Page 75 of Past Due

“Okay,” she said, completely unfazed by his apology.

Her coldness terrified him. It was as if she had turned off every emotion. He yearned to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. He denied his desires and focused only on what she needed. “Let me take you to a hotel. You can eat and rest. You can wait for Aston there.”

She glanced away from him, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “I can’t afford a hotel.”

“I brought your wallet,” he said, thinking that’s what she meant.

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever is in the wallet is all I have, and I have to make it last until I get home.”

“What do you—"

“My mother stole all my money,” she interrupted, her voice filled with embarrassment. “It’s all gone. Everything.”

Shocked, he asked, “When did you—”

“Last night,” she interrupted again. “Or this morning technically, I guess. Before I got arrested.”

He didn’t think it was possible for his heart to hurt any more than it did, but he was wrong. The tearing ache threatened to take him out at the knees. After everything else, to discover her mother had robbed her was too much. No wonder she was so cold and aloof. Two people she trusted to love and protect her had betrayed and abandoned her.

“I’ll pay for it. Your hotel and your ticket home,” he offered, hoping she would accept.

She vehemently shook her head. “I don’t want anything else from you. Ever.”

He gulped at the fierce anger in her voice. He deserved it, of course, but it wasn’t easy to take. “Marley,” he pleaded. “Please. It’s...it’s the least I can do after all the pain I’ve caused you.”

She stared off into the distance. She swallowed a few times, as if trying to force down the sobs trying to escape her throat. He could see the shimmer of tears gathering in her eyes. Her chin shook, and she bit her lower lip, refusing to cry.

“Okay,” she said, defeated by her circumstances. “But I’m paying you back when I get home.”

He wouldn’t take her money, but he wasn’t going to argue the point now. “That’s fair.”

She nodded stiffly. “Okay.”

“May I please carry your suitcase?” He winced at the sight of her bandaged hand. “Your backpack, too.”

She hesitated before handing both over to him. She maintained her distance, keeping more than arm’s length from him. After the way they had enjoyed each other’s closeness and intimacy, it was soul crushing to be denied her touch.

When they reached his car, he placed her luggage in the trunk, but she silently tugged her backpack from his hand. He let her take it and didn’t say a word when she slid into the backseat of the sedan instead of the front next to him. Her choice made it clear that she was done with him.

His heart pounded, the raw, gaping wound of his self-inflicted injury leaving him weak and sick. Sneaking quick glances in the rear-view mirror, he watched her wipe her eyes and face with towelettes from a package. She dragged one of them down her neck and behind her ears, clearing away the grime of her endless night. She combed her fingers through her hair and secured it in a bun before slipping on her sunglasses.

The way she hugged her backpack to her chest when she was finished reminded him of a small, scared child. She had suffered so much trauma in the last year. Kidnapped twice. Heart surgery. Now this.

She was right to push him away. He hadn’t brought anything to her life but trouble and danger. Maybe she really was better off without him.

Yet, he couldn’t forget what waited for her in Houston. There was still a contract on her life by someone who wanted to put pressure on Spider not to talk or try to make a deal. There was also the issue here, with the surveillance and silent threat against her and Rina. Now that the Serbians were crossed off the list of possible suspects, anyone who crossed her path was a potential killer. Struck cold by the realization of how close she had come to death last night, Besian vowed he would find a way to protect her.

He chose the nicest hotel in the city, certain she would find the views of the beautiful garden there relaxing. Not caring about the looks they garnered in their exhausted, rumpled states, he booked the biggest suite they had available and handed over his credit card. The cost was nothing compared to his satisfaction at providing peace and comfort for Marley.

When they made it to their room on the top floor, Marley hesitated outside the door. “Is this a suite?”

He nodded. “You’ll be more comfortable with extra space.”

“I can’t afford this.”

“Marley, I’m not asking if you can afford it. I’m not taking your money either.” He unlocked the door and carried her luggage inside. He stopped a few feet inside the spacious, luxurious living area and waited for her to follow.

She did, finally, making sure not to come even close to touching him. Jerking her suitcase away from him, she said, “You don’t get to boss me around anymore.”

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