“I can’t.” Sebastian walked past her and out of the interrogation room.
Chapter32
When Brad suggested Gabrielle move into a hotel to make it easier for his officers to guard her, they picked the only place her family would approve of—Hotel Braganza. The four-story, square building dominated two blocks of prime real estate in Conrad, the island’s town center. Built in the 18thcentury, the hotel boasted neoclassical architecture painted a gleaming white with repeating patterns of arches on the first floor and square windows on the floors above. The interior was Caribbean chic—terra cotta floors, marble bathrooms, bespoke furniture, and decorations reminiscent of the island’s beauty outside its doors.
Modest compared to King Estate, the hotel was by far the most luxurious offering in St. Felipe, the poorest of the Palmchat Islands. Instead of the tax-paying citizens they were, the government treated Felipians like they were wards of the King Family since they owned half the land. Her family did more than expected to subsidize the lack of resources provided, but it never seemed to be enough.
It was no surprise that the St. Felipe Police Department didn’t have the budget to pay for this heightened level of security. Naturally, Serena swooped in to save the day. Not only had her sister rented out the entire top floor of the four-story hotel, but she’d also made a sizable donation to the St. Felipe police fund for the strain the extra security had placed on their resources.
Gabrielle hugged her arms across her chest. It was almost midnight. The night from hell was almost over. She gave the officer a sympathetic smile. He was of medium height and medium build, with kind but stern dark eyes. She was embarrassed to admit she couldn’t remember his name after he’d introduced himself hours ago. But there was no doubt he didn’t want to be here anymore than she did, yanked from whatever real police work he’d been doing to become her babysitter until the stalker was caught.
“Ms. King, as a precaution, we’ve disabled your cell phone and have it in custody at the police station. All calls should be made using the secure hotel phones, which will allow us to activate tracing if Brooks tries to reach out to you,” the officer said.
Gabrielle wasn’t concerned about getting a call from Tony Brooks. Without her cell phone, there was no way for her to call Sebastian. She hadn’t memorized his number. Asking Serena to get it for her would be a waste of time. She could hear the lecture on what was important—surviving this new psycho. Not some crush she had on her bodyguard.
But what she felt for Sebastian went far beyond a silly crush.
She tensed, thinking about Tony Brooks having her journal, where she wrote her deepest thoughts and worked through her feelings. Since coming home, her nightly musings focused on her feelings for Sebastian. They were deepening and growing. She couldn’t deny how hard she was falling for him. This was what she thought being in love would feel like, though she wasn’t sure she was in love. If she was even capable of loving someone unconditionally because of the trauma she’d been through.
Still, they were her private thoughts, and she wanted her journal back.
“Any questions, Ms. King?” The officer asked.
She’d barely paid attention as he rattled through all the restrictions of her stay at the hotel. The gist was what she expected. She was to conduct all business meetings in her hotel suite. She needed to maintain her online presence. The cops didn’t want Brooks tipped off that they were on to him and his fixation on her. All guests had to check in with the police before visiting. Venturing outside the hotel was to be avoided. If she did leave the premises for any reason, she was to be accompanied by two plain-clothed armed police officers at all times.
“No questions. I’m in prison until you find Tony Brooks,” she muttered.
“Better to be in a gilded prison than a gilded coffin, Ma’am.”
The weight of his rebuke stung her soul. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m being a brat. Ignore me.”
“Good night, Ms. King.”
“Good night, Officer.” She walked him to the door, then closed it behind him. She pressed her forehead against the smooth wood and reminded herself this situation was only temporary.
On the other side of the door, the officer joined two others. His words startled her. “Black Butterfly is secure for the night.”
She was “black butterfly,” a reference to her brand, which featured beautiful black women who appeared to be emerging anew like butterflies. She supposed it was a fitting code name, though his statement brought her no comfort.
Her head throbbed with the onset of a migraine. Exhaustion clawed at her, though she doubted she could sleep. The only person who could make her feel safe and help her to get sleep tonight was—
“Missed me?”
Gabrielle whipped around and stared across the room. “Seby,” she whispered.
He was standing in front of her like a vision from her dreams. He’d changed from earlier, dressed in dark black from head to toe as if he was on a mission, which she supposed he was.
“How did you get in here?”
He raised an eyebrow and responded with sarcastic bravado, “Ex-PISCO, remember? Piece of cake.”
“The guards didn’t see you?”
“No one knows I’m here but you.”
“How did you figure out where I was?” Gabrielle asked, unable to stop questioning him even as she longed to race into his arms. If her guards found out he was in the suite with her, she wasn’t sure what they’d do to Sebastian or what measures they’d put in place to ensure he couldn’t find her a second time.
He pointed to the bracelet he’d given her over a week ago. The one he could use to track her down if the stalker confiscated her cell phone. “I had to see you. I didn’t like how we left things at the police station.”
