The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set (61 page)

He emerged from the bathroom, where he also dressed, when there was a knock at their room door. He used the peephole to determine it was the hotel wait staff bringing up a cart for their breakfast.

Bella was stirring and stretching, but at the sound of the knock, she sent him a fearful look.

“Just breakfast,” he murmured, answering the door. She nodded and slid back under the covers.

He tipped the waiter and brought the cart into the room. He’d ordered a large breakfast. They would need the energy. They had a lot to accomplish, and he didn’t know where they would be by lunch time.

“Rise and shine, Bella.”

He heard her murmur and turn his way. “Oh, how I’ve missed a real bed,” she said, sounding still very tired. He gazed at her as he began to remove the items from the cart and place everything on the table. She looked better than she had last night, just tired.

Bella pushed the covers down preparing to get up. “My bed roll was good, but I really enjoyed this bed.”

“I enjoyed getting to hold you,” he confessed. His heart lurched in his chest when she blushed. God, he took that for a good sign. He’d win her trust back, he vowed to himself.

Bella sat up, and stretched. She was a bit embarrassed by her reaction to Blaze. Yes, he had hurt her deeply, but she could see he was trying, and it softened the hurt somewhat. And her night of sleep had given her perspective on his lies, or omissions rather.

“Want to eat?” he asked, pulling the cart next to the table.

“Mm-hm,” she replied finally standing and turning to face him fully.

She was a sight in his t-shirt. Her hair lay in curls about her face, and her long legs began to stride towards him. He had to look away. Her beauty, simple and classic, took his breath away amongst other reactions. He wanted to make love to her right then, but he needed her to forgive him first.

Blaze busied himself uncovering the plates to reveal his selections. He’d ordered pancakes and fresh strawberries because they missed out on their Fourth of July dessert. There was also eggs, bacon, and toast. A large carafe of coffee, water, and orange juice rounded out the meal.

“This looks great.” Bella smiled, taking a seat across from him.

“Eat up, baby. I don’t know when we will be able to stop for lunch.”

Bella had been prepared to eat, but his words sent a chill down her spine. It reminded her how precarious her situation was.

Instead of the fork she was about to pick up, she reached for the coffee instead. Blaze noticed.

“I talked with my brother, Andreas, last night.” She looked up at him startled. The fact that he hadn’t revealed their relationship to his family had bothered her more than anything. He continued. “I told him everything. He’s on board. He’s coming. All my brothers. They’ll be here in less than forty eight hours. We’ve got a plan.” He felt it best to tell her the truth.

“A plan . . . Everything?”

“Yes. Everything. And baby, I want you to know that I don’t think I’m falling in love with you Bella. I am in love with you. I told Andreas. You’re our family now. That means everything. We protect our own.”

This time Bella let the tears come and Blaze went round to her, pulling her up against him. She was like a rag doll in his arms. “Bella, my beauty, I love you. You are mine. I am yours, and we will have a future together. No one is bringing you in, no one is going to kill you. If this plan doesn’t work, but it will, I’ll keep you safe. You are not alone.”

With each word, phrase, sentence, Bella’s heart began to mend. She threw her arms around this man, whom she had rescued, who was now rescuing her. For the first time in a long time she had hope. She didn’t hold back either. Her mother’s words came to her as if she were actually speaking them.
Trust your heart.
“I love you too, Blaze. I do.”

Blaze knew they had a long way to go, but her ‘I love you’ was the only thing he needed to hear, and this time when he kissed her, he showed her just how much hearing those words from her lips meant to him.

*     *     *

They were making
good time. They had left the hotel by eight AM, and then took the rental back to the agency. Crossing the street, Blaze took Bella by the hand and they walked to another agency a short distance away. This time he rented another charger, black. He preferred the quick maneuverability of the sleek car. Gatlinburg was a nice place to hide out, but it was still too close to where they had been. He decided on Pigeon Forge. Very touristy, lots of hotels, and then a quick stop at the bank so he could get some cash, and not have to use his credit card, or ID in Pigeon Forge where it might be traced. By ten they were on their way.

It was a two hour drive through the picturesque Smoky Mountains. He handed Bella his phone and told her to find a hotel, or resort they could stay at for two days, something that gave them some privacy, and she quickly found a place. They didn’t book it though. They would be walk-ins. The Rosen Resort. It had scenic cabins, nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains away from other people, but close enough to anything they might need. It was a mile away from Dollywood, and a half mile off the main strip of tourist attractions.

It was just after noon when they drove into Pigeon Forge, and although Blaze wanted to get to the hotel, he needed to stop somewhere first. For Bella.

She had the phone in her hand, and was confused when he turned into a strip mall that contained several outlets instead of to the left which would have taken them to the resort.

She looked at him eyes questioning as he pulled out his wallet. He handed her two hundred dollars. She shook her head. “What?”

“Go into that store there. Don’t be too long. Get yourself some clothes. You can’t keep wearing that outfit. I’m going there, to get some supplies for the cabin. Thirty minutes. Spend it all Bella.”

“No, I can’t,” she protested.

“Yes, you can. Buy something pretty. I mean you already are,” he quickly added. He didn’t want her to take it the wrong way, but he knew the clothes she had purchased were meant to disguise the way she normally dressed before she went into hiding. He wanted her to feel normal again, and they would be hiding out for two days yet. She needed some things.

“Okay, but I’ll pay you back,” she replied lamely. He just leaned over to kiss her.

“You don’t have to, but if you want. Now hurry,” he added. “I don’t want to be out too long, and I don’t want to worry.”

“Okay,” she agreed, giving him one more shy kiss, and then reached for the door handle. She knew protesting would be futile. He’d take her in himself, and make her buy things, choose them for her, and she knew it was important to get out of the public eye quickly.

On the drive over the mountains he had filled her in on the plan to catch the hit men. Or what he knew so far. They would try to conduct a sting. Catching the hired hands meant they would be forced to reveal they had been hired by Vincent Roman to kill her in the hopes the boys would get minimal jail time based on reasonable doubt with her disappearance. And even if they didn’t reveal who had hired them, there would be plenty of reasonable doubt to let her go if she had to face trial, and there would be also plenty of probable cause linking Roman to the hit men. Just having the two gun men linked to Vincent Roman and then to his sons would most assuredly prove her innocence. If the boys wouldn’t reveal she was an innocent pawn, then the father would be up on charges of attempted premeditated murder. They were going for the bigger fish. It was all so terrifying to her, but Blaze kept reassuring her, this was the way to clear her name.

Bella rushed to the small boutique in the outlet mall, looking both ways in the parking lot, as Blaze watched her go. When she was safely inside, he went to the small grocers just two stores away. The resort cabin they would rent had full amenities and its own kitchen; he would need to buy staples so they could eat and stay off the roads, and streets and out of the restaurants for the two days they would wait until his brothers arrived.

Bella browsed the racks and was pleased at the prices in the small outlet store. She didn’t see any sweats and t-shirts, anything like what she had worn these last three weeks in Cherokee much to her relief. She couldn’t wait to show Blaze how she normally dressed.

This store had dresses, sundresses, blouses, and skirts, and dressy casual clothes. She quickly grabbed a purple peasant blouse. It was her favorite color. The richness of the gem colored blouse, off one shoulder look, was very similar to something she had before she ran. It had a sheen to it that made it shine, and looked cute and sophisticated, yet casual too. She found a white pair of capri leggings and snatched those up from a sale rack. She also grabbed a black pair as well. She needed another blouse, and looked through another rack, looking for something with a bit of color. She selected a print tank top, it was white, but had blue flowers and the straight cut across the chest would flatter her. It would definitely work. Next she found a pair of denim skinny jeans, and a red V-neck blouse with a splash of color in the form of a giant sunflower in yellows and oranges. She loved its vibrancy. It was nice to be able to purchase things with color, and things that didn’t disguise her either.

She then went to the back of the store for undergarments and something to sleep in although she didn’t mind wearing Blaze’s t-shirts. She looked through a display of panties and picked out three pair; white, a pale green, and then found a simple beige panty to go under the white capris. She needed bras too. She chose a simple white lace, but then stopped short when she saw a rack containing matching bra and panty sets. She grabbed a black set in her size, and a white set. The white set had the boy cut shorts, but the black set was sheer. Why not, she thought, as she threw them into her cart. She needed undergarments, and well, Blaze might like them. She blushed just thinking about it.

She found a rack of sandals and grabbed one pair. Her sneakers, what she had been wearing would be fine, they were canvas, black, and could work with what she purchased, but the sandals would be comfortable around the cabin. She chose a white pair as they would match all three outfits, and they were decorated with a few strategically placed rhinestones.

She stood behind one other girl at the checkout line, and knew she had kept her purchases well under the amount Blaze had given her, but when she saw the rack of white sundresses, she just grabbed one. The style was so simple and flowing, and understated. It would fall just above her knee and had a fitted bodice, but a flared skirt. It was adorable, so she just put that in her cart too.

She was more than satisfied with her purchases, but one more last minute purchase was too good to pass up. She sorted through the small make up compact display and selected the one with the pale pink and rose combinations. It had eye makeup, blush, a small tube of mascara, and another small bottle of pink nail polish. She’d never worn much make up, just a dash, but it would be nice to feel like a girl again. And it would be an even nicer treat to paint her nails, both fingers and toes.

*     *     *

Blaze was putting
the bags of groceries in the trunk of the car when Bella emerged from the little boutique. He was relieved to see her carrying three bags, and glad she hadn’t skimped. He didn’t want her to have to wear the same clothes over and over again. He was only too happy to allow her this little token of his love for her. She was smiling too, and it pleased him to give her this momentary little bit of independence as well, although his heart had been thudding the whole time.

“Got everything you needed?” he asked taking her bags from her and leaned in for a kiss.

“Yes, thank you.” She blushed and smiled shyly.

That smile made him curious, but he didn’t ask.

“I even have twenty dollars left.” She reached into her pocket and turned it over to him. He laughed, shaking his head.

“Bargain hunter,” he teased.

“No, well . . .” she stammered. He laughed and took her hand leading her back to the passenger side of the car.

“I’m teasing,” he joked, pulling open her door allowing her to seat herself as his eyes scanned the parking lot once more.