Page 120 of Born for Starlight

He nodded. “And then Mom came.”

“So, you see, it might have been really bad, but it was so beautiful, too. You and the others made it beautiful.”

“So, you won’t have any more nightmares?”

“No more nightmares,” I lied.

“Good. Because I only want the best things for you, Angel.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I dropped my duffel on the carpet in the Whispering Pines suite. It was so much better than the LeeHy Motel. I was betting that I could tell the difference in the way the sheets felt, too.

I spun around with my gun in my hand at the first knock.

What the hell?

Calm the fuck down, Grainger. The bad guys don’t knock.

“Hello?” I yelled out before walking to the door.

“Room service.”

“Already?”

For fuck’s sake, you’re in Jasper Creek, go answer the goddamn door.

I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. A young woman was holding up a bottle of Blanton’s.

Perfect.

I opened the door and pulled out my wallet.

She looked at me for a long moment. I must have looked like hell. “Are you okay, mister? We can get a doctor if you need one.”

I took the bourbon from her hand. “This will do.” I handed her a fifty.

She looked at the bill. “This is too much.”

Small towns.

“Take it. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”

I forced a smile. “I’m fine. But thanks for worrying. And you can tell the front desk I need an eight o’clock wake-up call.”

“Don’t you have a phone for that?”

I just stared at her.

“Okay, I’ll have them call you. Thanks for the tip.” She turned to leave but then turned back. “You should really have some food with that. Or at least drink a lot of water.”

This time I really smiled.

“I promise to drink a lot of water.”

She smiled back at me, then turned and walked away. I shut the door and put the bottle on the coffee table, where I would leave it for the night. After all that, I’d lost my taste for bourbon. I’d really wanted a few shots and a good night’s sleep before calling Angelica in the morning. I needed sleep.