a knock on the door, stopping whatever he had been about to say. He shook his head, opened it to reveal police officers and hotel security, here to take our statements and talk about our safety moving forward.
I passed my hand across my laptop, devastated at the loss of my investigative tools. Invigorated at the thought that we were close to Bernard.
And terrified to admit I’d be more comfortable taking on a team of Dresden guards by myself than sharing a hotel room with Abe fucking Royal.
28
Abe
Two exhausting hours later, and we were finally relocated to room #486—which had two regular beds and a trundle bed, eliminating the temptation we didn’t need to sleep together.
A hotel security guard would keep watch over our room, just in case. The police officers had taken our statements, heard about our threats, promised to get back to us in a few days with their reports and progress. None of it mattered. I would most likely be flying back to Philadelphia at that point, regardless of what happened. But having extra protection couldn’t hurt.
Our clothing was still soaked and being laundered by the hotel, who’d dropped off pajamas and sweats for us from their gift shop. Every electronic item I’d left in that room was ruined, every note, every folder. Yet, as I watched Sloane peer outside the hotel window at the newly stormy weather, I understood none of those things were as important as keeping her safe. I would have pushed for the two of us to stay together regardless of our intense attraction—would have pushed to protect her. If I were here with Codex, I would have demanded all five of us stay in the same room and barricaded the door from intruders. Freya would most likely have turned it into a slumber party with snacks and alcohol and horror movies.
I would have spent the night awake, watching over them as they slept.
Off, on.
Were these actions really the actions of someone like my father? An aloof asshole beholden to his most selfish desires? Or was I more than that? Because, staring at Sloane sitting gingerly on the bed, I knew walking out was the furthest thing from my mind. The image of Sloane being tackled to the ground as she screamed was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.
I tossed my jacket on the bed and rolled up my sleeves, tearing at my tie. Grabbed the first-aid kit the hotel left for us and ice from the machine in the hallway. Then I got down on my knees in front of Sloane, who kept staring at the rain outside like she feared it would bite her. When she dragged her gaze to mine, registered the ice and the bandages, up went those walls again. But her external discomfort was possibly from the “unconventional childhood” she’d mentioned and been unable to say more about. I got the very strong impression she hadn’t been cared for. Ever.
“Can I take a look at your ankle?” I asked.
“Okay,” she said.
I slowly unzipped her thigh-high boots, freeing her feet. Bare, smooth legs. Bare, pretty feet. Even with all that we’d done at that bar, this act alone felt overwhelmingly intimate.
I looked at her ankle, which luckily wasn’t swollen. When I touched it, she didn’t wince. Happy with that news, I placed a bandage across a nasty scratch on her thigh, checked her knuckles and fingers for signs of injury.
“These will be sore tomorrow,” I said.
She touched my own split-open knuckles. “So will these.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I’m more concerned with this gorgeous jaw of yours.” A purple bruise shaded the skin, and I grimaced in sympathy—which only caused my own bruised jaw to ripple with pain.
“We’re a hot mess.” She smiled.
“All part of the job when you’re chasing a criminal mastermind.” I held out the ice. “May I touch you there?”
Cheeks pink, she said, “Yes.”
I gripped the non-bruised side of her face. Tilted it gently.
I held the ice to her skin, caressed the bruise. “It’s okay if being cared for is a brand-new feeling for you.”
Her eyes slid toward mine, relief there. “It’s extremely new,” she said.
I wasn’t used to seeing her so reserved, so quiet. I cleared my throat. “I was my mother’s caregiver after her car accident, after my father left. This stuff comes easy to me now. We spent a lot of time in hospitals and at medical appointments. I spent a lot of time bandaging her up when she banged into