Page 18 of Claimed By The Devil

“Only a couple miles.”

* * *

The motel sitsatop a large hill overlooking the main road. There are only a few cars in the parking lot and one flashes its lights at us when we pull in. Danny circles the building and then parks next to the office.

“Stay in the car until I come back,” he exits and walks into the office.

Two men emerge from the car that flashed its lights at us and position themselves outside the office door. I sink down in my seat to avoid their uncomfortable stares. Danny returns a few minutes later holding a room key. “Pizza okay for your dinner tonight?” he asks.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I nod.

“Tomorrow you can give these guys a list and one of them will go to the store for you,” he says as he pulls the car around to the back of the building.

The two men pull into the spot beside us. Danny opens the window and says, “One of you go into town and pick up a pizza and a six-pack of bottled water.”

The taller man nods, and once his partner is out of the car, he drives away. Danny leads me up two flights of stairs to the top floor while the other man carries my bags. Looks like room 310 is going to be my new home for a while.

“Deirdre, this is Mikey. Dave is the guy who went to get your pizza. They’ll be spending the night in the car outside. You might hear them outside your door from time to time when they make their rounds. They’re gonna come see you in the morning so you can give them a list of supplies to pick up for you. When they do, let them know what you want for lunch and dinner, and they’ll pick that up when it’s time.”

Mikey sets my bags on the bed and walks out closing the door behind him.

“They’re good guys and I trust them. They’ll watch out for you,” Danny wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.

“So, I’m not allowed to leave this room?” I ask him.

“No, you may not leave the room for any reason. If you need ice or something from the vending machine, flash the room lights and one of them will come to you,” he explains.

“Please don’t make me do this for too long,” I whimper.

“I’ll call you every night and I’ll be back for you as soon as I can,” he lies down on the bed and beckons for me to join him. I lay my head on his chest and breathe in his scent, wishing I could store it up and save it for later. He rubs my back and neck until Dave returns with my dinner.

“You should be all set, baby. Eat your dinner, take a hot bath, and get some rest. It’s been a crazy couple of days. Some time to de-stress might do you some good,” he kisses me and I don’t want him to ever stop. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he tells me and opens the door.

“Don’t forget me,” I call out.

He turns, smiles, and says, “Impossible.”

* * *

On daythree of my motel confinement, I find myself pacing the floor. I’ve watched every movie on my streaming service watch list and read as much of the sappy romance that I packed as I can stand. Those books were my favorite before I found a romance of my own. Now, all I want is to continue my own story. It’s six o’clock on the dot and Mikey knocks on the door. I open it and he hands me the chef’s salad and iced tea that I ordered for dinner. I have to cut calories since I’m not getting any exercise.

“Thank you,” I smile.

He grunts an unintelligible response and trudges away.

“Great conversationalist,” I mutter and close the door.

I set my dinner down on the bed and check my phone for the hundredth time to see if there are any messages from Danny. Still nothing, so I toss it on the pillow and sit down to eat. Someone pounds on the door before I can take the first bite. Mikey and Dave couldn’t possibly want anything. They only come to the door when it’s time to make a delivery.

“Danny?” I leap off the bed, almost spilling my salad, and rush to the door.

I open it without thinking and stare blankly at the figure on the other side.

“Why are you here?” I ask but he just pushes his way into the room.

“Is Danny with you?” I try to look around him but he puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me to the floor.

My heart races as I imagine leaping to my feet and running out the open door, but he knocks the wind out of me, and it takes too long for me to get back on my feet. He’s closed and locked the door and is holding his gun on me.

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