The Enemy's Son by Kristen James Page B

needed her.
    But where was Alexander? She had to concentrate to remember the night before. He had said something about where he would be, but she couldn’t remember. She wasn’t sure she even remembered going to bed.
    A hot-cold chill simmered through her, followed by Nick’s warnings. Cora jerked upright in the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. She was still dressed and didn’t feel wrong . Now she felt reckless and foolish for trusting Alexander and staying here. Anything could have happened. He could have tried… something. But everything seemed okay.
    It looked like it was still night because the room was dark, but once she got up, she realized the curtains were blocking the daylight.
    The clock read 3:30. 3:30? In the afternoon?
    She went into the bathroom, about blinding herself with the light. When she left the bathroom, she turned off that light and pulled back the curtains enough to see the hotel’s surroundings. She could see a part of the parking lot and the street it opened onto. Cars drove by. Life continued, not caring about her.
    The door opened and Alexander took one look at her and yanked the curtains shut again.
    “It’s so dark in here.” At first, she couldn’t see a thing. Then her eyes adjusted.
    “Good, that way no one will see you.” He flicked on the lamp beside the bed. “I brought lunch.” He reached into a large paper bag and removed several boxes of Chinese takeout. Her traitorous stomach growled. It seemed like she’d just eaten, but that had been the evening before. It was well past lunchtime, even if she’d slept the day away.
    “Are they still looking for me?”
    “You’d better believe it.” With the boxes open and the hotel’s plates sitting next to them, he walked to the window and peeked out where she had stood. Dressed in slacks and a black polo shirt, he looked like he was on lunch break from the office. It was the way he scanned the parking lot outside that made her think he had experience hiding out. Sneaking around. 
    She wanted to know if Nick was looking for her, if he cared enough to look for her. Even if Nick found her, however, she couldn’t be sure if he would take her back to Keith or not.
    Alexander glanced back at her. “Sit down, you need to eat.”
    She was about to argue when she decided she needed to hide from his roving eyes. He’d been relaxed yesterday, but now he seemed agitated. She watched him, thinking he might have learned something he didn’t like today. He glanced at her and his face softened.   
    “Do you feel better today?”
    He was staring at her so she nodded instead of answering. She did feel better: she wasn’t dead tired and starving anymore. Cora knew she should thank him, but decided to leave it at her sorry attempt the night before.
    He sat down across from her and they ate in silence. He had distracted her before she asked where he had been all day. Something told her it wouldn’t work to simply ask. He was brooding. She was full and picking at her food before he finished.
    “You’ve always been so . . . mean and angry. I can’t figure out why you’re helping me.” But what if he wasn’t helping her anymore? Things could have completely changed since yesterday.
    “You can’t deny that you need my help.” He spoke without emotion. Still, he didn’t say he wasn’t going to help. She wished she could read the thoughts behind his dark, cold eyes.
    Yes, she needed his help, but she was still interested in the why’s of all this. She was naturally curious about people and what made them tick, and in this case, understanding Alexander was critical to her safety and finding her father. She looked at him and said, “Why are you so bitter, and so mad at Nick?”
    He tried for a smile. “I see why you chose journalism.”
    “So?”
    He kept his face guarded and said, “Let’s just say I’ve had to try a lot harder than some people to get what I want.”
    “Harder than Nick?”
    With a snicker he said,