41

SHELBY

I despised having nothing to do. The idle time in the hotel room reminded me of prison. Reading, studying, thinking, TV, crafting jewelry in my mind, and occasional online time bored me until I thought I’d go crazy. I paced and hoped the room below me didn’t complain to the management.

Last evening, Isaac had checked us in as father and daughter with adjoining rooms. Where he conjured up the fake names was beyond me. I bet in Aaron’s and his preretirement days, they were a formidable pair. Still were. They were a bit comical together . . . short, stout Isaac and tall, thin Aaron.

Concern for Aaron nipped at my conscience . . . my fault. He’d made it through the night, a plus for his recovery status. I’d like to see him, thank him for his sacrifice, but showing up at the hospital put him in as much danger as at the tank. His family might not be thrilled to see me either.

Denton . . . how did I feel about him? He occupied way too much of my thoughts. He’d deceived me, but he’d given me a sweet puppy. He’d lied to me, but now he claimed to believe me innocent of taking Travis’s money. He’d paid for Isaac and Aaron to protect me. He’d driven me to see my dying mother—and nearly got himself killed.

The compassion in his eyes told me he cared.

He’d hinted at the two of us being an item. “I wonder why we’ve been thrown together. Mostly our strange attraction when we should hate each other.”

A ruse?

I shook my head. No point in letting my heart stray until this was over. Denying my attraction to Denton offered no consolation to my plunging emotions.

After checking every TV channel, including Spanish, Asian, and Arabic, I gave up. I tagged myself as officially bored. Descending six floors to the restaurant for dinner crossed my mind, but I’d been there earlier for lunch. If my stalkers were watching, I didn’t need to play into their hands.

The last two days crashed against my mind, rolled, and repeated. A ghastly suspicion made me physically ill. Dad had taken my purse before he left me alone with Mom. Had he removed my inhaler? He knew how an asthma attack leveled me. God forgive me for thinking such a despicable thought.

I prayed my spare inhaler sat at the cabin or had fallen out of Denton’s truck.

Edie had downloaded several e-books on her old phone, so I chose a romantic comedy. Not sure why since happily ever after fell into the same category as fairy tales. The story put me to sleep.

A pounding on the door separating my room from Isaac’s jolted me awake. I stumbled to it, but caution stopped me from flinging it open.

“Who’s there?”

“Isaac. Were you expecting Santa Claus?” The familiar growl left no confusion to his identity. “Open the door.”

I obliged and gasped. Blood spattered his shirt. “Are—?”