me shortly, almost as soon as the sky was clear.
"Kaylee," he called, barging into the room. I got up from the couch, knowing I was pale and trembling. I was in his arms before I could take a second breath.
Owen held me tight against his chest, his heart pounding wildly. I held onto him like he was the only solid thing in my world, a strong rock to hold onto among the swirling sands. He kept his arms around me, but looked down, releasing me slightly to brush a stray strand of hair from my face.
"You're sure you're okay?"
"If either of you asks me that again, I will hit you," I said, glancing toward Dean. He sat protectively by the door, a lion guarding his den. "Look, I made you both some dinner. I don't want to talk about what happened right now. I just want to eat."
The two men shared a glance and nodded. I knew the smells coming from the kitchen were intoxicating. Once I had hung up with Owen, I had dived into my cooking. It was something that required my concentration and allowed me to distance myself from what had just happened. I wasn't ready to deal with it yet.
Owen put on a smile, his face attempting to convince his brain that everything was okay. "What did you make? It smells wonderful."
"Cheeseburger Pie, a salad, and cookies." I motioned them both to the table and brought out a steaming casserole dish.
"What's cheeseburger pie? I don't think I've ever heard of it," Owen said, eying the baking dish in my hands.
"It's basically meatloaf with mashed potatoes and lots and lots of cheese. I had to improvise on the salad a little bit, but I think it came out pretty good. I'll put the cookies in the oven in just a couple minutes so they'll come out warm when we want to eat them." I smiled at the two men.
It was so much easier to just pretend that nothing had happened. I didn't want that afternoon to be real, so I chose not to think about it. I knew that I was going to have to face it eventually, but I didn't want to do it right this minute. I wanted to pretend, just for a little while, that everything was normal and things were going to work out the way they should. I just wanted to forget.
We ate quietly as the sun began to sink and the world turned dark. I put the dishes in the sink and we sat on the couches eating cookies, only making small-talk. When the cookies were gone, Dean volunteered to do dishes. I watched as Owen turned his phone on, which was bizarre because he never had his phone turned off. It immediately chirped at him and he went into the next room to work on it.
I sat on the couch. The room dipped into darkness as night fell across the city. For the first time since I was a small child, the dark made me nervous. I was sure every noise in the hallway was Roger trying to sneak back in. Every creak of the giant building made me feel sure that something terrible was about to happen.
I ran around the room, turning on every light I could find, but it didn't get rid of the fear. Owen came out and sat beside me on the couch, trying his best to be strong and comforting. I knew I was jumping at shadows, but that didn't make me any less stressed out.
A key slid into the door and the handle moved. I froze, but the door didn't unlock. A panic swept through me. I knew it was Roger coming back to take his revenge on the three of us. Would he be armed this time? Owen looked at me, his face going pale. Dean moved to the door like a hunting cat, opening it like he was expecting to jump on his prey.
A very startled businessman looked up at Dean with wide eyes, his hand holding the keycard in midair. "I must have the wrong room! So sorry!" he yelped, quickly scurrying out from under Dean's predatory gaze. Dean watched him disappear down the hall before closing the door.
"I'll be right outside if you need me," he said softly, knowing that Owen and I needed to talk. I waited until the door clicked shut before speaking.
"I can't stay here." I could feel a tear trickling down my cheek. I hated being afraid. "I want to go home."
Owen's brows furrowed. "Are you sure? We could get another hotel?'
"I know he would just find us again. Besides, we're supposed to have dinner with him tomorrow night. His father is the man you are here to see. I'm so sorry, Owen, but I can't stay here."
"Kaylee, I don't know what to do here. I want to do my job, but I want to make sure you are safe. You are more important to me, but I want to make sure that's really what you want."
"I know this contract is important to you Owen. I never meant to make things complicated-"
Owen cut me off before I could finish the sentence. "This is not your fault, Kaylee. Rashid is a jerk and if his father can't see past that to do business then he is an idiot."
I smiled, glad that Owen would be on my side no matter what.
"Owen, this place is your life. Not mine. I don't like it here. The sun, the sand, the foreignness of everything, the constant threat of Roger-- it just makes it clearer and clearer that I don't belong here."
"Maybe next time-" Owen started, but I cut him off this time.
"There will be no next time, Owen. I won't come back here."
Owen went quiet. If I never came back here, then that meant he would spend weeks here alone. We couldn't be together. Thoughts and pain flitted across his face like shadows across the sand dunes.
"I'll take you home, then," he said finally. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Chapter 19