Chapter Six
1268 Words
Chapter Six
The shadow play on the curtains from Eliza’s room had been rather entertaining. While Hayden couldn’t hear what was being said, he imagined a whole host of situations and conversations. They were up, they were down, they were standing and talking, one sat, one stood, at one point it seemed that one person had melted into the ground, then they all melted into the ground.
They were out of his view when they went to the floor, and he couldn’t be sure what had happened. He did know there had been a lot of hugging though. He waited a long time before standing to go save the day, but as he did, they all stood. They were moving about the room, then the light went off and he could no longer see what was going on behind the curtain. He could only guess that they had decided to go to bed.
He rose from his station and stretched. He got a whiff of himself at that point and nearly passed out. He was one stinky wolf. He shed his T-shirt and jeans. His underwear was tossed onto the floor as he ambled n***d into the bathroom. He took a nice long hot shower, letting the water ease his tense muscles, relaxing into the heat of the steam.
After lingering for a good twenty minutes, he got out of the shower and dried off. A towel wrapped around his waist, he got out some clean, fresh clothes while he hummed to himself. Fully dressed again and running a comb through his hair, he decided to go get some fresh air and walk to the restaurant next door.
With the threesome tucked into their hotel room, he figured it would be safe enough to venture out to get something different than hotel food to eat. He whistled to himself, hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched to the night’s coolness as he walked to the restaurant from the hotel. He pulled the door open and waited for an elderly couple to exit before he went in.
>>
His little tryst with Eliza a few nights before was a pleasant shock and one he was upset had gotten ruined by the petty fight Andrew had brought to his front yard. He sighed and entered his room once again and kicked off his shoes. He opted to sit by the desk again with the curtains partially open so he could watch her room, but still have the TV on.
Having finished his dinner and with nothing on the TV, Hayden double-checked the lock on the door before finally pulling the covers back from the bed. Losing some clothes and opting for only his boxer briefs, Hayden climbed into the bed.
He had to stay awake to keep a watch on the girls though as he lay in the bed and glanced over to the window. He couldn't think of a reason that they would leave any time soon. Surely just a few hours of rest would be fine.
He wasn’t sure why he felt so exhausted, but his eyes felt heavy and he drifted off into a deep sleep. Such a deep sleep that he didn’t hear his phone go off. He had missed Theo’s texts and calls warning him that a new pack had arrived in town and then left again, perhaps heading to the girls.
>>
With their pizza finished, the girls decided to go out for a few drinks. Eliza had noticed a little bar not far from the hotel. They all agreed that they deserved to have a little bit of fun.
After an evening of dancing and drinking at the bar, the girls walked back to the hotel, Eliza and Melissa in giggling fits from drinking a bit too much. Naomi was as sober as ever, but lost in her own mind, trying hard to connect the dots about that fateful night and coming to terms with what she had done. That was nothing new though, she had been dealing with that night for twenty-three years. She didn’t have any idea how what she did was possible or if it was possible to do again.
She walked along behind the girls as they clung to each other and stumbled across the parking lot to the hotel. Suddenly Naomi paused, lifting her chin into the air. She spun in a small circle and looked around. She could hear something odd, but she could barely make it out. A whisper in the dark. It was behind her... no, in front of her... no, next to her. She couldn’t pinpoint the noise, couldn’t make out the words; it was too fuzzy, too faded, too far off in the distance.
The girls made it back into hotel parking lot and were stumbling through the valet area and into the hotel lobby. Naomi could see them, hear their giggling even from this far away. Her eyes went unfocused, and she swayed in the dark, trying to listen. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, concentrating on the words, on the whisper.
Her mind sharpened and suddenly the words were as clear as if they were in her own head. “They are here, I can smell them.”
Naomi gasped, her eyes flew open and she collapsed. She landed with a hard thud against her hip onto the concrete parking lot. She laid there for a long moment and tried to figure out what just happened. She slowly rose and dusted herself off. She looked around to make sure no one was around. The voice had been so clear and had been talking to someone else.
Naomi started to move again and walked briskly across the parking lot into the lobby. The girls were sitting together on a sofa, talking in soft whispers with their heads together. Naomi gave them each a light push, and they staggered to their feet. The three of them, grouped together once more, made their way to the elevator.
Waiting for it to come down, Naomi grew more and more paranoid. With her hand reaching into her purse, she grabbed the little bottle of sanitizing spray and began to spray Melissa down, rubbing it in to her skin, into her hair, her clothes. She made sure Melissa, who was squirming and complaining, was covered head to toe in hand sanitizer.
She then turned to Eliza and started to slather her in the sanitizer as well. The door dinged, and the girls fled into the elevator. Naomi pulled them out of it and steered them to the front desk. The girls protested and whined; they just wanted to go to bed. Naomi shushed them and dug into Melissa’s bag and snagged her wallet. Digging out some cash, Naomi handed it over and asked for a different room... one on the top floor.
The night desk attendant didn’t argue and took the cash and handed over a key. With the girls covered in hand sanitizer, Naomi pushed them into the elevator. The girls leaned against each other, complaining about the stinging stink of the sanitizer. Naomi again shushed them and pushed them out the elevator door when it opened on the top floor. Naomi took each of the girls’ shoulders and steered them toward the new room.
Sliding in the keycard, she let them into the suite. Looking behind her, she made sure the hallway was clear and then closed and locked the door. The girls didn’t quite realize it was a different room, because the furnishings were identical to the previous room. They found the bed easily enough and flopped into it, immediately falling asleep. Naomi sighed and hoped the precautions she took had been enough to conceal them.
- Writer
