Free Wanderlust by Heather C. Hudak Page B

call me Balty,” he replied, offering his hand to Eli in return. “And, might I say, either you’re a complete fool or you’re head-over-heels in love with this girl. You know what I am--at least I think you do--yet you were still willing to take me on to protect her. Good man.”
    Eli looked down shyly. He smoothed a hand across the back of his head and ruffled the hair at the nape of his neck. At first, I thought he was trying to decide if he should take a shot at Balthazar, but then I heard him chuckle.
    “You’ve got my number, buddy,” Eli laughed. It was a deep, throaty sound that lifted the dark mood. “I’m both a fool, and I’m in love with her.”
    It was the first time I heard him say the words out loud, and it had a strange effect. I knew he had feelings for me, but I had never contemplated their depth. I felt the color rise in my cheeks, and I averted my eyes. Suddenly, my shoes were the most fascinating thing in the world.
    “And, Chaseyn’s okay with this?” Balthazar asked, pointing his question at me instead of Eli. I still felt too awkward to reply, so Eli stepped in.
    “You bet. In fact, he practically forced me to come on this trip…not that it took much convincing.”
    He winked at me. I hated when he did that. It always made my knees a tad bit weak.
    “If Chaseyn trusts you with his girl, you must be a pretty decent guy.”
    I’d had about all I could take of their little sharing circle--talking about me like I wasn‘t even there.
    “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing more I would like to do than stand here all night watching you boys bond, but I have to ask…where’s Addie?” I posed the question to Eli.
    “She took a cab back to the hostel to change. I told her to meet us out front in 30 minutes,” Eli explained. “That gives us about 22 minutes to get to know each other a bit better and to come up with a cover before she gets back.”
    “That should give us just enough time to work out the finer points of how this is all going to shake down,” Balthazar said more to himself than to either of us. And, I couldn’t help but wonder what was up with all of his cryptic murmurings.
     

Chapter 9 - Bedtime Stories
    Eli and I looked at each other with wide eyes, confusion clear on both of our faces. Neither one of us knew what to do--make a break for it, or hear him out.
    “We should really get going,” I tried again to make my exit, grabbing Eli by the arm and turning toward the door. My effort was in vain, because before we could even take a step, Balthazar was once again blocking the door with his brawny chest, shaking his head from side-to-side to indicate his displeasure at our gesture.
    “Let’s go inside,” he said, taking my free arm and ushering me through the door. His calm demeanor suddenly changed to one of a brewing storm.
    The loud buzz of music that had been muffled by the sound-proof exterior of the building was brought back to life the minute we stepped inside. Never letting go of my arm to be certain that I could not escape, Balthazar pulled back a beaded curtain and ducked through the narrow entryway, tugging me hastily behind. I maintained my grip on Eli. I could tell by the look on his face that he felt like he should be doing more to protect me from what seemed like a harmless situation gone bad. Fear. That was the look he had, though he was trying hard to hide it. I was fairly certain that the look on my face mirrored his.
    We walked at a rapid pace for a long while down a dimly lit corridor, all the time, Balthazar pulling roughly on my arm. In my effort to keep up, I stumbled over a rough patch in the stone floor, and Eli sidestepped quickly top avoid tripping over me. Tears stung my eyes as Balthazar tugged me back to my feet. I was in pain from the bruising he was causing to my arm, and now there were scrapes on my knees as well.
    The ground was sloping downward, and the lighting changed from electric bulbs to candlelit sconces. We were moving