Bound by Blood: Paranormal Cauld Ane Stories

Chapter Five

“Shall I help you with your bags?” he asked.

“Oh, yes. Thank you,” she said and led him to the carousel.

“It’s quite brisk outside at the moment, you may want your jumper,” Duncan suggested.

Jumper? What the heck is a jumper? Sam stared at him.

He pointed to the hoodie around her waist. “Your sweatshirt.”

“Oh, no, I’m okay.”

Duncan shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Sam let out a quiet sigh of relief when she saw her bags nestled together and making their way toward them. She hoped the drive wasn’t long to the hotel… the thought of small talk turned her stomach.

“There they are,” Sam said.

Duncan reached out and pulled them off the turntable as though they weighed as much as a toy poodle and set them on the ground. “Anything else coming?”

Sam shook her head.

“Right. The driver’s waiting at the curb.” He smiled. “Follow me.” He wheeled her bags toward the exit and she followed… like a lamb to the slaughter.

The driver, another remarkably Scottish-looking man, dropped her bags in the trunk without a word and climbed into the driver’s seat while Duncan assisted Sam into the car. This man, however, looked closer to her assessment of Scotsmen than Pepper’s.

As they drove away from the airport, Duncan handed Sam a folder. “Payton booked your room for a little longer than expected. She is having minor repairs done to the executive apartments, which means you cannot move in right away. It’ll be closer to a fortnight. I apologize for that.”

“That’s okay,” Sam said as she skimmed the information swimming before her.

“All of our contact numbers are inside. Also, here is a cell phone for your business use. Payton has preprogrammed our phone numbers. If you need anything, give one of us a ring.”

Sam nodded, although, he spoke so fast, she wasn’t sure she was catching everything.

They arrived at the hotel and Sam had a difficult time concentrating on anything other than the architecture. The hotel was stunning, like something out of a medieval landscape, and she tried to take it all in as Duncan led her inside.

Duncan made sure the front desk had the corporate credit card on file for any incidentals, secured her room key for her, and waited for the bellhop to arrive before taking his leave. “Right, Dr. Moore, I’ll leave you here, unless you need anything further?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Should you need anything, please let me know.”

Sam smiled and nodded. Duncan left and she followed the bellhop to her room. After walking inside, she turned to tip him, but he refused the money and backed out. Sam’s heart began to race and her stomach felt a little queasy as she made her way to the windows at the back of the suite.

Something’s wrong.

She grabbed her cell phone, scrolled to Pepper’s number, and dialed it.

“Sammi?” Pepper answered, her voice rough from obviously being awakened. “Did you arrive all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine, but are you okay?”

“Just trying to get a nap in, but I’m fine. Why? What time is it?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s about nine o’clock here. I have a really weird feeling. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Perfectly. The door’s locked and the chair’s metaphorically under the doorknob. What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”

Sam took a deep breath. “I’m fine. I’m probably just tired.”

“Did you sleep on the plane?”

“A little.”

She heard Pepper yawn and then, “Sorry. Okay. You’re probably overwrought and you need to go to sleep. You know you’re useless when you’re tired… wait, no, that’s me. You can live off one hour of sleep a week.” Another yawn. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Sam chuckled. “Let’s Skype tomorrow. You need to go back to sleep and I need to wash the airplane off me. I’ll tell you all about the cute guy I met on the plane.”

“What?” Pepper seemed much more alert now. “Seriously?”

Sam chuckled. “Yep. We’re staying at the same hotel, and I even agreed to maybe meet him for a drink.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”

“I’m evolving. Aren’t you proud?”

“So, so proud.” Yawn.

“Go back to sleep.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Totally,” Sam said.

“Night.”

Click.

Sam smiled and dropped her phone on the table next to the couch. She was being ridiculous. She needed to sleep. This was her first time away from home, and she was nervous. That was it. She took some time to put away her clothes and then headed to the shower.

She let the hot water cover her and sighed as she felt the travel wash away. But without warning, her heart started to race again. Something was definitely wrong, and the trouble seemed close. In pure Bible-belt fashion, she started to pray. The fear was replaced with calm, and Sam let out a sigh of relief.

Without wasting any more time worrying about it, she dried off and got ready for bed.