Like all the buildings that had been constructed in Aurora since it had been incorporated a little more than fifty-five years ago, the building that housed the Aurora Hilton Hotel looked impressively brand-new even though in comparison to some of the other establishments in the area, it wasn’t. That particular hotel had been open for business over thirty years and, like all the other establishments in the city, it prided itself on its appearance and its service.
Morgan could well understand that if Krys wanted to feel safe, this hotel, located so close to the police station, was a good place to come.
Considering how early it was and the fact that this wasn’t a weekend, the parking lot that was located closest to the hotel seemed to be rather crowded.
Not wanting to have to wait for a valet to come and park his vehicle, Morgan decided to look around for an available space that was farther away from the hotel entrance.
“Hope you don’t mind walking,” he said to Krys. The woman who had just broken up with him always complained if she had to walk even a small distance, but that was because she favored stilettos, which always seemed to hurt her feet. “I can pull up next to the entrance if you’d rather I let you off there. Just make sure the valet sees you.”
She bit back the urge to say that she didn’t need someone treating her as if she needed a sitter. Instead, she said, “Thanks, but I can walk.” The last thing she needed was to be treated as if she was some sort of hothouse flower.
Picking up her on tone, Morgan merely said, “Good to know.” He was only trying to be nice, not get into a verbal sparring match over it.
Driving down several rows, he saw a lone space that was facing the street on the passenger side. Morgan pulled his vehicle into it. After parking, he got out, then made his way around the front of his car and opened the passenger side door for Krys.
Well, at least he has been raised right, Krys thought. She had just swung her legs out of the car and was out of the vehicle when something—instinct?—made Morgan suddenly look over to his right just beyond his car.
There was a black van with a tinted windshield heading straight for Krys and it gave no indication that the driver was about to stop. Moving fast, Morgan managed to pull her out of the way just in time. He threw Krys to the ground and shielded her with his body as he covered her.
He could literally feel the wind that the speeding van generated. It rippled over him even as the sensation of her body beneath his shot right through him.
Damn, but that had been close, he thought. Morgan reproached himself for being caught off guard instead of being on the alert.
Other than the tinted windshield and windows, the van had looked like any other van in Aurora. It had gone by so fast, Morgan wasn’t able to tell if the driver had been a man or a woman.
The van was gone in less than a heartbeat—and his heart was pounding so hard, he found he was having trouble catching his breath. He knew that Krys had to be in the same boat if the way her heart was beating against his was any indication.
“You can get off me now,” Krys told him, hoping Morgan didn’t realize that the reason her heart was pounding so hard was only half because she had come so close to being hit by the van. The other half was because his body had been pressed against hers—and she found herself reacting to that. Really reacting. “I think the car’s gone,” she told Morgan, doing her best to sound gruff.
Morgan scrambled up to his knees, leaning back to look at her and quickly surveying her condition. “Are you all right?”
“I feel a lot better than if that maniac had gotten his target. I guess he’s not about to give up,” she said, trying not to give in to the fear pinching her stomach.
Morgan had gained his feet and extended his hand toward Krys to help her up. “He? Does that mean you got a look at him?”
“I forgot to put in my X-ray contact lenses this morning,” she quipped, brushing dust off her skirt. “I couldn’t see anything through those windows. I thought a tinted windshield was against the law around here,” she said, looking at Morgan.
“It is,” he confirmed. “Maybe the driver came from another city.” It was his best guess. “C’mon, let’s get you checked out of here,” he urged. “I’m going to find out if the hotel surveillance cameras caught anything that might be useful to us.” There was a glint of concern in Morgan’s green eyes. “You still up to walking?”
Rather than answer him, she just began to head toward the hotel’s entrance.
“I take that as a yes,” Morgan murmured under his breath as he quickened his pace.
When they reached the front of the hotel, they walked passed the young, slightly balding valet who looked at them and appeared properly shaken.
“Are you two guys all right?” he asked, glancing from Krys to Morgan and then back again. He appeared genuinely concerned. “That van almost hit you! You’d think people would be more careful when they’re driving, especially in a parking lot as crowded as this one is most days.”
“Did you happen to catch the license plate?” Morgan asked.
The valet shook his head, his wispy hair moving back and forth. “No, I’m afraid not. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I was too stunned to get anything but the first number. It was an 8—or maybe a 6,” he amended, embarrassed. And then he shook his
