Witness

6| Motel

"It's fine. We're almost there anyway. Speaking of, just so you're aware, we will be sharing a room tonight. The first night can be the most dangerous without your new identity, and I can't protect you if I'm too far away."

Normally, I'd be much more freaked out to be spending the night with such an attractive and intimidating man, but my poor, emotional brain latched onto one word and one word only: dangerous.

My eyes went wide as I stared at him. "You think tonight's going to be dangerous?!" I squeaked out.

Jaxon quickly looked at me, his expression shifting to a look I didn't recognize before answering. "No, Emery... I'm sorry. I just meant, we can't be too careful tonight."

"Oh... right. That's fine," I said, not that he had asked; he more so informed me. I'm not sure how most people acted in this kind of situation, but I was pretty sure I wasn't handling it well.

Soon after, Jax pulled into a motel a little ways off the highway. There weren't many cars in the parking lot, and the entire place looked sort of vacant. Not all letters on their sign were lit up, and gusts of wind were blowing up dust from the dirt parking lot. The entire scene of this motel looked eerie and quiet, and honestly, it gave me the spooks. Jaxon, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed by its disheveled appearance.

"Okay. I'm going to go get the room key," he said while unclipping his seat belt. "Stay here where it's warm, and I'll be right back."

I knew it wouldn't take him long, but the thought of being left alone in this car, in a creepy motel parking lot, and feeling as emotionally exhausted as I did, horrified me; I couldn't sit here alone. He opened the door and stepped out.

"Wait, Jaxon!" I said in a voice I didn't quite recognize as my own. "Can I... can I please come with you?"

He blinked at me and cleared his throat before speaking. "Um... no. You're really not supposed to. You shouldn't be seen by any civilians between now and your new identity; Besides, it's safe here. We weren't being followed, the truck will be locked, and there aren't any customers around."

My heart pounded. It made sense, but I didn't like it. "Oh... okay. Please be fast then?" I said trying, and failing, to not sound as needy as I felt.

He gave me a sharp nod and closed the door. The silence was instant and it was consuming. I placed my head in my hands and watched Jaxon start towards the motel. Flashes of the crime played in my brain, and I let out a silent sob. The further away he got from me, the more uneasy I felt. At this rate, I felt I'd have a full on panic attack by the time he would return.

Just then, Jaxon stopped in his tracks, ran a hand through his hair, and started back towards the truck. It was almost like he had heard my cry, although I knew that was impossible. I quickly wiped my tears away just as he opened my door.

"Okay, you can come. But stay by me and try not to say much," he said; his tone sharp and commanding.

"Thank you," I half whispered while he backed up to give me room to hop out. I slid to the edge of the seat and jumped down, but my knees buckled and almost gave out when I landed. All the adrenaline and shaking had left me feeling weaker than I thought, and being in a car for several hours didn't help. I nearly collapsed when Jaxon seized me around the waist, holding me up. I reflexively reached out, latching on to his muscular forearms as he caught me.

"Woah, hey... you okay?" He asked, his ice blue eyes piercing mine. He had a faint sheen of sweat covering his forehead from the hot temperature in the car, and I could feel the muscles in his biceps work to place me back on my feet. His tone betrayed his hard exterior, and concern shined through for the first time since we met.