Jackson chuckled. “You understand that my Jax is a handful, right? He’ll put her through her paces. By the time you get back, Roxy will be more than ready to see you.”
Bailee smiled. “Thank you. I hate the idea of leaving her with strangers after what she’s been through. She’s going to think I’ve abandoned her.”
“No way.” Easton stood in front of her, running his hands up and down her biceps. “She’ll be taken care of. She’ll miss you, but she’ll do fine.”
“Let me square things away at the hardware store. Then we can hit the road.” Ben stood, his cell in hand, and moved into another room.
Easton looked over at Jackson. “What about the bar?”
“I’ll take care of it. Gish already offered to help while we were looking into Bailee’s case.”
“I’m sorry to be such a disruption to your lives. That was never my intention.”
“Shit, if it weren’t for disruptions, life around here would be too boring for us.” Easton grinned at his own joke, and Bailee rolled her eyes.
“He’s not wrong,” Jackson added. “If it weren’t for the disruptions, as you call them, I wouldn’t have met Reagan, and Luke wouldn’t have met Melody. I’d say those disruptions worked out for the best. This one will too. Wouldn’t you say so, Luke?”
Luke never paused in his work, but his smirk indicated he heard every word of the conversation going on around him. “Hell, yeah. Don’t worry, Bailee. As Easton already told you, disruptions are what we handle best.”
Chapter Eighteen
Bailee had never been so happy to see a motel in her life. Though Ben and Easton did their best to entertain her on the ten-hour ride to Rockland, Illinois, the journey was long. Exhaustion weighed on her, but there was no resting in the SUV. She’d never been one to nap during car rides, and her mind wouldn’t shut down enough for her to rest.
Easton and Ben swapped driving responsibilities while she sat in the back seat, hidden by the tinted windows, and kept her eyes on their surroundings. A couple of times, she’d tensely watched vehicles behind them, certain they were being followed. But the vehicles had turned off the highway heading in a different direction. She finally had to admit the circumstances were making her more paranoid than cautious.
“I’ll check in with the front desk and text you the room numbers.” Ben stepped out of the passenger side.
“We’ll do a sweep of the parking lot until we get your text.”
Once the door closed behind Ben, Easton kept driving in slow loops around the parking lot.
“I feel weird sitting back here. Like you’re my chauffeur or something.”
Easton laughed and tilted his head to look at her through the rearview mirror. “Sorry. It’s the safest option.”
Bailee sighed. “I know. It’s still weird.”
Easton’s phone vibrated with an incoming text, and after reading the message, he circled the motel toward the back corner, switching off the headlights as the car idled.
Soon Ben appeared and entered one of the rooms in front of them. After several minutes, he exited and entered a second one. He was clearing the rooms, making sure trouble wasn’t lurking inside. The probability was low that someone was lying in wait, but Bailee appreciated their vigilance.
“Let’s get you inside.”
Bailee felt a renewed burst of energy at Easton’s words. She unfolded from the back, her joints stiff from the long ride. He motioned for her to head inside while he and Ben unloaded their bags and brought them into the rooms.
Two queen beds met her as she stepped inside. The room was a modest size with a long counter along the wall opposite the beds and a partition separating the sleeping area from a vanity and the door leading to the bathroom.
Easton stepped inside, dropping their bags on a bed. “So, um, Ben is in the room next to this one, and I’ll be staying here with you. I’m sure you’d rather have some privacy, but—”
“But since I’m the target, it’s better to have back-up in the room with me. I get it.”
Her gaze fixed on the bed nearest to her, inviting her to sink onto the mattress. She swayed lightly on her feet before righting her stance to brace herself better. As tired as she was, she knew if she sat down, she’d never get back up until she had severalhours of sleep. She flinched when a pair of arms encircled her waist, but she relaxed when she felt Easton behind her. Her body leaned into him of its own volition. Her head fell back to rest against his chest.
“Why don’t you grab a shower and freshen up? Then you can turn in. Ben’s grabbing breakfast in the morning, so I’ll make sure to wake you in time to eat.”
She sighed, content to stay in his arms for a bit longer. “I’m too tired to move.”
“I can see that, but I think washing away the grime from the trip will help you sleep better. Go. Take care of yourself, Bailee. We need you at the top of your game, not run down.”
