Chapter 12
Tayla ran out of her room and straight into Jason. The fire alarm was deafening.
He steadied her, gripping her upper arms. “Are you okay?”
At least that’s what she thought he said. The incessant alarm hijacked most other sounds.
“Is the building on fire?”
He didn’t answer. Just glanced at her, head-to-toe—apparently confirming that she was not on fire or something—and ran to the door.
Leland ran into the room, with his game face on.
Jason opened the door for Knox and Rowan. The four men stood close, yelling into each other’s ears until they seemed to have a plan.
Usually, when a fire alarm went off, she would roll her eyes and slowly exit, knowing there was a ninety-nine percent chance little to no danger existed. But the four men in front of her looked like they were preparing for battle.
Jason pointed to her feet and said something that probably meant she should go get her shoes. Which she did. She also grabbed her tote and phone.
Seconds later, they were speed walking down the hall—which meant Jason was walking briskly and she was practically running to keep up with him.
Rowan and Knox kept pace with her on either side, and Leland stayed behind her.
They were down the stairwell and half-way across the lobby before she realized their formation was intentional.
Finally reaching the exit and stepping into the gentle night breeze, they noticed a commotion to their left. And flames.
So, not a false alarm.
Jason directed Knox to drive everyone to “the other hotel.”
Tayla had no idea what he was talking about, but Knox apparently understood. She watched Jason jog toward the crowd of guests gawking at the fire.
Her chest tightened, for reasons she couldn’t explain.
Because Jason was headed toward danger? Or because he was leaving her side? Maybe a little of both.
She took a deep breath as they climbed into the SUV, and felt a little sick at the thought of driving off without Jason. She knew he thought the fire had something to do with the attacks on Drakos—and Gus’s murder.
Dear God, please protect Jason. From the dangers he can see, and the ones he can’t. Please keep him safe.
Knox started the engine and Leland, in the front passenger seat, pulled up a map on his phone. No one, not even Rowan, looked nervous. That made her feel a little better. A little.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Knox answered. “One of Drakos’ smaller resorts. It’s a backup location we decided on yesterday. We have a bungalow reserved, in case we need it. Which, apparently, we do.”
“Jason thinks the fire has something to do with what’s going on, doesn’t he?”
Knox exchanged a look with Leland, who angled himself to face her. “Jason doesn’t like coincidences. He’s smart. He knows what he’s doing.”
Tayla nodded. Her uncle seemed to place a lot of trust in Jason. The thought warmed her. But didn’t lessen her worry.
The resort they retreated to, Turtle Cove, was only a ten-minute drive from The Mandeville. Knox parked near a blue and yellow sign that read ‘The Pelican Nest.’
“This is us,” he said.
Rowan squinted at the sign. “The Pelican Nest?”
“Yes,” said Knox. “It was either that, Monkey Manor, or The Crocodile Cottage. Frankly, I thought the crocodile place sounded cool. It had a sauna. And a pool table. But Leland didn’t think we needed those things for some reason.”
“Okay, children,” Leland said, with a surprising amount of tolerance. “Let’s go inside.”
The night was dark, and the jungle was dense around The Pelican Nest, so it was difficult to distinguish much about their new . . . headquarters?
They entered, and Knox and Leland cleared the rooms. Just to be safe. And probably because the sniper yesterday—or was that two days ago?—had found them at a cottage, much like this one.
The Pelican Nest was declared safe, and Tayla collapsed on the sofa.
She wasn’t interested in exploring their new lodging like she was when they arrived at the other cottage.
She couldn’t stop worrying about Jason. But she decided she didn’t like sitting still either, so she walked through the kitchen and peeked into the bedrooms.
Leland suggested she get some sleep, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not until Jason joined them.
The generous bungalow was clearly a family rental.
The second and third bedrooms were furnished with bunk beds and playful turtle decor on the walls.
Leland offered Tayla the larger room with the queen size bed.
She felt bad accepting the nicest room, but she knew it was the most practical arrangement, since she was the only woman.
She dropped her tote in her room, but was too antsy to lie down. Maybe this kitchen would have some decaf coffee or tea.
She was searching the cabinets when Knox walked in. “Rowan’s taking a shower. Leland’s asleep.” He paused and cocked his head. “Wait. No. I don’t hear snoring. So, he’s not asleep yet.”
She tried to reward his attempt at humor with a smile. “I know he snores. That’s not news to me.” She found some herbal tea bags and an electric kettle. “Would you like some tea?”
“No. Thanks. I’m good.” He looked like he was going to say something else.
“What is it?”
“He’s going to be fine. You look worried.”
Was she that obvious? Great. “I know. But a lot has happened over the past couple of days. It’s hard not to worry.”
He was staring at her. Not in a creepy way. But she couldn’t read him. “Is something wrong?”
A small smile played in his eyes. “No. Nothing’s wrong. You just don’t need to worry about Jason. I know he’s all sweet and nice to you, but if he runs up against any trouble, he’ll honey badger his way through it.”
“Oh? Is that so? Well, that’s comforting.” It was, in a way. She could hear Knox’s confidence in Jason in his comments. Although it was difficult for her to picture Jason as a ferocious honey badger.
“So,” she said, wanting to change the subject, “tell me about yourself. Do you have a family?”
“My mom lives in Austin. WhiteRock is based in Houston, so it’s not too hard to visit a few times a year.”
“Are you married? Or dating?” She knew she was prying, but her brain was too tired to filter her curiosity.
And to be honest, though she was drawn to Jason, and not Knox, he seemed like the kind of guy most women would like.
He was funny, smart, strong, and handsome.
Not Jason-handsome, but still, she could admit he was attractive.
He scratched the back of his head. “Hmm . . . it’s complicated.”
Oh. Interesting answer. “Okay. Sorry I pried. Just curious.”
He smiled. “No problem. You know, relationships can be . . . “
“Complicated?”
He gave her a thumbs up. “Exactly.”
She decided to let the subject drop. Trying to occupy herself while her tea steeped, she walked around the living room. Until Knox asked her if the pacing habit ran in the Faraday genes.
That’s when she sat down.
A moment later, they heard a car stop in front of the bungalow. Knox stood near the door and peeked around the window blinds.
“That will be Jason,” Knox said.
“How can you be sure?”
He smiled. “The bad guys try to sneak up on you. They don’t park out front and announce their arrival with their headlights.”
Okay. That made sense.
When Jason walked through the door, the rush of relief that washed over her brought an unbidden smile to her face.
He returned her smile. “Are you okay?”
“We’re fine. Are you okay?”
Knox cleared his throat. “You don’t look singed. Want to give us an update?”
Rowan walked into the living room with his hair dripping wet, wearing only a towel around his waist. “Oh, hey. You’re back.”
Jason looked annoyed. “Go put some clothes on.”
Rowan rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay. Are we meeting tonight?”
Leland’s snoring drifted into the living room.
Jason turned to Knox. “Well, I guess Leland’s asleep.”
“You think?”
Jason placed his keys and cell phone on an end table.
“Good. We all need to get some rest.” His focus swung back to Rowan and the puddle pooling at his feet.
He rubbed his temples. “We’ll meet tomorrow, or” he looked at his watch, “later this morning. Now, go dry off, get some clothes on, and go to bed.”
“Fine. You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a kid.”
“And don’t forget to brush your teeth,” Knox added.
Rowan glared at him.
Knox grinned. “Want me to read you a bedtime story?”
Rowan stomped toward Knox like he was going to do something about that grin, but in doing so, he nearly lost his grip on the towel around his waist. Tayla almost had to cover her eyes.
He halted, readjusted his grip, and stared daggers at Knox. His exasperated grunt was probably meant to sound intimidating, but Tayla had to fake a cough to keep from laughing.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem interested at all in her reaction—only the taunting grin on Knox’s face.
“You’re not funny,” he said to Knox. Then he stomped through his puddle and out of the room. Fortunately, without slipping.
Knox fell into an overstuffed chair with a dramatic sigh of contentment. He placed his hand solemnly on his chest. “I just love that kid.”
Jason threw a cushion at him. “Don’t tick him off too much. We need his expertise.”
“I know, I know.” He tossed the pillow back over to the sofa. “So, can I at least get some highlights? What did you learn tonight?”
They both looked at Tayla. Was she supposed to leave? She would if they asked, but she really didn’t want to. “Um, I’d like to know too, if . . . if that’s okay.”
A hint of warmth flit across Jason’s face.
“It’s fine. You can stay.” He sighed and placed his hands on his hips.
“I updated Eric before I left the hotel. He’s considering flying out here.
Honestly, I don’t know why. We’ve faced worse odds before.
But he said he’d touch base with me again tomorrow before he made a decision. ”