Free Secrets That Kill by Colleen Helme

Red rose petals were spread along the floor to the jetted tub over a lush rug. Wow, did I ever want to take a bath in there.
    I turned back to the living room and found Ramos out on the balcony talking on his phone. While he was occupied, I rounded the corner to find the other bathroom. It was marble too, but didn’t have a shower or tub, only a sink and separate toilet. It looked like I’d have to share the shower, but that was probably all, and it was only for one night. I could do this.
    But was it fair to make Ramos sleep on the couch when he was paying for the room? The couch wasn’t very big, and the bed was huge. On the other hand, he’d made the arrangements. He had to know he’d end up sleeping on the couch, so I couldn’t really feel too bad about that. Besides, he could have gotten two rooms.
    Feeling better, I picked up my carry-on bag and took it into the bedroom. Thank goodness I kept all my make-up in my bag, along with my toothbrush. Plus, my mother always taught me to keep an extra change of underwear for emergencies, so that was covered. I only wished I had more clothes to wear.
    The sliding door opened, and Ramos ended his call, so I hurried into the living room. “That was Manetto,” he said. “I needed to fill him in on our progress.” At my nod, he continued. “Are you hungry?”
    “Sort of,” I said, feeling more unsettled with Ramos’ close proximity than I wanted to admit. I mean seriously… we were sharing a hotel room, and he was… well… Ramos. “What do we need for tonight?”
    Ramos grabbed his bag and set it on the chair. Unzipping it, he pulled out some nicely folded black clothes, black gloves, and a black cap for me to hide my hair. “I think I have everything here we need.” He handed me a long-sleeved black shirt. “Your jeans are dark enough, and I don’t think your shoes will matter that much.”
    I glanced at my gray running shoes with the purple stripes. “Um… yeah,” I agreed. “They’re dark enough they should be fine.”
    “We’ve got lots of time before we hit the restaurant. Why don’t we go grab some food and get you anything you might need for the night?” He was thinking I probably didn’t have pajamas, or whatever else a woman needed to survive, so we might as well get it now.
    “Okay,” I said. “Just let me fix my hair and I’ll be ready to go.” I hurried into the bathroom and pulled off the pink t-shirt, straightened my white one, and then ran a comb through my hair. After putting on some lip-gloss, I was ready.
    “You don’t think I need my hair-hat anymore do you?” I asked Ramos.
    “No. I’m sure you’ll be fine without it.”
    We drove in companionable silence until we came to a Walmart, and I begged Ramos to stop. “This will work great for getting what I need to survive,” I explained.
    Ramos pursed his lips at my use of his thoughts, and pulled into the parking lot.
    “You can stay in the car if you like,” I said sweetly. I didn’t really want him hovering over me while I bought the necessary toiletries. He was thinking that was a good idea, as long as I didn’t take too long. “I’ll be quick,” I promised. He grunted and I hurried inside.
    I looked through the pajamas first, happy to find a set with an oversized t-shirt and capri-length bottoms, knowing it was important to keep my modesty just in case I ran into Ramos in the room with them on. No need to tempt fate.
    Nearby, I found a table with swimming suits on sale and sighed, remembering the amazing pool at the hotel. I could probably go for a swim in the morning before we left if I had a suit. I quickly rummaged through them until finding a one-piece in my size. It wasn’t the cutest in the bunch, but it had a halter top that I knew couldn’t expose too much of me like some of the others. I never bought a swimming suit without trying it on first, but because I was in a hurry, I had to make an exception this time. For that pool, it was worth it.
    Next, I