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Chapter 4
Darren
Piper's bed laid emptyin the morning. At first, a moment of panic set it at seeing her discarded blankets and her purse gone. Piper was as quiet as a Rhino in a china shop. Most mornings, I woke to her trampling around the room, opening and shutting drawers without a care to waking me up.
She didn't so much as make a sound today. Either I slept harder than usual, or she hadn't wanted to wake me.
I couldn't imagine why.
Seeing as Piper's phone was also missing, I didn't bother going after her. If she needed time alone, then I would give it to her. Living this close to one another in such a small space after having a whole mansion to run through has put its toll even on me. I like my space. My quiet. I missed my bed and my nightly routine.
I could still manage now, but it wasn't the same. I couldn't unwind the way I could back home with a cup of tea and a nice book. Some nights even sitting by the fire. Though, the Georgia weather was too warm most days to need one.
Surprisingly, I found myself missing the kitchen. While Gretchen cooked the majority of nights, I would give anything for even a hot plate to make a decent cup of tea rather than this instant type that was either too hot or too cold for a proper cup of tea. Though, there was a lovely cafe down the street that had the closest thing to a good cup of coffee I could get in this town.
Deciding on where I would go first before I began my work for the day, I busied myself dressing. The room we stayed in had an ironing board and iron but nothing so fancy as the one I had back home. I couldn't even make a proper pleat in my slacks. I have tried to make do with what I had, not wanting to risk exposing where we were hiding just because of my preferences. Now that we have been here for a few weeks, I could finally find a dry cleaner of some kind to take care of my clothing.
I adjusted my suit jacket and buttoned the cufflinks, sniffing as I thought of what Piper would have said to my choice of clothing.
She'd say I looked ridiculous and should just give in and buy a pair of jeans already.
Jeans. I snorted. As if I would ever wear something so common.
Even if I didn't have this position, serving in Antoine's stead, I couldn't wrap my head around wearing something so confining. So rough in material.
My cell phone pinged. Picking it up, I glanced at the screen.
Antoine messaged me.
Nice.
I deleted the message immediately and placed my phone in my front left pocket.
So, they were heading to Nice next. It'd be a while before they could get over here to visit. I didn't agree with Antoine's bouncing back and forth between countries. It was an unnecessary risk to themselves using the jet. Still, I knew better than to voice my opinion on the matter. Antoine would do whatever he saw fit to protect this family. I had to do my part, keeping the businesses intact and keeping Piper in check.
I glanced around the empty hotel room and sniffed.
My ability to do that was sorely lacking.
Tucking my wallet into my pocket, I headed out to find my missing coworker.
I strode down the hallway toward the foyer. The slight tinge of mildew filled the air. No doubt they had tried to remove the smell with multiple cleaners, but it would not get past my heightened sense of smell.
The maroon carpet had brown and gold decorative lines meant to help hide any spills or stains without extensive cleaning. I had used the same tricks myself to hide messes when the masters became overzealous. Thankfully, the walls of the hotel were a cream color, bringing some form of light into the area else it would feel as if one were in one of those horror films.
The Chaucer Hotel was quaint to be polite. With only a dozen or so rooms, it was one of the smaller hotels available in Seabrick. It didn't get a lot of tourist traction. Those who were still here past the tourist season were for business or those visiting families. It made it easier for Piper and me to blend in as business ventures ourselves.
I chose it for those reasons and more. Though Piper would have had us stay in one of the more luxurious hotels, this wasn't my first time hiding out, and I doubted it would be my last. We would have to make do until it was safe.
If only I could keep Piper out of trouble until that time.
"Mr. Durand, good morning." The woman, Madeline, who worked the front desk most mornings, offered me a bright, almost flirtatious smile. She kept it professional for the most part, but she hadn't tried very hard to hide her attraction to me.
"Good morning," I offered back with a polite smile. "Have you seen my companion?"
While nothing was going on between Piper and myself, I never let it seem as if I were available. Calling Piper my companion versus my coworker or friend put that level of uncertainty into our relationship. It was a trick that I had to use during vampire politics as well. One never knew who might be waiting to take a bite out of you regardless of your blood bond.
Madeline's smile wilted, but she pushed it back into place and nodded. "She left as I came in for the morning." Her brows furrowed. "I might give her a little space."
