That tear put him in a killing rage. War jumped back to his feet. That bastard would pay. He whirled around.
“War, no!” A quick croak from Rose. “Don’t leave me!”
The attacker wasn’t in the motel room. The front door hung open—War hadn’t shut it when he’d rushed inside. He flew toward that door.
“War.” Rose’s desperate voice. “I don’t…don’t know that he’s working alone. I’m cuffed.”
Tension burned in his blood. He wanted to give chase so badly.
“Get me out of the cuffs. Don’t l-leave me.” A plea.
In an instant, he was at her side. He yanked out the key to the cuffs and freed her wrist. His fingers slid over her skin. Her wrist was red and swollen, and he knew she’d been fighting desperately to get free when that asshole attacked her.
Outside, he heard the screech of tires. Swearing, he curled his fingers with Rose’s, and together, they raced for that still open door. By the time he got to the lot, he could smell exhaust from the fleeing vehicle, but he couldn’t see the car. It was long gone.
Sonofabitch.
“T-told you,” Rose whispered as she tried to tug her hand free of his grip. “Someone is after me. Someone…other than you…”
Her voice was weak. Because some prick just tried to kill her! He let her fingers go, but only so he could use his hand to tip back her head and study her neck. “We’re getting you to a hospital.”
“No.”
No? “Uh, hell, yes, we are. You need to be checked out. You need—”
“I need to get somewhere safe. Then I need to come up with a plan.” With each word she spoke, her voice seemed to become a little stronger. But she still had tear tracks on her cheeks, dammit. “I need to find him. To stop him.”
“We’re calling the cops.” He yanked out his phone.
Her fingers closed around his wrist. “War, please. Please.”
He stilled.
“Do you want me to beg? Because I am.”
He’d never wanted that.
Okay. Fine. One fantasy. One small fantasy of her begging to come back to him because he was freaking human. But he had never, ever wanted this. He’d never wanted some piece of shit to hurt her. And War was ready to kill.
“There is a whole lot involved here. I-I can’t go to the cops. They have evidence that makes me look guilty. I have to find the man who attacked me. Have to stop h-him. Please,” she said again, and the word tore at the heart that War had thought he’d locked away from her. “I need your help. Forty-eight hours. Give me that much. Pl—”
“You don’t need to ask again. We’ll make a deal.” They were making a deal. The deal was…she doesn’t leave my sight. Because he was not—not ever freaking again—going to rush in and discover her battling for her life.
His heart couldn’t take that shit.
Her shoulders sagged. “Thank you.”
She shouldn’t thank him. Just like she didn’t need to plead with him. They’d cover all of that soon enough. But for now… “You stay at my side.”
“What?”
“No running. No trying to get away. I will give you forty-eight hours, but I want to make sure I won’t be chasing after you the whole time. Give me your word. Right now. Then we’ll start this hunt.”
Her breath shuddered out. “I give you my word. Forty-eight hours, and I won’t run.”
Damn straight.
“Come on.” He threaded his fingers with hers and hurried back to her room. A quick glance at the place showed him the connecting door hung open. Jaw locking, he headed straight for that room. Maybe the jerk who’d been in there had left some clues behind.
But…
When he went inside, nothing was disturbed. The bed was neatly made. The desk empty. The bathroom appeared not to have been touched. The toilet paper was still in that weird little triangle the way it always was when new people checked into a room.
It looked like no one had been in the room at all.
But someone had been there…
“I don’t think that man who heard me scream earlier wanted to help,” Rose murmured.
No, he’d wanted to kill her. That was why he’d asked if she was alone. He’d wanted to get to her while she was vulnerable. He’d stayed close and waited until War walked away, then he’d attacked.
War’s phone rang, vibrating in his pocket, and by the heavy metal ringtone, he knew he was getting a call from Odin. For the moment, War ignored his friend. He rushed with Rose to the small office at the front of the motel. When the desk clerk saw War coming, a satisfied smile tilted his lips. “Found your lady, did you?” Then he got a look at Rose. He whistled. “I would’ve wanted to surprise her, too…”
War slapped his free hand down on the counter. “Who the fuck was in the room next door?”
The man jumped back. Behind the slightly askew lenses of his glasses, his gray eyes widened. His pale skin became even paler. “I-I—”
“Who was in the room?”
“What room?” He blinked.
“Ahem. One-oh-six,” Rose supplied helpfully. Her voice was a little husky, but no longer croaky.
The desk clerk squinted at her. “I know you.”
“One-oh-six,” War snapped. This guy was trying patience War did not have. Rage and adrenaline burned through him. Rose could have been killed while I was less than twenty feet away.
Instead of giving War the info he needed, the clerk was still lost looking at Rose. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?”
Yeah. On the news. They didn’t have time for this crap. War moved his body to shield Rose. “You’ve never seen her.” He grabbed the guy by the shirtfront. “I will not repeat my question again.”
“Th-there’s no one! No one in that room! Not that room, not any rooms on that side—just you and your lady! That’s it!”
“Do not lie to me,” War warned, voice low and lethal. “That would be a fatal mistake.”
“Oh, shit. Oh, shit.” The man—his name tag identified him as Todd—began to shake. “No one is there, I swear it! I didn’t assign that room to anyone!”
“Who did you tell about her?”
“What?” His face scrunched.
“Someone came here asking questions about her. You gave that someone her room number. I want to know who it was. Describe him to me. Tell me everything.”
But Todd shook his head. “You.”
“Me—what?”
“You’re the only one who came asking questions! Just you. You gave me a twenty for her room number.”
“Twenty dollars?” Rose piped in to say. “Really? That’s it?”
Jaw locking, War kept his glare on Todd. “Someone tried to kill my fiancée tonight.”
“Now I’m your fiancée?” Rose inquired. “Good to know.”
He ignored Rose. For the moment. “I take someone attacking her very personally. If I find out you are lying to me, Todd, I will be back. I will make your life hell, I promise you.”
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Todd was looking a little green. “I don’t like confrontations. Could you let me—”