Ally was pretty sure Carter wasn’t lying when he said that he didn’t know where he was going to take her. At least, that was the conclusion she’d come to after their second loop around the Capital City Freeway.
The quips and the banter had faded the instant that they’d hit the freeway on-ramp. His face was a serious mask of concentration, one that she’d only caught glimpses of before.
Ally didn’t bother him. He needed to think. She probably should as well. The problem was her brain refused to work when she was this damn tired.
She glanced at the clock. By her count, she was quickly coming up on thirty-six hours without sleep.
Now, being driven around in a constantly moving car with only the hum of the engine to keep her company, she found her eyelids drooping more and more.
Adrenaline, it seemed, would only take her so far.
Her chin had just touched down on her chest when the car came to a stop. Her head snapped up as a startled sound escaped her mouth.
“I’m awake,” she said before she could stop the words.
Ally ignored Carter’s chuckle. “I can tell,” he said.
She rubbed at her eyes and did a quick check of her sweatshirt for drool spots before deciding it was too old and raggedy to tell. Instead, she turned her attention out her window.
They were stopped in front of a familiar-looking building. Tall and stately, Ally knew that she’d seen this place before. A uniformed valet walked toward the car. Behind him was a revolving glass door, and Ally could just make out the crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby.
She did know this place.
She quickly swiveled around in her seat to look out Carter’s side of the car.
Just like she knew this skyline.
Ally felt all her blood rush to her face. “You brought us to The Grand Capital Hotel?”
Carter raised his brows in answer.
But just as she was opening her mouth to demand he tell her what the hell he was thinking driving them around for hours only to bring them right back into the center of downtown Sacramento, the valet opened her door. Ally had two choices, throw a fit or get out of the car.
Ally pressed her lips together tightly as she stepped onto the sidewalk. It looked like the fit would have to wait.
Carter handed the keys over to the valet and came to her side. Ally stiffened as he slid his arm into hers. He leaned in close as he walked her into the lobby.
“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” he whispered.
“You better,” she hissed right back. “You do know that every cop in this city is searching for us right now.”
“I need you to trust me,” he said, not showing any reaction to her words. “And stay by my side.”
Ally ground her teeth. What other choice did she have?
Carter strode up to the reception desk, smiling at the gentleman behind the counter.
“Good afternoon, sir,” the man whose golden nametag read Richard said.
“Good afternoon. I’d like to get a room for the weekend,” Carter said.
“Do you have a reservation?” Richard asked, sliding his gaze over Ally, who suddenly felt more than a little self-conscious in her tattered grey sweatshirt and rat’s nest hair. “This is a very busy weekend for us.”
Carter slipped his arm from hers and took out his wallet from inside his jacket.
“No,” he said, laying down a black American Express card with the name Sean Ward on it. “Is that going to be a problem?”
Ally’s eyes widened, but she didn’t open her mouth.
Richard, the receptionist, took one look at the card and all his suspicions melted away.
“No problem at all, sir,” he said.
Carter pulled a matching ID out of the wallet, and, a few minutes later, they were all set up with a room.
“Do you have any bags, sir,” Richard asked after the receipt had been signed.
“Not this time,” Carter said, shaking his head. “Impromptu trip.”
Ally’s lips twisted up in a wry grin. That was one way of putting it.
But their lack of luggage didn’t seem to bother Richard. He smiled and swept his arm in the direction of the elevators.
Ally kept her mouth shut the whole ride up to the twelfth floor. She even bit into her lower lip to make sure that her mouth stayed that way. But the moment that Carter slid the keycard into the reader and opened the door, she couldn’t hold her aggravation back any longer.
The only problem was Ally couldn’t decide where to start. There were so many places to choose from. The false identity? The credit card fraud? Bringing them right back to the belly of the beast?
Yep. That was definitely the best launching point.
Ally pushed past Carter and stormed into the room. She balled her hands at her side as she spun around to face him.
But he was ready for her, his back propped up against the closed door, his arms crossed in front of his chest, as though he was anticipating her tantrum. But it was his raised brows and quirked lips that really irritated the hell out of her.
Did he think this was funny?
If so, the man was certifiable.
“Why the hell are we here?” she asked through tight lips.
He shrugged. “Because we needed a place to stay.”
Ally’s shoulders stiffened as red-hot fury surged through her. She was dangerously close to her breaking point. She felt hot pricks behind her eyes.
Tears? Great. That was exactly what she needed right now.
“Do you want me to throw a lamp at your head?” she asked, her voice starting to shake.
Carter’s expression turned serious. He took a step away from the door. “There are a few reasons I brought us to this hotel, but the most important is that it’s the last place that anyone is going to look for us.”
Ally tilted her head. She wasn’t sure she agreed with his opinion. She could think of half a dozen places—the dead center of Nevada sounded particularly good—that no one would ever find them. But at least his earnest answer made her more willing to hear him out.
“How can you be so sure?” she asked.
“Because Fuller and the police are going to focus on our families and known associates. They are going to stake out our workplaces and usual hangouts. They’ll be looking for hits on our bank and credit cards. They won’t concern themselves with what’s going on across the street. They won’t find us here.”
“Not unless they’re looking for Mr. Sean Ward,” she said.
“Exactly.” He walked past her to the window and opened the drapes.
Ally turned with him. For the first time she really noticed their hotel room. The place was ridiculous. They weren’t even in The Grand Capital’s best room and the suite was bigger than her apartment…by a lot.
It was a hell of a lot nicer too. The bed, the carpet, the couch—everything screamed high class. And the view…
Ally joined Carter at the window and looked across the glistening buildings and rooftops that surrounded them. The sun was starting to dip toward the horizon, setting off golden sparkles on the gentle waves of the Sacramento River.
After a minute spent staring off into the distance, Carter turned toward her. “Feeling better?”
If she was, she wasn’t about to admit it.
“I feel…exhausted,” she said.
It was the truth. Ally couldn’t remember a time that she’d ever felt so tired in her life. And it wasn’t just lack of sleep. Her brain was fried. She felt as if the last drops of fight had been drained out of her. She was tired of running. Tired of fighting. Hell, she was even tired of standing.
Carter put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around so that she faced the bed. “So sleep,” he said.
“Maybe just a little nap,” she said as he guided her over to the oversized mattress. The thing looked like a heavenly cloud, all thick and white and fluffy. It was almost impossible to resist its call.
The frame was set so high off the ground, Ally almost ha
d to get a running start to lift herself on top. But it was worth the effort. The moment her back hit the soft down comforter, she sank into its depths. She reached up and grabbed a pillow, dragging it to her head.
“Just for a few minutes,” she muttered as she curled up. She still wasn’t convinced that this was the safest place they could be, but she figured the chances of Fuller and his men knocking down their door in the next twenty minutes was pretty low.
“Whatever you say,” Carter said, not doing a very good job of stifling his laughter as he pulled a fuzzy throw from the end of the bed and draped it over her. He must have sensed her lingering unease, because he traced his fingers down her cheek after pulling the blanket over her shoulders. “Everything is going to be all right, Ally. I promise.”
Ally tried not to read too much into the comforting gesture. It wasn’t too hard, since a moment later her eyes closed on their own, and a moment after that she drifted off.
***
Carter Page 9
