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“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
Another deep breath. “The people who stay here aren’t typical guests.” That, I pretty much figured out by myself. “When they stay here, it’s because they need protection.”
“What kind of protection?”
He hesitates for a second, then raises an eyebrow. “Government protection.” He says it like it’s a challenge. “What do you think about that? Glad you asked?”
Goose bumps pebble my arms. I had a feeling it had to be something like that, but hearing it out loud is another story. “Like witness protection type stuff?”
“Sure. If it makes you feel better to put a label on it, be my guest.” He turns away from the stove with a small stack of pancakes on a plate, which he places in front of me. He then plates his own and sits down on the other side of the island. There’s not much space between us, but right now, it might as well be miles. He runs a hotel to protect people. This is next level.
“It’s more than that?”
“Teagan.” His voice is heavy with what sounds like disapproval. “You’re not a stupid girl. You have to know I can’t go into detail.”
“Why not?”
“Because knowing too much could put you in danger.”
And I believe him. That’s the thing. He’s not making it up to get me off his back. It feels like I should change the subject, so I point at the pancakes with my fork before swallowing a mouthful. “These are delicious. Better than Pancake Castle.”
“I don’t know. They were pretty good.” But he looks pleased. It’s funny, being able to please him with such a simple compliment. He’s a mystery I can’t help wanting to solve.
This is nice. Sitting together, eating breakfast, like two ordinary people. So domesticated. I can almost forget the strange circumstances surrounding us. And that we’re sitting in a hotel for people who need protection. I wonder why they do. I need to deal with my curiosity problem because I’m sure he won’t tell me. If I beg, he’ll only clam up tighter.
He scowls when his phone rings. “It’s always something.” Why do I get the feeling he likes it, though? I’m not that naive. He holds the phone to his ear and listens, and while I can’t hear what the other person says, I get the feeling when his jaw ticks that it’s not good news.
“I’ll be down. Keep her quiet if you can—and in one place.”
“What’s the matter?”
“That friend of yours.” He’s already on his way to the bedroom while the rest of his pancakes sit on his plate. “She’s down there, raising hell in the lobby. Demanding to see me.”
“Oh, Ainsley…” There goes the rest of my meal, though I’ve managed to eat most of it already. Pancakes have always been a weakness. Especially when they’re as delicious as these are. I quickly pull on the borrowed clothes Natalie gave me a couple of days ago while Mason gets dressed in slacks and a button-down, and we’re on our way downstairs in record time. Something tells me this is not the kind of thing he’ll be able to handle on his own.
After all, she might be here to see him, but it’s me she’s worried about. “I’m sorry. She goes over the top all the time.” His clenched jaw is all the answer I get.
I can hear her before the elevator doors even open. “I’m telling you here and now that I will not leave this building until I get answers from that manager guy! You can’t hold my friend hostage! I know she’s here. She would never just leave without letting me know and this place is weird as fuck. Who do you think you are? Do I need to call the authorities? I need to speak to the manager now!”
I could shrivel up and die from embarrassment as she waves her arms around. “Ainsley!”
When she hears me coming, she stops ranting like I flipped a switch and turned her off. “Thank God!” She throws her hands into the air before blowing out a dramatic sigh. “Is that what it takes to get answers around here?”
Mason does not seem amused, and I can’t blame him. “As you can see, your friend is fine,” he murmurs. “So all of this was for nothing.”
Her mouth falls open, and she sucks in a breath like she’s ready to tell him off, so I scramble to cut her off before she makes things even worse. “Relax, okay? I’m fine. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“You know what? I’ll be the judge of that.”
I have to take her by the arm when it looks like she’s about to get in his face. “How about you listen and trust me, instead?”
“You should listen to her,” Mason advises, and I register the warning under his words. She is pushing things a little too far. And now that I know the sort of secrets kept inside these walls, I can understand why he would be less than thrilled over this scene.
“I mean it.” I hold her by the shoulders as gently as I can and make it a point to look her in the eye so she understands I’m serious. “I am fine. There is nothing to worry about. Mason’s keeping an eye on Jase, too. He’s not the bad guy,” I add in a whisper. All I can do is hope she believes me.
And she seems to. The tension in her shoulders loosens before she sighs. “What do you expect me to do? You fall off the face of the earth, and you don’t get in contact with me.”
