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His jaw tightened. “I thought less of me.”
The elevator doors opened, saving her from a response. Which was good because she didn’t know what to say to make him feel better.
“Come on,” she said, tugging him away from the front desk and toward the main bank of elevators. “This way.”
“We don’t need a key?”
“Not tonight. Just... wait till we’re behind closed doors. I’ll explain.”
He fell silent as they entered another elevator, watching as she pushed the button for the sixteenth floor. When the doors opened, she led him toward the room number that Burke had texted her.
She rapped twice on the door, paused, then rapped twice more, and the door opened.
Molly breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the six-foot, blond Norwegian woman whose skin was three shades paler than even Gabe’s.
“You look like crap, girl,” Val said in her typical brusque way, stepping back to let them inside, then shutting the door. “And... OMG, is that a wrinkle I see on your shirt?”
Molly chuckled. “Shut up. Gabe, this is Val Sorensen, one of Burke’s PI-slash-bodyguards, and one of my very best friends. Val, Gabe Hebert.”
Val stuck out her hand. “I have heard so much about you. Most of it good.”
Gabe blinked. “Um, thank you? But if you’re here, who’s guarding my cousin?”
“Gabe!” Patty flew from the adjoining room, throwing her arms around Gabe’s neck. “You’re okay. I just heard about today. About the guy on the highway pointing his gun at you.”
Gabe looked at Molly, confused again. “What’s happening right now? Why is Patty here?”
“Val’s going to stand guard tonight so I can sleep. Patty can’t be left alone, so she’s here.”
A slow grin brightened his face. “Adjoining rooms?” he mouthed.
She grinned back. “Yep,” she mouthed back.
Val just snorted. Patty missed the entire exchange because her face was buried against Gabe’s neck.
Gabe pried Patty’s arms from his neck so that he could look her in the eye. “I’m fine. The gun was pointed at Molly, not at me. But we’re fine.”
Patty stepped back. “I kept imagining the worst when it took you so long to get here.”
“I’m sorry,” Molly said quietly. “I was making sure we weren’t followed.”
Patty nodded, flicking a glance at Val. “That’s what Val said. I still worried.”
“Who’s minding the Choux?” Gabe asked.
“Donna Lee has everything under control.” Patty braved a smile. “We might come back and find that we’re not needed at all.”
“Not true, and you know it,” Val said. “Sit down and rest, guys. There’s a minibar if you need a drink.”
“Not me,” Molly said. “I just need to sleep. I can’t run on two hours’ sleep like a college kid anymore.” She dropped her duffel bag on one of the two queen-sized beds in the room, toeing off her boots and arranging them next to the bed as she always did.
At least she wasn’t sleeping in her boots like she had in the Corps. That had sucked royally.
“Anything new?” Val murmured, sitting on the side of her bed while Gabe answered Patty’s flurry of questions on the other side of the room.
“When did Burke brief you?”
“He called me fifteen minutes ago.”
