Page 59 of Little Sunshine

Once I was sure she was settled, I turned off the muted TV in the loft space and went to one of the guest rooms, heading straight for the en suite. I left the water cold as I climbed in, hoping my dick would get the message.

It didn’t.

I made the shower quick and got ready to crash for a few hours before my mental alarm clock would wake me. I was just nodding off when my cell pinged.

I grabbed it to see a text from Cole.

Cole: One Video

I downloaded the attachment to see the lobby of Moonlight. A few seconds in, Mila walked through the door with her hood up. She kept her head down and face covered as she approached the front desk. The video cut and angle changed as a different camera took over. I could only see the back of her head, but I could hear her clearly.

“Ash. Beard. Short hair. Behemoth of a man.”

Hearing her ask for me hit me in the gut.

Hearing her call me a behemoth of a man made me smile.

But hearing and seeing the dismissive disgust from the prick working the counter made me want to take him down to The Basement.

He’d tried to turn her away. With the condition she was in, I doubted she’d have made it far.

Even if it wasn’t Mila, that was fucked.

But it was Mila.

My Mila.

Which meant he was fucked.

Me: Are you fucking kidding me?

Cole: I know. Boss says the desk clerk is fired, and it’s your news to deliver.

Cole: However you want to deliver it.

As tempting as that was, I had more important targets to hunt. My full attention was dedicated to whoever had made it so a walk across the lobby required Mila to clutch onto the counter.

Me: One of you handle it. I have bigger fish to catch, filet slowly and painfully, and torch.

That wasn’t a metaphor.

Cole: On it.

I watched the clip again before tossing my cell on the bed and leaving the room.

I needed to see that she was okay.

Safe.

That she wasn’t trying to hobble her injured ass across the desert.

If I was a better man, I would’ve stopped outside the closed door. I would’ve given her privacy. She’d trusted me enough to come home with me, and I was invading the space I’d offered.

I would’ve at least hesitated.

I didn’t.

Opening the door, I moved silently across the room, not needing the light from the bathroom.

---