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Susan set her jaw. “Amanda? Are you sure it was Room 222?”
Amanda could see the room number planted in her memory, the 222 black and sure. Then again, the stress of the past hour had probably altered her brain chemistry. Nothing was for sure.
“Kelli, give me your master key!” Audrey said, her face pale. “If Amanda’s wrong, if someone else is in there, then you can tell the guests that I stole the key from you. I don’t even care at this point. I just want to find Sam. I want to give him a piece of my mind.”
Amanda had never seen Audrey so volatile. She looked like a warrior, ready to charge across land and sea to prove her love for Amanda. Kelli frowned, yet pulled the master key from her front breast pocket and passed it to Audrey, understanding that Audrey wouldn’t stop demanding control until she got it. Audrey flipped the master key around and nodded at the rest of them.
“It’s showtime,” she said.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Amanda and Audrey stood in front of Room 222, holding hands, as though they were about to leap from a great cliff and into the sea below. Audrey locked eyes with Amanda and muttered, “Are you ready for this?”
Amanda could hardly breathe. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Far down the hallway, Kelli, Aunt Lola, Aunt Christine, and Susan stood nervously, their arms crossed tightly over their chests. They watched Amanda and Audrey’s reckless decision play out. Nobody knew what was going to happen next. Nobody knew what was on the other side of this door.
“Remember, if this doesn’t turn out well,” Audrey began, “I can tell Noah not to move in. We can just go back to the way things were. Heck, I’ll even break up with Noah so we can spend more time together.”
Amanda couldn’t help but laugh. “What? Break up with Noah? Why would you do that?”
Audrey made a face. “You come first, Amanda. You know that.”
And then, with a dramatic flourish, Audrey drew the master key into the doorknob and clicked the door open. She then shoved herself hard against the ornate door, stepped in, and beckoned for Amanda to follow her into the suite.
The suite was one of the more expensive ones, with two bedrooms, a living room with vintage furnishings and old, golden lamps and stylish mirrors. The door opened into the living room, which was dark, save for a television screen that played the news. The door clicked closed behind Amanda and Audrey, and they exchanged glances in the darkness. Amanda itched to turn on the light, but something in her told her not to. Her fears doubled, then tripled, and sweat pooled along her back. She had to remind herself, over and over again, that her mother was just outside. She would keep her safe.
Suddenly, from one of the bedrooms came a muffled scream. Amanda leaped forward, terrified, as Audrey ran behind her. As the muffled scream continued, it felt like they were going in slow motion, as though they would never reach the door to the bedroom.
When they did, Amanda snapped on the light to reveal a horrific sight.
There, on the king-sized bed, was Sam.
Sam was wearing his wedding tuxedo, his hair was gelled perfectly, and even his Italian-suede shoes were glinting in the light. But he’d been tied to the bed with what looked to be scarves wrapped tightly around his ankles and his wrists. In his mouth was another scarf, through which he’d screamed. His eyes were rimmed red and filled with tears.
It was the worst thing Amanda had ever seen.
“Oh my God!” Amanda flung forward, ripping her dress yet again, and removed the scarf from Sam’s mouth.
Sam sputtered, inhaling as much oxygen as he could and nearly choking himself. “Amanda! How did you find me?” His face echoed relief.
Audrey attacked Sam’s ankles, untying the scarves. “These knots are crazy. Did a sailor do them?”
“Baby, what happened to you?” Amanda whispered.
Sam shook his head violently. He looked out of his mind. “It’s her. It’s that horrible woman from your yoga class.”
“Kelli said she saw you two together?” Amanda continued. “What were you doing?”
“I had a hunch she’d taken the rings!” Sam cried. “And I followed after her and cornered her. And then, suddenly, I lost consciousness. She must have drugged me?” His panic continued to mount.
“Shh,” Amanda breathed. “We’ll get you out of this.”
“Is she armed?” Audrey rasped.
“I thought I saw a knife, but I can’t be sure.” Sam paused, then added, “I have no idea what these people are capable of.”
“These people?” Audrey demanded. “Who else?”
