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My vision was out of focus; all three of them were blurry blobs in front of my face.
“She’s having a panic attack.” Ethan’s said, sounding alarmed.
“No.” I shook my head and swallowed hard. I pressed my palms into my knees and tucked my head between my legs. “I’m not having a panic attack.”
I did my best to inhale gulps of oxygen, praying that would be my saving grace.
After a few moments, I stood up and wandered to the bathroom. I needed to splash icy water on my face. I flicked on the light and blinked against the harshness of the fluorescent bulbs above my head.
The trash can was turned over, but there were no contents to spill out. The shower curtain had been pulled back as if the assailant had been desperately searching for something.
I propped myself up against the cool surface of the marble countertop. Caleb, Worth and Ethan all fixed their gazes on me as if afraid I might crack like a porcelain doll under the stress and pressure.
I wasn’t fragile. I was strong and independent and had been that way my entire life. So, as if to prove it I crouched down to pick up the trash can in order to place it back in the upright position.
“Don’t touch anything else,” Caleb warned, throwing his hand up to stop me in my tracks.
I looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
“We need to keep everything untouched. That way, when we go downstairs to call the police, we can let the manager of the hotel know that we came back to the room in this condition.”
“He’s right,” Ethan said, crossing his arms. “We need to leave the scene like it is.”
The scene. My own hotel room had become a crime scene.
Suddenly, I had a throbbing migraine. I was still trying to process what had happened and my stomach ached with fretful anxiety. I needed to calm myself down. I took some comfort in knowing that at least I hadn’t stumbled into this chaos alone.
I had three handsome hunks by my side, and they easily had enough muscular capacity to take out any kind of attacker that might have been lurking in the shadows.
I raised my head. “Could you guys… could you check the closets and stuff for me, just in case?” I asked, voice small. “And under the bed?”
“Of course,” Caleb answered. If he seemed to think my question was silly, he didn’t say anything.
The men made a show of checking every nook and cranny, behind the mattress, and peering into the closets and behind curtains. Of course, they found no one. Whoever had done this had fled the area.
The room was empty, but a tornado had ripped through in the wake of something hateful. If the purpose had not been a robbery, then what had been the reason behind this? Who would have gotten a key for access? One thing was clear to me. Someone had been here to send me a message in warning, I just didn’t know what that message was yet.
Chapter 13 - Caleb
My military police training kicked in. It was like riding a bicycle. Even though I was on vacation, I never strayed far from my job. It was something ingrained in me, part of my personality. I scanned the room, looking for any obvious signs or clues that the perpetrator might have left behind.
As I made a sweep of the room, I made sure to keep an eye on Geneva. She was wringing her hands together and pacing around fretfully. I hated seeing her so rattled and shaken up over this event.
Her ocean blue eyes appeared vulnerable. Her cheeks were flushed, giving her a raw look. I wanted to reach out and drape my arms around her neck. I wanted to press her body against mine.
I craved the sensation of feeling her warmth, her sensual heat radiating against me. I wanted to press my throbbing manhood against the side of her thigh, giving her a glimmer into the sexual world of bliss that I could bring to her. I wanted to melt all her cares away with just a slide and flick of my tongue between her legs.
I knew there would be time for that—and that time was not now. Geneva was clearly distraught over the situation. I had to think on my feet, like I would back at home on the base.
“I saw some teenagers acting weirdly, earlier,” Ethan mumbled, “over at our place.”
“Oddly?” I asked. “How?”
He shrugged. “They looked like they were up to no good. I can’t really explain it.”
Well, teenagers generally weren’t up to any good at the best of times. That would be one hell of a coincidence. I glanced around the room. Something about the vicious way the room had been vandalized didn’t seem like stupid kids having a good time at someone else’s expense.
“I think we should go downstairs and talk to the receptionist,” I said.
