Maybe if he repeated that to himself enough times, he’d actually believe it.
Thoughts tangled and twisted in his brain, Noah almost missed the sound of an approaching vehicle on the road nearby. Navigating their way through the rainforest was easier with some type of landmark to use for orientation, so he’d followed a path through the trees that gave them some cover, but still allowed him to track the roadway as needed. Now, though, he began to doubt the wisdom of his decision.
Noah put out a hand to stop Serena where she stood, then held a finger to his lips while the SUV passed by them. Black with tinted windows, from what he could see through the leaves. How much could the passengers in the SUV see of them, in turn? His instincts went on high alert. The vehicle sped past without slowing and he released his pent-up breath. Okay.
“Keep going,” he whispered low to Serena.
“Do you think that’s them?” she asked, following him further down the path.
He glanced back at her. “Not sure, but after what that guy told me about the roadblocks, we can’t be too careful.”
Twenty minutes later, the same black SUV drove past again in the opposite direction and that was when Noah knew for sure that they were in trouble. “Dammit.” He tugged Serena’s arm to pull her to the other side of him, putting his body between her and the road. The SUV slowed near their location and the driver’s side window lowered. Noah held Gracie tighter against him with one arm while keeping Serena behind him with the other. He didn’t like being exposed like this. He’d figured the rainforest would give them sufficient cover, but he’d been wrong. The SUV pulled over to the berm and the engine cut.
Shit.
“Over there,” he hissed to Serena, pointing to a thicket of vegetation nearby. “Hurry!”
They barely made it into hiding before footsteps pounded down the trail where they’d been standing. The sun had lowered enough now that Noah couldn’t make out the guy’s face, just the black silhouette of a large man who rooted through the nearby trees and brush for what seemed like a small eternity. The whole time, Noah stood frozen in place, one hand on his daughter, the other on Serena, who stood still as stone behind him. Blessedly, Gracie remained asleep and didn’t make a sound.
Finally, the guy uttered a low curse, headed back to the SUV and took off, leaving their trio behind. Relief sagged Noah’s muscles and he turned slowly to see Serena’s too-pale face in the gathering twilight. “You all right?”
She nodded slowly, then swallowed hard. “Give me Gracie.”
Noah reluctantly handed the baby over, then watched as Serena held her and rocked her, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. His heart twisted and his own throat constricted. Not with tears, but with determination. No way in hell would those bastards take Serena and their baby again. He took a deep breath and took her arm. “Come on, shouldn’t be far to town now. We need to get off this path.”
* * *
About an hour later, they arrived at the hotel on the outskirts of a small village called Torina. Noah went into the lobby to check in while Serena and the baby stayed hidden outside.
“Welcome to Hotel Dourdane,” the clerk behind the desk said when he walked in. “How may I assist you, sir?”
“Reservation for Kelso. Lee Kelso,” Noah said. “It’s pre-paid.”
“Ah, yes,” the clerk said, typing on his keyboard. “We were expecting you yesterday, Mr. Kelso.”
“Yeah, I had some travel delays.” He scanned the lobby, looking for anyone suspicious, but there wasn’t anyone else there. Thank God for small mercies. “Is that a problem?”
“No, sir,” the clerk said, printing up some paperwork for him to sign. “The cleaning staff will prepare the room now for you.”
Once Noah had signed off, the clerk handed him two key cards and directions to his room. “Give them a few minutes, please, sir. I’ll text you when the room is ready.”
“Thanks.” He stopped by the vending machines near the entrance and got a couple of cans of soda and some chips, then headed back outside to where Serena and Gracie were waiting behind the dumpsters. “Okay. They’re getting the room ready now. I’m going to walk the perimeter of the property to make sure it’s secure. You wait here for me.”
“I don’t want to stay by myself,” she said, bouncing the now wide-awake and squirming baby in her arms. “Besides, walking calms Gracie down. Why don’t we come with you? Isn’t it safer to stick together?”
Noah scowled. It was, but he wasn’t used to having company on his patrols. “Fine. But stick close and keep quiet.”
Serena gave him a quick salute, then moved beside him through the shadows. Thankfully, the walk around the hotel was quick and nothing stood out as a problem. He still hadn’t gotten notification that the room was ready and he wanted to avoid running into any nosy housekeepers who might be able to identify him or Serena later, so they took a seat out back in a small walled garden behind the hotel. The last streaks of sun colored the sky in deep pinks and purples and a few stars twinkled overhead. It was still warm and humid, but there was a nice breeze blowing to cool them off.
Serena took a seat on a stone bench, unwrapping Gracie and laying her on her lap while she pulled up her top to breastfeed. “Who’s mommy’s good girl, huh? Who is it? Yes, it’s you, baby girl. Yes, it is.”
Noah found himself drawn to the crooning like a sailor to a siren. “She doing okay?”
“She’s fine,” Serena said, looking up at him as Gracie latched on for her feeding. “Babies are more resilient than you think.”
“Here.” He cracked open a can of soda and handed it to her, along with one of the bags of chips. “Thought you might
