Chapter Fourteen
Emily sat on one of the double beds with her legs pulled up and back resting on a pillow against the headboard. Matt lay on his back on the other mattress. His eyes had been closed for almost an hour. She suspected he was sleeping. The nap she’d had during the drive to Baltimore had been adequate enough. After they’d arrived in the hotel, she couldn’t shut out all the racing thoughts in her mind. Her high anxiety kept her chewing the same piece of gum she’d put in her mouth when they’d checked in at the desk. The flavor had vanished, but she didn’t care. She had her phone nearby and the television set on a low volume. Given the early morning time, she couldn’t find much to watch. She flipped between the news and HGTV.
The nausea remained present within her. She’d sipped on a bottle of water while she waited for Andrew to call. It helped some, but she suspected she wouldn’t feel better until she heard from Andrew.
She ran a hand through her hair. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Didn’t he know she’d go out of her mind worrying about him because he hadn’t told her his location? Ugh! But she understood why he’d refrained from telling her. If she’d known where he was, she would’ve insisted Matt take her to him. The three of them could’ve come up with a way to handle the enforcer. Instead, Andrew took control in dealing with Steven. She hoped Andrew wouldn’t get caught with whatever he did, but she had a bad feeling their lives were about to change.
A buzz from her cell captured her attention. Andrew’s name appeared on the screen. She snatched the phone and answered.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“I’m in an alley next to a closed Starbucks three blocks away. I need you to come get me.” He sounded tired, strained, and weak.
Matt opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Worry fueled her heartbeat. “How bad?”
Matt jolted upright.
“Nothing major is broken,” Andrew said. “It’s freezing out here. Can you come pick me up?”
“We’ll be out the door in five minutes.”
“Pull into the alley.”
“We will. I love you.”
“I love you, Em. Please hurry.”
The line went silent and she lowered the cell.
“What did he say?” Matt asked.
“We have to get him. He’s hurt and he’s waiting in an alley near the Starbucks three blocks from here. I think it’s the one you commented about being closed before we arrived.”
Emily hurried to get ready to leave. She’d left her coat on the foot of the bed near her purse and laptop case. Matt had brought the bag for her. She still carried a lot of cash with her and kept it with her computer. She slid her jacket over her arms while she slipped her feet into her shoes.
“Are we coming back here?” Matt asked as he did the same.
She grabbed her bottle of water from the nightstand. “I don’t know. Let’s assume not.” She collected her purse from the bed.
“I’ll carry the laptop,” Matt said as he approached.
“Thank you. Are you up to driving? If not, I can.”
“It’s fine. I slept a little.” He grabbed her computer case by the handles instead of the strap.
Emily said nothing more as she led the way out of the hotel room. She felt bad for keeping Matt up. He had to be as exhausted as she was, but adrenaline and worry kept her awake. With everything that had happened in the last few hours, she couldn’t be more grateful for his help.
The hall was so quiet she wondered if they were the only ones staying in the hotel on Christmas. Passing by rooms, she didn’t even hear any televisions. Since they were on the second floor, she decided to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
“Did he say how badly hurt he was or anything about Steven?” Matt asked as they descended the steps.
“He said nothing major was broken.”
She feared he had some bones broken or he wouldn’t have made such a comment. His statement about freezing concerned her, too. The man normally ran hot. And his voice … it had sounded drained, almost shaky.
“He didn’t sound well. I just want to get to him. We can ask him questions later,” she said before she exited the stairwell.
She rounded the corner and headed for the lobby. The older woman who had been working the check-in desk not even two hours ago had disappeared. Behind the counter, there was a door leading to an office. Emily suspected the attendant had gone inside to sit since the majority of people were sleeping at the early hour.
The cold wind went right through her dress when Emily stepped outside. She hadn’t bothered to change since she’d tossed all her clothes in the suitcase. Snowflakes fell from the sky. How perfect for Christmas? Burying her hands in her pockets, she strode to the corner and then around it. Matt had parked on the lot behind the building since it had appeared the valet had gone home for the night when they’d arrived.
While Matt placed the laptop in the back, she hurried to get inside the Jeep. She set her purse on the floor and the water bottle in the cup holder between the seats before she buckled the seatbelt.
“Heat please. He said he was cold. That can’t be good,” she said.
Matt pulled out of the lot with warm air shooting from the vents. Emily couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t be sure if it were from the temperature or if she were afraid to see Andrew.
The empty streets reminded her of scenes in movies after a zombie apocalypse. Businesses had their lights out. Stoplights flashed. Not a soul was in sight. The darkness and flurries added to the eeriness.
“He said to turn in the alley.” She pointed to the dark Starbucks.
Matt slowed the car before he turned into the dark side street. It looked empty accept for a large dumpster near the building on the left. Matt drove slow and flashed the headlights twice. As they passed the trash bin, a man stepped out from the building ten feet ahead. His swollen face made it difficult for Emily to confirm it was Andrew. Judging by his clothes and height, her gut told her it was him.
“Stay here,” Matt said as he shifted the gear into park.
“Like hell I am,” Emily said as she unlatched her seatbelt.
The both exited the car. Emily ran around the back.
“I’ll be okay,” Andrew said to Matt. “We need to get out of this state and go west. If you can drive…”
Matt opened the door for him. “I’ll get us out of here.”
Andrew paused and faced her. She covered her nose and mouth with her hands. Her heart accelerated and her eyes filled with moisture.
“Oh my God, Andrew,” she said as she reached for him.
He took his hands from his pockets and grabbed hers before she could touch him. His fingers and knuckles were swollen too. And he felt cold.
“Get in the car. We need to go,” he said.
She swallowed hard. Saying nothing, she ran around tail end again. She stopped at the back door on the passenger side. While Andrew climbed into the car, she did the same. Matt shut the door behind Andrew.
Grunting, Andrew leaned back. The laptop bag fell against his knees. Emily quickly lifted the bag and dropped it into the front passenger seat.
Matt settled behind the wheel. “Do you need a doctor?”
“No. I already set my nose. If my ribs are cracked, they’ll heal on their own. Just drive,” Andrew said.
Emily scooted as close as she could without touching him. She wanted to, but she feared she might hurt him.
Her body shook and her lips trembled. “Andrew.” The single word came out as a whisper.
“I know. I’ve looked better,” he said.
She couldn’t laugh. All she could think about was helping him, taking away his pain, and comforting him. He needed to get warm. He’d felt cold when he’d touched her. She leaned over the backseat.
“What are you doing?” Matt asked as he drove.
“Looking for a blanket,” she said as she pushed the luggage aside. She always kept one in the car for extra warmth during cold weather months. Finding what she needed, she reached over the seat, grabbed the cover, and tugged. The suitcase on part of it prevented her from having the blanket. She pulled with all her strength until she had the damn thing free.
She shook it out before she placed over Andrew. She tucked it gently behind his shoulders. “Are you thirsty?”
“Yeah.”
She reached between the seats and collected her water. She’d drunk half, but the half remaining was better than nothing at the moment. She removed the lid before she handed the drink to him.
He reached around the cover. “It’s so good to see you and hear your voice.” He grazed his cold fingers along her check. “And to touch you… You’re so warm.”
She fought from crying as he took the bottle from her hands. “You need ice. Your face is so swollen.” She noticed dark marks on his neck while he poured the water into his mouth. She carefully pried his collar back and peered closer. Bruises covered the skin. “Andrew, what happened?”
He handed the empty bottle to her. She twisted the cap on it before she tossed it in the back. He took one of her hands, moved it under the blanket, and held it close to his stomach.
“I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. He was going to kill me,” Andrew said. “I couldn’t go back yet. It’s too soon.” His voice cracked and he lowered his head. He cleared his throat. “The police will find out. The council will probably be angry. I messed things up.”
Her heart wept for him. She gently touched his cheek. His puffy eyes and nose looked red and tender. He could barely lift his lid over one eye. He had a cut in his bottom lip too.
“We’ll get by. We always do. We’ll figure this out together. And hey, welcome to the ‘wanted by the law’ club.” She tried to make a joke like he had earlier.
He lifted his head. “I couldn’t leave you. I know it’s selfish of me, but I want to stay with you and hold the baby when it’s born.”
She sniffed as a tear ran down from the corner of one of her eyes. “Then I’m selfish, too. I got you into this mess because I wanted to spend all my time with you instead of going after the demon.”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
“Now isn’t the time to debate this. You need to rest and feel better.” She sat close, touching the side of his body with hers.
Matt reached the naked interstate. The engine hummed as he accelerated. The wiper blades brushed the flakes away and squealed on the glass.
Andrew squeezed her hand. “Steven tracked us through my bank transactions.”
“You were using your card?”
“I thought it would be okay. I’d moved money to your account and nothing had happened.”
“Did you use in in Rockville?”
“Yes. He admitted he’d followed me during the day and at night. He said he almost lost us after the concert.” Andrew turned his gaze to the window. “Christmas had been so wonderful, the best I’d ever had. And then he had to show up.” He looked at Emily. “I’m so sorry I ruined Christmas.”
She shook her head and fought a new wave of grief. “No, you didn’t. We’re together and we have Matt. We’re family and we are together now. That’s what matters.”
“Steven will come back. He said he had before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll want revenge.”
“Matt said he will book reservations in his name. We can move funds to his account. They won’t be able to track either of us if everything is under his name.”
“The police will be looking for me.”
“Did anyone see you kill him?”
“No. I paid the attendant extra cash for the room since he said he could only take credit cards. But he saw both of us and he thinks we were partners in town for business.”
“Did you give him a name?”
“No, he didn’t ask.”
“Well, that’s good. They’ll probably have a sketch artist draw a picture. If we’re several states away, then they probably won’t find you. And if someone asks for your name, you can give a different one.”
“I can use Andrew Reed as my name.”
“Yeah, that works.”
“Since your license shows Penny Reed, people will think we’re married.”
She cracked a smile. The man had gone through hell and killed a man from heaven. Now, he was concerned about his name and the appearance of being married. How crazy was that?
He inhaled and closed his eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“It hurts to breathe, to swallow, to move… Got any aspirin?”
She wedged between the front seats. Reaching, she snatched her purse from the floor under the dashboard. She lifted it onto the seat before she dug inside. Her hand brushed over the wrapped boxes. The gifts could wait for a time when he felt better. Digging deeper, she found the bottle. She took it from her bag and returned to her seat next to Andrew.
“You didn’t change?” he asked.
She popped the lid up. “I threw everything into the suitcases so I didn’t want to take time to try and find some jeans or a shirt.” She handed him three pills.
He tossed them into his mouth.
“I think we might have some more bottled water at the far back,” she said, gazing past him.
“Don’t worry about it. Just sit with me.”
He held his palm up for her and she gave him her hand.
“You need to sleep,” she said. “Why don’t I scoot over and you can stretch out some?”
After he nodded, she moved to the far end of the backseat. Andrew kicked his shoes off. He groaned as he lay back with the cover and bent one knee so he could put his foot up on the seat. His head rested on her thigh.
“Thank you for loving me and taking care of me,” he said.
She put her hand on one side of his face. “I always will.”
“I’ll find a way to fix things somehow. I promise.”
She gently caressed his cheek. “We’ll figure everything out together. Matt can help. So don’t worry. Close your eyes and sleep.”
He shut his lids. “I wish I hadn’t killed him. I really didn’t want to. I had hoped I could knock him out and get away. But he was going to send me back.”
“Shh, stop thinking about it. We will get through this together.” She bent and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Rest, my love.”
She kept her hand on his face and gently rubbed her thumb near his temple. Clear to her, he regretted his actions. She did too. If they’d gone after the demon in Texas, they wouldn’t be in the situation they were in now.
Emily leaned her head back and closed her eyes. No matter the challenges, they could work through them. They always had. And with Matt as part of their family, they could find ways to hide from the law and from Steven. She had faith they would survive well enough during Andrew’s remaining months on Earth. The rest they’d have to figure out. The three of them being together was the best Christmas gift in her book.