“Wonderful.” I lean in and rest my elbows on top of the counter. “I also want to make sure we’re able to be loud, if you know what I mean. Are there a lot of guests booked here for tonight?”
The man smiles once again, understandingexactlywhat I mean. “There’s only one other guest checked in for the night,” he whispers. “And let’s just say, you both are here for a little nightcap before heading home to the misses.”
“Great,” I tell him with a smile.
“I can put you on the fourth” His fingers tap the information onto the keyboard. “He’s on the third, so you two shouldn’t hear each other.”
“Do you have a restroom?” I ask, needing to get to the third floor.
“Yep.” His finger comes up to point down the back hall.
I nod. “Be right back.”
I walk past the first set of elevators in the lobby, and then turn a sharp corner to find another next to the bathrooms. With a quick look behind me, I approach the doors and hit the arrow going up. It comes in handy that these old hotels don’t need room keys to roam the property.Once I’m on the third floor, I scan the area before stepping out of the elevator. Red wallpaper lines the hallway and the air is musty and humid, like water damage has done a number on the structure.
Keeping my movements slow and calculated, I listen for any movement or noise I can detect. Turning to the corner to head down one side of the hallway, I hold my ear up to each tan colored door. My breath halts, moving from one room to another until I reach the end and switch sides. Before long, I am down the opposite side, with only five doors left.Anger bubbling inside, I’m about to punch a hole in the door when I hear the faint sound of a man panting.
“That motherfucker.” Panic and rage seizes hold of limbs as everything turns to deep red. I will burn this fucking place down if he touched her.
I rush the door, lifting my boot to kick down the door. The wood snaps but keeps the deadbolt in place.
“I’m going to fucking kill you!” I climb through, pushing wood beams aside.
A scream comes from behind a wall, and before long I am face-to-face with a naked man on top of a woman with her skirt hiked high.
“What do you want?” he cries out with fear while his dick is still inside of her.
Blinking a few times, I gather my thoughts, adrenaline coursing heavily through my veins.
It’s not them.
Relief washes over me, but also fear because I am still on the hunt.
My hand goes up into the air in surrender. “Sorry, wrong room!”
The woman scurries to the back of the bed.
“Get the fuck out of here!” the man yells as I rush out through the broken door.
Once I’m back in the hallway, facing the sickening wallpaper once again, my anger takes on a new fold. “Fuck!” I grit out, my hands brushing through my hair in frustration.
I have to find Lux. There is no me without her.
I push open the door to the fire escape, taking the stairs two at a time, as it leads me into an alleyway behind the hotel. And with one deep breath of cool night air, I refill my lungs before thundering around the building back to my car.
Chapter 37
River
Islam the back screen door on a small new build home in an up-and-coming neighborhood south of the city. The third location Sebastian has followed me to in the past couple of hours, and still no Lux. My patience is running thin while panic continues to build.
Stevie found an LLC which the Hughes family uses to purchase properties, where they buy them with cash, then resell them to the highest bidder. That’s based on what she’s been able to research at this point.
“Fuck!” I grind my teeth.
Sebastian steps out of the woods with his arms crossed over his chest and judgment written on his face.
“What?” I yell, while shoving past him.
