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I guess there’s something about being pushed around that gives me an attitude.
The only response I get is the slight tic of his jaw. He raises an eyebrow ever so slightly but says nothing, only nodding toward a pair of doors embedded in the concrete wall before walking that way. I guess I’m supposed to follow him. I’m too afraid to do anything else. It’s an elevator, and within moments, the doors open again on a dark, sleek hallway that reminds me of the lobby with its black walls and gold trim. Something about it makes me walk softly, like I’m afraid to make too much noise. We pass one door, then another. There’s no sound coming from behind them.
I’m so busy taking in my surroundings that I don’t notice Mason coming to a stop until it’s too late to avoid bumping into his arm. Or is that a steel beam inside his sleeve? Either way, I rebound off it like a tennis ball. “Sorry,” I mumble.
He doesn’t react. He only opens the door in front of us and steps inside a beautiful suite before motioning for me to follow him. Everything about it screams wealth and opulence—from the shining floors to the sleek furniture and the impressive view on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the outer wall. And here I am, in the jeans and sneakers I wore to work.One of these things doesn’t belong.
I’ve barely had time to take it all in before Mason clears his throat. “You’ll be safe here.”
He’s already on his way back to the hall before I’ve turned away from the window to gape at him in shock. “Wait a second. That’s it? You’re leaving me here? Why?”
“For your safety.”
Because that answers my question, it’s not like it doesn’t set off another ten questions that I know will also go unanswered. “What about my brother? That’s the only reason I’m here. What are you going to do to him?”
Mason pauses in the doorway, turning slowly to face me. His wide shoulders practically fill the doorframe. “Jase is safe. That’s all you need to know. Stay here. I’ll be back in a while.” The door is closed before I have the chance to ask exactly how long a while is, along with roughly a hundred other issues he’s causing. Does Jase know where I am? Was it one of Mason’s people who broke into the house? If Griffin could find me at work and just happened to know I’d be on my way to the hotel, it wouldn’t surprise me. At this point, nothing will surprise me again.
What am I thinking? I’m alone. And I have my phone. I pull it from my pocket, sighing with relief—it’s almost fully charged since I can’t really use it while I’m working. I don’t have to worry about it dying while I’m here. I pull up Jase’s number first since he’s probably going out of his mind worrying over my sudden disappearance.
It only takes two pointless attempts for me to realize there’s no signal. “Are you freaking kidding me?” I whisper before I start walking from one end of the suite to the other, holding the phone up and staring at the screen, almost willing it to show me a signal. “Come on, come on, don’t do this to me.” No luck.
Finally, I have to give up. I throw the phone onto the leather sofa in the living room, growling in helpless frustration. Nobody knows I’m here. I can’t call Jase. I can’t call Ainsley. The only way out of this hotel is through the door and down the elevator, and something tells me it won’t work if I try to use it. Or if I do and somehow manage to make it to the lobby, I won’t get far. The man has eyes and ears everywhere, obviously.
It’s a comfortable suite. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. I mean, it’s not like I’ve spent a lot of time in luxury hotel suites, but there are no immediate red flags as I look around, sizing up my situation. The bedroom is downright opulent, though still not as nice as Mason’s. But I can imagine it costs a lot of money to stay here. Probably more money than I’ve ever seen in my life. I wonder about the clientele. Who are they that they can spend all this money on suites and flashy cars? I still haven’t set eyes on anyone who looks like a guest.
Time slows down until each minute feels like an hour. How long is he going to leave me in here with no answers? I shouldn’t complain. I know it could be much worse. But a gilded cage is still a cage. It doesn’t take long for curiosity and dread to win over fear of disobeying the rules. The large, soundproof door is a symbol of my captivity. I can’t help testing the limits by closing my hand around the knob and turning it. He didn’t lock it from the outside or anything. I guess it’s a safety hazard.
Jase will be furious. If I don’t get hurt inside this place, he’s probably going to kill me later.
I stick my head out slowly, waiting for an alarm to sound. It doesn’t. There’s nothing but silence in the dark, almost ominous passage. Do I leave? What would happen if I did?
It’s not an alarm, but it might as well be. A phone rings inside the suite, and I jump, my face flushing with guilt and dread. The phone sits on an end table in the living room, and somehow, it manages to look menacing as it rings again and again. Something tells me I shouldn’t ignore it.
“What did I tell you?” Mason demands, and he sounds... disappointed? Not surprised, that’s for sure. “Please remain in your suite.”
Is he watching me? Or did he get an alert when I opened the door? Either way, it makes my skin crawl. “But what am I supposed to be doing here?”
“Until I come back to pick you up for dinner in a few hours, you are supposed to stay put. Watch TV. You’ll find all of the streaming services at your disposal. All I ask is that you stay where you are until I come for you. Do not make me call again.”
With that, he hangs up, and I don’t know what bothers me more: the fact that he’s keeping tabs on me, or the fact that I don’t have a choice but to obey.
On impulse, I grab my phone and pull up Jase’s contact, then type the number into the hotel phone. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before. I was too overwhelmed.
My hand clutches the receiver tighter, and hopeless tears sting behind my eyes when I hear nothing but silence. There’s not even a dial tone. I might as well be using a toy even though it worked seconds ago. I probably need a special code to call out. Otherwise, why have a phone in the room at all?
With every passing minute, the sense of the entire situation being set up against me gets heavier. It just might crush me by the time Mason comes to pick me up for dinner.
As I sink into the sofa and stare at the blank TV screen, I can’t decide whether or not I hope it does.
MASON
“Areyou sure this is a good idea?”
“And to what could you be referring?”
Griffin knows me well enough to choke back a growl—barely. “You know what I mean. Having her here. Do you think it’s safe?”
“Since when does that matter?”
