Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [788]
“The next intersection should be Highway 34,” Jared said, startling her when he leaned up against the front seat. “Take a right.”
“I don’t think I can drive much farther, Jared.”
“I know. I’ve been watching you, Mel.” He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve done a good job, Lil’ Sis.”
She glanced back at him in the rearview mirror, looking for sarcasm and not able to see a trace. When they were kids he used to call her Lil’ Sis whenever he took care of her, comforting her with that same reassuring tone that made her feel like everything would be okay. But sometimes even Jared wasn’t able to make things okay. Before she could determine whether or not he was still trying to take care of her, he was pointing over the seat at a billboard.
“We can get a room at that Comfort Inn. Looks like it’s just on the other side of Hastings.”
She almost asked if they could afford it, but stopped herself. She didn’t care if they could afford it. Just the thought of a hot shower and a soft bed perked her up. She pulled her shoulders back, stretching against the tightness, the knots of stress balled up in the middle of her shoulder blades. Yes, a hot shower and a good night’s sleep would make things better. And tomorrow? Who the hell cared about tomorrow? She had to take one day at a time, one hour at a time.
Melanie saw the brightly lit Comfort Inn sign and then the inn itself on the left side of the road. She smiled, a sense of relief for the first time since this nightmare began. Maybe this is what people meant by an oasis in the desert.
“Don’t pull up to the lobby. Park over there, away from the lights.” Jared was back to giving orders. She didn’t care. She just kept thinking of the hot shower and the cool sheets.
“When you go into the lobby don’t give them your real name. And say there’s only two of you.”
“But won’t they see us all come in to go to our room?”
“It looks like a motel. I think we can get in from our own door. If not, they usually have side doors. Once you have the key card we can get in through them.” More lecturing, more telling her what to do. “If you have to fill out any forms with address and stuff, put California and say you’re headed to Chicago.”
“Where in California?”
“I don’t give a fuck, Mel. Make something up. Jesus! I can’t think of everything.” He counted out eight twenty-dollar bills and handed them to her over the seat. “It shouldn’t be more than this.”
She looked at the rest of the money he still held in his hand. In the dim light of the parking lot she could tell there was more that four hundred dollars. She wanted to ask if he had taken some cash from the convenience store. She quickly decided she didn’t care about that, either.
The lobby was bright and cozy with a small sitting area to the right and a breakfast or snack area off to the side of the reception cubicle. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee accosted her as soon as she entered. She checked over her shoulder to see whether the Taurus was visible from the desk. Nothing. She’d done a good job parking it away and out of sight.
“God! That smells great,” she told the young man behind the counter. He actually looked pleased to have someone to talk to. The parking lot was pretty empty.
“Help yourself. I just made a fresh pot. Will you be staying with us this evening?” he asked as he began rounding up the necessary paperwork.
Her mind was on the coffee. It had been so long, too long, since she had given it up.
“Ma’am? Are you needing a room for this evening?”
“Yeah. I mean, yes.