by Vi Keeland
A grin teased at the corner of his mouth. Then his eyes switched. They darkened and lust began to fill them. “I was coming back.”
“You were leaving.”
The lust vanished and he took a step back now. The air felt cold without his heat, but I stopped myself from feeling it.
His eyes narrowed, but he murmured as his hand began to caress the back of my neck, “You don’t believe me.”
I shoved his hand away. “Stop manipulating me.”
All gentleness vanished. A hard wall came over him now. “You stop it, Emma.”
Sucking in my breath, I hadn’t expected that harshness to come at me. Blinking back tears from the shock of it, I geared myself to be strong. I had to stick with the truth. That was the hand I had and I needed to use it. “Who was that man?”
“What man?”
“Stop lying to me,” I hissed, gritting my teeth.
His eyes closed to slits now and I knew he was reassessing me. I didn’t care. I snarled at him, “I know you’re lying so stop it. I know something’s going on. I know that man came to you and said something to you. I know he’s with the mob.”
There.
My heart skipped a beat.
I tossed out the first card and I waited.
It was now his turn. Would he continue to lie or would he tell me the truth? I needed the truth. I was realizing that. He had protected me for so long, as I tried to protect my loved ones, as I tried to protect him when we were children, but it would have to be different now.
“He is.”
Relief rushed through me and my knees sagged, but I wasn’t done. I forced myself to stand firm as I said the rest, “I know that Franco is alive.”
Okay, that was a total bluff, but it’d been bothering me for the past few days.
He didn’t react. Nothing.
I frowned. What did that mean? But then he took a deep breath and pressed his lips together. The ice in his blue wolf-like eyes dimmed a little and he glanced away. His jaw clenched as he swallowed, taking a breath at the same time, but then he turned back. It was there. I was bowled over with the realization. Franco was alive. I saw it in his eyes. Releasing a ragged breath, I couldn’t talk for a moment. No words could even formulate in my mind. Where did I go from there?
“You should go back to the party.”
I reared back. That was it? “Are you kidding me?”
He grew weary.
I shook my head, a bitter laugh spouting from me. “I can’t believe you. Franco’s alive and that’s all you say to me? I should go back?”
“Emma.”
He reached for me again. I slapped his hand away. “No!”
“What do you want me to say?” he bit out now. The chill had come back. It doubled as he snapped, “You’re not involved with this. I’m doing this to protect you—”
“That’s bullshit.”
He stopped, his chest starting to heave now. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No!” I didn’t hesitate now. “I am involved with this. You and me. We’re together. I won’t stand by anymore.”
“Not with this! Not with my ties—”
“You said you were out.”
“I am out!”
“No, you aren’t,” I yelled back.
Suddenly his hand came up and pressed against my mouth. I was moved back to the wall and he rested his body on mine. His head was beside me and I could feel his deep breaths. His chest moved against mine, but his breath teased over my neck. My heart began to pound again, but I tried to listen over its loud thumping.
We heard through the door, “We’ll set up in a back suite. Reed wanted this meet. We’ll give him what he wants…” The voice faded as the man moved beyond the door.
Carter didn’t let go of me and I grew aware of the shadows that flickered past the door. We could see them as they followed whoever that man was. Then a sick feeling came over me and I whispered around his hand, “Was that Franco?”
He was tense, but he shook his head.
“Tell me what’s going on.” The need to protect him surged inside of me.
It was there. He was considering it. I could feel it, but then he let out a deep breath. It was gone. An apology flashed in his gaze. “I can’t.”
“Carter.”
“Emma,” he whispered, bending close again.
I closed my eyes as I felt his lips move against mine. My heart was beginning to break. I didn’t know what he was going to do.
He added, “Go back to the party.”
“And you?”
He began to step back, but I didn’t let him. My hands were fisted into his tuxedo and I kept him against me. I didn’t want to let him go.
His eyes flickered down to my hands. He didn’t fight my hold, but he gave me a tentative smile, cupping the side of my head. His thumb brushed some of my hair back. “I need to make some phone calls and then I’ll come back.”
“You promise?”
The need to believe him was so strong, but my gut was stirring. He was still lying to me.
He nodded. “I promise.” Then he pressed his lips to my forehead and again to my lips. “I love you. I’ll be right back.”
“Carter.”
“I will.” His eyes were reassuring now. “I promise.”
I let him go. I had no choice. I knew that now. He was going where he was going and I drew in a shuddering breath. My heart wouldn’t calm down. I had no idea what to do, but he was gone in the next second. Even if I went after him, I knew he’d be gone. This was what Carter did. He was a ghost, but I had no idea what to do.
My legs couldn’t move.
I was beyond scared now.
I went back to the banquet room, unsure what to do. This was what he did. That was who he’d been for so long, so I should trust him, but not this time. A nagging voice kept saying to me. ‘Get up and go after him! What are you doing?!’
The award ceremony had started, but I struggled to hear any of it. The voice kept yelling at me to get up and go.
“Finally,” Theresa exclaimed once Noah gave the last speech of the night. He thanked all his employees and gave the normal ‘This hotel wouldn’t be what it is without the people in this room’ message. A collective ‘Aw’ went around the room as people felt moved by it. Then he announced that all the liquor stations had been restocked and hurried off the stage. Coming towards us as everyone else headed towards the stations, he was only stopped by two board members. When he broke free from them, he collapsed into the chair beside Theresa. “Shit,” he grunted. “That took a lot of time.” He reached for Theresa’s glass and drained it.
“Hey, that’s mine!”
He put it down and reached for mine.
“That’s Emma’s!”
“She hasn’t touched it all night. I’ve been watching you guys.”
“Do you know where Carter is?” I asked now. My soft voice was clearly heard, and Noah stiffened before meeting my gaze. He was guarded. He knew. That was all I needed to know before I stood up. The voice screamed at me, “GO!” My mind was made up. “Nevermind.”
I was going after him.
“Emma, where are you going?” Theresa stood with me.
Amanda stood as well, but she remained silent. She was waiting for what I said next.
A fake, but polite smile plastered over my face. “I think I have to go to the bathroom.”
An eyebrow lifted as Theresa asked, “You think or you have to go?”
“Yes.” I nodded to myself. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Mind’s made up, hmm?” Her grin turned knowing.
Noah set his glass—my glass—down on the table and regarded all three of us with caution. “What’s going on?”
“Emma has to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay. Go.” He kept skirting between us. “Do you all have to go? Am I supposed to watch your purses?”
Theresa snorted again, but in disgust. “Yes, Noah. That’s what we’re doing. Would you watch our purses for us
?”
He gestured to the table. “Sure. Leave them, but don’t you guys always take them with?”
Theresa opened her mouth to keep arguing, but I clutched mine and headed towards the nearest exit door. Amanda followed behind. Theresa remained at the table. Her arms went up in the air—all the signs of another Noah/Theresa fight about to happen.
Amanda snickered. “You know they’re going to find a room pretty soon.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. Their sexual chemistry fizzled at times, but was combustible at others. It was nearing the explosion mark now. “Wish they’d get together once and for all.”
“Yeah,” Amanda sighed beside me as we went through into the hallway. It was empty except for a few drunken employees.
“Emma!” someone called out.
Oh god. It was Tamra. She had a fake smile as she gripped her drink. A purse was stuck underneath her arm and her free hand held up the front of her silver dress. Even in high heels, she hurried to us and didn’t seem to break stride. I would’ve been impressed if I hadn’t been so irritated. She was keeping me from finding Carter.
“Hi, Tamra.”
“Hi!” Her red lipstick was smeared to the side and a few strands of her beautiful sleek hair slipped from the fancy bun. “Did you hear about my promotion?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Congratulations.”
“I know. I’m going to be heading up an entire hotel. I think Mr. Tomlinson wants me to prove what I can do. Once I do that, I’ll be back and higher than ever. This is a great opportunity.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Yeah. I know it is.” Her smile never wavered, I had to give her that, and she even smoothed back the frayed hair strands. “So,” now her eyes snapped to attention. She was going in for the kill. “I didn’t believe it when I was told, but tonight I saw it for own eyes. You and Carter Reed. Imagine that.”
“Yeah,” my tone chilled. “Imagine that.”
“That’s great. Well, if the reports are right. You know, if he got out of the mob and everything. But damn, Emma. I’m so proud of you.”
My smile was stretched thin. Did I have time to hurt this girl? “Proud of me?”
“Yes. He’s gorgeous. I mean, I know what he looks like, but he’s so much more in person. I can’t believe it.” Then a look twitched in her eye. Revenge? Anger? “And I heard that your brother was his best friend. That’s so nice of him to reach out to you, you know, to honor your brother’s memory. The media should really report how generous he must be.”
Nope. I caught it now. A smug pretentious look, that’s what it was.
“Really?” My eyebrow went up. My hand turned into a fist.
Amanda moved first. Damn her. She pushed me back. “I’m really sorry, but we have to get going. I’ll make sure to tell him your message.”
Tamra blinked. Her mouth opened a fraction.
Amanda finished, “I’m sure he’ll see it that way, that’s he’s being generous by being with his best friend’s sister. I’m sure he won’t take offense to that at all, but that’s my opinion. All I know is that he really loves Emma so I’m sure he won’t take it in the degrading way you actually mean it to be.”
A small growl came from me.
Amanda turned and pushed me back. “We’re going to the bathroom, remember?”
Yes. I had things to do. I’d never been friends with Tamra before, but now I wanted to yank her hair and slam her against the hallway. We were that type of friends now. And I knew there were so many others girls just like her.
“Let’s go.”
“Fine.” My teeth ground against each other. As we went further down the hallway, we came to another one and paused. I glanced over. “You know we’re not going to the bathroom.”
“Do we know where we’re going?”
“Nope” I answered.
“Okay.” She nodded. “Do we know what we’re doing?”
“Nope.”
“Is he doing mob stuff?”
“Yes.” I didn’t falter. She deserved to know what she was walking into.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
I caught the disapproval in her tone and pulled her to a stop. Then I faced my now oldest friend besides Carter and hoped she saw how much this meant to me. “I love him.”
“I know.” But she faltered.
She didn’t. Or she didn’t believe it. I touched her arm again. “I grew up with him. He was family to me.”
“He abandoned you.”
Now the truth was out.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Yes, he did.” Her eyes grew hard. “I defended you just now, but he left you. And I know that he’s not with you because of your brother, but it still pisses me off that he left you in the first place. You told me stories about the foster homes, Emma. You’ve never mentioned Carter Reed at all, not until,” her voice lowered and she moved closer, “you know. So no, I don’t think he’s family and I don’t think he loves you.”
My mouth fell open. How could she think any of this? Thoughts and betrayal raced through me when she continued, “I think he wants you. Yes. I think that. But he wouldn’t love you because he wouldn’t have let you grow up alone. You were alone when I met you.”
“I had Mallory.”
“Who you took care of, all the time. You were alone.”
My eyes got big. I couldn’t believe Amanda said that.
She wasn’t finished. “I loved Mallory. I did. And I loved the group we had, all four of us, but you were my friend. I took care of her when you left. I did it for you. Mallory’s never taken care of you back. It’s always been one-sided, and I think you were just grateful she allowed that. So yes, Emma, you were alone until we became friends.”
I opened my mouth.
“And I haven’t left you now either. I know I’m roommates with Theresa. I know she’s taken me under her wing and I’ll always be grateful, but you are my best friend. You are my sister. That’s how it is, so even though I don’t approve of whatever you’re about to do, I’m still with you. I’m here. I’m with you.”
She ended it with a dramatic nod.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Her eyebrow arched up.
“Let’s go find Carter then.”
And she gestured for me to take the lead.
So I did.
A large group stumbled past the hallway to one end. I went the other.
THIRTY-ONE
Amanda and I looked all over the hotel. They could’ve been anywhere, but just as we began to head back in defeat, I saw some big muscle-bound guys at the end of one hallway. It was where the larger suites were located. I touched Amanda’s arm. “Let’s go to my office quick. I have a master key that’ll let us in.”
An eyebrow went up. “You think we’ll have to break into a room?”
“No. That’s why I’m getting the master.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “You go. I’ll stay in case they leave.”
“Okay.” I hurried off, but when I returned there was no Amanda. The guys were still there. Their hands were inside their suit jackets and a bulge was underneath, as if they were holding their guns close. I started forward. I could go into the suite beside that one. It was empty and I knew the patio was right next door. If I couldn’t hear through the walls, I would have to try the patio. As I started forward, my heart pounding in my ears, a hand wrapped around my arm and I was lifted backwards.
Before I could scream, a hand muffled it. My eyes got big. I couldn’t fight back. It happened so quick, but I was shuffled into a different room. There were guys everywhere. Mike. Thomas. These were Carter’s guys. Sagging in whoever had a firm grip on me, I didn’t fight as I was carried into another adjoining room and then dumped on a bed. Amanda gave me a shaky grin from the bed beside it. She was rubbing her head, but her eyes flitted up and locked on whoever had been holding me. Color warmed her cheeks before she jerked her gaze away.
Frowning, I looked up and fr
oze. It was the guy from Carter’s photograph. The scary one. The one with the scar that ran horizontally over his forehead. He was glaring down at me, even more intimidating in person than over the image. If I didn’t know he worked for Carter, I would’ve been sure my life was done.
I rasped out, “Where’s Carter?”
“Where do you think?” he grunted back, going back to the other room.
As he left us alone, I asked Amanda, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck this time. “He grabbed you too, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She grimaced. “It was more shocking than anything. Who is he?”
“He works for Carter.”
“I work with Carter.” He had returned, his hostility barely in check. Raking me from head to toe, I felt as if he could read my thoughts and felt all the nerves inside of me. It was disconcerting. Carter did that as well, but it was more from him. This guy made me feel violated. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared back.
A small smile flitted over his face. It was gone as quick as it appeared and I wondered if I’d even seen it in the first place. Maybe I was searching for a sign of friendliness? Either way, his silent stare wasn’t helping Carter at all. I demanded, “Where is he?”
“He is in a meeting.”
“I know. Where?”
The guy went to the window and peered out.
“It’s none of your bus-”
“Gene.” A guy poked his head in the room. Grim. “It started.”
This was Gene?
Grabbing a gun that’d been on a table, he held a radio in his other hand and rushed from the room. All the guys except Mike followed after him. When he stopped in our room and gave me a tentative grin, I sighed. He didn’t know it, but I wasn’t going to let him baby-sit me.
He caught the defiant look from me, but took his post by the door.
“What’s going on?” Amanda sat on my bed. She kept wringing her hands together in her lap. “What if Theresa comes and looks for us? You don’t think she’s going to walk into that, do you?”
Theresa was the least of my worries at that moment. Standing up, I went to press my ear against the wall behind us.
“What are you doing?”
I waved her off. I couldn’t hear if she talked. But it didn’t matter. I still couldn’t hear much. So I grabbed a glass from the coffee station and pressed it against the wall. I heard a little bit more. Shouting. Cursing. The sound of someone getting hit. Then I heard someone say, “You’re going to die, Carter Reed.”