Page 56 of Betrayed

John opened my door and offered me a hand down. I wasn’t usually one to accept a man’s help getting in or out of a car, but AJ’s truck was huge and I was short.

“Thank you.”

AJ grabbed our bags while Doug and Jay carried in everything else.

“Do you guys own this house?” I sounded judgmental, but it had seen better days. The exterior needed a coat of paint, the windows were beyond dirty, and the lawn hadn’t been tended in a long time.

“No, Maxwell used her FBI contacts to get us a loaner from the US Marshalls. We usually use motels,” John said as he held the door for us.

“I could have stayed at a hotel?” The inside wasn’t much better than the outside. It was small, sparsely furnished, and completely devoid of charm. Not to mention, dark. Shades and curtains covered the windows.

“Motels, not hotels,” John corrected me.

“You’re not missing out,” Doug said. “We use random motels off the beaten path. They’re run down and shady.”

This place wasn’t?

“Are there cameras inside?” I asked, knowing there was a ton on the exterior.

“Only in the public spaces,” Doug answered. “Not in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and there’s no audio.”

That was a relief. I didn’t think I could deal with a complete lack of privacy on top of everything else.

“I’ll show you to your room,” AJ said from behind me.

I nodded and followed him as he walked down a short hall to the left of the living space.

“You can choose whichever of these two bedrooms you’d prefer,” AJ indicated the bedrooms on either side of the hall.

“What’s that one?” I asked, pointing to the closed door at the end.

“The master, but we can’t use it.”

“Why not?”The master probably has a private bath.

“The FBI said so.” AJ shrugged. “Take your pick.”

I looked inside both rooms and couldn’t see a difference, so I picked the one on the right. AJ insisted on carrying my bag in for me. He dropped my suitcase—Emily’s not mine—on the bed.

“There’s only one bathroom, so we’ll have to share.”

“Okay.” I looked around, grateful I’d never had to live like this.Maybe it looked less depressing when people lived here.

The frameless full bed was against the far wall and covered with a faded quilt. The scratched night stand beside it didn’t match the dresser at the end of the bed. The closet was the smallest I’d ever seen, and that was saying something—our dorm rooms had tiny closets.

The idea of unpacking was more than I could handle, so I went to the kitchen where the guys were putting away the last of the groceries.

“Let us know if there’s anything special you want to eat, and we’ll have Jack bring it when he relieves Jaden later today,” John said.

“Thanks. Can I ask you a question?” My voice trembled as I asked.

“Sure.” John answered, heading for the living room.

Grateful for the privacy, I followed him. I looked over my shoulder, making sure no one had followed.

“Do you think my father…” John waited patiently as I struggled to finish. “Is he involved with the people threatening me?” I couldn’t say guilty, or dirty, or on the take.

“I don’t know.” John’s tone took on that kind, fatherly tone again. “I know it’s not the answer you want to hear, but it’s the only one I have. We’re investigating every angle.”

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