I yelped when I tripped over a rut in the ground. My ankle twisted painfully to the side and I tumbled down the embankment of the ditch. I stared up at the night sky and cursed myself for walking with my eyes closed in the dark and dreaming about a man that I would never have.
I hobbled into the bed and breakfast, shoving the door open with more force than necessary. I was pissed. It took me longer than I expected to get into town since I was stupid and tripped in the dark because I was daydreaming about a man. Now I was a dirty mess, and I was cranky and in need of food. I hit the bell on the counter and waited for someone to arrive. A woman with dark brown hair came to the front with a smile on her face.
“Can I help you?”
“Yeah, I need a room.”
She looked me up and down, her face taking in the dirt on my clothes and the bag slung over my shoulder. I quirked an eyebrow at her, challenging her to say something, anything to me. I’d smack that comment right off her lips.
“Do you have ID?” she asked, her lips twitching.
“None that I can give you,” I answered, as if that was a good enough answer and she would just accept it.
She nodded with a little shrug. “Okay. I can put you up in a room, but you’re going to have to put down an extra deposit. You look like the kind of woman that would cause trouble.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with her there. “Fine. How much?”
“Let’s say, an extra two hundred. There’s a bathroom attached to your room and I can have the kitchen send something up to you if you’re hungry.”
“That’d be great.”
“Any food preferences?”
“Something that moos?”
She laughed as she took my money and entered information into the computer. When she was finished, she motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. I winced when I took the first step and hiked my bag up higher on my shoulder, trying to offset the balance to climb more comfortably. I felt shaky by the time I reached the top of the stairs, but didn’t say a word as she led me down the hall to a room. It was nice, way too girly for my tastes, but I wasn’t here to relax.
“So, the wifi password is on the desk, and breakfast is served every day between six and nine. I’ll go ahead and ask the kitchen to send something up to you, but normally, it’ll close by nine. If you need anything else, just ring the front desk. My name is Lindsey.”
“Thanks,” I said, dismissing her with my back. When I heard the door snick closed, I flopped down on the bed and flopped back, staring up at the ceiling. I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I woke up, there was someone knocking on my door. I grumbled as I got to my feet and flung the door open. A woman stood on the other side, a shocked expression on her face. She was absolutely beautiful, looking way too fancy to be in a place like this. And I definitely wouldn’t expect to see her in a chef’s jacket.
“You have something in your hair,” she said, pointing with her free hand as she balanced the tray in her other hand.
I picked at my hair, pulling out a few dead leaves that must have worked their way in my hair when I tumbled down into the ditch.
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I grabbed the tray from her and made my way back inside, shocked when she followed me.
“Lindsey said that you were peculiar.”
“She did, huh?”
“Yep, and she wasn’t wrong. I’m Vanessa, by the way.”
I turned back to her, expecting her to leave, but she didn’t. Instead, she pulled out my desk chair and took a seat.
“What are you doing?”
“Digging for information,” she said, as if it was obvious.
“You’re not going to get anything.”
“Oh, I know that. I’m not even close to an interrogator.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because I’m curious.”
I stared at her a moment, wondering why this woman was still sitting in my room. Hadn’t she ever heard of manners? It was rude to stare. “You can leave now.”
“Oh, I will. I was just taking it all in,” she said, waving up and down my body.
Another knock sounded at the door and I huffed in irritation, walking over to see who it was. Lindsey, the woman that brought me up, was outside the door with another woman. This one was dressed in medical scrubs and had a bag in her hands.
“So, I saw you limping and thought I would bring a friend by to have you checked out,” Lindsey said, pushing her way into my room.
“Hi, I’m Ali,” the other woman smiled, holding out her hand. I looked at her hand, then back up at her. She shrugged when I didn’t take it and moved past me into the room. “So, you hurt your ankle?”
“It’s fine,” I said stiffly, feeling like I had entered an alternate universe.
“What are we thinking?” Lindsey asked. “Running from a man?”
“No,” Vanessa shook her head. “She’s in really good shape and she’s carrying a gun at the small of her back.”
“Private contractor?” Ali asked, unzipping her medical bag.
“No, she doesn’t have any ID,” Lindsey answered. “A private contractor would be prepared for this sort of thing.”
“Who are you people?” I asked incredulously.
“I’m putting my money on former military,” Ali said. “You can see it
