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“I promised I’d be here while you kick him out of the wedding party, and I’m keeping my word.” She wasn’t going to miss that.
He continued knocking.
“Can I help you with something, sir?” The male voice came from behind them.
Rita turned to find the same buff guy who’d been dusting near their suite. His name tag readMorty.
“Hi, Morty. I’m the groom,” Grayson said. “The one who rented the entire lodge for the weekend. One of my groomsmen hasn’t come out of his room all day. I’m… concerned about him. You don’t happen to have a key, do you?”
He nodded. “I have a master key. You’re Grayson Ramirez?”
“Yes. Do you need my ID?”
“Normally I’d say yes, but I recognize you from TV. I’d know you anywhere. Do I have your permission to open the door?”
“You do.”
The man whipped out a keychain with so many keys and keycards it had to weigh several pounds. He chose a card from the bunch then slid it in front of the reader.
It clicked, unlocking the door.
“Thank you!” Rita said, eager to see Mateo knocked down a peg or five.
Grayson opened the door. The room stank of alcohol, body odor, and despair.
Rita plugged her nose as she stepped inside. “Take a shower, Mateo. But first, cover up because we’re coming in!”
“Andyou’repaying the deposit for this room,” Grayson added.
The place was trashed. Bed coverings and wrinkled clothes were strewn across any available surface. Half a dozen empty beer bottles were spread around, some knocked over. A pair of glasses, its case, and an inhaler were on the floor near the bed. A suitcase sat wide open, socks and boxers spilling out. Even a lamp lay on its side, luckily not broken, though its shade was clear across the room.
Grayson gave her an irritated expression that matched her own.
“Remind me again,” she said. “Is Mateo three or thirty-three?”
“He’s my age,” he muttered.
“Should we leave him a note? Texting isn’t an option.”
“I want to talk to him face to face.” Grayson wandered around the room, studying everything.
“Careful you don’t step in anything gross.”
If he heard her, he didn’t respond. After walking around the entire room, he returned to the door. “Let’s go back to our suite. You can get ready for the spa, and I’ll join my brother in whatever he has planned for me. We’ll ask around and find out if anyone has seen Mateo.”
“At least everyone will remember him,” she said. “Anyone who has seen him wouldn’t forget.”
“No, they wouldn’t. He made sure of that.”
“He could write a book calledHow Not to Win Friends or Influence People.”
Grayson chuckled. “True, but I’m starting to worry about him.”
“Why?”
“He knew about the hunting and the gender reveal party.”
“I hardly think he’s the type to care.”
