Page 9 of Desolation

I hear voices in the hall and stay quiet until they pass.

“Mar Bar?”

The sound of my old nickname floods me with warmth. “I can’t talk long.”

The clink of ice in the background lets me know he is drinking. “Can you meet me tomorrow? I can finally take the time to look over the file you have.”

“Yes.” My reply is short and to the point. I need some damn answers.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up. Where are you staying?”

I bite my lip, not wanting to tell him where I am. “Umm, how about I meet you somewhere?”

“Traffic sucks, Mari. You don’t want to pay for a cab if you don’t have a rental. I’ll come get you.”

Shit. I didn’t think my plan through enough. I didn’t think about the fact that Dax would wonder why I wasn’t staying at some fancy hotel.

I quickly pull my phone back and find a hotel he would expect to find a senator’s wife at. “I’m at The Westgate.”

“Nice. I’ll pick you up at ten.”

“Yes, okay. Thank you, Dax.”

“Anything for you.”

I hang up the phone and breathe a sigh of relief. I hope we can figure this shit out tomorrow. I know he said it was complicated before but maybe he can make some sort of progress.

My stomach growls and I decide to head to the kitchen to get some food. I walk out of my room and shut the locked door behind me. I make it all of thirty feet before Rochelle jumps out of the communal bathroom, scaring the shit out of me.

“Ay dios mío!” I shout my hand going to my pounding chest.

She looks at me with curious green eyes. “Were you on the phone?”

Shit. I knew I should have turned on music on the old boombox in the room. “Ugh, no, I was in my room,” I recover quickly.

She squints at me. “I know. Which would be weird if you were on a phone since we aren’t supposed to have them.”

I keep walking, knowing she is going to follow me. “I had the radio on. I was singing along.”

She pulls on my arm. “Oh yeah, what station?”

I only know one radio station here so I rattle it off to her.

She looks skeptical but shrugs me off. “You getting food?”

I nod. “I figured I should eat something before I go to sleep. Haven’t eaten much today.”

“I saw you talking to Karen. She kicking you out?”

I look over at Rochelle. “Not yet. Soon though.”

“God, what a bitch! I don’t know why she just don’t let you stay.”

“I’ve outworn my welcome. Need to go to some shitty apartment, I guess.”

Rochelle knocks my shoulder with hers. “Maybe we could be roommates.”

No way I am letting that happen. “You gonna finally leave your man?” I ask with a raised brow.