Page 55 of Sinner's Secret

Her last clear memories before waking up on that narrow bed in her skimpy pajamas were of the lieutenant telling her and her team to clock out, go home, and get some sleep.

She went to the fridge and discovered a couple of bottles of water. She grabbed one, drank half of it, then crawled into the bed and laid down.

She didn’t think she could sleep, but she was also exhausted. Might as well try.

Chapter Ten

Baz got back to the motel about two hours after he’d left Nika there. He drove the car he’d stolen almost all the way back to where he’d taken it from. Left it just a couple of blocks over. Then hoofed it back, running when things looked quiet.

He stopped at the motel office again and accepted the bags of clothing and one of food from the manager’s wife. They also gave him the second key to the room. There were only two of them, and no one was going to show up, claiming to be housekeeping. If anyone tried that old trick, Baz would let them in all right. They wouldn’t leave alive.

He unlocked the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t budge. Yeah, he’d told Nika to lock all the locks.

He knocked softly. “Nika, it’s Baz.”

No answer. Shit, she was probably sleeping.

He knocked a little harder this time. “Nika?”

A few seconds later, he heard the click of one of the locks disengaging, one after another, then she pulled the door open to let him in.

He slipped inside and dropped the bags on the table while she re-engaged the locks.

“That’s going to be tedious to do every time either of us goes in or out,” she said in a sleepy tone.

He took another look at her and had to force himself to stay where he was. She was sleep mussed, her hair clean, but askew, and her gaze the fuzzy, half-lidded look you had when you weren’t fully awake yet.

She looked good enough to eat.

“Hopefully, we won’t be here long,” he said, unable to keep the hungry growl out of his voice.

She frowned at him, but he turned away to start pulling stuff out of the bags. Clothes and toiletries for both of them, shoes for Nika, and some packaged food items.

“Hungry?” he asked, tossing her a box of granola bars.

“Starving.” She snatched the box out of the air and ripped it open. Grabbing a bar and tearing it open too. She took a huge bite, closed her eyes, and groaned in pleasure.

She made Baz laugh, and for a few seconds, he was able to put aside the laundry list of problems they faced and just enjoy the moment.

She winced as she chewed and put a hand up to the back of her head. “Ow. I can’t believe eating makes this bump hurt worse.”

Baz stood up straighter. “Bump?”

“Yeah, I don’t remember getting it, but short-term memory loss is often a side-effect of getting Tazed. So, I may have hit my head on something, or someone might have hit me.” She shrugged.

It took him only three strides to reach her side, but before he did anything, he stopped and asked, “May I see?”

She blinked, her eyes going wide. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” A frown pulled her eyebrows low over her eyes. “How did you get over here so fast? Did I just black out for a moment?”

“Don’t let my shabby exterior fool you,” he said. “Underneath all the crud beats the heart of a sprinter.”

She snorted.

He made a twirling motion with his hand, and she turned so he could see the back of her head. The bump wasn’t too prominent, he could see a small laceration with some swelling around it, but it wasn’t too bad.

“Are you feeling dizzy, fuzzy, or nauseous?”

“No, I just don’t remember your entire trip to this side of the room,” she said in a grumble.

---