Page 12 of Own

Her smile warmed.“Je vais laisser une note pour la troisième nuit et on pourra prendre un dépôt pour la réserver, que nous pourrons vous rembourser si vous n’en avez finalement pas besoin.”

That would work. Not that it was my money, but a deposit they would refund if we didn’t need the third night made sense. Because Bones had already handed me the card, I passed it over along with his passport. The name on both read Caylon Gwyar.

She took both and began the booking process. When she asked for a phone number and email address, I blanked for a moment. Bones, however, offered me two easily enough and I translated.

Once she had us all checked in, she provided two cards to access the room, then asked,“Souhaitez-vous que je vous fasse monter une bouteille de champagne ? Nous pouvons aussi vous proposer un repas si vous préférez vous concentrer l'un sur l'autre.”

Why would I want her to send champagne up to the room? But her playful nod toward Bones and conspiratorial smile had heat scorching my face. Apparently, I’d been a little too suggestive in saying we might need a third night if all went well.

"Non, merci beaucoup. Peut-être demain. Pas d'interruptions ce soir."I almost stuttered the words, but my nervous laughter seemed to garner me some sympathy.

She passed over the cards, along with Bones’ passport and credit card.“Sois patient avec celui-là. Les plus silencieux sont souvent les plus observateurs et cachent le plus de passion.”

This time, I didn’t have to pretend a smile or a laugh, but rather than respond to her advice about how passionate the quiet ones could be, I just thanked her.“Merci.”

Thankfully, the ride up in the gated elevator passed swiftly. The suite was the only room on the top floor. His desire for it made a lot more sense when we let out on that floor. The building narrowed toward the top.

The hallway smelled of lemon cleaner and a hint of rain. The windows at either end were closed, but they’d likely been open earlier. The door opposite the elevator was the only one on this floor. The sky had darkened even further while we’d been checking in and the rain fell steadily.

I swiped the card and the door unlocked. Goblin went in first and wiggled his way around sniffing. Thankfully, he’d peed on our way from the parking garage to the hotel itself. Though in fairness, we needed to get him some food and water.

Probably a real walk too.

Bones locked the door once we were inside. Deadbolt, privacy lock and a lock for the handle itself. He set our bags down then moved across the sitting room area of the suite, closing the blinds and the curtains before he disappeared into the bedroom.

The blinds snapped closed in there and a soft yellow light came on before he returned. All the cheer and amusement from downstairs bled away. It was like I’d been playing a role but I didn’t need to anymore.

Setting aside his blazer, I glanced down at the gun I was still holding. My right hand seemed permanently shaped around the grip. Goblin came back from his sweep of the room and looked up at me, tail wagging.

It was those soulful eyes that decided me. I put the gun down carefully on the side table and then crouched to remove Goblin’s leash.

A toilet flushed from beyond the door to the suite’s bedroom. Water came on, then off and a moment later, Bones reappeared sans shirt, hair wet, and drying his hands with a towel.

“Can I take off his harness?”

Focus on Goblin, I reminded myself. Leering at Bones was not cool. Particularly because, he hadn’t really had time to change since we’d begun this odyssey. Of course, he’d take the first chance to clean up. The broad muscular frame of his hadn’t changed, though he seemed almost as wiry as he was thick in the chest. The muscle definition reminded me of how he’d taken people down with his bare hands.

The skin over his right pec and to his shoulder seemed mottled and discolored compared to the rest. There was also a tattoo off a dagger dripping blood on his side under his left arm.

“Go ahead, I’ll take him out later for a walk but we should stay in for a while.” Outside, sirens passed by. A reminder that the city was still out there. The city with its bank robbery and jittery robbers and the man I killed.

Yanking my mind from that path, I focused my trembling fingers on unsnapping the harness. Once I took it off him, Goblin went a little wiggly nuts. He raced around the room and rolled, rubbing his back against the carpet.

It was just so—canine.

I laughed. Still wiggling, Goblin flopped over and bounded back to me. I barely got to pet him before he slurped me andraced away. He dashed past Bones and into the bedroom. Then he was back.

More laughter escaped me at his antics. It was like he needed to shake off all of his own tension and, God, did I understand that.

“Here,’ Bones said, holding out a hand to me. “I want to look at those cuts.”

Cuts?

I frowned and reached up to touch the one hidden by the shirt on my collarbone, then spotted the one on the inside of my arm. It was a slice along the side of my arm. I hadn’t even realized I had cut it, but the moment I looked at it, it stung. Clasping his hand, I let him pull me to my feet.

“Come, sit down.” He tugged me over to the sofa. His gruff tone wasn’t unkind in the least.

“It’s really nothing,” I told him, but he just opened one of the duffels and pulled out what looked like a small first aid kit. He set it on the table as Goblin finally settled from his running around to lay there panting as he watched us.

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