She laughed. “No, he hasn’t even checked in yet.”
“Then you caught it in time.”
“That I did.” She nodded. “I just need to swap your rooms. It’ll only take a minute.”
“No problem. I’ve got nowhere else to be.” CJ leaned an elbow on the counter.
“Thanks.” She turned back to her computer and started typing. “So, you’re with the team too, right?”
“Yeah, I got traded during the off-season,” CJ answered.
“I thought so. You have the look.”
“The look?”
“Tall, athletic, trying very hard not to draw attention to yourself.” She pointed at the credit card machine in front of him. “Swipe or tap your card, please.”
CJ held his card to the reader until it beeped.
“All right, you’re all set. You’re in room ten, which overlooks the pool and is close to the laundry room. You’ve got a full kitchen and all the appliances were recently serviced, but let me know if you have any problems. Housekeeping will come in three times a week unless you tell me otherwise.” Eleanor slid a keycard across the counter, and CJ tucked it into his back pocket.
“You know, the other guy in this mix-up is also on the team, but he’s so quiet I doubt you’ll see him outside of practice andgames. I’ve seen him go out at night once or twice, but he mostly sticks to himself.” She smiled and shook her head. “And he’s always up super early to voluntarily run some ungodly number of miles.” Eleanor shuddered at the thought.
“Good to know.” CJ was pretty sure he’d kept his voice even, and he was proud of himself for not giving in to the urge to ask her who the teammate was. He didn’t have to. “I’m sure I’ll see him around.”
Eleanor shook her head. “You will if he wants you to. Some folks are just like that, you know? They just want something easy for a little while.”
“Yeah,” CJ said softly. “I can understand that.”
“You seem like someone who could use a place that feels easy.” Eleanor’s tone had softened, and she leaned forward on her elbows, studying him carefully.
CJ paused. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “That’d be nice.”
“Well, you picked the right spot. The rooms are quiet, the coffee is strong in the morning, and nobody here asks questions they don’t need answered.” She straightened and nodded. “Pretty sure that’s why your teammate keeps coming back.”
He didn’t push for more. Curiosity had teeth, and he’d learned a long time ago not to give it room to bite. Still, as he turned to go, he knew it all fit too well. CJ had wanted the quiet and chosen the farthest spot from the ballpark. It should have occurred to him that this was exactly the kind of quiet, careful corner the Evan he used to know would choose.
When he stepped back outside, he paused and turned his face toward the sun, letting the warmth sink into his skin. Out here, the world felt slower, calmer, and he let the quiet settle in his bones. Behind him, Eleanor answered the phone and then broke into laughter, and the sound somehow made the place feel less like a temporary stopover and more like somewhere that hemight actually get some rest. It wasn’t what he’d expected when he booked a room, but maybe that was the point.
8
EVAN
Evan’sfirst hint that the universe was mocking him came in the form of a blown tire on the highway and riding shotgun back to the car-rental lot with a tow truck driver who insisted on explaining every true crime podcast he’d ever listened to. Not just the normal ones either. The gruesome ones. The ones where every episode started with “no one ever suspected the killer was right there the whole time.”
Ten minutes into the ride, Evan found himself nodding along politely while trying to decide whether the driver was giving off serial-killer vibes.
Somewhere around minute twenty, the driver launched into a bonus soliloquy about “underappreciated methods of body disposal.” Evan started calculating how fast he could get out of the truck if things went sideways.
Thirty-seven minutes of unsolicited podcast recaps later, they reached the rental center. Evan fumbled with the seatbelt as he rushed to climb out of the truck, stumbling a little as his feet hit the pavement. He grabbed his bags from the back of the vehicle that was still hooked up, thanked the driver from a healthy distance, and headed toward the building. Theagent who’d helped him earlier met him at the door, already apologizing before Evan stepped inside the lobby.
“We’re so sorry, Mr. Delgado,” she gushed, tucking a stray blonde curl behind her ear. “I can’t believe this happened to you of all people.” She stepped closer, her smile a little too bright and eager. “Flat tires almost never happen, but we sent out our best guy to pick you up.”
Evan bit back a comment about their “best guy” being a little too comfortable with methods of dismemberment.
“If you want to sit and relax before getting on the road, my shift just got quiet.” She stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. She inhaled sharply when he gripped the handle of his suitcase and muscle flexed beneath her hand.
“I’m good. Just need a car with four good tires,” he said, taking a step back.
