by Melissa Frey
With early morning flights scheduled and a quick check-in with Jack at the dig—he assured her that he had everything under control, and not to worry—Kayla decided to leave the guys in the lobby and head back to her room. Perhaps she could go over the notes she’d taken of the book, see if she could recognize any patterns, see if anything made sense. Anything was better than just sitting here, listening to the guys chatting it up on the phones, bored out of her mind.
Maybe she could even examine the book itself . . .
Kayla looked around for Mandy, who she knew would have the book, but didn’t find her in the lobby. She caught a glimpse of the back of her friend’s head heading down a side hallway, toward their rooms. Kayla stood and headed toward her, hoping to ask to borrow the book, even if only for a few minutes. Maybe she could make more sense of the writings inside.
Kayla stopped Mandy just before she’d reached her room, the book in her hand. “Hey, glad I caught you.”
Mandy turned tired eyes in her direction and offered a sleepy smile. “What’s up?”
Kayla got right to the point. “I was wondering if I could borrow the book for a little while. I thought I might be able to glean a little bit more from it, maybe compare it to the hieroglyphs at Lamanai, try to make sense of everything.”
Mandy nodded, extending the large tome toward Kayla. “No problem. Won’t be much good to me while I’m sleeping anyway.” Her smile widened.
“Thanks. I’ll take good care of it, I promise.” Kayla grinned. “Sleep well.”
As Mandy opened her door and stepped inside, Kayla turned to continue down the hallway to her room a few doors down. She was hoping to get this curious book under a figurative microscope, dissect all she could from it. Maybe it would give them some answers. Kayla shrugged to herself as she reached in her back pocket for her room’s keycard. That didn’t seem likely.
She set the book down on the small room’s sole table, eager to study it. Then she remembered—she hadn’t told Grady where she’d be, just in case he needed her for something. She reached for her phone to let him know where she was, quickly realizing she’d left it in the lobby with the guys. Ugh.
Kayla snatched the room key off the table, shoved it back in the pocket of her jeans, and threw open the door.
On her way back to the lobby, Kayla noticed some odd sounds coming out of one of the rooms across the hall. Was that someone fighting? Kayla stopped, leaning closer toward the noise.
That was Mandy’s room.
“JUSTIN!” Her scream, which could have easily been heard on the floors above the open lobby, sent Justin and Grady hurtling down the hall. They reached her in record time, their eyes wild.
“We have to get in there, now,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Justin hurriedly unlocked the door, throwing it open and bounding through. His eyes scanned the room anxiously. Then he froze.
Kayla—Grady wasn’t too far behind her—pushed past him, unwilling to give Justin time to adjust. In all likelihood, they did not have the time to wait.
Kayla’s breath caught in her throat. The main room was empty, but something had definitely happened here—something Kayla wasn’t so sure she wanted to discover. She bit down hard on her lower lip and fought for her scientific side to take over.
The small-for-a-queen bed to her far left was all but stripped, its crisp white but thread-bare sheets strewn in a haphazard line across the floor. The out-dated bedside lamp lay shattered into a hundred little pieces now littering the heavily carpeted floor on the side of the bed closest to the door. White gauzy curtains flanking the open window had been torn and shredded; tiny specks of red dotted them and the floor beneath them as they rustled in the slight breeze.
Kayla’s chest tightened. “Grady . . .” she choked, unwilling to let herself consider what had happened here. She reached out her hand, grasping his forearm with less strength than she would’ve liked.
“I know, I know.” He laid his hand on hers then called out tentatively, “Mandy?”
At that moment, Kayla heard a barely perceptible choking sound coming from around the corner to their right. She recognized it immediately—it was the same sound she’d heard through the door—but thankfully much less urgent this time. Just as she started to head around the corner, Justin pushed past her, brushing her shoulder rather harshly, with no signs of caring about her welfare. There was someone else he cared about more.
Kayla ran toward the bathroom just behind Justin and Grady, who quickly crowded the small space. What she saw in the bathroom put a knot in her chest. Mandy was sitting on her knees, hunched over, her loose clothes clinging to her in patches where they were wet. Leaning against the edge of the bathtub, she covered her mouth with the hand that she wasn’t cradling in her lap, trying in vain to conceal the coughing fit that didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Justin was already on the floor with one arm wrapped around her when Kayla stepped into the room.
“Baby, are you okay? What happened?” Justin’s voice came out more harshly than Kayla would’ve liked.
Mandy nodded, her constant choking and coughing impeding her speech. Her hair, wet and stringy, clung to her face and neck. Justin gently pulled her hair away from her face with what Kayla thought was incredible control, especially given the rage she could see just under the surface. She watched his breath catch as he pulled the last dripping strand out of his girlfriend’s face.
Kayla’s eyes immediately followed Justin’s gaze. The entire left side of Mandy’s face was red. Kayla could make out a handprint; she cringed as she realized the pain her friend must have been in—must still be in.
Justin growled out his next question. “Who did this to you?”
Mandy simply shook her head and let out a short cough, finally finding her voice. “I . . . I don’t know who it was. One of the Mercenaries, I think, given his features and his long, black hair.” She touched her hand gingerly to her cheek then winced. Kayla grabbed a towel and ran from the room to find ice. She pushed through the crowd of people in the hallway just outside Mandy’s door without a second glance. Go back to your rooms, people. Nothing to see here.
When she returned less than thirty seconds later, Grady was kneeling at Mandy’s side and Justin, chest heaving, was pacing just outside the bathroom door. Kayla could imagine quite easily the scenario that landed Justin outside of the bathroom, but instead she focused on the task at hand, handing the makeshift icepack to Grady and kneeling beside him, directly facing Mandy. Her courageous friend took the towel-wrapped ice from Grady and gingerly put it to her face, wincing at the cold for a split second before looking up at Kayla. Her expression was vastly different than it was just seconds ago.
“What is it?” Kayla ventured, curious as to the change in Mandy’s demeanor.
Mandy tried to smile, but winced again at the pain. “I just wanted to say thank you. He left when you screamed . . . he could’ve—he would’ve killed me.” Her eyes tightened.
Kayla frowned, near tears. She hadn’t known Mandy for very long, not really, but her heart went out to this young woman. She wished she could make it better somehow, but knew the only way to fix this would be to assess the damages, address them, and keep whoever did this from doing it again. Kayla leaned over to get a closer look at Mandy’s face. The area around her left eye was slightly bruised and she had a long but shallow cut on the right side of her forehead, which was still bleeding. Her nose was trickling blood as well; fortunately, it looked like the worst of it had stopped. Kayla tucked a stray piece of hair behind Mandy’s ear, wanting to cry; instead, she smiled, trying to be reassuring. She hoped Mandy was buying it.
Just then, Justin came back into the room, looking as though he had control of himself. “Mandy, baby—what happened?”
Mandy sighed, laying her arm on the side of the tub and resting her head on it. She blinked a few times before she spoke. “I was almost asleep when I heard someone. I didn’t even open my eyes because I assumed it was Justin.” Sh
e stopped abruptly. “He must have already been in here. I never heard the door open . . .” Mandy shivered subconsciously. Justin reached for a towel and laid it across her shoulders.
Mandy attempted to smile up at him as she adjusted the towel tighter around her. “Thanks.” She took a breath. “I don’t remember much. He somehow got me off the bed and into the bathroom, where he . . .” She tried to shift her weight, then winced at the movement, turning her gaze to Grady and Kayla. “There was already water in the tub and he tried to hold me under . . .” Her voice trailed off as her eyes tightened, then widened in the next instant as something else occurred to her. “He’d already put water in the tub . . .” her voice caught.
Kayla placed her hand on Mandy’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Mandy. I’m so sorry we didn’t stop this.”
Mandy shook her head again, and shifted her legs out from under her, turning to sit with her back against the tub, and pulling her knees up against her chest. “This isn’t your fault. You did stop him. It just happened so quickly . . .” She laid her forehead on her knees. Grady picked up the ice-filled towel she had discarded halfway through her explanation and pressed it to the side of her face lightly. She smiled tiredly and raised her head just a little to give Grady better access to her cheek.
As she did, Mandy seemed to notice Justin, who was still standing just inside the bathroom door. Kayla followed her gaze, not understanding the expression on Justin’s face. Then Mandy spoke. “Justin, baby—it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She attempted a half-smile that didn’t reach her cheeks, and Kayla instantly understood. Mandy and Justin, despite their occasional bickering, knew each other quite well.
Justin squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head frantically. “No. I should have been here to stop this. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
Mandy put her hands on the edge of the tub and slowly lifted herself to her feet, staggering a little. Kayla helped her steady herself before letting her stand on her own.
Mandy took a few unsure steps to reach Justin’s side. She put her arms around his waist, leaning into him for support. “Don’t beat yourself up about this, baby,” she said into his chest, his shirt muffling her words. “It could’ve been a lot worse. I really will be fine.”
Justin wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly and resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m just so very sorry.” Justin kissed her hair, then led her out of the tiny bathroom.
Kayla grabbed a cloth, wetting it to start cleaning up. She wiped the blood off the side of the tub and the floor, effectively erasing all reminders of the assault—the physical ones, anyway. After draining the tub, she gathered the excess dirty rags into a pile and threw them in an innocuous corner of the room, purposely out of sight.
After wiping up the excess water from the floor, Grady rose to his feet, stepping just outside the bathroom and placing a hand on Mandy’s back with a smile. “We’re really glad you’re okay.”
Kayla nodded emphatically as she came out of the bathroom. “Please, Mandy . . . let me know if you need anything.”
After offering to take Mandy to the nearby E.R.—Justin insisted they needed some quiet before that happened, but promised he would take her soon—Kayla leaned down to pick the blankets up off the floor and set them on the bed before she and Grady headed out the door. Mandy and Justin would definitely need some alone time to sort all this out. Kayla knew the physical scars would eventually heal, but someone doesn’t just instantaneously get over an attack like that. She found herself praying that Mandy would be alright. She really hoped Someone was listening.
If asked, she would say she believed in God, but she knew that faith—real, true faith—required trust. And she just wasn’t sure she was ready to give up that much control.
She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, trying to focus on something else. She didn’t want to consider such deep issues at the moment. She didn’t have the time right now. Or, perhaps more honestly, she didn’t want to take the time.
They had nearly reached the door next to hers, the one leading to Grady’s room, when Kayla suddenly realized she didn’t want to be alone. The words just spilled out before she could stop them. “Grady . . .” he turned to look at her. “Would you mind . . . I don’t . . .” she glanced at the still-closed door. “I won’t be any trouble. I have a book I started earlier—I’ll stay out of your way. I just . . .”
Grady cut her off. “Kayla, it’s okay, I promise. I don’t want to be alone, either.” He offered a kind smile. “Go grab your book, use the adjoining door. Give me five minutes?”
Kayla nodded, turning toward her room quickly to hide her reddening cheeks. What had she just done? She’d been hurt so many times before, rushed into relationships that always ended in disaster—she knew she needed to take this slow for it to work. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this to be given a sharp jolt right past friendship into something a whole lot more.
But didn’t she want more? Hadn’t she been wishing that Grady would . . .
Oh geez, she thought. Let’s not go there.
She’d better get this stuff sorted out in her head, and fast; Grady wouldn’t wait around forever. And she didn’t want to mess this thing up.
CHAPTER 17
Spark
Grady was the perfect gentleman. He pulled out a novel of his own—he’d made considerably more progress on his gigantic tome than she’d made on her tiny-by-comparison novel—and reclined against the bed’s headboard, giving Kayla the comfy easy chair in the corner.
Kayla found it a little hard to concentrate at first—just being in the same room with Grady was intoxicating—but after reading the same paragraph what had to be fifty times, her brain finally started registering the words and she slowly began to make progress.
But as good as the book was, she soon found her eyes getting heavy. It’d been a long few days with little sleep—she couldn’t remember the last night she’d slept peacefully, or had slept through the night. Her dreams, though helpful, were wearing her out.
She leaned her head against the back of the chair and let her eyes slide shut. Maybe she could just rest her eyes for a minute or two . . .
She woke to find Grady leaning over her, nudging her shoulder. “Kayla? Kayla, wake up.”
She blinked then stood up slowly, peering around the room. She ran her hand across her hair. “What time is it?”
Grady smiled at her, pushing her hair out of her face. His hand lingered near her chin. “You’ve only been sleeping a few minutes, but you didn’t look very comfortable. Thought you might want to get out of that chair.”
She winced, then closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly and opened her eyes to look at him, her expression apologetic. But she was so comfortable here, next to him, that she made no move to leave the room.
Grady didn’t seem eager for her to go, either. His hand traced her jawline as he caught her gaze and leaned toward her.
Time stopped. Kayla’s heart started sputtering erratically, and suddenly she couldn’t remember how to breathe. She stared into Grady’s eyes, willing him to close the distance. Her breath caught and her eyes slid shut the instant before their lips met.
The kiss was nothing like the night before. His lips were soft, lightly caressing hers slowly. His breathing was as sporadic as hers.
His hand reached under her hair and closed around the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. As he did, Kayla reached her hand up to his jaw, cupping her hand around it. Her fingers massaged his cheek, stroking it tenderly as she eagerly kissed him back.
Then Kayla felt the kiss change, become more intense. Grady’s lips felt more urgent on hers, more insistent. In an instant she felt her passion for him increase exponentially, and she struggled to keep her emotions in check. She pressed closer to him eagerly, feeling a nearly tangible electricity radiate through her veins.
Kayla reluctantly pulled away to catch her breath. Grady, unwilling
to release her, brushed his lips lightly against her forehead before pulling her to his chest. He was breathing unevenly, his frantic heartbeat pounding in Kayla’s ears. Kayla stayed buried in his chest, strangely self-conscious. She hadn’t done anything like that in a long while.
Grady slowly stroked her hair as their breathing steadied. Only after Kayla had completely composed herself did she pull away. She sheepishly met Grady’s gaze with her own, trying desperately to mask the vulnerability she was sure was emblazoned across her face. She wondered what Grady was thinking.
Then his lips parted to form a single word. “Wow.”
Kayla nodded soundlessly, swallowing hard.
Grady smiled peacefully. “That was amazing.”
Kayla released the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “It was,” she breathed. She smiled back at him, gazing into his sparkling blue eyes.
Grady grinned. “Wanna try it again?”
Kayla threw her arms around his neck and pushed him down on the edge of the bed. Their lips met with a spark; Kayla heard his breath catch with a gasp and she grinned in spite of herself. She had been waiting for a moment like this—though until this moment, she hadn’t even known that this was what she’d been waiting for—for what felt like forever. And it was even better than she’d imagined.
Grady brought both hands to her neck, tangling both of them in her hair. After a minute he pulled away to lightly trace his lips down her neck, sending new sensations throughout her body. She could feel the blood pulsing through her veins, making her skin tingle. She had never felt this way before; those in her past had never kissed her like this. So carefully, yet with so much passion. His lips returned to hers as he let out a small moan, causing her to shudder. She never wanted this to end.