Page 60 of Fought and Freed

If this ear thing was going to happen every time Maddy flew, she’d never get on another plane. Everything was muffled.

When they reached the car rental place, there was a long wait, and Ryder sat Maddy down on a bench while Cody stood in line.

Ryder had her try a couple of things to force her ears to pop, but nothing worked.

Since they’d left Georgia, Ryder seemed to be back to his old self. He still hadn’t explained what he was doing at that bar where he saved Skylar, and Maddy hoped that whatever was bothering him would stay away.

She missed him being like this.

Cody returned, frowning. “We got a minivan.”

Ryder chuckled, but Maddy didn’t understand the joke.

They met up with the rest of the group, and Maddy took her luggage, wheeling it out to where they had to get a shuttle to take them to the van.

The sun shone brightly, and there was a warm breeze. When they left Georgia, it was fifty-four degrees out, and the fourteen degrees increase made it feel like summer. Winter in the south was so different from Ohio, which could get down to zero degrees. And don’t get her started on what they called snow in Georgia.

When they finally reached their minivan, Cody drove and Maddy took the front passenger seat.

“Come on, you old fart, can’t you go any faster?” Skylar jeered from the back.

“I’ll give you old,” Cody grumbled.

“Couldn’t you have gotten something a little more stylish?” Ryder said.

“What did you want me to get, a BMW?” Cody scoffed. “With the size of our group, this works, so shut up.”

Maddy shrugged. “I don’t think it’s that bad.”

When Cody pulled into a parking lot across from the hotel, Maddy got out and stretched.

Her head thumped painfully, and her ears were still clogged. She prayed they didn’t stay like that the whole trip.

“You look miserable, baby girl,” Jace said. “Let’s get checked in, then find you some aspirin.”

A banner on the front of the motel said Welcome Lockhaven Huskies. People were walking everywhere. She recognized some players sitting in the main lobby.

Lucca had said the room was under her name, so Maddy would have to check them in.

She walked to the desk, where the clerk smiled at her. “Are you checking in?”

Maddy nodded, then winced when that made the pain worse. “The room’s for Walsh, please.”

“Ah yes, the Rose Bowl suite,” the clerk said. “The people who normally reserve it were disappointed this year when they couldn’t book their usual room.”

Maddy just shrugged and smiled at the guy. She was sure her brother had something to do with that.

When he handed her a key, Cody leaned over. “Can we get two more room keys?”

The guy smiled and made two more keys. He then told them what elevator to get on, and they made their way over to it.

When the elevator opened, there was only one door on the floor.

Cody slid his key into the slot, it beeped, and he pushed the door open.

Maddy stepped in, followed by Skylar and Jace.

Wow, what a room.

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