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Her brilliant smile flitted into view before she covered it with a hand. “I do know a place.” Her eyebrows scrunched together as she asked, “But what about Kross? If he’s still out there, who knows what he’ll do?” She shook her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t go out in public right now.”
Finn wanted Kross to find them, but Jewel didn’t need to know that.
“You left your phone at home?”
Her confused expression intensified. “Yes.”
“Then unless Kross tailed us—and I didn’t see any cars following us last night so that’s highly unlikely—we should be fine.” He walked over to the blinds and shot it open, letting light flood in.
Jewel squinted against the glare.
Finn stood in front of the window and planted his feet apart. “The night’s over. The sun is shining and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.”
This time, Jewel didn’t hide her grin.
Man, that smile of hers was dangerous.
She’s young enough to be your sister.
His physical attraction aside, Finn was on a mission and Jewel was a means to an end. He couldn’t let a pretty face distract him from his real purpose.
But the more he tried to lecture himself, the more he wanted to be the one to break past all of Jewel’s barriers.
“Okay.” Jewel shuttled off the bed, full of energy. He doubted she’d be that cheerful if she knew his thoughts.
Finn gave her a few minutes to get ready. When Jewel emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing the dress from last night. He noticed the way she kept tugging the hem down and handed her one of his hoodies.
She stared at it as if she’d never seen a jacket before.
“Here.” Finn shoved it under her nose. “You can put this on if it’ll make you more comfortable.”
Wordlessly, she took it from him and yanked it on. The black hoodie covered her knees and the extra material flowed over her arms, enveloping her like a super-sized suit.
Finn tried not to cringe. The moment he’d felt Belize’s humidity, he’d shoved his jackets deep into his bag. He still had no idea how Jewel survived wearing such thick clothing, but if it made her more comfortable, he wouldn’t say anything.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
She bobbed her head.
Finn opened the door for her and strode out of the room, making sure to check the lock before he left.
Together, they strode down the stairs to the lobby. Jewel was quiet, but that wasn’t particularly out of character for her. Finn put concerted effort into shortening his stride so he didn’t walk ahead of her, but tempering his steps was a challenge.
They arrived downstairs.
Finn nodded to the receptionist who sat behind the large desk in the lobby and then glanced away.
He’d find a taco joint and have breakfast, then he’d help Jewel buy some new clothes. During his week of observation, he noticed that she rarely wore any T-shirts or jeans. Her clothes were always long-sleeved, baggy and faded.
He understood why she felt the need to hide her body from view, but she’d already shown that she was ready to break out of that timidity and live life without fear. He wanted to be a part of that.
For reasons that, again, he didn’t feel like exploring right now.
“Wait up, Mr. Robinson!” the clerk said. Finn stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the man laboring to his feet. He had brown skin, bushy black hair and an oversized paunch that said he drank too much.
“Go ahead.” Jewel pointed to the worn chairs in the lobby and whispered, “I’ll wait over there.”
Finn nodded and ambled to the clerk. “Is there a problem?”
