Page 144 of Unravel Me

I have NFC on my phone, so I could pay with it, but that would once again mean leaving a digital trail. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I won’t have any other choice.

Eventually, I type the word ‘motel’ into the search engine and look over the map as various nearby hotels and motels pop up.

I’m out of luck. The nearest decent hotel is dozens of miles away, while there’s a motel relatively close by, in a wooded little town, only seven miles from where I am.

I don’t like places like this because local motels are usually pretty low-end, and it’s not hard to find a cockroach under the bed, but I’m not about to be picky.

When I park in front of the motel, I even hesitate over whether I should get out at all.

The place looks pretty suspicious, downright run-down, and there aren’t many guests’ cars in the parking lot.

I pull my baseball cap down over my eyes, go inside, and notice that the reception desk is on one side of the room, while on the other there’s a glass entrance to what looks like a room full of gaming machines, where several people are hanging out…

An older, heavyset alpha is sitting at the reception desk, smoking foul-smelling cigarettes.

I immediately get a bad vibe, but I walk up and ask, "How much is a room?"

The alpha raises his bushy eyebrows and looks me over.

Then he points with one thick finger toward the wall, where someone has written a price list on a piece of paper with a marker.

His gaze lingers on me with a strange mixture of ‘wow’ and some kind of contempt.

He pulls the cigarette from the corner of his mouth and crushes it into an ashtray overflowing with butts.

No, this really isn’t a good place for me.

"Thanks for the info," I say and turn to leave the reception area, but then two alphas come out of the room with the gaming machines, cigarettes in their hands, apparently planning to smoke outside.

I pass them, feeling the tension in my body.

Their eyes are on me, their eyebrows raised, and that all-too-familiar interest is very much there, the kind I always seem to provoke wherever I go, especially in little backwater places.

"Hey, babe, what’s up?"

I say nothing and simply quicken my pace, but I hear their footsteps behind me.

"Hey, wait. We never get people like you around here. Where are you from? Wait!"

I reach my car and pull out my keys, but they’re already right beside me.

Cursing under my breath, I remember my gun is tucked away in the glove compartment. I was one second too late…

One of the alphas positions himself so that I can’t open the door.

"Babe, we just want to talk. Can’t you spare us a few seconds? We know you from somewhere. Are you some kind of celebrity? I recognize those lips…"

The other one says, "I think I know him. He has an Instagram, JarringMe!"

"Leave me alone," I spit through clenched teeth.

"Hey, hey, what’s with the bad attitude? We’re just your fans."

I’m standing with my back to the parking lot, but I hear the sound of tires as a car pulls in and stops nearby.

"Wait, maybe we can get an autograph…"

"Leave me alone!"