Page 38 of Callen's Captive
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Kate said as she adjusted the backpack on her left shoulder. “Don’t get all jumpy and do anything stupid. He’s with me.”
The clerk’s eyes narrowed as they locked on Callen. “Then you’ll be needing a second room, right?”
“No, just the one.” She held her head high as she looked the creep in the face. She really wanted him to say something stupid, so she’d have an excuse to re-align his nose.
Callen’s hand settled on her lower back. She wasn’t sure if he was lending her support or telling the creep that she belonged to him. She hoped it was the latter, as the idea of belonging to Callen started giving her naughty ideas, ones she shouldn’t be having in the middle of a lobby with a creepy clerk standing right there.
“All I got left is a room with a queen-size bed.”
“That’ll be fine,” she said, bouncing on her toes, eager to get out of the motel office. The staring going on between Callen and the clerk had her on edge, to say the least. She needed to diffuse the situation before they lost the room and ended up sleeping in another storage locker or worse, the woods.
“Callen, can you wait outside a minute while I finish up?”
“No.”
That growl of his was back, and it was putting the creep on edge. “Why don’t you pick up the food from the diner? I sent our order in a while ago, and I’m starved. I’ll be finished up here in a few minutes.”
Fortunately, he already knew she had sent in the order and it did need to be picked up, or Callen would think she was making an excuse to get rid of him, which she was. She really wanted the chance to shower and the chance to sleep on a bed, even one in a crappy motel.
With another glare at the clerk, Callen left the office, letting the door slam behind him.
“What are you doing with a guy like him?” the clerk asked.
She bit her lip, not sure how he’d pegged Callen as shifter. The yellow flecks in his eyes were unusual, but nothing associated with shifter, at least she didn’t think they were. “I just need the key and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“It’s dark out there. Like the guy you obviously don’t want around.” The clerk leaned forward and reached for her face.
She jerked out of his reach. “You really don’t want to make me mad.” That anger that had been simmering inside of her since the creep had first raked his eyes over her instantly hit the boiling point. She wasn’t usually so easy to rile, but the way this guy had judged and spoken of Callen was nothing short of disgusting.
Just as she was about to speak her mind, the bell above the motel door chimed. Two guys stormed in. The tall one with cropped hair and tatts on his left arm barreled his way through the office, heading straight for the clerk.
Mr. Tattoo practically shoved Kate aside as he leaned over the counter, getting in the clerk’s face. “The water’s cold. You fucking expect us to shower in ice-cold water?”
“Give it a few minutes and you’ll have warm water,” the clerk said. The motel’s nearly full. Lot of people showering.”
“All at the same time?” Mr. Tattoo leaned over the desk, trying to intimidate the clerk.
Kate backed away from the two, toward the wall where she would know what was at her back. The other man was blocking the door, so the best strategy was to lie low and blend in with her surroundings as much as possible.
After a few minutes of arguing, the clerk changed tactics, smiling and opening his arms in a very congenial manner. “Look, man, if you don’t get any warm water in the next twenty minutes, I’ll refund half your money. As you can see, I have another customer waiting for her key,” he pointed to Kate, which totally went against her plan of blending in.
She gave Mr. Tattoo a half-hearted smile and a nod, carefully meeting his eyes without trying to challenge him in any way. The guy wasn’t even half Callen’s size, but he was intimidating. Or maybe it was just that Callen was intimidating too, except to her. She hadn’t considered that before.
“Honestly,” he said with a charming smile that creeped Kate out, but appeased Mr. Tattoo. “There’s nothing I can do about the water except tell you to wait it out. See me in the morning, and we’ll make it good. Okay, man?”
To Kate’s surprise, Mr. Tattoo backed off, though he managed to throw the clerk another scathing glare as he grabbed the smaller guy by the arm and headed out of the office. The bells over the door rang again as the door slammed shut.
“Fucking knob jockeys,” the clerk swore as he headed to the door and pulled the flimsy vinyl shade down over the glass as he watched to make sure the men had left.
“My key now, please,” Kate said.
The door lock clicked.
The clerk turned and locked his hand around her wrist before she realized what was happening. Pain flared as he squeezed her hard. As she opened her mouth to yell, his other hand clamped over her mouth.
“Fight me all you want,” he said as he shoved her against the wall. “No one will hear you where I’m taking you.”
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