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When I see them walk to their car, I stalk over to my door, opening it without knocking. Darcy looks up, her eyes wide. She smiles, but it quickly fades when she senses my urgency.
“We need to leave. Now.”
“What, Lily too?” Darcy asks, confused.
“Yes.” I keep myself half out in the hallway, my eyes on the elevator. “Fast. We need to get out of here. Where is she?”
“In the room. I’ll get her.”
I wait impatiently, alternating between standing in the doorway and checking out the window to make sure the car is gone.
“Jesus, Lily, hurry up,” I growl.
“I’m going as quickly as I can.”
Her voice trembles. But that’s nothing new. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say something without a lip quiver or a voice tremor.
“Well, go faster,” I snap. “Or I can just leave you here for Alberto to deal with.”
“Alberto is here?” she whispers, her eyes widening.
I sigh. “He was.”
She crosses her arms over her chest.
“Why?” she whispers.
“Why do you think?” I laugh. “Now is not the time to be discussing this.”
“Where’s Julian,” she says. “I’m not going anywhere until I speak with him.”
“He’s downstairs. In my car.”
“I don’t believe you.” Lily narrows her eyes at me.
I laugh, because for once I’m not full of shit.
“He is, Lily,” I say. “Trust me. He came over here to speak with you, like you wanted.”
“Come on,” Darcy snaps. She tries to grasp hold of her arm, but Lily shrugs her off.
“He’s downstairs. I promise you,” I say.
She sighs. “Fine, I’ll go, but if he is not …”“Well? Where is he?” Lily glares at me, her hand firmly on her hip, refusing to get in the car until I answer her. “You lied to get me down here? That’s low, even for you.”
I stare at the spot where Julian was sitting and laugh, then I glance at Katie, who shrugs.
“He said he had a suit fitting and would call you later,” she says uneasily.
Lily snorts. “At twelve thirty in the morning? Yeah, that sounds legit.”
I glare at her. “He is marrying into the mafia,” I remind her. “It’s not that outrageous, is it?” Lily frowns, my words instilling enough doubt in her mind to coax her into the car. “He’ll be back to talk with you. I promise.”
“Fine,” she frowns. “Where are we going in the meantime, then?”
I think about it for a second. “Back to the hotel.”
Katie’s eyes widen. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I guess we’ll find out, because it’s the only idea I’ve got.”It’s after one by the time we arrive back. The parking lot is deserted and there aren’t many people around, which makes me nervous, but I’m clinging to the hope that Alberto is assuming I wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring them back here.
I take them up to my floor, then I quickly check the hallway, before I usher them down to my room. Once we’re inside, I breathe out. Now I just have to hope putting them in such an obvious place won’t backfire on me.
“Wait here.” I speak clearly, so all three of them understand. “Do not, under any circumstances, leave this room. Don’t call anyone, don’t answer your phone or the hotel phone and whatever you do don’t open the door. To anyone. Got it?”
“Are you going to see Julian?” Lily asks.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Can you tell him I need to speak to him?” she asks. “Please?”
“I’ll get him here. Okay?”I’m still annoyed at Julian when I bang on his door. Not only because he made me look like a liar, but because he left Katie alone in my car. What if something had happened to her?
I shift my feet, nervous about what condition I’m going to find him in. Considering it’s the night before his wedding, which his ex-girlfriend is here to crash, anything is possible. He swings open the door and gives me a sheepish look.
“Suit fitting?” I frown.
“I’m sorry. I panicked.”
“And left Katie sitting alone in that car,” I snap. “I thought you were a better man than that?”
“Says the guy who’s been lying to me for the last week,” he retorts.
“Because I thought I could get her out of here without stressing you out,” I retort.
He sighs and rubs his forehead. “I’m sorry. I’ve got no right taking this out on you. I was just about to have a drink. You can join me if you want?”
“Sure.” I nod.
I walk inside and close the door behind me, watching him prepare our drinks. I don’t want one. I’m just working out the best way to convince him to speak with Lily.
“Lily wants to speak with you.”
Not quite the way I intended to broach the subject…
“Which is exactly what I don’t need right now.” He groans.
“Okay.” I shrug. “Your call, but it’s probably the only way she’s going to agree to leave.”
