"Yeah," I breathe, feeling shy in his immediate presence like this. My voice feels smaller. Hell, everything feels smaller.
In the hotel room, I could convince myself for a little while that he wasn't evil. That he didn't have a hidden agenda.
Still, it's hard pretending I'm some sort of prisoner. It's Nicolai after all.
But when I think about the way he gagged me... the way he pushed me over the desk and spanked me... it's a little easier to keep my mouth closed and not give him an attitude.
He quickly checks out at the main desk. It's still dark out, the sky behind the windows around us showing the faintest gleam of morning. I draw closer to him without thinking why or how. I can't shake the eerie, unsettling feeling that someone is watching me. That someone is watching us.
And when the clerk hands him the invoice, I glance at the date.
My heart sinks, and I sigh when realization hits me.
It's my damn birthday.Chapter 5Nicolai
It's still early in the morning, and the sun is just barely rising when we hit the road.
I feel that someone is watching us, but every time I glance in the rearview mirror, we're practically alone, except for the tractor trailers making their deliveries. Still, my skin prickles with vivid awareness any time a smaller car comes on the highway, and the chance of one of the truck drivers being in pursuit of us are slim and none.
My GPS says we'll be in Raleigh soon. We'll get something to eat there, before we head straight for Virginia. I plot out our trip in my mind, driving from Virginia to Boston, with stops if necessary in D.C., New York, or New Haven, Connecticut. I'd prefer not to stop if we can help it, but we're going to have to eat and take breaks.
Is she asleep? Marissa is curled up in a ball, her head resting on her arm on the door, but her face is turned away from me so I can't see her.
"You okay?" I finally ask, after silent minutes tick by into silent hours.
"Fine," she says right away. Not asleep, then.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah."
I frown, and glance up at the road signs as we drive on.
"I'll stop soon to get us something to eat."
"Great."
"Radio?"
She only shrugs.
I don't ask her anything else. Either she's resigned herself to the fact that I've taken her against her will, or she's fuming and plotting to escape. Either way, I don't like her silence one bit. Earlier, she was still positive, still had a little sense of humor. But now...
"What's gotten under your skin?" I ask her.
"Besides the fact that you kidnapped me, spanked me, and I spent the night on the run sleeping in my dress from the night before? Oh, nothing. Why do you ask?"
I clench my jaw and hold the steering wheel tighter. I don't like where this is going.
"Yes, besides that," I push. There's something else going on, and I'll get to the bottom of it.
"Maybe I'm hangry," she suggests.
"Hangry? You mean hungry?"
"No, I mean hangry. It's a new word. Not familiar?"
I speak through gritted teeth. "Clearly not."
"Hangry is the state of irritability caused by hunger. Angry plus hungry equals hangry."
"So feeding you will restore you, then?"
"Just like a horse or something," she quips. "Water and feed me and I'll be good."
"More like a toddler," I reason. "Food, milk, naps, repeat."
She snorts. "Gee, thanks."
"Anytime."
Still, I pull off at the next rest stop that offers donuts and coffee.
"Tell me what you want." I don't want to get out of this car, so drive thru it is.
"Two chocolate-covered donuts, and an iced coffee, please," she says. "And a chocolate milk if they have it."
Chocolate milk? Khristos, she's so damn young.
"Coloring book if they have it?"
She only narrows her eyes on me. Right. I need to feed her.
I get an egg sandwich and a coffee and her food.
"Yippee-yi-yay," she mutters.
"A thank you would be appropriate," I remind her. Her attitude's getting old. She has good reason to be pissy, but it still grates.
"Thank you," she says with mock politeness. "You are ever so kind, sir."
I hand her the bag of food.
"Eat," I tell her.
"It's like I'm a dog," she says. "Eat. Sleep. Use the bathroom. Next thing you'll be telling me to heel."
She's so damn snarky and woefully innocent.
How I'd love to motherfucking take her to heel.
"Eat, don't eat, do whatever the fuck you want, just don't get sassy with me."
She sighs. "Fine. I have to go to the bathroom, though." She looks a little apologetic. "May I?"
I grunt and don't reply at first. I do not want to linger here. I want to hit the fucking road, but we need to be situated first.
The donut shop has a tiny bathroom way at the back. A handful of older men are drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, and one young woman serving everyone. I shouldn't leave her alone in here. Fuck, anyone could walk in and take advantage. But that isn't my problem. The girl in the bathroom is.