“Hey, Liam.” Naomi handed him the booster seat. “I told Jerome to let you on through once you got here. Looks like he complied.”
“Yep.” He took the seat from her hand before opening the back passenger door and positioning it onto the leather seat. “He remembered me from the last time I was here, so that helped.”
Jerome was one of the shelter’s guards that stood guard at the gated parking lot attached to the west and northern sides of the building.
“Nope.” The sexy operative stood by the front passenger door of a blacked-out SUV. “It helped that Jerome remembered me from the last time I was here.”
“I swear, that guy has the memory of an elephant,” Naomi joked.
Liam chuckled softly before bringing his dark gaze Allison’s way. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
He held her stare a moment longer before eyeing the suitcase still clutched in her hand. “You got everything you need?”
Not even close.“Yes,” she blurted a little too enthusiastically—thanks to her critically underserved libido. Breaking eye contact, she refocused on the question that had been asked, begrudgingly admitting, “This is all we have.”
Two suitcases half-filled with clothes they’d thrifted along the way and a backpack with toiletries and other essential. That was the grand extent of her worldly possessions.
Don’t forget about the beat-up Chevy that’s probably on its last leg.
Right. The Chevy.
“Once we’re settled in at the hotel, you can make a list of anything you need and one my guys can go grab it.”
Liam’s offer cut through her depressing thoughts. “I don’t know that we need anything but thank you.”
“Yes, we do, Mommy.” Maddie tugged on the pant leg of Allison’s jeans. “I need a new swimsuit, remember? So if the hotel has a pool, I can swim.”
“A new swimsuit, huh?” Liam walked over to where they stood. Squatting down, he held out a hand and said, “You must be Maddie. I’m Liam.”
“Hi, Liam.” Her tiny hand became swallowed by his. “Are you my mommy’s friend? She said her friend was coming to take us to a hotel. Do you know if it has a pool?”
Liam’s deep chuckle left those broad shoulders of his shaking. “Iamher friend,” he answered Maddie’s question.“Hopefully I can be yours, too. As for the hotel, it doesn’t have a pool…it has two!”
Maddie gasped.“Two?”
“Uh, huh.” He nodded. “There’s one inside and one outside.”
A high-pitched squeal filled the air around them as her daughter jumped up and down with joy. “Mommy, did you hear that? The hotel hastwo pools!”
“I heard.” Allison smiled down at her daughter. As an afterthought, she hurriedly added, “But we’ll probably just use the one that’s inside.”
Liam’s almost indiscernible nod brought with it the relief that the bodyguard-for-hire was on the same page. She hated the idea of having to keep Maddie under lock and key, especially when summer was just about over. But the less exposed they were to the outside world, the safer they’d be.
“Well, I should probably get back inside.” Naomi bent down to give Maddie a hug. “See you later, Miss Maddie. You take good care of your momma, okay?”
“I will.” Maddie hugged her back with gusto.
“And you…” The sweet woman rose up and pulled Allison in for a friendly embrace. “You stick with this guy, and you’re going to be just fine.”
“I hope you’re right.” Allison’s hold tightened just a smidge.
Pulling back, Naomi arched a playful brow as one corner of her ruby lips curved into a smirk. “Girl, don’t you know? I’malwaysright.”
The two shared a final laugh before Naomi vanished through the gray door. It was only then that she realized Liam had already loaded the rest of their meager belongings into the back of the SUV.
“You ready?”
