Home to Stay by Maryann Jordan
12
Reading in bed, John felt restless. Lucy had been on his mind all day. He hoped she’d had a good time at the festival and had battled the desire to send her a text to tell her that. Slamming his book closed, he leaned his head back against the headboard. She might be with someone she met. Or maybe the trip wasn’t just for her and Paula. He hated the images of her dancing with someone else. Being held by someone else. Being—
His phone vibrated on his nightstand and his brow furrowed at who would be calling so late. Glancing at the caller ID, his fingers squeezed his phone as he read Lucy’s name. “Lucy?”
“John?”
He heard the tremor in her voice as she said his name, and his heart began to pound. Sitting up straight, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Lucy? What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know what to do. I’m so sorry to call, but you’re the person I thought of when…”
Her words tapered off, managing to send his heartbeat skyrocketing. Standing, he held the phone between his shoulder and ear, jerking his jeans up his legs. “Just tell me. What the hell is happening?”
“It started fine, everything with Paula was great. But she lied to me. By this evening, she’d met up with that biker that she’d been sitting with at the bar the other night—”
“Goddamnit!” She grew quiet, and he hated that his curse had probably scared her. Calming his voice, he prodded, “Keep going, please.”
“We were going to come back tonight, but she wants to spend the night with him. She told me she had a hotel room for us, which makes me wonder if she ever planned on us coming back tonight. Anyway, she said since she was going off with him then I could have the room, and we’d come back tomorrow morning. I was pissed but I walked to the hotel, and it seemed nice. A whole group of bikers pulled into the parking lot and are staying here in the hotel. But when I got up to my room, it was already being used. There was a biker jacket, guns, money, and I think drugs out on the table, and someone was in the shower. I got out of there before anyone could see me. John, it was never just for her and me. It was some kind of biker group room, I guess—”
“Goddamn, fuckin’ bitch!” He lost his cool again. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, giving his head a shake. He was known for his cool head, his calm demeanor. That’s what made him perfect for demolitions. But right now, he was ready to explode. “Tell me where you are, I’m coming to get you.”
“No, John, you don’t have to come here. It’ll take you four hours to get here and by then… oh, I don’t know.”
“By then what, Lucy? Paula will show up? Who will she have with her?” Her end of the line was quiet, and then he heard the unmistakable sound of a soft gasp. Shit… I’m a fuckin’ ass to scare her more than she is. He sighed heavily. “Lucy, please, don’t cry. Please. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make things worse.”
“No, it’s not you. It’s me. Actually, it’s not even me. It’s her and them! I’m angry, and I’m tired, and I’m scared. But I don’t want you to have to come to get me. I’m just out of my element and wanted you to tell me what you think I should do.”
Forcing his heart rate to slow and his breathing to even out, he put her on speaker as he set his phone on his nightstand, giving his arms freedom to jerk on a long-sleeved T-shirt and jam his feet into his boots. “I’m coming. Period. No discussion and no guilt. I don’t think you’re safe and it’s killing me that you’re four hours away. This is what I want you to do. Is there any other place around that you can get to that will keep you in a well-lit area?”
“Um… there was a diner next to the hotel, but some of the bikers were heading out to the parking lot in that direction.”
“You want to stay away from there. Anywhere else?” He grabbed his wallet and his keys and headed downstairs. He scribbled a note to his grandfather, explaining that he needed to go pick up a friend and wouldn’t be back until the next day.
“Honestly, John, I think I’m as safe as I can be right here in the lobby. It’s well-lit and there are several hotel employees behind the desk. I’m in a corner, hidden, and I don’t think anyone will bother me here.”
“Okay, I want you to text me the address, and I’ll be on the road in five minutes. This time of night I can get there faster. If anything happens, you call the police. Under no circumstances do you go off with anyone, and that includes Paula. You stay exactly where you are, understand?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll stay right here.”
“Okay, I’m on my way—”
“John?”
“Yeah, babe?”
Her voice hitched. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you for calling me. And Lucy? Stay safe. I’m coming for you.”
He was in his SUV, had his GPS set for the destination, and was on the road in three minutes, then two minutes later, he called Bray.
“What’s up, man?”
“Got a situation.” His words were clipped, and he could hear Bray’s immediate attention with his offer.
“Shit, you need backup?”
“No. Just didn’t want to fuck up my chances with Mace but also don’t know how this is going to go down.”
“Talk to me.”
He gave Bray the fast version of Lucy’s situation, ending with, “I’m going to get her. I don’t plan on any problems, but her safety is of utmost importance.”
“Okay, listen, John. I’ll tell you what Mace always tells us when we’re first hired. Remember, you no longer represent the United States government. The good thing is you don’t have their rules to follow, but you also don’t have the protection of being a soldier following orders. And since you’re not an official LSI Keeper, you don’t have Mace’s protection either. At least, not officially.”
“Got it. Shouldn’t need it, but I understand.”
“But listen, you’re not alone. Get to her, drive safe, and don’t engage. Just get her out and get back here. While you’re driving, I’m calling it into Mace and briefing the others. Josh and Rick can call up the CCTV to give you insight into the area if needed. Mace can call in markers if needed also. But I’ll tell you this—keep your eyes open. Whatever intel you can gather and bring back on the Minotaurs, we can use.”
“You got it.”
Bray explained the border procedure for a civilian before they disconnected, and for the first time in the past fifteen minutes, his breathing eased slightly. He thought of Mace, Bray, and the others. Teamwork. Just like old times. Just what he missed.
Looking at his GPS, he turned on the radio. At this speed… three hours to go.
* * *
Approaching the hotel’s parking lot at almost three a.m., John’s attention was razor-sharp. He saw the bikes parked in the lot, and driving slowly, pulled out his phone, snapping the license plates of several of them. Parking to the side, he approached the well-lit lobby and saw several more bikers milling around on the inside. He entered the glass doors and glanced around. His gaze swung side to side, but he didn’t see Lucy. His stomach dropped and his heart pounded, but he kept his expression blank when the bored receptionist looked his way.
Turning, he spied a chair in the corner, well-hidden behind a plant. Moving forward, it was obvious there was no one there. Fuckin’ hell. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read the text.
Outside. Near your vehicle.
Fighting the urge to run, he turned and walked outside, making his way to his SUV, careful to stay in the shadows and keep his eye out for anyone, Lucy or biker, not knowing if she sent the text or if someone had her and was using her phone to lure him out. Approaching his vehicle from the rear, he stopped, his head cocked to the side, listening.
A movement caught his attention as a head popped up over the hood of his SUV.
“John?” came the soft female voice he’d already memorized.
He hustled forward, barely able to plant his feet as Lucy ran, slamming into him as her arms encircled his waist. “Christ, Lucy,” he managed to get out, finding his breath stuck in his lungs at the feel of her shaking body pressed against his as though she were burrowing to be as close as possible. Wrapping her up, he buried his nose in her hair, pulling her tight with one hand on the back of her head and the other banded across her back. Until he had her in his arms, he’d refused to acknowledge how worried he’d been. Now, all the emotions threatened to rush to the forefront, a problem he’d never dealt with before on a mission.
Her arm stayed locked tightly around him, and in another time or place he’d want nothing more than to enjoy her silky hair against his skin, breathe in her scent, and revel in the feel of her luscious body pressed against his, but they needed to get out of there and back home.
Leaning back, he looked down. “Lucy, it’s okay. I’m here. But why the fuck did you not stay inside?”
She tilted her head back, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I didn’t think it was safe.”
Unable to keep the reproach from his expression, he shook his head. “Lucy.”
Her fingers clutched tighter to the back of his shirt as she shifted her gaze from side to side before bringing it back to his face. Her words came out in a rush, a tremor in her voice. “No, you don’t understand. It was fine for a while, and then suddenly, the stairwell door near me flew open and several of them came out. My chair was kind of behind the door so nobody paid any attention to me, but the lobby was beginning to be a gathering place. I thought they’d all gone up and gone to bed, but it’s like they don’t sleep. By then, there was only the one person behind the reception desk, and believe me, John, if anything was going to happen, they’d do nothing. They didn’t look scared, so it made me wonder if this group hasn’t come here before. But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if anyone started bothering me, I was not going to get any help. So, I slipped out of the lobby and went through the back door. I’ve been hiding in the bushes over there until you got here.”
“Fuckin’ hell, babe.” He was torn between admiration for her keeping a cool head and rage that she felt threatened. If I get my hands on fuckin’ Paula… “Okay, that’s done, and we’re out of here.” The parking lot was quiet, but he didn’t trust it would stay that way for long. Opening the passenger door, he ushered her in, hating the sight of her hands shaking so badly she was barely able to handle the seatbelt. “Let me.” He adjusted it around her, clicking it in place. Her hair was askance, completely falling out of the clip at the top of her head. Her green top was wrinkled, and her blue jeans had a bit of dirt on the knees.
Leaning forward, with his face directly in front of hers, he wanted to fill her sight with only him. Her eyes were wide, and he placed his lips on her forehead. Mumbling against her soft skin, he vowed, “You’re safe, and I’m taking you out of here.” Closing the door, he hustled around the front and climbed in.
Starting the engine, he drove around the back of the hotel and pulled out into the alley before turning onto the road. Lucy’s hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her backpack. He tapped a button on his phone. As soon as the line connected, he said, “I’ve got her. She’s safe. Leaving now.”
“Good job, congratulations. Take the time you need, then we’d like a report.”
“You got it.” He disconnected.
He felt her stare against the side of his head but simply reached to the console and pulled out a water bottle, handing it to her. “Drink.”
She acquiesced and drank deeply. With each swallow, her body appeared to relax. They remained quiet until they passed out of the city limits, and then her breathing seemed to ease.
Once they crossed the border into the United States with no difficulty, he heard her massive although shaky sigh of relief. He thought he did a better job of hiding his, but the truth was he’d sighed as well.
