Under Pressure

For whatever reason, even though she felt safe with Leese, Justice made her more at ease.

Could be the lack of attraction.

She saw Leese as walking, talking sex appeal.

Justice was like a big teddy bear...if teddy bears ate steel for breakfast.

A second later, his expression alert, Leese was at her side as he waited for Justice to open the back of the SUV. He had a leaner, more honed physique that was no less powerful.

Leese, clearly in charge, nearly vibrated with edgy awareness. Justice seemed to be along for the ride.

They made interesting cohorts, like mismatched bookends that would nonetheless get the job done. And if she wasn’t so worried, she wouldn’t mind her role as the only book.

“How’s your ankle?”

She stared at him blankly. “My ankle?”

“You were limping earlier.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her feet, unaware of any problem. “Guess it’s okay.” She wiggled her toes. “Must have been a temporary thing.”

“Good. Any discomfort, just let me know.”

They each retrieved moderately sized overnight bags, and Justice lifted out her big suitcase.

“The wheel broke,” she explained.

“Not a problem.” Justice held it as easily as he would have a pillow.

That bugged her. She’d had a devil of a time hauling that awkward heap through the snow, sludge and ice in the alleys. If these two were going to corral her, they could have done so as soon as she’d left the shelter. Maybe then her back and shoulders wouldn’t be so tired.

“He’s a regular beast, isn’t he?” she whispered to Leese.

Smiling, Leese shrugged, still looking around the area. “He’s strong.”

“Used to be a fighter,” Justice said, proving he’d heard her whisper. “Same as Leese. We gave it up to be bodyguards, and gotta say, it’s a lot less work.”

Fascinated, Cat looked between them as they headed into the foyer of the hotel. “Fighters? Like boxing? Or do you mean street brawlers?”

“Professional MMA,” Justice explained. “Mixed martial arts.”

She knew little about it, but it probably meant they were well trained. “Why’d you give it up?”

Cutting off Justice’s answer, Leese said, “This place isn’t top-notch, maybe not what you’re used to, but it’s one of the better hotels in this area.”

A change of subject? And what did he know about her preferences? She scowled at him. “It’s better than the shelter, I’m sure.”

“Book us two rooms,” he told Justice, handing him a card. “If they have a suite, that’d be great. If not, a single and a double will do. Make sure they’re near each other.”

“Right.” Leaving the luggage with Leese, Justice walked away toward the front desk.

“You can grab a seat while we wait.” Leese indicated the cushy sofa behind her.

Luckily the lobby was nearly empty this time of night. Other than a couple headed toward the lounge, Cat saw only hotel employees. Big windows and glass doors at the entrance showed another light snow starting, each flake glistening as it danced beneath the lights. A boutique, decorated with hearts and flowers for Valentine’s Day, as well as several restaurants lined the street across from them.

As she sat, Cat thought about the arrangements. Since she’d have a room to herself, she could sneak away if she wanted. But would that be wise? She was out of money, and if she hit the ATM that’d probably leave a trail. Then again, seeing Justice use the credit card at the front desk, she knew it’d be pretty easy to find her, just by tracking Leese and Justice, which had no doubt been the plan.

She’d thought staying with Wayne would completely throw off the bloodhounds. It was so far from her ordinary, everyday life that she hadn’t imagined anyone would ever look for her there.

Then Wayne had to go and get grabby and ruin those plans. Not that she could have hidden indefinitely anyway. Sooner or later she had to work out a life for herself, a way to live safe and free.

Maybe it was time to confront things.

Could she?

For tonight, she’d try not to dwell on it. Showering in peace, sleeping without worry would be so nice.

And Leese did have that food...

It had been a while since she’d really enjoyed eating. With cockroaches running rampant, strangers staring and Wayne always on the make, mealtime at the shelter had been done in uncomfortable haste.

In contrast, a loaded burger seemed like a real luxury.

In the morning she could figure out an escape...perhaps over breakfast.

While she sat there thinking things through, Leese stood in front of her, hands in his pockets, his gaze brooding as he alternately studied the windows and door, and watched her.

When her gaze met his, he smiled. “Before you work out anything too elaborate, you should know that one room is for Justice, and the other is for us.”

Her heart jumped. “Us?”

He caught her arm and pulled her back to her feet. “I can’t protect you if I’m not with you. And I have a feeling you need more protection than I ever could have guessed.”

His feelings were spot-on.

Justice rejoined them, handing out room keycards. “Got you the suite and I have a room across the hall.”

So the big guy had understood the setup all along?

With a hand to the small of her back, Leese urged her to the elevator.

A bellhop took them to a private floor accessible only with a keycard. Nice. That gave her a little more added security.

On the ride up to the twenty-sixth floor, Cat tried to use the silence to plan, but she was far too aware of Leese standing closely at her back.

He intended to room with her.

She glanced at Justice standing at her side, and the big ape grinned at her as if he knew her thoughts. Scowling, she stared straight instead at the numbers as they changed for each floor.