Page 18 of Hidden Monsters

Luke nodded to his friend, even as his own breaths still came out in shallow pants. He reached for his pen, then heard the softness of her thoughts as she called herself pathetic, and he knew it was time to step in. He would do and say anything to get her to trust him. It had been three long months since she’d first slipped into his mind and he still had no idea who or where she was. He also had no idea how it was possible to care so much about a woman he’d never met, but there was no denying that she’d come to mean a lot to him.

He’d always been close with his friends, but Orly was different. She was there for him when no one else was. In the quiet moments. In the dark. In the seconds after he woke from his own nightmares. It was her voice that soothed him. Her words that drew a smile to his lips. He owed her so much more than for just saving his life, but he’d start there.

As soon as she told him where she was, Luke wasted no time taking a few days off from work, and buying a ticket for a red eye to Roanoke. He wasn’t someone who usually got nervous, but he spent the entire flight fidgeting and bouncing his knee, likely annoying the guy sitting next to him on the plane. Luke only packed enough clothes for a few nights, but he was honestly hoping to be back before then - with Orly. He had no idea what he was getting himself involved in since Orly hadn’t been very forthcoming with her current situation, but Luke wasn’t going to let that stop him. Whoever this captain was that Orly was running from, Luke would find a way to deal with him once Orly was safe.

This woman had gone through so much, and despite everything life had thrown her way, she still seemed to be so kind and sweet. He didn’t meet a lot of people like that in his line of work, and definitely not ones who had so obviously been fucked over by life. He wanted to meet her. To talk to her. To really get to know her. From her voice, she sounded young, but he’d met a few older women who sounded younger. Not that it mattered right now. No matter how old she was or what she looked like, Luke would do anything he could to help her, because he could tell when someone was at the end of their rope, and Orly was.

As soon as the plane landed in Roanoke and pulled up to the gate, Luke was on his feet, throwing his bag over his shoulder. But his seat was all the way in the back of the plane, so he wasn’t going anywhere fast. I just landed. He thought. Where are you? How do I find you?

He felt her stir in his mind, like he’d woken her from sleep. I have a room at the Super 8 Motel.

Luke grimaced, wondering if she was safe there, but he’d see for himself soon enough. She gave him the address, which only made him more anxious to get off the plane. He was standing wedged between the seats for several more minutes, tapping his fingers impatiently on the headrest of the seat in front of him until people finally started moving. He gently shoved his way past a woman who was waiting for her teenage son to wake up, and hurried off the plane. As soon as he was inside the airport, he followed the signs to the car rental desk and proceeded to rent a green sedan. He would’ve preferred something larger, but it was all they had available on short notice. It was still dark outside when he finally got into the car, but there was a sliver of light starting to peek over the horizon.

Forty minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of the address he’d been given. The sky was a pale gray, and he could clearly see the two story building. It appeared to be in fairly good condition, though the large dumpster in the far corner of the parking lot had its fair share of graffiti on it. He pulled into an empty spot and got out of the car, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Standing next to the car, Luke reached out to Orly. I’m here. He was met with silence until he heard the creaking of a door opening. He turned his attention to that door on the ground floor, and watched as the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on stepped out of the room. Recognition instantly assailed him as he remembered seeing her face splashed all over the news networks a few months ago. The photo hadn’t done her justice, but he was surprised she’d been able to go unnoticed for as long as she had. It was a testament to how little people really paid attention to the news and their surroundings. She wore a pair of black leggings, and an off the shoulder gray t-shirt that exposed a thin neon pink bra strap. Her long, golden curls cascaded over her shoulders and reminded him of the color of the wheat fields behind his childhood home when they glistened in the setting sun.

He took a step toward her and she pushed the gold rimmed glasses framing her big brown eyes up the bridge of her nose. As their gaze met, her cheeks turned pink, and Luke wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or the cool breeze of the early morning air. She looked so small and thin, he feared a stiff breeze might blow her away, but he’d felt her strength in every one of their conversations. Orly was far from a damsel, even if she was so obviously in distress. Hi. I’m Luke. He’d never been tongue tied before in his life, but at this very moment, he was nearly at a loss for words. For months, he’d hated the thought of her being on the run by herself, but seeing her now, he despised it down to the marrow of his bones. He should’ve pushed harder. He should’ve acted sooner. Much sooner. But at least he was here now.

When she didn’t answer him right away, he wondered if the woman in front of him was the one he’d been communicating with all these months or if he’d somehow made a mistake. Maybe he’d just gotten lucky in finding a wanted criminal and the woman he’d been talking to in his head was still sound asleep in one of the other rooms. Doubt slowly crept into his mind until a soft familiar voice filled his head. I’m Orly. A slow smile pulled at the corners of her mouth and Luke swore it completely lit up her face and made her even more beautiful, if that was even possible. He sighed, unable to speak or move. He felt like an idiot just standing there and mentally shook himself. Luke was well aware that for all intents and purposes they were perfect strangers, but after all those long chats in their heads, Orly felt like an old friend, and the only thing he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. He closed the distance between them, and when she was just a few arms’ lengths away, he said, “thank you for trusting me.”

Orly shuffled her feet, but she didn’t take her gaze off him and she didn’t move away. “Thank you for coming.”

As the first notes of her voice hit his ears, he realized it was much like the one he’d been hearing in his mind, but there was a slight breathiness to it that was more pronounced in her speech. He thought of the million things he wanted to ask her, if only just to hear her voice outside of his head, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. He lowered his bag to the ground and took another small step toward her. No sooner did he open his arms to her than she flung herself into him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He sighed in relief and held her close, breathing in the scent of her wildflower shampoo from her gorgeous curls. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered into his shirt.

“I would’ve come sooner,” Luke said, soothingly rubbing his hand up and down her back. “I wanted to come sooner.”

“I know. I was just so afraid. Russell knows about Dallas. He knows about you. I mean, not you personally, but he knows I connected with someone in Dallas and I was so scared -”

“Shhh.” Luke pressed a gentle finger to her lips, inwardly groaning at how soft they were against the pad of his finger. He lifted her chin until her gaze met his. “I understand, but Orly, hear me now, I don’t want or need you to protect me. From here on out, I do the protecting.”

It pained him that her beautiful brown eyes were swimming with unshed tears. He hated the man who’d put such fear and anguish into this woman and he fully intended to end all of it, just as soon as he more fully understood her situation. He brushed a stray hair from her face and she leaned into his touch. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. The connection he had to this woman was inexplicable and so strong, it could easily drive a man to his knees. He wanted to kiss her more than he wanted his next breath. But, he couldn’t allow himself to act solely on desire and attraction. Not yet. He would wait until she felt safe with him, until she wanted him as much as he already wanted her. Then he would kiss her. Then he would claim her and show her that she was always meant to be his. Until then, he would be her protector. Her champion. Her friend.

Pulling away from her the barest of inches, only because having her pressed against him was making it difficult to think clearly, he said, “I’ll go to the office and get myself a room. I think we can both use a few hours of sleep before finding a decent breakfast place around here.”

Orly nodded, but didn’t move away. He got the sense that she didn’t want to be apart from him any more than he wanted to be apart from her. He liked that. A lot. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and turned to pick up his bag. He was completely wired and probably wouldn’t get a wink of sleep, but Orly felt small in his arms and the bags under her eyes gave away just how exhausted she was. Besides, they both needed at least a few minutes to collect themselves before they did anything else.

He hadn’t missed how palpable the chemistry between them was. He could nearly touch it with his bare hands. But Luke wanted to tread carefully. He’d been asking her to meet, to let him help her for months, and now that he was finally here, Luke was determined not to screw it up.

Chapter 9

Orly was still standing outside her motel room door when Luke returned with a key card in hand. She’d watched him walk away, completely stunned by how freaking gorgeous the man was. A lot of law enforcement officers in Los Angeles were good looking, including Russell, but Luke was unlike anyone she’d ever met.

He was tall, definitely over six feet, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, thick legs. He had sandy blonde hair and matching short stubble along his chiseled jaw that Orly could only imagine running her fingers through. But it was his deep blue eyes and the way they darkened when they’d met her gaze that had seriously caught her off guard. It almost felt like he’d looked right through her, and in that moment, she felt completely naked and exposed in front of him.

The scariest part was that it didn’t scare her. Not even close. She wanted to get lost in him, to be wrapped up and surrounded by those strong arms that had just held her and made her feel like for the first time in a very long time, she was safe, and even loved. Oh, it was crazy to be thinking about Luke loving her, but she couldn’t deny the way he’d made her feel in just the thirty seconds he’d held her close.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, coming to stand in front of her with his keycard in hand.

There was a part of her that wanted to run into his arms again, hug him tightly and hold on to the last bit of safety she felt whenever he was in her mind. But she kept her hands at her sides, her fingers pressed into her thighs to keep from clenching her fists. She swallowed and nodded, then slowly shook her head. She’d spent most of the night crying, trying to fall asleep, wondering if the murderer in her mind was going to come back for her. She couldn’t afford to switch motels, not that it mattered since after today, she wouldn’t even be able to afford this one. She had no idea if or when Luke was coming, so when he told her that his plane had landed, she’d been shocked he had dropped everything to be here for her.

Luke placed a warm, but firm hand on her shoulder. “How about I drop my bag off in my room, and we can sit out here on the curb and talk.”

His sexy southern drawl sounded just as amazing in her ears as it had in her mind and there was nothing she wanted more than to talk to him. But he looked tired. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them. “I’d like that, but you should get some rest.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured, and moved past her to the door right next to hers. “I got the room next door. I hope that’s okay.”

Orly nodded, even as her stomach felt like dozens of butterflies had taken flight and were about to burst right out of her. Luke was really here.

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