Someone spoke to Dawson on the other end of the line, then he came back. “We’re working on it. Just get back to the hotel, and we’ll talk.”
The call ended, and Lauren slowly lowered the phone. “It’s okay. We can stay at Eric’s. We’ll be careful.”
“That’s not good enough! They split us up immediately, and look what happened!”
Silence lingered in the car after his outburst. At least she didn’t deny it. This whole thing was a stupididea, and he had to figure out a way to get Lauren out of here.
Neither of them said anything on the way back to the hotel. When they stepped into the elevator, Lauren stopped in front of him as the doors closed. She rested her hands on his folded arms, looking up at him with her pleading eyes and swollen cheek.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too. You’re hurt because of me.”
She squeezed his arms. “That’s not true, and you know it. Please don’t shut down on me. We have to be in this together.”
“You can stay here, and I’ll go.”
Lauren huffed. “Yeah, like Eric is going to believe you would spend the night alone after a party. He knows we came all the way from Blackwater together.”
“Yeah, but the old me would have done what we came to do at the hotel, then given you cash for a bus and said, ‘Have a nice life.’”
Lauren’s petite nose scrunched. “You would not.”
It was the truth, even if Lauren didn’t want to admit it. She’d changed more than his present and future. Looking at the past always made him wonder why an angel ever gave him the time of day. It was times like this that made him hyperaware of the impending moment when she’d wise up and leave.
The elevator dinged, and Lauren stretched up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. It ended as quickly as it started, and the small glimpse of peace wasn’tenough. He wrapped his arms around her and claimed her mouth in a desperate kiss. The elevator door closed, and he leaned back against the wall, pulling her to him as they both fell into the kiss.
Her hands gripped his back, holding him close. He could easily forget how strong she was until she sparred with him like this. She gave him a taste of her determination and fire whenever she took control.
The elevator stopped, and Lauren took a step back. Her chest rose and fell in deep waves. “Tell me we’re in this together.”
Zach crushed her to his chest and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We’re in this together, angel.”
With that, she turned and pressed the button again. They were both quiet as the team laid out the new plan. Zach and Lauren were to stay at Eric’s house, keep the mics and tracking devices on them at all times, and report in hourly using either the buttons on the phone and mic or by saying a code word.
Zach carried their bags as they exited the hotel. On the way back to Eric’s, he kept a tight hold on Lauren’s hand. He prayed the entire drive, and he’d bet good money she was doing the same. If he’d ever needed guidance and protection from the one and only God, it was now.
Lauren’s thumb brushed against the back of his hand, reminding him of how she’d completely changed his life. He would have never been afraid to walk into a place like this. He wouldn’t have cared if he lived or died. He’d never had anything to live for. Atleast, that’s what he’d thought. She’d shown him just how much he had, and he’d do whatever it took to keep it.
More cars were parked around the house when they returned to the party. Several people were passed out on the lawn, and Lauren squeezed his hand.
“We should?—”
“We should stick to the plan,” Zach said, hefting their backpacks higher on his shoulder.
“But these people are going to freeze to death,” Lauren said in a low voice as she stepped over another limp body on the porch.
“You’d be surprised how little you feel when you’re blackout drunk.”
“I wouldn’t know,” she whispered beside him.
Releasing her hand, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to pull her in closer. “And I pray you never do.”
He stopped at the door and turned to Lauren. “Are you ready?”
He couldn’t make out her features in the darkness, but she nodded. Inside, the music was louder, and the smell was stronger. Fewer people were still standing, and everything about the main room seemed darker.
Zach spotted Eric talking with two older men wearing cuts from Iron Coffin MC. When Eric saw them, he dismissed the two men with a wave but stayed put until Zach and Lauren reached him.
