“I had Mallory.”
“Who you took care of, all the time. You were alone.”
My eyes got big. I couldn’t believe Amanda said that.
She wasn’t finished. “I loved Mallory. I did. And I loved the group we had, all four of us, but you were my friend. I took care of her when you left. I did it for you. Mallory’s never taken care of you back. It’s always been one-sided, and I think you were just grateful she allowed that. So yes, Emma, you were alone until we became friends.”
I opened my mouth.
“And I haven’t left you now either. I know I’m roommates with Theresa. I know she’s taken me under her wing and I’ll always be grateful, but you are my best friend. You are my sister. That’s how it is, so even though I don’t approve of whatever you’re about to do, I’m still with you. I’m here. I’m with you.”
She ended it with a dramatic nod.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Her eyebrow arched up.
“Let’s go find Carter then.”
And she gestured for me to take the lead.
So I did.
A large group stumbled past the hallway to one end. I went the other.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Amanda and I looked all over the hotel. They could’ve been anywhere, but just as we began to head back in defeat, I saw some big muscle-bound guys at the end of one hallway. It was where the larger suites were located. I touched Amanda’s arm. “Let’s go to my office quick. I have a master key that’ll let us in.”
An eyebrow went up. “You think we’ll have to break into a room?”
“No. That’s why I’m getting the master.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “You go. I’ll stay in case they leave.”
“Okay.” I hurried off, but when I returned there was no Amanda. The guys were still there. Their hands were inside their suit jackets and a bulge was underneath, as if they were holding their guns close. I started forward. I could go into the suite beside that one. It was empty and I knew the patio was right next door. If I couldn’t hear through the walls, I would have to try the patio. As I started forward, my heart pounding in my ears, a hand wrapped around my arm and I was lifted backwards.
Before I could scream, a hand muffled it. My eyes got big. I couldn’t fight back. It happened so quick, but I was shuffled into a different room. There were guys everywhere. Mike. Thomas. These were Carter’s guys. Sagging in whoever had a firm grip on me, I didn’t fight as I was carried into another adjourning room and then dumped on a bed. Amanda gave me a shaky grin from the bed beside it. She was rubbing her head, but her eyes flitted up and locked on whoever had been holding me. Color warmed her cheeks before she jerked her gaze away.
Frowning, I looked up and froze. It was the guy from Carter’s photograph. The scary one. The one with the scar that ran horizontally over his forehead. He was glaring down at me, even more intimidating in person than over the image. If I didn’t know he worked for Carter, I would’ve been sure my life was done.
I rasped out, “Where’s Carter?”
“Where do you think?” he grunted back, going back to the other room.
As he left us alone, I asked Amanda, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck this time. “He grabbed you too, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She grimaced. “It was more shocking than anything. Who is he?”
“He works for Carter.”
“I work with Carter.” He had returned, his hostility barely in check. Raking me from head to toe, I felt as if he could read my thoughts and felt all the nerves inside of me. It was disconcerting. Carter did that as well, but it was more from him. This guy made me feel violated. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back.
A small smile flitted over his face. It was gone as quick as it appeared and I wondered if I’d even seen it in the first place. Maybe I was searching for a sign of friendliness? Either way, his silent stare wasn’t helping Carter at all. I demanded, “Where is he?”
“He is in a meeting.”
“I know. Where?”
The guy went to the window and peered out.
“It’s none of your bus-”
“Gene.” A guy poked his head in the room. Grim. “It started.”
This was Gene?
Grabbing a gun that’d been on a table, he held a radio in his other hand and rushed from the room. All the guys except Mike followed after him. When he stopped in our room and gave me a tentative grin, I sighed. He didn’t know it, but I wasn’t going to let him baby-sit me.
He caught the defiant look from me, but took his post by the door.
“What’s going on?” Amanda sat on my bed. She kept wringing her hands together in her lap. “What if Theresa comes and looks for us? You don’t think she’s going to walk into that, do you?”
Theresa was the least of my worries at that moment. Standing up, I went to press my ear against the wall behind us.
“What are you doing?”
I waved her off. I couldn’t hear if she talked. But it didn’t matter. I still couldn’t hear much. So I grabbed a glass from the coffee station and pressed it against the wall. I heard a little bit more. Shouting. Cursing. The sound of someone getting hit. Then I heard someone say, “You’re going to die, Carter Reed.”
That was all I needed.
I ran from the room into the middle one and darted for the patio. They were close enough so I could climb over, but as soon as I stepped foot outside, a guy from the adjourning patio barked, “Hey!”
I wavered. My heart was pounding. The blood was rushing to my head, but I couldn’t get that voice out of my head. Carter was in danger.
“Emma,” Mike hissed from the room. He jerked his hand inside. “Get back here.”
I couldn’t. The guy already saw me and had his gun drawn. I had no other choice except to climb the patio. If I darted back inside, he’d follow. Mike and Amanda would be in danger, so with my chest tight, I started to climb over. The other guy grabbed me around the waist and carried me inside.
My heart stopped when we got there.
Carter was on the floor. Blood was all over him and as he raised his head, he paled when he saw me. His skin was already sickly white and one of his eyes was swollen shut. His nose looked broken, but when he started to rise, a guy delivered a swift kick to his side. He fell back down, holding his arms over his ribs for protection. It was minimal. The guy kicked him some more and a third clipped Carter underneath his chin. His head reared back and his entire body flipped over from that last hit.
“Who you took care of, all the time. You were alone.”
My eyes got big. I couldn’t believe Amanda said that.
She wasn’t finished. “I loved Mallory. I did. And I loved the group we had, all four of us, but you were my friend. I took care of her when you left. I did it for you. Mallory’s never taken care of you back. It’s always been one-sided, and I think you were just grateful she allowed that. So yes, Emma, you were alone until we became friends.”
I opened my mouth.
“And I haven’t left you now either. I know I’m roommates with Theresa. I know she’s taken me under her wing and I’ll always be grateful, but you are my best friend. You are my sister. That’s how it is, so even though I don’t approve of whatever you’re about to do, I’m still with you. I’m here. I’m with you.”
She ended it with a dramatic nod.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Her eyebrow arched up.
“Let’s go find Carter then.”
And she gestured for me to take the lead.
So I did.
A large group stumbled past the hallway to one end. I went the other.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Amanda and I looked all over the hotel. They could’ve been anywhere, but just as we began to head back in defeat, I saw some big muscle-bound guys at the end of one hallway. It was where the larger suites were located. I touched Amanda’s arm. “Let’s go to my office quick. I have a master key that’ll let us in.”
An eyebrow went up. “You think we’ll have to break into a room?”
“No. That’s why I’m getting the master.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “You go. I’ll stay in case they leave.”
“Okay.” I hurried off, but when I returned there was no Amanda. The guys were still there. Their hands were inside their suit jackets and a bulge was underneath, as if they were holding their guns close. I started forward. I could go into the suite beside that one. It was empty and I knew the patio was right next door. If I couldn’t hear through the walls, I would have to try the patio. As I started forward, my heart pounding in my ears, a hand wrapped around my arm and I was lifted backwards.
Before I could scream, a hand muffled it. My eyes got big. I couldn’t fight back. It happened so quick, but I was shuffled into a different room. There were guys everywhere. Mike. Thomas. These were Carter’s guys. Sagging in whoever had a firm grip on me, I didn’t fight as I was carried into another adjourning room and then dumped on a bed. Amanda gave me a shaky grin from the bed beside it. She was rubbing her head, but her eyes flitted up and locked on whoever had been holding me. Color warmed her cheeks before she jerked her gaze away.
Frowning, I looked up and froze. It was the guy from Carter’s photograph. The scary one. The one with the scar that ran horizontally over his forehead. He was glaring down at me, even more intimidating in person than over the image. If I didn’t know he worked for Carter, I would’ve been sure my life was done.
I rasped out, “Where’s Carter?”
“Where do you think?” he grunted back, going back to the other room.
As he left us alone, I asked Amanda, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck this time. “He grabbed you too, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She grimaced. “It was more shocking than anything. Who is he?”
“He works for Carter.”
“I work with Carter.” He had returned, his hostility barely in check. Raking me from head to toe, I felt as if he could read my thoughts and felt all the nerves inside of me. It was disconcerting. Carter did that as well, but it was more from him. This guy made me feel violated. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back.
A small smile flitted over his face. It was gone as quick as it appeared and I wondered if I’d even seen it in the first place. Maybe I was searching for a sign of friendliness? Either way, his silent stare wasn’t helping Carter at all. I demanded, “Where is he?”
“He is in a meeting.”
“I know. Where?”
The guy went to the window and peered out.
“It’s none of your bus-”
“Gene.” A guy poked his head in the room. Grim. “It started.”
This was Gene?
Grabbing a gun that’d been on a table, he held a radio in his other hand and rushed from the room. All the guys except Mike followed after him. When he stopped in our room and gave me a tentative grin, I sighed. He didn’t know it, but I wasn’t going to let him baby-sit me.
He caught the defiant look from me, but took his post by the door.
“What’s going on?” Amanda sat on my bed. She kept wringing her hands together in her lap. “What if Theresa comes and looks for us? You don’t think she’s going to walk into that, do you?”
Theresa was the least of my worries at that moment. Standing up, I went to press my ear against the wall behind us.
“What are you doing?”
I waved her off. I couldn’t hear if she talked. But it didn’t matter. I still couldn’t hear much. So I grabbed a glass from the coffee station and pressed it against the wall. I heard a little bit more. Shouting. Cursing. The sound of someone getting hit. Then I heard someone say, “You’re going to die, Carter Reed.”
That was all I needed.
I ran from the room into the middle one and darted for the patio. They were close enough so I could climb over, but as soon as I stepped foot outside, a guy from the adjourning patio barked, “Hey!”
I wavered. My heart was pounding. The blood was rushing to my head, but I couldn’t get that voice out of my head. Carter was in danger.
“Emma,” Mike hissed from the room. He jerked his hand inside. “Get back here.”
I couldn’t. The guy already saw me and had his gun drawn. I had no other choice except to climb the patio. If I darted back inside, he’d follow. Mike and Amanda would be in danger, so with my chest tight, I started to climb over. The other guy grabbed me around the waist and carried me inside.
My heart stopped when we got there.
Carter was on the floor. Blood was all over him and as he raised his head, he paled when he saw me. His skin was already sickly white and one of his eyes was swollen shut. His nose looked broken, but when he started to rise, a guy delivered a swift kick to his side. He fell back down, holding his arms over his ribs for protection. It was minimal. The guy kicked him some more and a third clipped Carter underneath his chin. His head reared back and his entire body flipped over from that last hit.
