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I hugged the pillow tighter. “I didn’t mention Hirschheim.” And the earlier panic deepened. Had they gone through my belongings in the car when they’d found me? Except, they’d said they found no ID. What about the demonic monster who’d attacked me? I studied the empty table. There was no sign of my phone or wallet.
“Take a seat, sweetheart,” Jax said, still reclining in his seat, and it annoyed me that he slouched while I felt so cornered.
What exactly were they expecting from me? “I need to make a phone call,” I said.
Tatum sat at the end of the bed and pointed to the phone on the wall near the bathroom door. “It’s all yours.”
I stared at them at first, waiting for them to rip it out of the wall or something, but I took a step forward, then another. No one stepped in my way. Jax smirked, as if the scene were hilarious. Yeah, so funny I couldn’t stop laughing.
I picked up the receiver and dialed home, then turned and put my back to the wall, watching the strangers.
“Hello,” Jana answered. “Holler residence.”
“Jana, it’s me, Nickie. And—”
“Nickie, are you all right? We’ve all been so worried. Britta won’t stop crying.”
“I’m okay.” My heart hurt at hearing Britta’s agony. “The car broke down and some nice men helped me to Ringsted. I’m staying in a motel.” I lowered the receiver from my mouth, getting Tatum’s attention. “What’s this place called? Is there a number?”
Tatum picked up the brochure from near the bedside table and handed it to me. I read out the address and cabin unit written on the paper in red ink. Now someone knew where I was in case I was murdered. Sure, they could have planted the brochure to trick me, but how would they know I’d want to call home? Nope, that was allowing my mind to go into crazy paranoia mode.
The phone line crackled with static. “That is wonderful news. You will have to stay there the night. A big storm has come in fast and it’s too risky to travel.”
“No, it should be fine. Can you ring up Manuel and ask him to pick me up tonight please?”
“Oh, no, girl. We have to wait for the storm to pass. Too dangerous.”
I sighed, hating this whole situation. “What about Jakob, our client? Maybe he can help me? Would you track down his number for me from Manuel please?”
Jana sighed. “While we were worrying about you, Jakob rang to say he left for a holiday. He’s not there.”
Oh, great! I was stuck in a weird kind of hell with three handsome guys! Were they going to torture me with their sexiness? God, could I sound any dorkier? Yep, and my no-dating policy had turned me into a horndog around gorgeous men. “Can I speak with my sister?”
Seconds later, Britta sniffled on the phone. “Nickie, where are you? You promised you’d be back, but you didn’t come.”
My soul shredded, and I turned my back to the men, lowering my voice. “Take a deep breath. It’s okay. It’s not safe to return home tonight in this weather. But I’ll leave in the morning.”
She cried into the phone piece.
“Please, Britta. Be strong for me.” Another crackling across the phone. “Why not show Jana the river we discovered from your window view? I bet she’d love it.”
“Already showed her,” she said, sulking.
“Remember what I said on the drive when we first came here? This is a new location, and we need to get used to changes. Wild animals. Lots of snow. And how quick storms roll in.” I refused to tell her about the car and worry her. I’d find a way to get home tomorrow. “So how about you keep Jana distracted because she told me storms scare her.”
She hummed in response, and I suspected she nodded. “I can do that. Bye.”
“Goodnight.” But she was gone, as the response came in the form of shuffling feet.
“She’ll be fine,” Jana said. “Come home only if it’s safe to do so.”
“Thank you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow if plans change.”
By the time I hung up and turned around, silence permeated the room. The three of them stared my way wearing a mixture of emotions across their expressions. Jax’s brows furrowed while Tatum held himself tightly, as if ready to jump into battle. Leven at the back of the room hadn’t shifted and looked as if nothing in the world bothered him.
“Is your sister all right?” Tatum asked.
I nodded, refusing to get into a whole discussion about my family, and eyed the door. Where would I go when I couldn’t remember the address of the client I was visiting? Plus, he wasn’t home.
