Page 34 of Grave Peril

Chapter 9

While Lela waited near the elevator, Rip got a room. He angled his body at the check-in counter so he could keep his eyes on her. Registering as a married couple didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Only his driver’s license was required, plus the credit card for incidentals during their stay.

He grabbed the room key, and when Lela saw him walking over, she punched the button. As soon as the elevator doors closed, she looked at him. “Any problems?”

“Nope…didn’t think there would be.” Being chased had a way of making a person uneasy. But the hotel was safe for now. The bad guys had caught on that Lela had a male with her, but so far they didn’t know his name.

The name McConnell was okay to use for a while. It was easier to use a real name than a false one, as it avoided the potential of being discovered as a fake—which required some quick explaining.

The room was on a top floor, down the hall from the elevator. Lela took a look at the one queen-sized bed and balked.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa,” Rip said. “It pulls out into a bed.”

Lela glanced up at the curtain hanging from the ceiling, which could be drawn to provide privacy. “Well, it’s not a door, but at least you won’t be watching me sleep.”

“Maybe I snore,” Rip said. “Be thankful we aren’t in the same bed.”

“If you snore, you’ll have to get a separate room. I’m a light sleeper.”

Lela walked over to the bed and dumped her bag. Then she turned to look at Rip, and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t been able to get that kiss out of his mind. His blood heated as he remembered her soft lips against his. He could handle many more kisses from her…and much more than that.

But he wasn’t about to make a move in that direction. Only an hour before, Lela had been seconds away from getting grabbed by the cartel’s minions. This wasn’t the time to get distracted with romance. Even if his body was reacting like that hot kiss was still happening.

“You’ll need to wear your disguise whenever you’re out,” Rip said, shifting his thoughts back to business.

Lela sat on the sofa. “That’s going to get old quick.”

“I’m trying to keep you alive here,” Rip said. “And showing your face at the bus station was a mistake.” He pulled out the desk chair and turned it around, then sat resting his forearms on the tall back. “I didn’t predict that the cartel knew about the locker. That’s the last time I’ll underestimate them.”

Lela looked fairly composed, despite the recent event. But Rip figured she had to be rattled. “Get comfortable,” he said. “Take a look around. I’m going to check in with the office.”

Rip watched Lela pick up the courtesy bottled water and stroll toward the mini kitchen. He called Travis. “That ID didn’t work out so well.”

“What was wrong with it?” Travis said.

“Probably nothing…it’s just that I wasn’t able to get my hands on it.” Rip relayed the highlights of the incident. “We’re out of harm’s way now. But I thought you’d want to alert your contact not to use that courier again.”

“Yeah, obviously he’s in the cartel’s pay,” Travis said. “On another subject, I have Cooper keeping tabs on the senator.”

“Has he been behaving?”

“So far the guy is keeping a low profile, but he hasn’t been out on bail that long. I’m the suspicious type.”

“Unless he’s a bigger idiot than I thought, he’ll keep the criminal activity down to a dull roar until the trial.”

“At least he’ll try not to get his own hands dirty…doesn’t mean he won’t be pulling the strings.” Travis paused. “So now what?”

“Time to regroup; I’ll let you know,” Rip said. He glanced up and saw Lela go into the bathroom and shut the door. “And I appreciate the backup on this. I’ll cover any expenses, since I’m pretty sure that Lela isn’t in a position to pay for a security detail.”

“Don’t sweat it. We’ll hash that out once she’s safe.”

After the call, Lela came out and sauntered over. Rip wondered if she had any idea how sexy she was. “I don’t know about you,” he said, “but I could use a drink.”

Lela leaned against the desk. “I’m not putting on that disguise.”

“I meant we’d have drinks sent up to the room.”

“Okay, but I need something stronger than wine or beer.”

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