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“We have a room set up for you two to stay in tonight,” Slick offers.
I look to Nash, wondering if he has a counteroffer. I’m still not exactly impressed with the way Cerberus handled the situation in Mexico, even though I know they did what they had to with the information they were presented with at the time.
Nash doesn’t offer a solution or an alternative plan. He answers me by turning around and walking out of the room.
“That would be great,” I tell Slick, barely getting the words out before Alani is wrapping her arms around me tighter and sobbing on my shoulder.
Nash is nowhere to be seen when we leave the house. The place he parked his truck is empty as we ride away in the back of a Cerberus SUV.
Our first stop is Alani’s dorm room so she can get some clothes. Slick escorts her inside while I wait. Next, we’re taken to a hotel out on the highway that runs through the small, sleepy town.
We’re each handed a plastic key card outside of the elevator on the third floor, Slick assuring us that we’re safe, and someone will be posted outside of the door.
“You’re free to go,” she says, locking eyes with me. “But I’d advise you to let Legacy escort you if you plan to leave.”
Even with the hulk of a man right outside of the door, I feel less safe when we closed ourselves into the hotel room than I did last night with Nash, as he held me in that tiny little house in that horrible neighborhood.
I wish he were here, if anything as a distraction, a way to keep from having this conversation with my little sister. She’s going to want details, and I know speaking of them aloud for the very first time may have the power to destroy me.
Chapter 34
Nash
I could see the indecision in her eyes as she was offered a safe place to stay. I could see she needed me to make that decision for her. Everything she has done has been for her sister. If I thought she was in the right headspace to finally start making decisions based on her needs rather than the needs of others, I might have done something other than walk out of the house and leave her with those commandos.
Part of my walking out is because she’s become too damn important to me. When I looked at her and the first thing I felt was choose me, I knew I had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Feeling like I’m owed something, or I deserve a part of her, is dangerous. It’s fucking selfish and so far out of my comfort zone, that I’ve spent hours trying to let go of any thoughts of her.
I’m finding it impossible, but that may be because I followed Cerberus to this fucking hotel. They’re watching me watch the front door, as if I pose some sort of fucking threat to the two women inside.
I couldn’t leave her. My heart pounded, fear threatening to take over with each rotation of my tires, when I tried to drive away last night. I may not want her inside of me, but that doesn’t clean my system of her. There’s no such thing as a fucking clean break where this woman is concerned. It should terrify me, and I’m sure at some point, it might, but today is not the day.
I tell myself I just need to make sure that she’s going to be okay, that Alani isn’t going to blame her or hate her for what’s been out of Ayla’s control. I tell myself that I’ve put in too much time to walk away right before the problems are solved.
It doesn’t make sense. This isn’t a job. I’m not getting paid to protect that woman, but mentally treating it like any other mission right now calms that part inside of me that’s growing increasingly anxious at not seeing her leave the hotel as the sun starts to rise.
I know she’s safe, but there’s more than just the threat of Cortez to protect her from. Her sister spit vile things at her. I understand how adrenaline works. Some people are wired to lash out when they’re scared rather than cry. It’s possible that Alani is the type to manage things that way, but I couldn’t help trying to protect Ayla from incurring her sister’s anger. The woman has been through enough. It wasn’t my place to step in, but I don’t think there’s a force that exists on the earth that could’ve stopped it.
I’m not exactly happy watching one of the Cerberus assholes saunter up to my fucking truck, but at least he looks just as equally annoyed to be doing it.
I roll down my window as he steps up to it, keeping my eyes on the front of the hotel.
