Page 31 of Saving Cade
He parked the car and got out. “I’ll get your clothes.” He handed her the key card and pointed to a door marked Entrance E. “Room 234.”
Meg clutched the piece of thin plastic, another wave of unease going through her. She was being stupid, she knew that. But what else could she do? She needed sleep. Maybe tomorrow she could think things through. She would form a solid plan in the morning. Besides, if he was out to harm her, wouldn’t he have done it by now?
The hotel room was nicer than Meg was used to. There were two bathrooms and a king-sized bed. She slipped off her shoes then quickly changed into her pajamas and was asleep before she had time to think any more about her situation.
Meg awoke the next morning, sure she hadn’t moved at all during the night. She’d been so far out of it, she had no idea what time it was. When she checked the clock, she wasn’t surprised to see she’d slept past nine. Oh, well. She had needed the sleep.
The shower felt amazing, and she made a mental note to thank Cade for getting them this hotel room. By the time she was put together, it was almost ten. As she gathered up her clothes, she wondered if Cade had even gotten up yet. She could not hear a sound in the other room. Maybe she should let him sleep. He had been up quite late.
She shoved her dirty clothes into the garbage bag Cade had brought in. Thinking about him made her smile. That was what he was like. He did nice things for her without even thinking about it.
After she was packed up, she decided to peek in on Cade. She opened the door a crack to look at the couch. It was empty. She entered the living room area of the suite. Cade wasn’t there. She checked the bathroom and it was empty as well. Where was he?
Then she saw it. A stack of cash sitting on the desk. Her heart sped up as she made her way to look at the note he’d left behind.
Meg,
Thanks for your help. I don’t want to endanger you any further. Take this and start that new life you deserve. Don’t give up your singing. I want to see you on YouTube soon.
All the best,
Cade
He’d left. She waited for the relief to come, the relief that she was no longer tied up in a fugitive’s life, that she wasn’t going to be tossed into prison for helping Cade, but it didn’t come. For some reason, her emotions were all jumbled up, and the first one to surface was anger.
Why had he left her? Why didn’t he say where he was going? She’d helped him in the middle of the night when he had nothing, and now that he had some money, he’d split.
But then guilt surfaced. He hadn’t left because of something she’d done. He was protecting her. She knew he didn’t want her caught up in his mess. She fingered the bruise Travis had left on her cheek. It wasn’t as tender. It was healing. Her heart was healing. And Cade had been a big part of that.
She looked at the car keys sitting beside the cash he’d left. He was on foot. Where would he go? What would he do?
The thoughts made her uneasy, but she tried to push them out of her mind. He was a grown man. He could take care of himself.
She grabbed her black trash bag and stuffed the cash in the middle, covering it with clothes, her heart swelling. Cade was taking care of her, even in his absence. She had never known a man to be like that. Travis certainly wasn’t that kind of a man. All Travis cared about was himself.
Meg left her key cards in the hotel room and slipped out into the hallway. She swung the trash bag over her shoulder as she headed for the door closest to her car. The sun outside was promising a warm spring day. She opened the trunk and placed her garbage bag in.
A man leaning against a truck stared at her as she situated her belongings. Why was he staring at her like that? She closed her trunk and got into the Mustang. He was still staring as she started her car and drove out of the parking lot. It gave her the creeps.
She drove down the main street until she saw a brightly lit café. Her stomach growled, and she knew she had to get something to eat before heading out. To where, she didn’t know. Somewhere she would start a new life, she supposed. The thought made her feel empty. Where had Cade gone? Could she just leave him in this town? The thought of him getting arrested and taken back to prison gave her a shudder.
After parking, Meg opened her trunk and took a few bills out of the trash bag, stuffing them in her pocket. She entered the café, a bell ringing with the movement of the door. A plump woman behind the counter gave her a warm smile. “What can I get for you, sweetie?”
Meg felt instantly at ease with this woman, whose nametag read Betty. She slid onto a stool at the counter. “Are you still serving breakfast?”
“All day.”
“Great. I’ll take your bacon and eggs platter.”
Betty nodded and set a cup in front of her. “Coffee?”
“Thanks.” Meg looked up at the television. An anchorman was standing in the middle of a hurricane, water hitting his face and debris flying behind him. He struggled to shout into his microphone.
As Betty poured the coffee, Meg pointed to the television. “Why do they do that? Send people out to deliver the news in the middle of that? Like we can’t understand what a hurricane is.”
Betty chuckled and shook her head. “Seems pretty dumb to me.”
Meg’s mind wandered as she waited for her breakfast. What was Cade doing right now? Had he found transportation, or was he still in town? A man sitting at a table with a laptop open caught her attention, and she knew. Cade’s goal was to prove his innocence. He was probably on a computer somewhere, trying to find evidence.
