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“I’ll kill him.”
“You will not.”
He’s not smiling, but there’s a sparkle to his eyes. “I was joking. I’ll pay them for a night’s stay. Pay them a lot more to give us some clothes and forget we were ever here.”
“You think money solves all your problems, don’t you? We can’t just trespass in someone’s house because you have money.”
“Sure we can.”
“It’s not right.”
“Suit yourself. Sleep outside if you want.” He picks up a stone from the track.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Breaking in. What’s it look like?”
“Hold it, caveman.”
I feel under the mat and then around the potted plants on the porch. Under a cactus there’s a key which fits the front door. “No need to break the poor farmer’s window,” I say, pushing open the door.
“How did you know that would be there?”
“Fostered in a few rural places. I’m surprised they even bothered to lock the door.”
We get inside. Marco turns on a light before looking at me. “You need to get those clothes off,” he says. “I’ll burn them out back.”
“I’m not getting naked in front of you.”
“Fine.” He walks out of the room, stomping upstairs. He’s back a moment later, holding a red check gingham dress in his hands. “That do?”
“Do I get to keep my underwear?”
“Lose everything. We need to be certain we’re not bringing bugs with us.”
“If we are, won’t my father know we’re here by now?”
“I doubt he could have a man out here by the time we leave in the morning. To be sure, you can get some sleep. I’ll stay up and keep guard.”
“You think I could get a bath?”
He takes a step toward me. This close, I have to lean back to look into his eyes.
“I insist,” he says in a quiet rumble.
It’s not the depth of his voice that scares me, it’s the dangerous hunger in his eyes when he says those words.
Twenty-Four
Marco
* * *
She melts in front of my eyes. Her guard has been up the entire time she’s been with me, but it’s gone at last. I’m guessing what happened in the chopper has broken through to her. Adrenaline does that to the system sometimes. You lose your inhibitions, your brain too happy to be alive to care what happens next.
I lead her upstairs, pushing open one door after another until I find the bathroom. “Get undressed,” I tell her, turning the faucets on.
The tub starts to fill as I dig out towels. I turn around. She’s just standing there, looking at me. I walk over to her. “I thought you wanted a bath.”
