I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about us getting out and trying to be a functional pack. We’re not your normal bunch of people. We’ve all got our shitty pasts that make us do stupid things.
Maybe that’s why we work.
I throw on some peppy pop music, which Mirabelle seems to really like, and focus on getting us to the new hotel.
“Where’re we going?” Mirabelle asks after a few songs.
“It’s a surprise,” Rowan says, turning and flashing Mirabelle a wink.
Rage stiffens beside Mirabelle, his brows drawing down in concern.
Shit, I forgot to explain to him what we’re doing.
Rage tugs Mirabelle closer to him, resting his nose against her hair.
“It’s a good surprise, big guy, no need to sweat it,” I say to Rage.
“Okay,” Rage says quietly.
That’s a good sign! He’s still talking.
He stops talking when things get bad. I think he’s got as difficult of a time dealing with changes in routine as Mirabelle used to, though they react to them completelydifferently.
“It’s okay,” Mirabelle says, reaching out and squeezing Rage’s hand. “They wouldn’t do something mean or scary!”
My shoulders relax as I let out a breath. I didn’t even realize I was tensing them up. I guess it’s just nice to hear that Mirabelle trusts us.
As we drive, the more industrial concrete buildings and yellow street lamps shift to taller buildings, narrow alleyways, and bright neon lights.
Since the separation between the rich Northside part of town and the shithole Southside got real bad 15 years ago, the two have effectively operated as two separate cities. Minus the Northside government still making terrible decisions, because on paper, we’re still one city.
But that means that we’ve got our own downtown. It’s still seedy and the buildings are probably a lot older than the Northside’s equivalent of a downtown, but there’s an energy here that makes this part of town feel alive, even this late in the morning.
Or early, depending on how you look at it.
In this neighborhood, though? It’s late. Nightlife is huge here.
“Whoa,” Mirabelle breathes, leaning past Rage as she tries to peer out the window. “We’ve never been here before!”
I pull up outside the hotel I’ve been planning on taking Mirabelle to ever since I first stepped into the tiny ass motel office with yellow water damage on the walls that were supposed to be white. Mirabelle has viewed us escaping the farm as an adventure. She doesn’t know what to expect, let alone what she deserves.
It’s our job to show her.
I’ve only been here once. With my father when he was talking to one booky he owed money to.
It’s a fancy place. Hopefully fancy enough for Mirabelle.
“This is the surprise,” I say, turning around in my seat and flashing Mirabelle a toothy grin. “We’ve got all our stuff in the back. We’re getting a room here.”
It probably won’t be permanent.Eventually, we’ll want to find a place that’s more permanent than hotel rooms, but with the way Mirabelle’s eyes light up as she stares at the 15-story building and the glittering neon lights outside, the only thing on my mind is her.
“Oh my God!” She says, practically bouncing in her seat from excitement. And she hasn’t even seen the inside yet.
CHAPTER 50
Mirabelle
“Oh my God, this place is huge!” I say, spinning around in a circle as I stare at the vast hotel room.
