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Did he realize they would die out here?
Relief flooded through her when Ellie finally called her back after a few agonizing moments.
“Sent directions. Sorted. I told her you guys are married and—” But the line disconnected and went dead.
Peyton glanced at the GPS directions and then memorized them. Her data access wasn’t going to last long, either.
Driving extremely carefully and very slowly, Peyton took the detour to the newly opened Red Hills Resort.
She didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or cry when she saw the headlights of a vehicle beckoning them like a lighthouse to a shelter in the beautifully lit chalet in the background.
She pulled into a parking spot next to another car, then immediately picked up her phone, and a momentary wave of fresh relief washed over her. She still had a bit of a signal.
Her boss had texted her about the grounded flights. She replied and informed him that she had the situation under control, and they were going to wait out the storm at a place called Red Hills Resort.
“I don’t think you want to alarm the owners or the rest of the guests by hauling around a seasoned killer in cuffs, do you?”
Fuck.
He was right.
“You can trust me, Peyton. You have my word.”
She wanted to tell herself she only unlocked the handcuffs because she really didn’t want to upset the other guests and that it was not because of the low tone he used on her, silky but with a hint of roughness.
It was as if she had heard him say those words to her before. The thought startled her for a split second before her reality crashed down around her again.
It was okay. They just needed a room until the storm cleared up. Making it official FBI business would just complicate things for the civilians in the hotel. And she wasn’t going to spoil their holiday cheer by hauling around a smooth, devastatingly gorgeous assassin.
Besides, Declan was only a danger to her. He wasn’t in the habit of hurting innocent people. She knew that much.
She didn’t have much more time to overthink it when she saw a man begin to approach them. She shook her head, slipped the gun into her bag, and unlocked the cuffs.
“One wrong move, and I’ll blow your balls off.”
“Is that because you’re such a bad shot you were actually aiming for my head?” he asked innocently.
“No. If I wanted to shoot you in the head, I would. My boss wants you alive.”
“Touché.” He chuckled, and her panties seemed to melt.
God in heaven, what the fuck was wrong with her?
The man approached her just as she opened the car door. A gust of frosty air engulfed her, chilling her body to the bone in naught to five seconds.
“Come on, let’s get you inside,” he shouted to be heard.
Peyton bit her lip. They didn’t have any luggage with them, yet they had been on their way to the airport, which would be enough to make people curious about it.
She had to come up with an excuse, or it was bound to ignite a wave of suspicion against them. But she couldn’t believe it when Declan climbed out of the car and then opened the trunk to gather his luggage.
What? How? When?
It wouldn’t do them any good if she gave herself away right now, either, by demanding to know how he had managed to get his luggage into the rental when the car had been locked. She would have to deal with that privately.
Instead, she apologized to the man for dragging him out in such horrendous weather and thanked him for putting them up at such short notice. She didn’t hear his reply, but he seemed to wave her thanks aside and said something about leaving a bear out in the weather. She couldn’t be sure.
They removed their coats in the vestibule and then entered the blissful warmth of the lobby.
