by Angela Foxxe
Senora closed the door in his face and locked it with an audible click.
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell,” Senora said, then stepped into the warm spray and showered quickly.
She could hear him laughing as he got ready for his turn in the shower. Hurrying, she made quick work of her hair, taking a deep breath and inhaling the sweet scent of the fancy hotel soaps. At least it was a nice place, and the shampoo was actually large enough to wash all her hair.
She ran conditioner through her hair and washed her aching body while it set, then rinsed off and grabbed a towel. She dried off and slipped into one of the two large, fluffy robes that were folded neatly and sealed in plastic on the bathroom counter.
The soft fabric felt amazing on her skin, and she decided to skip getting dressed and just put on panties. It wasn’t like Ty would see anything, and he’d already seen her naked. They were sleeping and nothing more, and she missed the freedom of being home and going to bed with nothing on. This wasn’t quite the same, but it was something.
Happy with her choice and feeling too tired to be shy, she walked out of the bathroom and headed straight for the king-sized bed.
“Nice pajamas,” Ty said as he brushed by her, but she was focused on the bed.
She climbed in, and before she’d even finished wrapping the blankets around her body, she was fast asleep.
***
Ty walked out of the shower and stopped when he saw Senora on the bed. She looked tiny and vulnerable, the king-sized bed dwarfing her. Her damp hair fell in loose waves around her face and off the side of the bed. Her sweet face was completely relaxed as she succumbed to the deep sleep you could only find when you were utterly exhausted.
She’d held up so well over the past week, better than most humans he encountered. And even though she fought the reality of the world she hadn’t known existed, she didn’t fight him. To Ty, knowing that he could trust her to make the smart choice despite her skepticism was all that mattered. Any other skeptic would hesitate, and that hesitation could cost them both their lives.
She sighed in her sleep and rolled over, taking up more than her side of the bed with her arms flung wide and her body diagonal on the mattress. He shook his head, but he knew what he had to do. Just the day before, he would have slipped into bed beside her, and he had no doubt that she would have welcomed him in her arms.
But something had changed, and he wasn’t a fool. If he got into bed with her now and she ended up snuggled around him, she would be furious when she woke up.
He eyed the large sofa in the corner of the room and let out a sigh, then collected the only pillow from the bed that she hadn’t pulled up against herself and wrapped herself around, and he went to the couch. A chenille throw from the back of the couch barely covered his frame, but he was comfortable enough. It was better than trying to contort himself into the bed with Senora without touching her. Being that close without contact would be torture. At least from the sofa, he would have enough space between them to make the distance more tolerable.
Her rejection after such a wonderful night still hurt, but he was willing to give her the time and the space she needed to sort her feelings out. It was the first time in his thirty years that a woman had been this unsure about him sexually.
He kind of liked it. He didn’t mind the attention he got, but Senora was different. She liked him, but she didn’t throw herself at him. They’d slept together, but things hadn’t gotten weird a clingy the next day. Senora was who she was, and a night with Ty didn’t change that.
This was a new experience for him, and her restraint left him craving more. He wanted her, and there was nothing that workplace etiquette could do to quiet that need for him. Meanwhile, Senora simply decided that her needs weren’t as important as her work integrity.
She was amazing and had more willpower than Ty did. If she had invited him to bed instead of falling to sleep before her head hit the pillow, he would have been there in a flash.
He pulled the blanket across his hips and turned until he got as comfortable as he could on the couch, one pitifully flat pillow folded up under his head. He could see her from where he lay, so he watched her as he drifted off. She was perfect, and if it took the rest of his life, he would wake up to her in his bed again. But this time, she wasn’t going to walk away.
The darkness had just started to creep in when he heard a familiar sound in the room, dragging him out of the depths of sleep and back to reality. He rolled silently, his feet hitting the floor without a sound on the plush carpet. He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was almost one and he’d actually fallen asleep at some point, even though it hadn’t felt like it.
Senora whimpered again, her hands balled into tight fists, brow furrowed in fear and confusion. The sheets were wrapped in her hands and around her arms, and she was all but locked into place by them.
Ty closed the distance between them as Senora started to thrash against the bedding in an effort to escape their bonds. He leapt over the coffee table and onto the bed, pulling the sheets away from her to free her.
“Please,” Senora whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Ty’s heart broke. Her voice was tiny and soft, nothing like the strong, fierce woman he’d come to know. She was paralyzed by her fear and begging someone to spare her whatever atrocities she was seeing in her dreams. Whatever was happening to her in this moment was real to her, and she was trapped in that nightmare, alone and afraid.
Ty spoke her name, softly at first, then getting louder. When he reached out to touch her, she recoiled at his touch and let out a tiny, pitiful shriek. Tears were streaming down her face, but she was still asleep, still curled up in a ball in the sheets.
Preparing himself for the fight that he was sure to endure, he lunged for her, grabbing her and pulling her into his lap, pinning her against his body before she could kick him and covering her mouth gently but firmly with one hand.
The pain of her teeth in his palm shocked him, and just like that, she was across the room, running like the hounds of hell were behind her, wide eyes sightless and still trapped in the dream world.
She ran behind the couch and trapped herself, unseeing eyes failing her in the unfamiliar room. Ty approached carefully, talking softly and watching her for signs that she was going to bolt.
“Senora, it’s me,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re not there. Wherever you are, whoever is hurting you, that’s not where you really are. You’re here in the hotel with me, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
Senora didn’t respond, but she listened intently. He could see her trembling from where he stood, and he wanted to throttle whoever had done this to her. She was obviously dreaming some trauma she’d long forgotten. There was no way that a simple dream was causing her this much distress.
He said her name, and this time, she froze, blinked and looked around in confusion.
“You’re safe,” Ty said. “Whatever was chasing you in your dreams is gone now.”
She looked up at him, and her face crumpled in despair. Before he could reach out to her, she threw herself into his arms, her body wracked with heavy sobs.
He held her like that, sitting cross-legged on the floor and holding her tight while she fought whatever demons had been chasing her. He didn’t question her, he didn’t try to tell her that it was only a dream. He just held her tight and waited.
She eventually quieted, and her breathing slowed along with her heartrate. When she relaxed in his arms and snuggled against his bare chest, he was sure that she had fallen asleep. Her voice in the silence startled him, but he was glad that her words were clear and strong, and that all the fear he’d heard before had vanished.
“I’m sorry I woke you up,” she said.
“Was it the four-wheeler again?” he asked.
“It was. I don’t know what that’s about. I don’t remember being anywhere like the place in my dream, but it feels so real.”
&n
bsp; “And you’re young in the dream?”
“I must be. Everything looks about fifty percent bigger than it should, but not distorted. And I feel meek. I don’t know why I know that, but I feel very timid.”
“That’s not like you at all,” Ty said, and she laughed.
“That’s the understatement of the year,” she said, then paused. “I just don’t remember that woman nor do I remember the place we’re in, but I can smell the foliage, the scent of the fuel in the four-wheeler and even the mud the tires are kicking up. And I can feel my face against the rough fabric of her dress when my face is pushed up against her back. I just don’t understand.”
“Were you a timid child? Maybe you had a bad experience, and your subconscious is trying to work through it.”
Senora shook her head, and her hair tickled his chest.
“I don’t remember my childhood, but I don’t think it was a bad one.”
“You don’t remember it?”
“Not really. At least, not until my parents adopted me from the group home. Before then, my life is a blur of unfamiliar faces, strange homes, and not having anything of my own.”
“I didn’t know you were in the system.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know. It’s something I like to keep private, and I don’t usually think about it. I don’t know why I keep thinking about it now. It’s been so many years since I walked away, I can’t believe things are coming up now.”
“Could it be Addie? She was adopted, right? Maybe Addie’s story jogged some memories for you.”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it anymore if it’s okay with you.”
Ty felt a twinge of guilt for interrogating her, so he nodded and let her go when she unfolded her long legs and extracted herself from his arms.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” she said softly. “I’m glad you were here to wake me up and talk me down. I don’t know what would have happened if I was alone and I just kept dreaming.”
“You would have been fine,” he said. “You’re always fine, and that’s one of the strengths I admire in you.”
“I wasn’t very strong just now.”
“It takes a different kind of strength to be that vulnerable in front of someone else. Feeling something isn’t a sign of weakness. A weak person would deny the fear and the nightmares and try to play it off like nothing happened. You’re dealing with the situation, and that’s exactly what you need to do.”
“What I need to do is push whatever this is in the background so we can focus on the case. That’s what matters. Everything else is just extra.”
Ty sighed inwardly but was careful not to make a sound. The old Senora was back: no nonsense, ready to work, and too busy to just be human for a minute. Ty had a feeling that it was going to be a while before soft, vulnerable Senora showed up again. He didn’t want to see her cry like that again, but holding her softness in his arms had felt so very good.
“I need to go for a walk,” Senora said. “I’m all stiff from sitting in the truck and then in the plane for so long.”
“There’s a little diner right around the corner. We can grab lunch there and then get ready to hike out. We have about four miles to cover to get to the stronghold near the peak.”
“Is it rough terrain?”
“We’re going to drive near the top and hike in, so no.”
“On the fire road again?”
“Not this time. There’s a scenic lookout, and it just happens to be a four mile hike from the stronghold. It’s not a path anyone would know to take, but I’ve been there before, and I’m sure that I remember the way.”
“You’ve been there before? Why?”
He shrugged.
“I was invited.”
“By who?”
Ty sighed. He was hoping that this wouldn’t come up, but he supposed it was going to.
“Ethan.”
“The dragon we’re looking for? What the hell, Ty?”
“To be fair, we’re looking for the missing girl, not Ethan. Kaden is looking for Ethan.”
Senora didn’t look pleased.
“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” she said with an angry scowl.
“We went to school together.”
“Like college?”
“Sort of.”
“What do you mean, ‘sort of?’ You either did or you didn’t. Ty, how long have you known Ethan?”
“We went to the academy together. Ethan decided to go into IT, and I decided to work as a special consultant.”
Senora pinched the bridge of her nose and looked like she was going to scream in frustration, but she didn’t. Ty marveled at her self-control.
“Is there anything else that I might need to know before we get too far into this case?”
“Not that I can think of right now,” Ty said, giving her his best sideways smile.
“Good,” she said tersely. “If you think of anything, maybe let me know right away next time and not hours later. I like to know what I’m getting into.”
He nodded.
“Somehow, I don’t know if I believe you,” Senora said.
“Well, you are an admitted skeptic,” he said. “If you make it a habit to believe everything I say, are you really a skeptic anymore?”
He turned and scurried out of the room and toward the lobby before she could react, but he could tell by the volume of the door as she closed it that he had gotten under her skin.
Good, he thought. It was about time that he made Senora as uncomfortable as keeping his distance from her made him feel.
He was all about being fair.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“That was delicious,” Senora said, licking the end of an ice cream cone as they walked the short distance back to the hotel. “I’m glad you knew that place was there.”
“I thought you might like it,” he said with a sheepish grin.
He reached out suddenly, but Senora didn’t shy away. His finger touched her lip, then gently swiped the errant drop of ice cream onto her tongue. The gesture was so familiar that it surprised her.
“Sorry,” he laughed. “I didn’t think you wanted it to drip onto your shirt.”
“It’s alright. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“I can tell. Your face was priceless. I wish I had it on video.”
“Charming,” she said, rolling her eyes.
She looked ahead at the parking lot, then stopped mid-stride, leaning forward as if that would help her see better from so many yards away from the thing that had caught her attention.
“Is that Kaden’s truck parked around the side of the hotel over there?” she asked quietly. “Right by the side exit.”
“It sure does look like it,” Ty said.
Before she thought better of it, Senora sped up and headed straight for the truck. The vehicle matched the description perfectly, but that wasn’t what clinched it for her. The front of the truck, though barely damaged since it was so heavily armored, had scrapes of the same color as the paint that covered the front of the hotel back in Texas. Senora leaned down as Ty kept watch, taking a closer look at the front of the truck and reaching out to grab something shiny that caught her eye.
“Glass,” she said, handing it to Ty. “See the bluish color on one side and not the other? This is definitely bulletproof glass. I’m sure this is Kaden’s car.”
She looked up at Ty, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“What?” she asked.
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble to figure out whose truck this is.”
“I wanted to make sure.”
“Me too,” he said, still looking at the truck and grinning.
Senora stepped back and looked at where he was looking, then threw her hands up in exasperation.
“That could be anyone,” she said, but she knew that he was right.
The vanity plate on the truck was clear, and she knew that “DRGNHNTR” meant “Dragon Hunter,�
� and this was most definitely Kaden’s truck.
“What do we do now?” she asked him, still a little huffy over the license plate.
“I guess we could ask what room he’s in and see when he checked in. He drove all the way here, so I would lay money that he has only been asleep an hour.”
“Good call,” she said, making her way to the front entrance ahead of him. “I’ll do the talking. You may have the powers of persuasion, but I have the badge.”
“I’m not enchanting anyone,” he said.
“If you say so.”
He rushed to open the door for her, and she walked straight to the desk and flashed Joy a bright smile.
“You’re looking well-rested,” Joy said.
“I feel better, and it’s all thanks to your wonderful service,” Senora said, almost gagging on the pep that was spewing from her mouth.
How did this woman live like this all the time? Senora wanted to slap herself.
“Oh, I’m so very delighted to hear that,” Joy gushed and even clapped her hands together for effect.
A strange grunt came from behind her, but she ignored Ty. She was going to get through this without enchanting anyone and without using her badge unless she had to.
Ty wasn’t the only one who could charm information out of people.
“Well, I for one appreciate your awesome service. I was hoping you could help us out again. I saw a truck I recognize, and I wonder if a man named Kaden checked in recently?”
“He did. He’s in room two sixteen. Wait, no. His television didn’t work, and I had to move him. I moved him to one eighteen.”
“Thank you, Joy. I can’t wait to surprise him. What are the odds of our good friend even being here at the same place?”
“I know,” Joy laughed. “It’s really crazy. I hope he’s super surprised.” She gasped suddenly. “Ooh, do you want me to make sure he’s in the room? I could call him and just check and-”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Senora said quickly. “We’ll just knock like civilized people.”
Joy nodded.
“You’re right. That was too much. It was too much, right?”
“Thank you, Joy. You’re such a wonderful help.”