Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3)

by Kahlen Aymes

  “Three men, three women, and five kids.”

  “Kids?”

  It sounded ludicrous, even to my own ears.

  “Yes. They split up, but the plan was to make me buy them all a new outfit for the funeral. Two of the men took the kids to the rides, two women went shopping on their own, and one woman and one man remained with me… until I went to the bathroom.”

  “Ma’am are you sure this is an emergency?”

  “Yes! Please! He’s waiting outside. I can’t get away.”

  “Calm down, Ma’am. Who is the deceased?”

  “My boyfriend, Carter Stanton. He died in a fire.”

  “Who is detaining you?”

  “His brother, Apollo. He followed me to the bathroom and is waiting outside! His name is Apollo, I think his last name is Stanton, too. Maybe not, I’m not sure. The others are close by, too. The mother has my purse with her.”

  “Can you give me a description of the man and woman?”

  As quickly as I could, I described Apollo and his mother, trying to remember details about their clothing, tattoos and hair.

  “Stay where you are until the officers arrive. Do you know what side of the food court you’re on?”

  “By Sears. That’s where Carter’s mother is shopping. I think they said it was the Northeast side.”

  “What’s your name, ma’am?”

  “Marin Landry. I’m from Jackson, Wyoming.”

  “The officers are on their way. Please stay on the line with me.”

  “Thank you.”

  “A female officer will come into the bathroom to get you.”

  “Will it take long? I’ve been in here too long. Someone might come in to get me.”

  “Are you locked inside a stall?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just hold on. There are officers on the property.”

  As I sat there shaking on the toilet, the seconds felt like minutes, but was I startled when I heard Apollo bellow my name.

  “Marin! Do I have to come in there? What’s taking so fucking long! You better not be playing me!” Apollo’s voice echoed off of the tiled walls. Clearly, he was either hovering in the doorway or had already come into the restroom.

  I didn’t answer, and in under thirty seconds I could hear the deep voice of a police officer demanding he move away from the door and put his hands behind his back.

  “Oh, thank God,” I said, pressing a hand to my chest. Relieved tears rushed to my eyes and rolled down my cheeks.

  “Marin?” A strong female voice rang out. “I’m Officer Mills with the MPD. You can come out now, ma’am. You’re safe.”

  I sniffed and used the back of my hand to wipe at my tears. “Thank you,” I said, unlocking the door to the stall I had been hiding in. The door opened slowly, and I peeked outside into the main part of the bathroom. A woman, maybe ten years older than me, wearing a blue police uniform was standing there.

  Relief flooded through me, manifesting as a torrent of tears. I should never have come. I should have stayed safe in Jackson on my ranch.

  The police officer put her arm around me. “Can you come outside so we can take your statement? It will be okay, now. You’re safe.”

  “Do I have to see him?” I asked, hesitating to leave the room.

  “We ran his name and pulled his rap sheet. We have mug shots, so we knew exactly who we were looking for, but we need an ID. Also, on the others.

  A new wave of terror flooded through me at the thought of identifying them. Surely, they’d come after me.

  In the food court, a crowd was starting to gather around another policeman who had Apollo up against a wall and was putting handcuffs on him.

  “The rest of you, move along. There’s nothing for you to see.” The command was delivered in a clam, but direct voice. “Go about your business.”

  He read Apollo his Miranda rights, then pulled him around and off of the wall to start walking him out of the area.

  Sheer hatred radiated from Apollo’s eyes. I was surprised he wasn’t resisting arrest. His expression looked so evil; his eyes locked on my face. “Come on, honey. Is this really necessary?” Apollo crooned, then pursed his lips in a mock kiss. “What did she tell you? Officers, this is just a family issue.” His tone was level and steady. “We’re all on edge. My little brother just got killed. Her boyfriend. She agreed to come with us.”

  “Is that true?” The woman officer said unnecessarily.

  “He his brother did die, and I’m here for the funerals. Yes, technically, I came with them, but I felt threatened. There were so many of them.” I felt like it was all getting turned around on me and fear clutched at my insides. I found it difficult to breathe.

  “Take him downtown,” she instructed.

  “Let’s go,” her partner said, beginning to move Apollo out of the area, and then toward the outer doors that would lead to a parking lot or garage. “I didn’t find any credit cards or the purse.”

  “His mother has my purse, and her daughters have a hundred-dollar bill. It was all the cash I had with me.”

  “I’ll have someone pick up the woman. We’ll take your statement at the precinct.”

  ***

  Later that night, I was sitting alone in a hotel room unsure what to do with myself. It wasn’t the Holiday Inn that Gina reserved because I’d told Apollo which one that was.

  I’d texted Ben to let him know he shouldn’t drive all this way, explaining that the officers were able to recover my purse, so I had my credit card. I’d be able to take a cab to the airport and catch a flight home tomorrow. Except, he didn’t answer, so I wasn’t sure what to do.

  It was strange being rescued from several strangers by a man I hardly knew. I mean, Ben was almost a stranger, at least he should feel like one, but somehow, he didn’t. I’d only known him four days, but instinctively, I trusted him completely. Even though it didn’t make sense for him to drive this far, I was happy about it. Ten minutes later, I typed in the name and address of the hotel and hit send. I already knew it wouldn’t work to argue with him.

  I was thankful to have my purse back. The police found Carter’s mother in the checkout line at Sears and got to her before she was able to charge her purchase. They kept me separate from Carter’s brother and mother, taking us to the police station in different squad cars.

  My suitcase was still in Carter’s car and I considered it a loss.

  I had been taken to the police station to give my accounting of what happened. Apparently, it was their word against mine. The women, children and the other man were released because they came in a separate vehicle and weren’t directly involved, and they all backed up Apollo’s story. I felt sick at the thought. These people were professional thugs, and they knew how to work the system.

  Ben was still ten hours away and when he arrived, he’d be exhausted. Still, I could not believe that a man I barely knew had become so involved in my life so quickly. He was easily the most amazing man I’d ever met.

  I used a delivery app to deliver my dinner to the hotel, but still had to go down to the desk to get it. I had no cash to tip and so didn’t feel right about asking one of the desk personnel to bring it up to the room.

  I ate some of the salad and half of the cold roast beef sandwich I’d ordered and put the rest in the small refrigerator under the television. The thought of putting my dirty clothes back on was repulsive, yet I longed for a bath. I was tired, and just wanted to relax.

  The deadbolt on the door securely in place, I took my phone into the bathroom and ran a bath. I was thankful that this hotel room didn’t have one of those godawful bathtubs without a sloping backrest. I picked up one of the small shampoo bottles and sighed, longing for the full-size bottles of toiletries in my suitcase.

  “Oh, well,” I murmured. “This will have to do.” My uncle would chastise me for complaining. “At least I have a tub and hot water.”

  After adjusting the water temperature, I poured a small vial of body wash under the runnin
g water, rinsing it out to get all of the soap out and under the running water. I decided to save the shampoo and conditioner for the morning. I used the Relax Melodies app to conjure a rushing wave sound, mixed with a crackling fire then shed my clothes and underwear. The light from the phone would be enough to see what I was doing, so I switched off the light before climbing into the deliciously hot water and sliding down until it covered me up to my shoulders.

  Once I shut off the water, I was able to concentrate on the soothing sounds coming from the phone. Slowly the anxiety that had built up during the day was starting to ebb. Ben was coming to get me, and I had a deadbolt and one of those flippy locks securing the room. I might still be afraid, but the hotel, though more expensive than I had planned on for this trip, had lobby security and no other way to get up to the rooms.

  I inhaled and closed my eyes enjoying the warmth that was slowly seeping into my muscles. My eyes started to droop, and the bliss of the plateau between drowsiness and deep sleep settled over me.

  As I lay there, my head lolled to one side suddenly, quickly jerking me awake. I wasn’t sure how long I’d slept in the bathtub, but the water was tepid and the skin on my fingers and toes was wrinkled.

  “Oh,” I said, blinking, and began to push from the tub, carefully wrapping one of the fluffy white towels around me as the low light from the phone illuminated the room in a soft glow. I was so tired and ended up under the covers in one of the two double beds closest to the bathroom, still wrapped in the damp towel, barely aware of how I got there. I couldn’t have opened my eyes if my life depended on it, and the damp heat permeating around me made my body go limp and my muscles relax. I realized I didn’t know what time it was, but surely it would be several hours yet until Ben arrived. “Uhhh,” I sighed. I’d left my phone on the counter in the bathroom but didn’t have the desire or ability to get out of my warm cocoon to retrieve it.

  I’ll wake up in plenty of time, I thought then slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep.

  I was startled awake by the hotel phone ringing shrilly beside the bed. I sat up, then scrambled across the bed toward the phone with an outstretched hand. What if it was Apollo? I tried to fortify my thinking, but I was still rattled from the events of the day before, and still afraid.

  The thought was insane. There were thousands of hotels in Minneapolis and there was no way he’d be able to find me. I lifted the receiver with one hand, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with the other. I inhaled my first deep breath of the day.

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Landry? This is Lisa from reception,” an unfamiliar female voice asked. “I’m sorry to disturb you ma’am, but you have a visitor. I can’t let him up to the room without your approval.”

  The curtains were securely drawn, and I had no idea what time it was. The red digital numbers of the alarm clock on the bedside table blinked 0:00.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “3 AM.”

  Ben couldn’t possibly have driven all this way already. It had already been close to dinner time when the police rescued me from the mall, and it had been after nine when they’d delivered me to the hotel. I’d texted Ben from the mall bathroom around seven. There was no way he’d be here yet. My heart started pounding painfully inside my chest as panic seized me. “What does he look like?”

  “Um…” The woman sounded hesitant. “Tall, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes.”

  “Marin, it’s Ben.” I heard his voice in the background. “May I just speak to her?”

  Relief flooded through me. “It’s okay, Lisa,” I agreed. “I know him.”

  “Hey, are you okay?” I could hear the exhaustion in his husky voice; that beautiful voice that I was starting to rely on. “I’ve been worried.”

  “Hi. Yes, I’m fine. What are you doing here so soon?”

  “I decided to fly. I rented a car at the airport and we can drive back tomorrow. I’m going to get a room and get some sleep. I had an early shift today. I guess it’s yesterday, now. I’m wiped out.”

  My mind was filled with questions. I’d wondered why I hadn’t had another text from him, but now I knew it’s because he’d spent three hours on a plane. I had a hard time placing the feeling that filled me, but it was a mixture of gratitude, jubilation and something deeper. “Um, it doesn’t make sense for you to pay for a room. There are two beds in here and I can deal if you can.”

  There was a moment’s hesitation. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. If you’d come all this way to help me, I think I can trust you with my virtue.” It was the truth. “I trust you, Ben. Plus… I feel safer with you here. I’m in room 406.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right up. Thank you.”

  A small smile graced my mouth as I replaced the phone into its cradle. Why was Ben thanking me after he’d done so much for me? He was truly amazing.

  I pushed back the covers and started to stand up, realizing that the towel I’d wrapped around me after the bath had fallen off and was still laying between the sheets. I pulled it out and wrapped it back around me. It was still warmly damp.

  I rushed into the bathroom and quickly began to redress. I didn’t quite make it before there was a soft rap on the door.

  “I’m coming, Ben!” I said. I didn’t have time to put on my bra, and so shoved it and my panties, into the pocket of my shorts. I couldn’t look at my reflection, but I knew I had bed head like crazy and probably a pillow imprint on my face.

  I hurried to the door and quickly opened the double lock. When the door opened, his tall broad-shouldered frame filled the doorway. He stood there with a big duffle slung over his shoulder and an angry look on his face.

  My instinct was to hug him, but his expression stopped me cold.

  “Don’t you ever open a door without the safety on again!” he commanded.

  I stared at him at a loss for words. He was right, of course, but I was so happy to see him, I was hurt by his disposition, and it must have shown on my face.

  “But… I knew you were coming up…” I offered.

  Instantly, his features softened. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve been worried sick.”

  I nodded and stepped back from the door as a new sort of rush overtook me. “Come in. I took the bed by the bathroom. Is the other one okay?” For the first time I felt awkward in his presence.

  “Sure.”

  The minute Ben entered the room it felt about half the size. He was tall and his lean, muscular body seemed to tower over me. The smallness of the space emphasizing that this was the closest I’d ever stood to him.

  He moved past me and threw his bag on the bed before turning toward me. “Are you okay?” he asked again, his expression concerned.

  “Yes, though I don’t have my suitcase, so I just have this one set of clothes.”

  His eyes skated over me standing in the low light. “Did you know this family was like this?”

  I shook my head. “No. Carter didn’t mention them much. In fact, hardly at all.”

  Ben nodded. “Maybe because they were so shady. He probably was ashamed of them and didn’t want you to know.”

  Or he was one of them, my mind protested. “Probably,” I agreed.

  “I’d just like to get a quick shower and then get some sleep,” he said, unzipping his bag and rummaging through it.

  “Of course. There are plenty of clean towels.”

  “Great.” He pulled out a small pile of clothes and handed me a white T-shirt. “You’ll probably swim in this, but at least it’s clean. You can use it for sleep.”

  Gratefully, I took the soft cotton shirt, and folded my arms around it. “Thank you,” I said softly. “For everything.” I meant it. “I didn’t expect you to do all of this. I’ll pay you back for the plane ticket.”

  “Nah, don’t worry about it. What are friends for? You’d do the same for me, right?”

  The corners of my lips lifted in a faint smile. “You know what? I would.”

  Ben’s white teeth flashed, and he n
odded. “I know.”

  I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but I needed to know about Gem and my horses. “What about Gem?”

  “Davis is taking care of the horses and the pup went home with him. I was going to bring her with me, but then…” he hesitated briefly, seeming to struggle with the admission. “I just… needed to get here sooner than driving would allow. You were in trouble, and even the flight took too long.”

  I nodded. Heat rose beneath the surface of the skin on my face. “I understand.”

  “I trust Davis. I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.” Ben said, then headed toward the bathroom.

  I felt embarrassed. The tub was still full of the cold bathwater. “Oh, Ben, I’m sorry, I forgot to drain the tub. I sort of fell asleep as soon as I got out.”

  “No worries. I’ll drain it. I have a sister. She did crap like this all the time.” He laughed, then disappeared into the bathroom.

  As soon as I heard the door lock, I slipped out of my shorts and shirt and slid into the soft white T-shirt Ben had provided. He was right, it was huge on my smaller frame, but it felt like a big hug from him. I wrapped it around me and crawled under the covers of my bed.

  As soon as the warmth of the covers started to permeate my body, my eyelids drooped. I was so sleepy, and now with Ben here, I knew that I could rest easy; I was safe.

  BEN

  I slept like a log. Once I saw that Marin was safe it was as if my entire body physically uncoiled.

  She was sound asleep when I’d come out of the shower and I’d fallen, exhausted, into the second bed after I’d thrown on a clean T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting knit shorts. I used them for working out, and I figured I could sleep, then drive back to Jackson, in the same set of clothes. I’d barely had time to gather anything before I drove to the airport.

  I wasn’t sure if Marin would want to drive the entire twelve hundred miles home in one day or take a slower pace. We could do it, but it would be more than sixteen hours in the car. I had spoken to my chief after I was already on the way to the airport. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if he denied my request for an extra day off, so I’d already met up with Davis to drop off Gem and he’d agreed to swap one of his days off to cover for me. I already had today off, so it was only tomorrow I had to worry about and thanks to my friend, it was taken care of.