going to run from me.
Not ever again.
I won’t have her running away because of what I do.
eight
EMERIE
Waking to warm arms around me should set me at ease. I should feel safe and cherished, and I do for all of a moment upon coming out of a deep sleep. Then I realize someone has their arms around me.
Not just someone.
I knew the scent surrounding me. I knew these arms.
Calder.
He found me.
He was here.
He has his arms locked around me, holding me to him.
I could feel him pressed firmly against my back.
I shift to move away, only his arm tightens.
“You’re awake.”
Oh my.
He doesn’t sound like he’d been asleep, not from the alertness in his tone.
I don’t answer him as my heart races in my chest like a thousand horses are stampeding across it.
Weird notion, but it was true.
“You ran away from home after seeing what’s in my office.” He doesn’t beat around the bush as he keeps talking. “When it comes to my job, you have nothing to fear. I would never, and when I say never, I damn well mean it, Bellissima. I’ll never hurt you as others would.”
“You kill people,” I blurt out the words before I can stop them from rolling off my tongue on a whisper.
