Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,59
into supporting a candidate—and a cause—I deeply disagree with. All of Van Dorf Group’s publications will continue to actively endorse Randy McAvoy. He’s a Congressman from Brooklyn, and I’ve followed his career for years. He’s one of the few decent people left in politics.”
I nod, expecting nothing less from my father. Trying to back Dennis Van Dorf into a corner is the biggest mistake anyone could ever make.
Chapter twenty-three
We take the long way to Vermont. The really long way. Alec’s paranoid that someone might follow us, so instead of taking I-91 and getting there in six hours, we stick to the back roads and stop regularly.
Generally, I don’t do well in a car for long periods of time so I’m grateful for every stop.
“Another Snickers?” Alec says, glaring at the chocolate bar and then at me. “If you get any more amped up on caffeine and sugar, you’ll twitch out of the sunroof.”
“Don’t judge my coping mechanisms,” I say, grabbing a Milky Way and a Hershey bar for good measure.
Alec rolls his eyes, and it looks so ridiculous on his usually stoic face that I want to grab him and kiss him senseless. And then feed him some of that chocolate because the man needs to fucking relax.
But I can’t. Because we’re still tiptoeing around the fact that we kissed, but neither of us wants to have an actual conversation about it. I thought about casually broaching the subject a few times. But then changed my mind. There will be nothing casual about that particular conversation, and the car ride’s already making me nauseous. I don’t need to add to the torture.
We pay for the snacks and head back to the car. The weather’s gorgeous—the sun is high in the sky, unobstructed by any clouds, the sky as blue as I’ve ever seen it. I tilt my head upwards and close my eyes, reveling in the feeling of warm sunshine on my face.
“Careful,” Alec murmurs, wrapping an arm around me and directing me away from the magazine rack I was just about to walk into.
His arms disappear all too soon, the loss making me shiver even in the warm weather.
In the car, Alec pretends to adjust the mirrors as he checks for anything suspicious. Satisfied, he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the back road we’ve been following for the past three hours. I put my earbuds in, connect them to the ancient iPod I’m allowed on this trip, stretch back into the seat, and prepare for the next leg of the trip, hoping there won’t be too many twists and turns on the road.
Somehow, despite all the chocolate and coffee I consumed, I managed to drift off. When I awake, Alec’s gently shaking me and saying something I don’t quite catch.
“What?” I ask, my voice scratchy. How long have I been asleep?
“We’re here.”
“In Vermont?” I look out the car window only to see the sad-looking parking lot of a motel. The neon sign proudly proclaims it’s called Milford Motel, but some of the letters are missing, so now it only says Milf Motel. “I believe I was promised a picturesque cabin by a lake?”
Alec’s lips twitch. “We’ll spend the night here. It’s a pit stop, not our final destination.”
I sigh, unbuckling my seatbelt with jerky movements. “Is all of that really necessary, Alec?”
He grimaces. “It is if it means it’ll keep you safe.”
“We’ve been on the road for twelve hours. Nobody’s following us.”
“I can’t be a hundred percent sure.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I grunt, then open the door and tumble out of the car.
There’s no point arguing. We’ve been through this, and there’s no changing his mind. Slamming the door harder than strictly necessary, I round the car and get my bag from the trunk. Alec does the same, and we head for the reception.
Turns out, the motel’s busier than expected. That seems to make Alec even more uneasy if the rigid lines of his body are anything to go by.
Thankfully, they have a room for us, a double room, which turns out to be a decent size. Even though I slept for hours in the car, I still feel exhausted. A shower and a warm bed sound like heaven right now.
“Do you want to go first?” I ask, jerking my chin at the bathroom as I unpack my toiletries.
Alec hesitates. He looks longingly at the bathroom, but then his expression hardens as his eyes land on me. “No. I’m good. Go ahead.”