Page 36 of Striker
Delight swirled in her belly.
He brought their joined fingers to her lips. “I’m taking you back to our hotel, where you can sleep.”
“Okay.” She wanted to ask a million other questions—among them, what would happen to her when Atlas had to leave?
She couldn’t go there right now. She let her head fall back against the seat and closed her eyes. For now, she was with Atlas, and this was the only place she wanted to be.
He’d offered, but Molly had insisted she didn’t want a shower or a bath. He hadn’t been thinking, goddammit. She was surely traumatized.
When they’d gotten to the hotel, he’d gone straight to the front desk and rented another room for privacy. He wanted Molly to have her own space—with him.
He glanced over at her sleeping form next to him on the bed. At least she’d changed into dry clothes. It’d taken her a while to pass out. After watching her toss and turn for several minutes, he’d checked on her and she’d asked him to lie with her.
After he’d changed into jogging pants and taken off his shirt, he’d forced himself to get under the covers. Despite the fury and adrenaline coursing through him, he’d held her so she could rest. In minutes she’d fallen asleep.
He couldn’t, though. Not yet.
Not until he put Rex six feet under.
Hell, he couldn’t even do that because their instructions were to capture the bastard alive.
He checked his phone. Still no word from Havoc, Wraith, or Reaper. Which meant they’d either found Harry and were persuading him to talk or hadn’t located him yet.
Rogue and Viper had taken the guy in the silver sedan waiting outside Molly’s apartment. He’d received a text from Viper twenty minutes ago. They’d brought the guy to an empty field to beat information out of him.
Molly moaned in her sleep.
He tucked his phone under his pillow and swept his hand up and down her back. But she didn’t stop.
Her eyelids fluttered in the moonlight streaming through the curtains. Her brow furrowed. “No. No.” She gasped as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Molly,” he said softly, jostling her a little.
Her eyes sprang open and she inhaled sharply, lifting her head.
“Hey, it’s me. You’re okay. I’m right here.” He tucked her hair behind her ear.
She sighed and lowered her head back down. “I’m sorry if I woke you.” She ran her hand up his bicep.
“Nope, just lyin’ here.”
“You haven’t slept?”
“I slept earlier.”
She snuggled closer. “I owe you a thank-you. Not just for coming to help me, but for everything. You saved me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead.”
He brushed his fingers over her hair, combing back the strands. “You don’t need to thank me, Molly.”
Especially since she’d almost died the minute he left her. He’d been so focused on finding Rex and getting revenge that he’d underestimated the man. Hadn’t thought he’d have the ambition to find her.
Damn, he’d been wrong. So wrong. And Molly had suffered because of him.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, her sweet voice entering his thoughts.
He smiled. “I was thinking you need more sleep.”
She rose onto her elbow. “I must have had a solid power nap because I’m not even tired.”
