Page 40 of Until The Lights Go Out

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Andrews.” Then he moved, snatching the snack bag out of my hand before I was upside down and over his shoulder. Theo Bauer’s ass was rather suddenly in front of my face.

“Theo!” I screamed in shock trying to break free of him, but he barely grunted in response, only making my anger surge at him. Not only was the brute carrying me over his shoulder like a sack of flour, but he stole my damn cheesy puffs.

As if on cue, I heard one loud crunch.

“Not half bad,” he mumbled to himself as I wiggled in his arms again trying to get free. I probably looked like a damned fish out of water swirling about, but Theo was unbothered and only walked us down the hallway toward our rooms as I kept whisper-yelling thinly veiled threats his way.

“Theodore Bauer, you put me down! You put me down or…or…I’ll⁠—”

“What could you possibly do, huh?”

“I’ll call your brother!” Thwack, thwack went my hands on his back.

“Eh.”

Thwack.

“Fine,” I huffed and let my arms hang defeated. “You suck.”

“So you’ve said,” he murmured. I was transported to younger us: his nonchalance at me poking him over and over again between races, with a glimmer in his eyes nonetheless.

“Oh! Oh! I know!” I whisper-chanted, taking aim.

“Hmm?” he questioned, unbothered.

And fire…

“I’ll call your mother.”

Theo immediately stopped walking and went silent before my world spun again, and suddenly I was on my feet, two hands on either side of my waist balancing me.

“Don’t say things like that.” I was met with a glare and angry blue eyes.

“You’re the one who picked me up against my will and threw me over your shoulder like a damn doll!”

“You were being difficult.” Another glare.

“I am always difficult,” I shot back.

A pause.

“Here.” He shoved the bag of cheesy puffs into my hands before pulling out his key from his pocket and tapping it on the door in front of him. Oh. We’re here.

“Please tell me you have your key, Red,” he sighed, looking me over and realizing at the same moment I did that I had nothing but the pajamas on my back. No purse, no ID, no keycard or credit card or phone. Those were all safely stored inside the locked hotel room. The same hotel room door I was standing in front of, unable to get in.

“Fuck,” I said, patting down my thighs and stomach like any of my belongings would be hidden somewhere on my person.

“Jesus Christ, Red,” Theo sighed. Then, he opened his door wider, beckoning me in. “Come on, I’ll call the front desk for a spare.”

Two minutes later, I was inside Theo Bauer’s private room, suffocating on his cologne (a death that I realized one minute prior, I would be just fine with), and sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed in his suite.

“No sir, she doesn’t have an ID, but I can confirm she is—” Theo was running a hand over his face between his words. It had been another three minutes of Theo on the phone with the front desk trying to explain that I locked myself out but that I do not have an ID or any verification to prove I am who I say I am because it is all locked in said room. Apparently the night manager on staff didn’t have the ability to provide anyone with a key sans identification. Which, honestly, we loved a strict safety measure and the hotel upholding such measure. But also, all I wanted was to be in the plush thousand-thread-count sheets of my hotel bed, surrounded by my own things and minus one broody giant brunette race car driver.

“I understand, but—” Theo tried again before a long sigh took over. “Yes, okay. Thank you for your help.”

“So, they’re on the way up with my key and all is well…right?” I asked sheepishly as the phone clicked into place on the nightstand.

“No.”