protecting something. And that’s when it struck her again. Crazy as it seemed, he was somehow, someway familiar.
* * *
Haley seldom traveled in this direction. When she did, she always hoped to see that Mount Rainier for once was free of cloud. It never was on any of her visits.
She was prepared to be disappointed again, and instead was treated by nature to a splendid sight. Twilight was already closing in, but still some distance away, far off to the right, the head of the perfect cone that was Rainier was bathed in a golden glow. Haley was enchanted.
She turned her head to see Chase’s reaction. He had none. She could only suppose this meant he lived in Seattle and Mount Rainier was a familiar sight. Or maybe he simply wasn’t moved by nature. Either way, there was no reason why it should make any difference to her.
What did matter was the decision he made fifteen minutes later. “I’m taking us off at the next exit.”
“Are you hungry again?”
“No, sleepy. We’ll spend the night at a motel.”
“We are what?”
“You heard me. It’ll be morning before you know it.”
Haley knew it was true that early summer at this latitude meant long days and short nights. But even so...
“I don’t want to spend the night at a motel,” she announced stubbornly.
“Oh, you don’t? I suppose instead you’d have me fall asleep at the wheel.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ve been dozing, and I’m perfectly capable of taking a turn at the wheel.”
“While I what? Go bye-bye?”
“Why not?”
“Sure, why not? Listen, sweetheart, we both know what destinations you get off to when you’re turned loose.”
“All right, you don’t trust me. But Seattle can’t be far now. Can’t you just go on?”
“It’s farther than you think. We’ve still got the traffic of Olympia, then Tacoma, and after that the whole long urban crawl into Seattle. And all after dark. No, thanks. We’re going to a motel.”
The last faint glow of twilight was leaving the sky when they exited the interstate. There were three motels to choose from. Chase selected the nearest one, pulled up in front of its office and shut off the engine.
Haley drew back when he reached for the glove compartment, holding her breath as his hand brushed across the side of her breast. As brief and innocent as the contact was, it was like a flame licking across her.
When she was breathing normally again, he had extracted a pair of handcuffs from the glove compartment. Haley stared at them. This was going too far.
“Oh, you’re not going to—”
“Handcuff you to the wheel here while I go into the office? That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“But that isn’t necessary. Just take me with you.”
“And have you make another break for it the minute I turn my back? I don’t think so. Of course, I could always handcuff our wrists together and drag you in there. Might scare the attendant, though. Nope, you’re safer out here.”
Before she could raise another objection, he had snatched up her hand and clicked one of the bracelets over her wrist and the other one to the wheel. It was a humiliating situation, made worse when he removed the keys from the ignition and dangled them in front of her nose with a little grin. He was reminding her of earlier when she’d thrown away the keys, taunting her.
Haley fumed while he was gone. She had counted on this mix-up getting settled sometime today. Then she might be released so she could go home. Now that wouldn’t happen before tomorrow. The more she thought about it, the more insane the whole thing seemed. None of it made any sense.
When he finally emerged from the motel office, he was carrying a plastic sack loaded with something. Opening the door on her side, he dumped the sack into her lap.
“Here, you take charge of it,” he ordered as he leaned across her to unlock the handcuffs.
Whatever the sack contained, the lumpy contents weren’t heavy enough to crack him over the head with. Because that’s what she would have liked to do to this insensitive gorilla.
“I suppose it won’t be enough to just lock me inside my room. You’ll insist on handcuffing me to something in there, too.”
“That won’t be necessary. We’ll be sharing a single room.”
“Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Naw, just kidding. I was able to get you a room of your own with no windows and only one steel door I get to lock from the outside. Kind of like a cell.” His voice changed instantly then from pleasantly jocular to something that sounded like the crack of a whip. “One room, Haley. That’s what we’ve got. And guess what? It has only one bed, too. Should be fun, huh?”
Like most motels, there was little to distinguish it. Clean and impersonal. And, as promised, just one bed.
Chase had brought his athletic bag in from the car. A wary Haley watched him place it on the desk chair, open it and remove a tube of toothpaste and an unopened toothbrush.
“Here,” he said, holding them out to her.
She hesitated to accept them.
“Go on, take them. I have a spare toothbrush for me.”
“Thank you,” she murmured coolly, taking the two items.
She watched him cross to the bathroom and spread the door wide, his hand reaching around the jamb for the light switch. He looked inside without going in. He’s checking to make sure I can’t get out.
He must have been satisfied, because he stepped to one side, sweeping a hand in the direction of the open doorway. “You take it first.”
Chase could have given her a little more room to enter—but he didn’t. The man knew that any contact with him, even a slight one, made her nervous.
“And don’t lock the door behind you,” he called after her. “Unless you want me busting in there on you.”
Jerk!
Even if she’d wanted to escape, Haley realized she couldn’t have managed it. The solitary frosted window was too high and too small. She used the toilet, cleaned up at the sink and brushed her teeth.
When she emerged from the bathroom, he was seated on the edge of the bed. “Join me,” he said, patting the spread on his side. “Come on. You’re safe.”
She
