Page 6 of Retribution
She stood up a little straighter, gripping her bag as if she was ready to bolt. “Thanks for the save back there.”
The apology was begrudging, like she still didn’t trust him. That was fine because he wasn’t trying to win any Good Samaritan of the Year award.
“Maybe you should go back inside and get a glass of water. I’ll go with you to make sure no one messes with you.”
She waved her hand in the air. “I’m good.” She swayed on her feet and Cobra hesitated to move toward her, trapped between his instinct and the twisted reality of their situation. Instead, he cleared his throat, unable to shift his focus from her.
“Really,” her voice was hoarse and her chest rose up and down too fast, “I’m fine.”
Bullshit.He took a few steps closer.
“Did you drink anything?”
“Do you think I’m stupid? No, I didn’t touch anything they gave me.”
“Are you dizzy? World doing a one-eighty?”
“Probably sunstroke.” She wouldn’t meet his stare and she swung around her backpack, grabbing a bottle of water from inside and taking a few desperate swigs. “I just need some air conditioning.”
“Uh-huh,” Cobra said, scanning her wavering body language. “That’s probably it.”
The hitchhiker was a stubborn one, that was for damn sure. She was pale as a sheet of paper and wavering like there was a wind machine behind her head. Judging by her shaking hands and rapidly blinking eyes, he gave her less than five minutes before she crashed to the ground.
“Really, dude, I don’t need your help anymore. You can—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Cobra shot forward to catch her as she fainted into his arms. Fuck, she barely weighed anything. He could feel her ribcage through her shirt as he maneuvered her into his strong arms. Picking her up like a child, she slumped against his chest as her head lolled back. He cradled her neck with his hand and glanced down into her relaxed face.
“Damn, you’re young,” he said in a low voice. “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?”
There was no way Cobra was going to leave her like that, but he couldn’t very well throw her on his bike and hope to hell he could hold her in place long enough for her to sleep off whatever made her feel like shit. He scanned the road’s skyline for the nearest motel in the area.
It wasn’t the greatest option, considering what just went down with the girl—but he didn’t have anything else on the back burner. With a quick readjustment of her weight in his arms, he looked down into her serene face and started walking to the nearest source of air conditioning that wasn’t connected to Duffy’s.
Mountain View motel was not one of the nicer ones in town, but it was the nearest one to Duffy’s, so Cobra pushed open the door and entered the small lobby. A teenager, looking at his phone, barely acknowledged Cobra when he strode up to the desk. As soon as he kicked the base of the counter, the teen jerked his head up, his eyes widening when he saw Cobra and the unconscious woman in his arms.
“I need a room.”
“Uh … I’m going to need to see your driver’s license.” The young man’s eyes darted from the woman to Cobra and back to the woman.
Cobra jerked his chin at the hitchhiker. “She’s sick.”
The fresh-faced kid pursed his lips together.
“Don’t act like you don’t see worse things around this fuckin’ dump.” Cobra balanced the woman on his hip and took out a wad of bills and handed the teen three twenty-dollar bills. “That’s for you giving me the key to a room right now.”
The teen grabbed the crisp bills and shoved them in his pocket. “The room’s fifty a night and that’s with tax. How many nights you going to stay?” He glanced at the woman again.
“Don’t know, but at least a couple for sure.” Cobra handed him a hundred-dollar bill.
The teenager placed the bill in a drawer then slid a room key Cobra’s way. “The manager will probably check up on you.”
“I don’t think so.” Cobra stared fixedly at him until he squirmed then turned away.
“I’m just saying ’cause he sometimes does that.”
“Just make sure he doesn’t.” Cobra shifted the girl in his arms again. “There’s some shit that happens around here, right?” There was no way drug dealing and some paid fucking didn’t go on around this dump.
The kid’s face screwed up tight and his shoulders folded onto themselves. “Yeah,” he squeaked out, unable to make eye contact. “Way more than I would like, though you aren’t the usual … customer.”
“I bet I’m not.” Cobra’s intuition tingled. He was positive that the young woman in his arms had been drugged, and that meant there was some dealing taking place in Steel Devils’ territory. He’d find out what the hell was going on, but for now, he nudged open the door with the toe of his boots and stepped out into the sticky heat.
When Cobra arrived at their room, he turned the lock then stepped in. He placed her on the mismatched blanket covering the full-size bed and took a seat at the rickety table with a sigh, finally relaxing for what seemed like the first time in a long-ass while. His stomach rumbled as he ran a hand through his hair.What’re the odds of her waking up and freaking out while I go get some chow? Fuck.
Cobra walked over to the bed and looked down at her. The cool air from the AC blew strands of blonde hair across her face. Thin eyebrows arched over almond-shaped eyes that he remembered were brown but not dark. They were more like the color whiskey would be if sunlight shone through it. Her lashes were dark and looked like they were heavy with mascara. Her features were delicate and she had a rosebud mouth and the cutest button nose. His eyes skimmed down to the rise and fall of her chest and a pair of small, perky tits.Fuck.He shifted his gaze away but not before he caught a glimpse of the curve of her hip.
“She’s too fuckin’ young,” he said as he lifted the other side of the blanket and covered her.
Cobra grabbed the room key off the table and glanced over at her again. He’d make sure she was okay, and then he’d send her on her way. Staying away was the smartest thing for him to do right now because his body was reacting in a way that was pissing him the hell off. The last thing he needed was to shack up with a woman who looked like she was barely eighteen.
Closing the door quietly behind him, he slipped the key in his pocket and started walking back to Duffy’s to retrieve his bike.
