“Michelle,” Blake’s voice boomed through the receiver.  “Good to hear you sounding so well.  I was afraid Frank might have been a bit rough.”  His voice conveyed no concern.

“He was as gentle as a lamb,” I said it without inflection, but Emmitt’s face grew red again.  “Why are you calling, Blake?”

“Isn’t this why you took Frank’s phone?  To talk to me?”

So, Frank had managed to get out and call Blake.  I’d hoped he sat in a jail cell somewhere by now.

“I guess it is.  I have a lot of questions and, according to Frank, you’re the only one who will answer them.  What’s an Urbat?  What decision was I supposed to make, and who are my sisters?”

There was a long pause before he answered.  “Ah.  I see.  I’ll explain everything if you meet with me.”  He sounded confident and reassuring.

“I’m already meeting with you.  Tomorrow morning.  Didn’t the lawyer call you?”

“Yes, of course.”  A hard edge crept into his voice.  “I was hoping for something a bit more private.”

“I don’t think that’d be in my best interest.  At least, not until I Claim my Mate.”

Emmitt’s anger vanished as I spoke.  Instead, he appeared slightly sad.  I wished I knew what he was thinking.

Blake’s frustrated growl distracted me, and I smiled.  “Come on, Blake.  You don’t think I’m going to sit around and wait for you to try this again, do you?”

“Then, we part ways for now.  You’ll hear from me again, though.”

Before he could hang up, I added, “Oh, and I spoke with the court appointed executor.  Looks like you’ll have to spend your own money and leave mine alone.”

He wasn’t quick enough to disconnect the call.  I heard him swear before the line went dead.

I tossed the phone in the garbage and smiled at Emmitt.  He shook his head at me in disbelief and plucked me from the counter.

Chapter 19

In less than our allotted hour, we left the seedy hotel.  Emmitt once more cradled me in his arms as he ran carefully, sticking to the shadows and putting distance between the hotel and us.

Even with his smooth pace, my head throbbed with each step.  Nausea continued to roll in my tender stomach.  I didn’t acknowledge any of it because I knew he was worried; I felt him look down at me several times.

“I’m okay,” I said running my fingers through the hair at the base of his skull.

He lightly kissed the top of my head.

A few minutes later, we found a payphone.  I held the receiver to Emmitt’s ear and dialed since he wouldn’t put me down.  I didn’t mind.  The position allowed me to lean close and listen to the conversation.

Emmitt’s father let out a relieved breath when he heard Emmitt’s hello.

“Grey called,” Thomas said.  “He and Carlos dealt with your would-be followers.  Are you two safe?”

“Are my brothers safe?” I asked before Emmitt could answer.

“They are.  We had two incidents earlier, but everything is quiet now.  Mary and Gregory are with the boys, and several of our pack are patrolling.”

I sagged with relief.

“Michelle’s been hurt,” Emmitt said, his voice deceptively calm.  He shushed me when I tried to insist I felt fine. “She needs to rest.”

I heard Thomas cover the phone with his hand.  A murmur of voices continued for several seconds before Thomas came back on and asked us to wait while Charlene booked us another room.  I could hear Charlene speaking rapidly in the background but couldn’t make out the words.  After a few minutes, Thomas gave Emmitt directions to a new hotel.

“Emmitt, be careful.”  There was a lot of love in those three words.

“We will,” Emmitt said.

I hung up the phone, and Emmitt took me by surprise with a long kiss.  He poured his relief into it, tenderly holding me close.  In the distance, someone shouted encouragement.  It cooled the moment.  Emmitt pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, breathing deeply.

“I won’t be able to let you go for a while.”

I kissed his cheek in response.  He walked away from the phone, carrying me snugly.  Once he reached the shadows of a side street, he sprinted away from our audience.

*    *    *    *

A smiling attendant greeted us outside the new hotel and moved to open the door for Emmitt as we approached.  I felt silly being carried but didn’t try to get Emmitt to put me down, yet.

The red and gold patterned carpet in the expansive reception area muffled Emmitt’s steps, and every piece of highly polished metal we passed gleamed in the lights.

The person behind the desk welcomed us with a smile.  “Mr. Cole.  Good to see you.  Your mother’s description was very accurate.”  The man held out a room card, which I accepted on Emmitt’s behalf.  “Room service will be up with your meal.  Please let me know if you need anything else.  I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Neither Emmitt nor I said anything for a moment.  I wondered what Emmitt’s mom had done or said to have completely registered us before our arrival.  The man should have at least made us sign something.

As long as he was being accommodating, I decided to see if he could help a little more.  “Do you think someone could get me some socks and shoes?  I lost mine.”

The man smiled serenely and nodded as if it were an everyday occurrence to have a guest request shoes.  “I’ll have something delivered as soon as possible.”

I thanked the man, then Emmitt turned away, heading toward the bank of elevators.  I pressed the button for Emmitt, and he stepped in as soon as the doors slid open.  After checking the number on the room card’s envelope, I selected the top floor.  The doors slid shut, and the elevator started moving.

“Could you set me down?  I don’t want to attract any more attention than we already have.”

He grudgingly obliged, but as soon as he set me on my feet, he wrapped my hand in his and rubbed his thumb in slow circles against the pulse in my wrist.  I stood carefully, trying not to wince at the aches I felt.

When the elevator chimed and the doors whispered open, Emmitt breathed deeply before we both stepped out into a deserted hallway.

“Are we okay here?” I asked softly.  I didn’t think he’d scented anything but after being taken once, I was feeling cautious.

He pointed to a camera mounted just outside the elevator.  “Better security.”

He led me left from the elevator.  Our movements were strangely hushed, making me feel like we were in a library rather than a hotel.  Several feet down the hallway, just before the first numbered door, I noticed another camera.  This hotel definitely had more security.  And more space.  The doors were so far apart, I wondered what kind of room Charlene had gotten for us.

Our room card opened the second door on the right side of the hall.  Decorated in neutral colors with black accents, the suits of rooms not only looked clean but smelled clean, too.  The door closed behind us with a click.  After one last swipe of his thumb, Emmitt released my hand.

The light cream walls of the kitchenette flowed into main room where a fireplace danced with electric flames.  The leather sofa and oversized chair beckoned, but I hesitated to step from the dark laminate floor that ran from the entry door to the light carpet.  I didn’t want to leave dirty footprints.

I noticed a bathroom through an open door to the right.  It was immaculately clean, and I stared in grateful appreciation.  Three times larger than the one at home, it had a glass corner shower with dual shower heads, a whirlpool tub big enough for two, and a heated towel rack.

“I call dibs on the tub,” I whispered, half-reverently.

Emmitt laughed but didn’t follow me as I drifted into the bathroom, flicking on the lights.  I moved to the tub and turned on the water.  Fluffy, white towels sat on the tub’s ledge along with a pair of white robes.