AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t think you have anything to feel guilty about. If you were abandoning the search in order to pursue her, that would be one thing, but you’re not. I don’t see anything wrong with getting to know her while she’s with you.
Nodding slowly, he considered that. Maybe his dragon was right. He didn’t know if he’d ever feel right about enjoying himself—and he couldn’t kid himself that he wouldn’t be doing just that as he got to know her—while his cousin’s life was in jeopardy. But he already knew he wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to get to know her better while he had the chance.
When he got to his room, he set to work packing his bag. It didn’t take long at all, considering that he hadn’t even had a chance to sleep in the room. He’d gotten there the day before but ended up dozing fitfully in the truck the night before, unable to fall asleep fully while he watched for his cousin—only to have Justin leave when he went in to use the bathroom and get his phone charger.
But even though he was done quickly, it still felt like it took too long. He’d love nothing more than to run into the soon-to-be-dead fuckers who had Justin, but he didn’t want them anywhere near Katia.
He might have strong protective instincts, but it was surprising how deeply he felt it for her. He didn’t normally feel it like this for anyone he’d just met—but with her, keeping her safe wasn’t just a want, it was a need.
It was probably just because the men he was trying to protect her from were the same ones who had Justin, and it was clear at this point how little they cared about hurting someone. But whatever the reasons he felt it so strongly, he’d be damned before he let anything happen to her.
He was really glad she agreed to come with him with hardly any fuss, because he’d been determined to get her out of there, no matter what. And there was no denying that it made life infinitely easier that she was coming willingly, rather than him forcing her.
Because as much as he hated the thought of forcing her to do anything, he would have in this case. He’d do anything to keep her safe—and he was going to come back to that and examine why he felt that need so strongly as soon as she was out of immediate danger, and he could spare his thoughts and energy on it.
Striding into the lobby, he looked around for her, brow furrowing when he didn’t see her right away. He walked a few more steps inside, his frown easing when he saw her head pop up from behind the desk as she straightened.
Glancing up, she spotted him and smiled, knocking the breath right out of him. Damn, she was so gorgeous. He couldn’t help wishing that they’d met under completely different circumstances, and he made a silent promise that as soon as this was over and Justin was back home where he belonged, he was going to devote the time and energy to getting to know her that she deserved.
“Are you ready?” he asked, clearing his throat when his voice came out husky.
She nodded, walking around the counter, and he took her bag out of her hands, motioning for her walk to the door. “Thanks. Yeah, I was just checking you out of your room. I figured you might not be back for a while, and you don’t need a bunch of nights charged to your card when you’re not even staying here.”
“That was a good idea. Thanks,” he replied absently, running his gaze over her. She’d pulled on a hoodie that was about three sizes too big, and it hung off her small frame. He figured she’d done it so that if the men were still there, it would throw them off and they wouldn’t recognize her.
Maybe it would be enough to fool them, but Colton thought he’d recognize her anywhere—but that was probably just him. The awareness he felt when she was nearby was incredible.
He stopped by the door, watching as she pulled the hood over her head. “Putting that on is a great idea, but I’m still going to get my truck and drive it up to the door. Hop in as soon as I come to a stop, but don’t pull the hood off until we’re well on the way, okay?”
She nodded, her sky-blue eyes serious, and he put both bags in one hand as he pulled out his keys. Walking swiftly to his truck, he put them in the backseat and got in, wincing at the loud growl of the exhaust as he started the engine. He loved the way his truck looked and sounded, and he’d put a lot of time, effort, and money into getting it just how he wanted it, but that and the lift kit he’d had put on made it a little hard to blend in.
He never had any clue he’d need to though, and sure as fuck not for this reason.
As soon as the truck came to a stop, Katia climbed in, pulling off her backpack before buckling her seatbelt. He was moving before she even had it fastened, brow twitching as he realized he didn’t have any idea where to go next, other than getting her away from the hotel and out of the city entirely.
He turned toward the interstate, thinking he’d figure out where they were going once he’d put some distance between themselves and the men who’d be looking for her. He really did believe that they’d most likely come back for her at some point—or hell, maybe they never even went far from the hotel at all and were waiting for her to leave so they could follow her home.
As he drove, his mind raced as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. What could Justin have gotten mixed up in that caused him to lose a finger? Try as he might, he couldn’t figure it out.
Yeah, there’d been something up with him for the last few months before he disappeared, but whatever it was, he’d been excited about it. How’d he go from being happy and excited to being held captive and tortured?
Once they were on the interstate, Katia pulled her hood off and reached into her backpack, pulling out a sketchpad and pencils. He glanced over as she pulled a leg up on the seat and opened the pad, flipping quickly through the pages until she found a blank one.
“You draw?” he asked, wishing he’d gotten a better look at her work.
“Yeah. I’ve always loved it, and one of the classes I take at night school is an art class.”
“Is that what you’re going to school for?”
She laughed, the sound light and wistful at the same time. “I wish. If there was a way to make a living off it, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’m an advertising major, but I’m hoping I get to use my art in campaigns once I have a job in that field.”
He glanced over at her, watching as her pencil flew across the page before looking back at the road. “How long have you been working two jobs and going to school?”
“I’ve been working at the diner since I was seventeen, and I started at the hotel after I graduated high school. I didn’t start taking classes until I was twenty, though. I wanted to try to save up some money to pay for it first. I’ve been in school for six years now, because I can’t take nearly as many classes as a full-time student, but I only have eight months left.”
Eyebrows raising, he slanted another glance at her. “That’s impressive. How’d you come to live at the hotel?”
Her hand stilled as she looked over at him with a wry smile. “My uncle Sergei owns it. He wanted to pay for my tuition and get me an apartment, but I was stubborn and wanted to do it on my own. I took jobs at his diner and hotel instead, and insisted he take a portion of my paycheck to cover the room. He doesn’t charge me nearly as much as he should, but it was a decent compromise between what we both wanted.”
