The doors finally opened and I let out a breath of relief as I stepped into the lobby and quickened my steps as I neared the doors. My freedom was only a few feet away.
At the desk, there was a group of employees huddled around, talking in excited, hushed whispers. My steps faltered as I tried to hear what they were saying, but my eyes never left the prize in front of me.
“Excuse me! Sir!”
Ah. Fuck.
My steps slowed and my back went rigid, shoulders squaring. I wasn’t sure what the desk clerk was frantically calling after me about, but I was sure I didn’t give a fuck about it. I cast a mournful glance at the door before I turned to glare at the man a few feet away.
“Yes?” My voice dripped with annoyance and boredom, which was hopefully a clear indicator that I wanted whatever this interaction was to hurry up and be done with.
He glanced around, his hands wringing in front of him. The look in his eyes was as if he’d seen a ghost, but I lived with ghosts every day.
“Um… I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t leave the hotel right now.”
I scoffed. That was when I noticed a few other guests were milling around the lobby.
“Why the hell not?”
The man, who looked like he was barely a day over eighteen, flinched at the demanding tone, but I was beyond caring. Whatever drama was going on at the hotel, it wasn’t my drama and I wasn’t about to get roped into it. I had my own shit to deal with.
My brows furrowed as I scowled and tried to figure out what was going on. But the sirens off in the distance that were quickly getting closer were a disturbing clue.
There was no reason to panic, and I didn’t. The racing of my heart was natural, even if it wasn’t a reaction I was accustomed to.
I wonder if Aiden has been woken up with the call yet.
A soft gasp from in front of me had me quirking a brow at one of the women behind the desk. It was obvious she knew who I was. I hoped I could use that to my advantage.
“Can I help you?” I offered her an easy, almost flirtatious smile that made her blush and giggle.
She bit her lip and offered me a coy smile that turned my stomach. “You’re Nathan Turner.”
I shrugged. “Guilty. How do you know who I am, sweetheart?”
“I’m a business major at Cardell,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve been trying to get your office to arrange an interview for one of my classes, but they keep pushing me off.”
She let out a sigh and bit her lip, looking away, as though she second-guessed saying that.
I frowned at the thought of my secretary not setting something up and made a mental note to address it. “I’m really sorry about that. I had no idea or I would have said to make sure they got you on my books.”
My skin itched. The cops were getting closer, but I had to play my cards right. So, I pulled out my wallet and grabbed one of my business cards. With one of the pens from the desk, I wrote my private line on the back and handed it over to the girl.
“Here. That’s my private line. If you call that, you’ll get me. No Julie gatekeeping the phone and my appointment book.”
She stared down at the card in my outstretched hand like it was something precious, or maybe a snake about to strike. Her hand shook as she reached out and clutched it.
“Are you sure?” Her voice sounded so reverent, as if I were offering her something holy instead of a business card.
“I am,” I told her with a reassuring smile.
Looking back at the doors, I let out a sigh. “Only problem is, if I’m late for this meeting I have to get to, then I may not even be worth interviewing for your class.”
The clerk looked at her with wide eyes, shaking his head. He was smart, maybe too smart.
“Amanda,” he hissed.
She straightened her shoulders and motioned for me to follow her. “Jeremiah, we pride ourselves on guest discretion. Especially our high-end guests.”
