Chapter 14

Penelope

We arrive at some rundown motel an hour later, like he predicted. The building isn’t anything fancy, but it will do.

Damien doesn’t hesitate the moment the door is secure to change out of his clothing from the compound. The suit he started the day out in is torn and dirty; he’s been pulling at the thing for the last two hours.

With his back turned to me, he rips open his shirt, ignoring the buttons entirely. I hear them hit the wall and bounce off the floor as he pulls the once white garment from his skin. I manage to stifle a gasp when my eyes and brain finally connect, taking in the beautiful sight of skin and muscle.

I don’t mean to stare and act like I’ve never seen a naked man before, but the truth is, I’ve never seen a man like Damien. He clearly takes care for himself; whoever he is and whatever he does in his life, that much I’m sure of.

But it isn’t the muscle that astounds me. It’s the dark lines covering every inch of his skin that do it. It’s like an omage to his life but cryptic and metaphorical. The dark lines, from far away, look like a jumbled mess of hard and light lines, but the more I study them, the clearer the pictures begin to form.

It’s a phoenix, and its wings are spread out across the width of his back, feathers drawn precisely to look like the bird is grabbing on to him. Dark flames lick along his skin, and even though there is no color to the artwork, it is breathtaking.

I take in every detail, entranced by the way the intricate lines weave around his skin. A name pops out at me, stopping my eyes from moving any further.

Starla.

My thoughts swirl as I study the name, surely burning a hole into his skin. Can he feel me staring at him? The name is carefully designed into the feathers wrapping around the bottom of his ribcage. I almost missed it, and I can’t help wondering who she is to be so carefully concealed on his body.

This man is becoming more of a mystery to me, but this, seeing that name on his skin, I feel like I’ve somehow stepped too far across the line into his personal space. The feeling makes me look away from his back, pretending to busy myself with my bags of clothing.

He rummages through the duffel bag he pulled from the trunk of the getaway car and pulls out a gray shirt. I watch from the corner of my eye as he pulls it over his head and it stretches across his well-defined body.

It’s becoming more evident there is more to this man than I imagined. Those suits did nothing but hide the body underneath them. My body reacts, warming instantly. I don’t know why. It’s not like I’ve never been this close to a half naked man before.

I’ve pulled nearly all the clothing out of my bags, trying to ignore the growing warmth, and make heads or tails of what was grabbed during our escape. There are very few items that can actually be worn, and there are a lot of undergarments and socks.

It’s safe to say I’m no good at packing under pressure.

Damien turns toward me, but his attention is on the cell phone in his hand. “I’m going to step outside and make a few calls.”

Those are the only words he gives me before walking out of the room.

Forty-five minutes later, I sit on one of the two queen beds, waiting for him to come back. Not that he went far, just outside the door. Again, I’ve heard bits and pieces of his conversation, and just like before, all it’s done is build another list of questions to ask.

He’s in hot water.

He wasn’t supposed to take me.

They won’t listen to reason.

They refuse to believe I’d be dead if he hadn’t gone back for me.

He doesn’t care. He won’t abandon me.

He will not place me in their custody.

He gave me his word. He’ll protect me at all costs.

I was right to believe there was something much bigger happening. I just never imagined it would be this. This new man with a new name has captured my attention completely. Whereas Tony confused me, Damien made everything make sense.

I find it much easier to trust him now, even knowing this could be an elaborate lie or a new kind of game. It’s possible he’ll make me a bigger fool than I already feel I am because I’m giving him my trust so easily.

As Tony, he had a role to play, and it was a nasty one. His hand in how I came to be here, whether undercover or not, leaves me wondering what kind of man he really is. But the look in his eyes when the building the others were kept in exploded gave me reason to believe he was affected in a way similar to my own feelings.

The other girls…

I take a deep breath, straining my ears to listen for any sign on his side of the conversation that they made it out. I hear nothing.

I stand up, walk to the window, and peek out from behind the curtain. Not seeing Damien, I step back and walk across the room. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I decide to wash the remaining pieces of the compound and its existence off. I dig through the makeshift suitcases and find something suitable and comfortable, just in case we must run again.

I spare a glance at the door, checking the lock before making my way into the bathroom. Damien took the key with him after he brought our stuff inside. I don’t have to worry about him being able to get inside the room.

I turn on the shower and let the water heat up while I undress. The luxury of a hot shower will help sort out my scattered thoughts and allow me a moment to just breathe without worrying about the next move. I take the little bottles of shampoo and conditioner into the shower with me.

I’m tired of always looking over my shoulder and trying to read the people around me. I haven’t felt safe in a long time, but I’m hopeful that is going to change soon.

A soft knock on the other side of the bathroom door jolts me back to the moment, and I hear him call out to me. “Penny, I’m back.”

“Okay, I’m almost done,” I respond, rinsing away the lather I worked up along my skin. I make haste with my hair, briefly wondering how I’m going to brush out the knots because I didn’t grab anything in the rush to leave.

Turning the water off, I twist the water out of my hair and step out. I dry off with the small scratchy towels provided by the motel and get dressed.

I stare at myself in the mirror feeling changed. I don’t know how, but this entire experience has driven away the girl I once was. Despite my young age, I feel as if I’ve lived a lifetime, and I’m exhausted.

“Penny,” Damien’s voice calls from the other side of the door, and I’m half tempted to ignore him because I’m not ready to face what he’s going to tell me.

“They made it out.” He gives me the four words I need the most, all without knowing I need them. I hang my head and drag in a breath, releasing the tension I carried for them.

We all made it out alive.

Because of him.