6. Gideon
6
Gideon
I pulled into the hotel parking lot, and we both walked into the office, smiling because Laney bet me a dollar that the staff would stare at our scratches. She was standing right in front of the receptionist, and she pushed her hair behind her ears, exposing the marks on her neck. I couldn’t stop the chuckle.
“What happened to your neck and arms?” The receptionist asked.
“We tried rescuing a cat and her kittens from a bag in the river,” Laney explained. “But she attacked us when we tried holding her.”
“Wow, that’s why I don’t like cats,” the receptionist replied. “They don’t respect you. You give them everything, and they expect it. Then they ignore you. You’re better off without them.”
I could tell Laney didn’t like what she was hearing, so I stepped up and took over. “We called ahead for a reservation.”
“Name, please.”
“Gideon Archer.” I handed over my ID.
“You’re lucky we had one room left,” she said, handing me the key card. “There’s a convention in town, and all the hotels are full.
Laney showered first while I walked Bear. When we returned, she was in her pajamas and applying ointment to her scratches. I called River so that Laney could talk to Haley. “Hey, is Haley available to talk to Laney?”
“I’ll get her. When will you get here?”
“Tomorrow night. They'll stay with me until I get everything settled.” I turned to Laney as she walked from the bathroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow, River. I thought you would want to talk to Haley,” I said, handing the phone to her,
“Thank you. Hi sweet pea, I love you. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too, Mommy. When will you get here?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow night. Tell me what you’ve been doing?”
They talked while I showered. When I came out, they were saying goodbye.
“Can you please put some ointment on my back? I got everywhere else, but I couldn’t reach back there,” I asked.
“Sure, sit right here,” she said, patting the bed.
I sat down, and she climbed onto the bed behind me. “Wow, she really took a liking to your back.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. And then she traced some of my wounds. My cock couldn’t stand much more of that. “Did you get this from when you were in the Special Forces?”
“Yes, every bullet wound or knife wound I got in the Special Forces. Some rescuing clients.”
“I was going to join the Navy after high school, but I backed out. I didn’t think I could kill another human. Now, I know I could, but back then, I didn’t have the feelings I have now.”
“And if you had joined, you wouldn’t have Haley.”
“That’s right, I never thought of that. There you go, all done. You’d think that cat would have been grateful we saved her.”
“Maybe she thought we were the ones who threw her in the river,” I said, smiling.
“At least those kittens and their mom are alive. The more I think about what that woman said, the more I realize she’s right: Cats think they are kings and queens. Why don’t we order a pizza for dinner?”
“That sounds perfect; I’m starving. Do you like supreme pizza?” I asked.
“Is there any other kind? I love supreme pizza. I’ll order it right now. Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes, ask them to bring me two teas. I love sweet tea. I know you think I have too much sugar, but I’m always busy, except when I’m fishing. Then I drink water, and if it’s cold outside, I’ll drink hot chocolate. Nothing is better than a mug of hot chocolate when you’re sitting on a boat early in the morning and the fog is stillon the water. It makes me miss it just thinking about it.”
We ate pizza and relaxed. This room had two queen beds: I was on one, and Laney was on the other. I could tell she was sleepy. Her voice sounded tired, and I didn’t know why I noticed that about her.
“I want to go fishing on a boat again. I haven’t been since my Pop died. I need to buy a boat when I get home.
“Where would you take it? The ocean is too rough to relax with your line in the water. It’s nothing like a lake. Do they have a lake where you live?”
“Sure, they have plenty of lakes. How about I buy a boat, and we go fishing?”
“I’ll go with you when you buy it. I know what you need. I love the Bass Pro Shop.”
“That would be great. I’m sure you know a lot about boats?”
“Only fishing boats; I have never had a ski boat.”
“Do you ski?”
“No, I’ve never tried to ski. I’ve always been on the boat by myself or with Haley.”
“What about Gavin?”
“He would get sick on the boat, so he stayed home. Gavin didn’t go out much. Now when I think about it, I’m sure he was afraid his father would find him. Many things make more sense now that I know about his life. Poor Gavin must have been so scared that his father would make him return home. And all he wanted to do was kill his son. He’s a mean fucker. If he comes around, don’t give him a chance to talk. Just kill him.”
“I’ll remember that. Are you finished eating?” I said, picking up the pizza box.
“Yeah, I’m finished. Thank you; it was delicious.” She crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes.
I turned the lights out and got into bed. I didn’t fall asleep for a few hours. My mind was full of Laney; I shook my head, trying to remember when I laughed so much or felt so much compassion for someone.
Bear growled, and I grabbed my gun. He growled again, and Laney sat up. I held my finger to my lips. I saw the fear in her eyes. I saw our door handle move, and then I heard someone talking. “That’s not our room, this one is.”
“Fuck they all look alike to me.”
“That’s why they have numbers on them,” the other voice said.
I put my gun back. “Go back to sleep. It’s still early,” I said.
“Are you sleepy?”
“No.”
“Then let’s leave. We will get to Haley earlier than expected and surprise her.”
“Okay, we’ll get some coffee before leaving town.”
She ran to the bathroom and changed her clothes. I gathered our things and was ready when she opened the bathroom door. I took Bear out, and he did his thing.
“Haley will be so surprised when we show up earlier than expected. I can’t wait to see her. When I had Haley, the love I felt in my heart for her made me cry. I thought, why don’t all mothers feel this love? The world would be in a better place if they did.”
“Haley’s lucky to have you for her mom.”
“Thank you. I hope I can keep her safe. I have to keep that monster away from her.”
“He won’t get near you and Haley. I’ll make sure of that.”