Gone Too Deep by Katie Ruggle

door. Lou did a double take.
    â€œWhoa. You’re much shorter than I initially thought. I’m not taller than a lot of people, but you actually make me feel vertically superior.”
    Although Ellie was still shaky, Lou’s easy, joking manner calmed her, allowing her to answer almost lightly. “Heels. Well, a lack thereof. How’d you know what room I was in?” She worried that her key grab hadn’t been so stealthy after all.
    â€œWe were headed toward where your rental car was parked, but then Eagle-Eye Callum saw you go into this one.” Lou eyed her appraisingly, stepping into the motel room so the door could close behind her. “This is much better. You don’t look like you’re going to slip, fall into a snowbank, and freeze to death now.”
    The conversation was so normal and practical that it made what had happened with Joseph seem almost unreal. She opened her mouth to blurt out the whole terrifying story, but she changed her mind. At the coffee shop, it had seemed like Lou and Joseph were friends. Lou barely knew her. What if Lou didn’t believe her? Would she go back on her promise to take her to talk to George? Panic flashed through her. George was her only option now for finding her dad. She couldn’t risk it.
    Lou was looking at her quizzically, so Ellie forced a smile. “Good. I was going for that exact look.”
    â€œDo you have a hat?”
    â€œOh!” At the reminder, Ellie hurried to the Screaming Moose bag. “I do. Several, in fact, of varying degrees of warmth.” She pulled out a cute beanie, along with a pair of gloves. Tugging on the hat, she turned back to Lou. “What do you think?”
    â€œPerfect.” Lou grinned. “Although you might want to lose the price tag.”
    â€œOops.” She hurried to her suitcase. As she crouched next to it, digging for her toiletry bag—which held her nail clippers—there was another knock on the door, making Ellie freeze again. Lou looked through the peephole before swinging open the door.
    â€œDid you miss me already?” she asked.
    â€œWhat’s the holdup?” Callum sounded grumpy. Relieved that it wasn’t Joseph, Ellie turned back to her search.
    â€œWe just need to do some tag removal, and then we’ll be ready to go.” Lou didn’t sound fazed by her boyfriend’s tone. “We have plenty of time.”
    He responded with a wordless grumble. Ellie raised her head, blowing aside the tag that dangled in front of her eyes to see him striding toward her, knife in hand. With a squeak of alarm, she shifted away. For the second time that day, she lost her balance and tipped onto her backside. Her tailbone throbbed in protest.
    Ignoring her uncoordinated retreat, Callum reached for her head, snagging the tag and slicing it off her hat with a quick jerk of his knife. Her realization of what he’d intended was quickly followed by a hot rush of embarrassment at her overreaction. He was just so very large and grim looking, and she wasn’t used to the type of men who carried weapons on a daily basis. Plus, she was still on edge from her encounter with Joseph.
    â€œAny more?” he asked, still brandishing the knife, and Ellie silently held out her left hand, where a white square dangled at her wrist. Once he sliced it off her glove, he offered his free hand to help her off the floor.
    â€œI think that’s it,” she said, brushing off her seat in a nervous gesture. Barbara, the woman at the Screaming Moose, had removed most of the tags for her. Just to make sure, she did a slow-motion twirl before giving Lou a questioning look.
    â€œIf you’re tagged anywhere else, it’s hidden.” Lou pulled open the door. “Ready?”
    Ellie started to follow, but stopped and belatedly turned to Callum. “Thank you.”
    He acknowledged her thanks with a brisk nod as he put away his knife and ushered both women