The man’s eyes became glassy, and his jaw sagged. Turning away, he removed two sets of keys from the pegboard behind the desk. Judging by those keys and that pegboard, this place wasn’t exactly modern.
But then, they weren’t here for the rooms. They were here because it had vacancies, it was in a remote location, and the highway was as deserted as a ghost town. If something went wrong here with Mateo, there would be almost no witnesses.
And she was deeply afraid something would go wrong. There was no way Mateo was going to walk in here unarmed and without backup. She suspected he trusted her as much as she did him.
The only problem was, how many hunters would he bring with them?
“You don’t have to do this,” she said to Asher. “It’s dangerous; he’s going to bring men with him, and it’s only us.”
“We can’t let you go back in there without knowing you’ll be safe. Neither of us could live with ourselves if we handed you over to the man who killed your father, into a marriage you don’t want, and probably an early death.”
Elena gulped. She couldn’t deny that last part. She almost told him it would be fine, but they both knew the truth; she probably wouldn’t make it a year with Mateo. However, she couldn’t have their blood on her hands, and if this went wrong, there would be a whole lot of blood.
And what if her mother got caught in the crossfire?
“This isn’t right,” she murmured. “None of this is right. We’re supposed to be fighting for good and not against each other.”
“We are fighting for good, but sometimes shit gets in the way.”
Before she could reply, the office door opened and Logan walked outside. The slump of his shoulders told her that he didn’t like having to do what he just did either. She almost reached out to comfort him but stopped herself before she could.
He’s a vampire, she reminded herself.And you know hunters who are far worse than him.
She couldn’t argue with that, but still, comforting a vampire and someone she barely knew seemed wrong somehow. Besides, she doubted he would welcome her touch.
With a sigh, she followed them down the wooden walkway. Whereas it was raining when they left New Mexico, the night here was clear and warm. Millions of stars decorated the June sky, but no moon illuminated it.
It was one of those bright, beautiful nights she always loved as a kid. And then, when she lived on the streets, nights like these always gave her hope. Now, it caused an unexpected pang of sadness. There was so much beauty in this world, and her father would never see any of it again.
And tonight would most likely bring more sadness.
Logan strode to the end of the walkway and stopped. Elena glanced back at the parking lot to where their vehicle remained near the office with two other cars. One of them most likely belonged to the clerk, while the other was a guest’s. Since it was parked right outside the first door next to the office, she assumed that’s where they were staying.
Fifteen doors separated them, and they would be alone at this end of the motel.
A prickle of unease crept up her spine; her instincts told her that she could trust these men, but she still wasn’t convinced her instincts and judgment were at their best right now. However, if they’d planned to kill her, they would have done it before coming here.
Even if they were using her to draw Mateo into a trap, they still would have done it before now. They would have their trap set; they didn’t need her possibly ruining things. She was a fighter, scrappy, and would inflict alotof damage on them, but she didn’t kid herself into thinking she could take them both if they turned on her.
Logan unlocked the door and pushed it open. He fumbled for the light switch before finally locating it and flicking it on.
“It’s like a time machine into the seventies,” Asher muttered as he stepped into the room.
Logan couldn’t help but agree as he took in the orange shag carpet, paneled walls, and the aroma of mildew hanging heavily in the air. White bedspreads covered the two double beds, but the vinyl chairs by the plate glass window were puke green. Neither of them had been new since Nixon was president.
“Stunning,” Elena muttered as she slipped past him and into the room.
She set her backpack on the ground near the first bed. They stopped at a department store to get clothes, toiletries, and food on the way here. They’d packed the weapons from their vehicle into the bags. They had four tasers, a couple of handguns, and two daggers.
The tasers would be their most valuable assets if they ended up fighting the hunters, but the guns were loaded and ready to kill any Savage who crossed their path. They didn’t have much with them, but they had more than they did before.
Logan strode over to perch on one of the vinyl chairs. The material cracked beneath his weight, but as he looked around, he didn’t see a speck of dust on any furniture.
“How long do you think we have?” Elena asked.
“About three hours,” Asher answered.
She suspected they would be the longest and fastest three hours of her life.
