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She grabbed her brand new Patagonia sweater and pants out of the drawer. She removed her waterproof Eddie Bauer boots from the closet and placed them next to her bed. She ignored Logan as she brushed past him on the way to the dresser, where she selected a lacy red bra and matching panties.
“Oh, lord,” Logan groaned. He left her bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Elle chuckled on her way to the bathroom. She showered but didn’t dress. Instead, she took her time moisturizing her arms and legs. After a long twenty minutes, she opened the door and called Logan’s name. Confident he’d left; she opened her closet, removed the blonde wig from its box, and slipped it on her head. She selected a long-sleeve beige sweater, and matching slacks. A colorful scarf around her neck matched her red flats. Her plan had worked the first time she had gotten into Brandon’s suite. Could she pull off pretending to be Nicki again?
She took the elevator down to the sixth floor, walked to Ethridge’s suite, and removed the Do Not Disturb sign from the door handle. The housekeeping cart was parked four doors away, making her timing perfect. Doing her best to slow her racing heart, she stood still, one hand hovering over the handle, the other holding the sign in the air. She waited what seemed like an eternity, but finally the housekeeper stepped into the hall. Elle went into action.
“Oh, no,” she said loudly, and in her best panicked voice. She hurried to one of the women waving the Do Not Disturb sign. “Before I hang this on the door, will you put fresh towels in the bathroom?” Elle didn’t wait for a response. She spun on her heel, marched back to the room, and pretended to panic. “My purse. I left it inside.”
For a moment, she thought the woman wasn’t going to comply with her request. Elle decided to be more assertive. She stabbed one hand on her hip and waved the sign. “My husband will be up to rest soon, and I don’t want him disturbed.”
That did the trick, as the housekeeper filled her arms with towels and washcloths and hurried toward the room. Elle laid a five-dollar bill on the top towel, turned, and started toward the elevator. Before the doors slid open, she heard the woman enter the suite. Elle spun on her heels, rushed back, and entered the room.
“Better get my purse,” Elle explained, taking the towels from the housekeeper. “I’ll put these away.”
The woman slid the five in her uniform pocket and nodded.
“Thank you.” Elle held her breath until the door snapped closed. She quickly opened it and replaced the Do Not Disturb sign.
Her charade had eaten up a total of forty-three minutes, leaving her with plenty of time to finish the search she hadn’t completed yesterday. She slid back the closet doors, and there, sitting inside an open suitcase, was a laptop. Her heart pounded as she knelt down. Carefully, she lifted the top and turned on the computer. Her fingers trembled as she opened the control panel, inserted a flash drive, and then clicked the command to back up the files. As soon as the process was finished, Elle logged off and pocketed her evidence.
She stopped at the door. What was she forgetting? The towels. After all, Brandon or Nicki had placed the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Elle rolled them into a bundle, tucked them under her arm, and quickly returned to her suite.
Once she’d closed the door behind her, Elle let out the breath she’d been holding, in a whoosh. Her knees seemed to have lost all muscle strength. Elle sank down in the easy chair next to the window and stared out at the snow-covered landscape.
A giggle rolled up her chest and bubbled out. She’d done it. Pulled it off. She’d brazened her way into the suite and gotten what she’d come to Colorado after. She removed the wig, kicked off her shoes, and then rested her feet on the ottoman. She took the flash drive from her pocket and held it in her hand. For a few minutes, she enjoyed a job well done.
Elle had planned to wait for Logan so they could study the contents of the flash drive together. And maybe she’d gloat a little. Time passed too slowly. Soon, she was pacing, checking the clock every few minutes. She’d failed to ask how long the ski outing would last. It was almost noon, and she couldn’t wait any longer. She got up, retrieved her laptop, and pushed the on button. Tingles of expectation and anxiety set off all her nerve endings. She inserted and opened the drive.
* * * *
Brandon almost lost his concentration. Almost lost his skis. Almost lost his self-control right there heading downhill. The unique series of vibrations coming from his cell had announced that someone had accessed his computer. The alarm would buzz every three minutes until he recognized the message. His only recourse was to keep calm.
He’d paid dearly for the safeguard. A hacker might gain entrance to his computer, but they couldn’t open his private files. The fail-safe encrypted the files, protecting them from theft.
The IT company that had sold him the program was already in the process of identifying the bastard. Once he got to the bottom of this fucking mountain, he’d call, and they’d identify who’d tampered with his laptop.
Nicki was just ahead of him. She and Logan appeared to be relaxed and enjoying each other. She could keep him entertained while Brandon took care of business. Goddamn, she was going to flip out.
* * * *
Logan had sensed a change in Brandon’s demeanor the minute they’d returned from skiing. He’d rushed through turning in his equipment. Then he’d hurried to the far corner and dug his cell out of his pocket. He’d rejoined Logan and Nicki and announced he had an important call to make. He’d left Nicki with Logan.
Logan removed his outerwear, rolled it up, and stored it in his backpack. He and Nicki walked inside the resort. She moved close to him, almost leaning into him.
“I could use a hot chocolate to warm my bones. How about you?”
Logan welcomed a little one-on-one time with Nicki. “You’re on. Brandon took off in a hurry. Should we wait for him?”
“No. Besides, I need a few minutes without him around.”
Logan steered her to a table close to the front. “Daddy Dearest getting on your nerves?”
Nicki’s laugh was a well-rehearsed sound that even the untrained ear would recognize as phony. “Something like that.”
After they’d ordered, Logan took the opportunity to try to get her to relax. “Thanks for inviting me today. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy skiing.”
“You got your feet under you pretty fast. No doubt you’ve always been athletic.”
