Chapter Thirteen

I let the water run into the bathtub for a few minutes before stepping under the hot stream. Standing up had made me dizzy, and I wanted some time to make sure I wasn’t going to fall over and crack my head. I hadn’t wanted to admit my momentary wooziness to John, either. I was worried he would either refuse to let me shower at all, or worse, actually try to help me bathe. He’d already warned me that if I wasn’t out in twenty minutes, he was coming in after me.

Like the rest of the place, the bathroom was hotel-like. It had an extra-long countertop and plain white fixtures. The towels were thick and fluffy, and white too. But when I glanced into the tub, I saw that there was a nearly full bottle of salon shampoo, and some nice conditioner as well.

I peeled off the jeans I had borrowed from Blair, then lifted off the sleeveless top, too. I winced a little as it rubbed against the covered-up but still-fresh tattoo. What had Yun said about getting it wet? Was it to wait twenty-four hours? Or forty-eight? I’d take my chances. I’d try not to soak it, but I needed to get clean. In fact, I had probably never needed it so badly.

With my back turned carefully away, I scrubbed my hair twice, then let the hot water rinse away the stink of the club and the lingering scent of ether.

I shivered again when I thought about that. Even though I didn’t want to dwell on what it was Monato had been intending to do with me, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering there. I once again considered that in spite of his claims otherwise, John probably really had saved my life.

His deep brown eyes jumped to the front of mind, and I immediately tried to steer my thoughts away. I was rather proud of the way I was holding up. In spite of the world swimming around me, I hadn’t actually puked when I’d jumped up to tend to his cut. And even though I was still a bit nauseous, I had managed to eat. And then I’d started to feel a little more whole.

Did John live in the room full-time? I’d been unconscious when he’d brought me in and I instantly coloured at the realization that he must have carried me up in his very capable arms. I forcibly refocused my thoughts.

I could only base my opinions of John’s living situation on what I had and hadn’t seen. I hadn’t spied a suitcase, or anything else that indicated a short-term stay. But I didn’t think there were a ton of hotels in the city that rented long-term. We clearly weren’t somewhere fancy, but it wasn’t a roach motel either. I had noted a window, but no balcony. There was an ashtray on the table. I hadn’t seen John smoke at all though, so maybe it was just for if Billy stopped by. And a lot of hotels didn’t allow smoking inside at all. Then again, they were probably both in the habit of doing what they wanted, where they wanted.

And there was John’s comment about me not being able to use the gun even if I could get to it...Did I seem like that much of a wimp?

Maybe, I admitted to myself as I massaged in some of the pleasantly scented conditioner.

After all, I had resolved not to say anything except in response to direct questions, then asked a dozen of my own. Why was John putting up with my questions anyway?

A knock on the door let me know I had used up my allotted bathroom time. I rinsed quickly, then turned off the water and grabbed a towel. I eyed my clothes. I wasn’t looking forward to putting them back on. The alternative was the clothes John had offered to lend me. I sighed and peeked into the cupboard. They were there, folded and waiting. I grabbed them and dressed quickly before I could change my mind. They were ridiculously big, of course, but at least they were clean. I wondered who did John’s laundry. I couldn’t imagine this was the kind of place that had a service. Maybe a laundromat? I smiled at the thought of the six foot five, tattooed man sticking quarters in the machine while the other launderers watched in awe.

The knock came on the door again, and I ran my fingers through my hair before I opened the door.

“You look the part already,” said a gruff voice.

Billy.

“I thought you weren’t sticking around for this,” I said, trying to sound confident.

He laughed. He was younger than I had first imagined, but still looked quite a bit older than John. He was much shorter than John, too, and stockier. A puckered scar marked one of his cheeks, and it was a little bit frightening. Even though he was smiling, I detected something else in his eyes. It made me nervous.

“The impending car chase influenced my decision,” he told me.

“Uh huh.”

“I would’ve changed my mind, anyway, once John told me his plan,” Billy informed me. “It seemed a little—no wait, completely—bat-shit crazy, so of course I had to check it out.”

“Hoping he’ll fail?” I asked.

“Oh, you’re sharp, aren’t you?”

Where is John, anyway? The question came to me a little belatedly.

Billy followed my anxious gaze, but didn’t comment. There was something about the man that rubbed me the wrong way.

“And it just so happens that not everyone is as comfortable with risk as our mutual friend,” he told me.

I didn’t answer, and he pointed to a suitcase on the couch.

“Clothes,” he stated. “Hope they fit better than John’s do. Or maybe I don’t hope that, but I’m sure it will turn out to be true.”

He eyed me appreciatively and I realized a little too late that I had forgotten to put on my bra underneath the oversized T-shirt. I crossed my arms protectively across my chest, but refused to take the bait.

“You wanna watch some TV?” Billy asked.

“No.”

“You wanna sit and stare at each other instead?”

“God, no.”

The older man got up and walked over to flick on the television set.

“Why are you here?” I wanted to know.

“To keep you safe,” he replied.

“You mean to make sure I won’t run off?”

He snorted, and I wasn’t sure whether or not to be insulted.

“John asked me to come,” he elaborated. “And I might not be crazy about his idea here—hell, I’m not even thrilled he rescued you in the first place—but it’s not my job to question his decisions.”

“What is your job?” I asked.

“To go where John tells me to. To keep his ass safe. And apparently to be a personal shopper for every girl he picks up,” Billy told me irritably.

“Does he pick up a lot of girls?” I asked before I could help myself.

“None.”

He turned up the TV, and that was my cue to shut my mouth.