I leaned throughout the armrest and pressed a fast kiss to his cheek. “Thanks,” I mentioned. Adrian nodded and dipped into the gasoline station’s retailer to get us snacks whereas I crammed the tank. When all the things was taken care of, I pulled again out onto the highway. “The place am I going?”

Adrian pulled up the instructions to the motel we’d chosen—one which had fast entry to Atlanta, however was far sufficient away that we most likely wouldn’t fall underneath Ian Hayes’s radar. Glancing over on the display, I frowned after I noticed the motel’s low score.

“Is that this actually our greatest possibility?” I requested.

He shrugged. “We will pay in money, and we most likely gained’t find yourself with scabies from the towels.”

I grimaced. “Effectively, thanks for placing that thought in my head.”

Adrian chuckled. “Glad to assist.”

THIRTEEN

ADRIAN

“Ithink perhaps I used to be being optimistic in regards to the scabies factor,” I muttered as we pulled into the motel. Nataliya’s snort, candy and melodic, carried me into the foyer.

The motel was outdated, that was for goddamn certain, and the person behind the desk grinned too salaciously after I talked about we had been going to pay in money.

“For an hour or two, sir?” he requested, and he appeared over my shoulder, out the filmy window to the place Nataliya was ready within the automobile.

“Two days,” I gritted.

The person’s smile was nauseating as he gave me the value. We exchanged cash for keys—precise keys, what the hell—and I rushed again to the automobile. Nataliya jolted as I slammed the passenger aspect door behind me. “What room quantity?”

I appeared on the quantity engraved on the important thing. “Room 207.” I hoped it was removed from the foyer.

As luck would have it, Nataliya needed to circle to the again of the property. We had been on the second ground, on the nook, close to the again stairs. It was a great vantage level, and I used to be glad to not have our automobile seen from the highway. We had no purpose to imagine that Hayes knew what we had been driving, but when he’d been in a position to observe down Zach, he would possibly find out about Nate and Emily, too.

And, even higher, the foyer was not a mirrored image of the standard of the particular room. It was a little bit dated, sure, however it was clear. “Oh, this isn’t dangerous,” Nataliya mentioned as we set down our luggage. “I’m not afraid to take my footwear off.”

I laughed, and one thing relaxed in my chest that had been tight. “You’re braver than me,” I mentioned, and we shared a chuckle.

However that good temper couldn’t final. The longer we stayed within the motel doing nothing, the extra rigidity crept again between my shoulders. I hated having to “hurry up and wait”—I used to be a doer by nature. However it might be illogical and silly to do something with out Zach and Gabe. Even recon could possibly be dangerous.

“Are you okay?” Nataliya requested. She had been going by the information once more, seated on the scarred desk pushed in opposition to the wall reverse the double beds.

I shook my head. “Going stir-crazy.”

It was worse than that, although. I used to be indignant, and I had nothing to vent that frustration on. “Soiled FBI brokers, and so they’re going after my crew. I simply?—”

“It’s a great factor.”

Nataliya’s phrases landed like a blow. “Excuse me?” I demanded.

“Clearly, Hayes doesn’t know what we’re planning, and he doesn’t know the place we’re. That’s why he’s going after your crew. Identical to with the kidnapping report, he’s making an attempt to flush us out. Meaning he’s at nighttime—which is nice for us.” That made a whole lot of sense…however it didn’t do a lot to make me much less pissed off. From the contemplating look on Nataliya’s face, she knew that. “Why don’t we get out of right here for a bit?” she advised.

“What?”

She nodded. “We each may use some dinner that doesn’t come out of a merchandising machine or a gasoline station. Until you don’t assume it’s protected with my image nonetheless on the market, hooked up to the Amber alert?”

I thought-about it. Sure, it was a threat having her out in public, however most likely not as huge a threat as she was pondering. “A lot of the footage which were circulated have been of Elias, not you. Since he’s not with us, we’re not driving the automobile that went with our description, and there haven’t been any footage of me, I don’t assume folks will acknowledge you. The image they used of you had your hair pulled again—in case you put on it free, I feel we’ll be superb.”

And the extra I considered going out together with her someplace, the extra I preferred the concept. The final actual meal both of us had was at Sam and Owen’s this morning earlier than we left. “Search for what’s shut?” I requested, gesturing to her laptop computer.

She tapped the keyboard and introduced up our choices, restricted as they had been. “Quick meals,” she mumbled, scrolling down. “A couple of diners.” Extra scrolling. “And someplace simply referred to as The Grocery Retailer that serves meals.” She glanced at me. “It has first rate critiques.”

“We’ll attempt that then,” I mentioned.

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