Page 14 of The Hero
If that happened, she’d be his biggest regret ... and his proudest accomplishment. She might never be his, not the way he wanted her to be, but he’d have to worry about that later. For now, his only goal was to get her out of Thailand and back to the States safely. After that ... who knew.
The last thing he wanted was anyone being with him out of a sense of obligation or gratitude. He wanted,needed, more.
Needed her to feel their connection as intensely as he did. Needed her to want to get to know him as someone other than her rescuer. At the moment, he wasn’t sure if that was possible.
Putting thoughts of the future aside, Bob concentrated on the here and now. They’d been welcomed into the small, poor hut of another member of Willis’s network and shown into a back room. The man who’d let them in didn’t speak English, but through hand gestures made them understand that he’d be back with food and drink.
The room was small and sparsely furnished. It was likely where the man slept with his wife. A pallet lay on the floor, and a small, rickety dresser sat against one wall. The floor was old wooden planks that wereprobably full of splinters. There was no window in the room, and it was already heating up as the sun made its appearance in the sky. It would only continue to get warmer as the day went on ... but for Bob, it was perfect.
They were safe. He had to believe that. Willis was very good at what he did, and his contacts thus far had operated flawlessly.
“There’s no way out,” Marlowe said uneasily as she looked around. “No windows. What if the cops come?”
“They won’t. And trust me, if we need to get out of here, I’m thinking one strong kick to the wall will give us an egress point. You’re safe, Marlowe. I promise, you aren’t going back.”
She sighed. “I’m trying to believe it, but ... it was awful, Kendric. You just don’t know.”
“You might be surprised. But I’m thinking things will look better after you eat something and get some rest.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“Whataboutme?”
“Will you get some sleep too?”
“Of course,” Bob answered immediately, but the truth was, it was unlikely. He didn’t sleep well under the best circumstances. And this was far from ideal.
“Good. Can’t have you falling asleep at the wheel ... or handlebars,” she said with a small smile.
This was another thing Bob admired about this woman. She was able to make jokes, even when she was unsure and scared.
“Come here,” he said, holding out a hand to her. He hadn’t given her a choice with the kiss back at the checkpoint, and he was still kicking himself about that. He wouldn’t force her to do anything again if he could help it.
She immediately stepped toward him and instead of taking his hand, kept coming until she was hugging him. She fit against him perfectly. She was a small thing, and she felt fragile in his arms. But Bobsuspected under normal circumstances, this woman was tough as nails, and he couldn’t be prouder of how she’d managed so far.
Way before he was ready to let go, their host opened the door. He had a tray in his hands that had two bowls and a plate piled high with various bite-size pieces of food. Bob had no idea what any of it was, but his stomach growled impatiently.
Marlowe grinned and stepped back as the man lowered the tray to the floor. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even meet their gazes, as he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.
“Was it something I said?” Marlowe quipped.
Bob chuckled. “Come on, let’s see what we’ve got so you can eat and get some shut-eye.”
Marlowe didn’t eat nearly as much as Bob would’ve liked. She picked at the food on the plate, but drank most of the broth that was in the bowl.
“You don’t like the food,” Bob said. It wasn’t a question.
Marlowe shrugged. “Not really. I’ve tried. I mean, I know I need the calories, but I’ve never been much of a seafood fan, and everything here is just so different from what I’m used to.”
“What are you used to?” Bob asked.
Marlowe gave him a small, sheepish smile. “Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, Doritos, potato chips, candy, ramen, SpaghettiOs.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “Good lord, woman. All that’s crap.”
“I know,” she said with a shrug. “I eat like a ten-year-old. What can I say? I’m single and can’t cook. So I make do.”
“I love to cook. Although it sucks cooking for one,” he admitted.
