Page 28 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
However, there was only one queen-sized bed.
And my heart leapt for joy.
“How’s it look?” he asked.
I stepped inside. “Well, the bed sags in the middle. And the ceiling has some water damage. There’s also a mildew smell in the air, which is hopefully not coming from the… four towels we’ve been afforded.”
Bowser looked around. “Yep. Looks about right.”
“Wait, what?”
He dropped our stuff beside the doorway, then turned on his feet. I furrowed my brow as I slid the key into my bra, following him back outside. He turned and started walking down the sidewalk. Link dipped his head out of his room before he pointed his finger.
And when Bowser turned around, he shook his head.
“This is official MC business. You need to stay in the room.”
I scoffed. “Are you not hungry or something? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I figured we’d at least order food before you had to rush off and do something.”
“This is important, Hope. I’ll be right back.”
I reached for him. “Well, what time are you coming back? Maybe I could order something for us both to eat together? Maybe find a movie on television?”
Someone snickered behind them and I wanted to punch them in the throat.
“Hope, this isn’t a vacation. I tossed my wallet on the table in the room. Use cash to buy whatever you want for dinner. But don’t wait up.”
My jaw went slack. “Are you serious? We ride all day, and then you just—”
He turned back around. “Goodnight, Hope.”
I stood there, watching him make his way for Link’s room. In fact, I saw all of the guys slip into that man’s room before he closed the door. I shook my head as I turned back around. I gazed into the darkness of the forest around us and wondered what kind of evil was lurking in there. Just waiting to catch me alone.
“So much for being protected,” I murmured.
I shuffled back into the room and closed the door. But I stared at the lock like an idiot. Did I lock it? Did Bowser have another key? Surely it wasn’t safe to keep it unlocked. If he wasn’t coming back, though, did he expect me to lock it?
“Fuck it,” I murmured.
I flipped the lock and was done with it.
If he wanted to leave me alone like that, then he could take responsibility if someone came and snatched me out of this room in the middle of the night. I closed the curtains to make sure no one could look in, then I sat on the edge of the bed. It creaked and groaned, almost as if protesting my body weight.
Then, I reached for the pathetic delivery menu on the bedside table.
“Pizza. Pizza. More pizza. Italian, with pizza. Oh, there’s—nope. Still pizza.”
Well, at least I knew what I was having for dinner.
“Papa Johns, may I take your order?”
I sighed. “Uh, yes. I’m in a motel near you guys. Um, I don’t think it has a name other than ‘motel’ though.”
“What room?”
“Wait, you know where I am?”
“Yes, we do. What room?”
“Um, 153.”
“Your order?”
My stomach growled. “A medium Hawaiian pizza with extra jalapenos, a medium pepperoni pizza, and an order of cinnamon bites.”
“Anything to drink? Dipping sauces?”
“Hmmmm, yeah. Two ranch sauces and a Pepsi.”
I heard typing on the other end of the phone. “Cash, or card?”
I looked over at Bowser’s wallet. “Cash.”
“All right. Your total is $20.93, we’ll be there in about thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Be aware that our drivers only keep so much change on them, so we don’t allow people to pay in hundreds and fifties.”
“No problem, thank you so much.”
“Uh huh.”
The person on the other end hung up the phone, so I dropped mine back into the receiver. Painless enough. Now, I just had to make sure the delivery guy wasn’t secretly out to kill me. I reached for Bowser’s wallet and opened it up. I saw a plethora of twenties inside and pulled out a couple. Guess the killer delivery boy was getting a nice tip tonight.
“You’re going to be okay. Just be on your guard,” I whispered.
I pulled the money out and tossed his wallet back onto the table. Then, I paced. I was filled with a nervous energy I couldn't explain, so I walked around in small circles and lines in front of the door. I kept the television off so I could hear approaching sounds. I cracked the curtains of the window so I could see headlights pulling up. I watched the clock, counting down the minutes as they ticked by.
Ten minutes passed.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Twenty-two minutes passed.
I drew in deep breaths as thirty-six minutes passed. I checked to make sure the money was still on the table, then I dashed off to the bathroom. I splashed some water in my face and quickly changed into my pajamas. I wanted to make sure I was ready for bed, because the second I filled my gut with food I knew I’d pass out. Headlights filled my bedroom and I checked the clock. Forty-two minutes had passed.
