Clenching her jaw, she spoke through her teeth, "Where are you taking me?"
"Something tells me you've been waiting for this day to come," he whispered gently, "Which means you probably already know the answer to that question."
Involuntary heavy breaths escape her lips as she turned her head to the window. Water began to fall from the sky, hitting the windshield, sending rain bands over the glass. They had left Phoenix approximately four hours ago, and now, they were on the edge of Texas. If they were heading back to where she used live, it wouldn't take another four for them to arrive. While contemplating ways to escape, she felt a curiosity within her, rise. "How much did he pay you?"
"I run across guys on a daily basis, care to be a bit more specific?" his head turned towards her briefly, revealing the dried blood leaking down from the top of his temple. Man, she had clocked him pretty good. Though now, under the circumstances, she was happy that she hadn't been successful in knocking him out. The man with the brown eyes would have most certainly had his way with her.
"The guy who hired you to find me," she clarified, using a annoyed voice. Maybe it was that gas station sub she had be forced to eat for dinner or his genuinely irritation attitude, but she growled the next question, "How much did he pay you?"
"A generous amount" he said smugly, "Even by my standards."
"Did you happen to ask why he was so willing to spend this 'generous amount'?"
"The why' is never really important in this business. However if I had to guess, it was for the upmost discretion. I ask only the questions that supply enough answers for me to get the job done."
"What did he tell you about me?"
He raised a brow, looking away from the highway for a split moment. "Why don't you ask what you really want to know. It would save us both some time."
As if they didn't have time to spare. The most pressing question she had in mind, got pushed to the side, the others filling the void. The grey colored body powder at the foot of the bed, and the smell of something burning filled her vision and overwhelmed her sense of smell. "Back at the motel, neither of you guys seemed surprised that I could freeze things."
"Was there a question in there somewhere?" he taunted. Even though they were still practical strangers, she was given clues here and there that he was an over-confident ass. 'The cute ones always are.'
"The question was why. And for that matter, what did you do that made the other guy at the motel run off so quickly?"
"I specialize in retrieving individuals with...interesting abilities; some of which could be deemed harmful to the reputation of those who live hidden among the human population. As for that ordeal back at the motel, it's best you don't know the details," he said turning off the highway onto a more broken down road, "Anything else?"
She bit her tongue, unable to ask the real question she had inside of her. "Where are we going? I thought..."
"It's going to be daylight soon, and I'd like to get settled in before that. I'll finish the drive to Maine tomorrow. And with any luck, you'll be back home before midnight."
They pulled into a modest bed and Breakfast, and he turned towards her. "When I told you to close your eyes back in Phoenix, you listened. For a split moment you trusted me. I'm going to try to extend the favor. We can go inside her, and pretend to be a charming couple under the agreement you won't try to run away, or we can go to a motel down the street and risk getting bedbugs. Now, what's it gonna be?"
She nodded, her face turning a darker shade. "Oβokay, um. I'll pretend to be your..."
His handsome face filled her vision, and blood continued to fill her cheeks as he smiled while she struggled to find the right word, "Girlfriend will suffice."
When they entered the small lobby, she found herself in unfamiliar territory. It surprised her just how home-like this place was. It took her back to a time in her life where things had been so simple. Back when she had a family, a home. The woman who had taken on the position of a receptionist, was equally as warm and welcoming, giving her the safe assumption that this job meant something to her, perhaps it was even a family-run operation.
"Good morning, and welcome to Giselle's Bed and Breakfast. How may I be of service?" Michael quickly finished approaching the front desk, flashing a dazzling smile at the grey eyed lady that appeared to be in her mid-twenties, relatively closer to her age. Her eyes seemed to turn concerned when she realized the spots on his shirt were red, and by all rights, blood. Then, her eyes went to his face, her lips parting at the dried blood.
"Hi, there, my girlfriend and I have been on the road for most of the day. You'll have to excuse our ragged appearances; a car hit us and took off a couple of towns back."