I press myself deeper into my hiding place, making myself as small as possible. Sweat trickles down my spine as I hear his footsteps moving across the loading dock. Farther at first, then closer. I press my fist against my mouth to stifle my panicked breathing, squeezing my eyes shut as if that might somehow make me invisible.
His footsteps stop. I'm barely breathing now, eyes still closed, hands trembling around my shoes. The silence stretches for what feels like eternity before I hear a phone ringing.
He answers with an irritated grunt, “What?”
I dare to peek around the edge of the crates. He's standing with his back to me, one hand pressing his phone to his ear.
“Yeah, I'm coming. Ran into our mark from the other night. The bitch took off on me.”
My heart pounds so loudly I'm certain he'll hear it. Mark? They were targeting me specifically?
“No, I haven't found her,” he continues, scanning the loading dock. I duck back into the shadows. “Fuck it. I'll be right there.”
He pockets his phone with a curse, making one final sweep of the area before storming back through the service door. I stay frozen in place, counting to one hundred before I dare to move. My legs shake as I stand, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
I slip my shoes back on, wincing as they press against my tender feet. My mind races with questions. Why was I their ‘mark’? How did they know my name? What do they want with me?
I pull out my phone with trembling hands and call Minny.
My phone rings just once before she picks up. “Charlie? Where?—”
“I don't have time,” I cut her off. “I'm in trouble. One of the guys from the club found me.”
“Oh my God,” she gasps. “Where are you? I'll call security?—”
“No! Listen to me. I need you to find Thor. He's in room 576. Tell him what happened.”
“But Charlie?—”
“Just do it! Please.”
I hang up and press myself against the wall, trying to calm my racing heart. Seconds drag by, stretching into what feels like hours as I stare at the phone, willing it to ring.
Finally, it vibrates in my hand, Minny's name flashing on the screen. I fumble to answer, heart still hammering against my ribs.
“Minny, did you?—”
“Where are you?”
Relief floods through me so powerfully that my knees nearly buckle.
“Tell me where the fuck you are, Charlotte.”
I glance around the loading dock, searching for landmarks. “I'm at some kind of service entrance. The loading dock behind the casino. There are delivery trucks and?—”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes. He left, but he was on the phone with someone. They called me their 'mark,' Thor. They knew who I was before they drugged me.”
A string of vicious curses flows through the phone. “Listen to me carefully. Find somewhere to hide and stay there until I get to you. Don't move, don't talk to anyone. I'm two minutes out.”
“Okay,” I whisper, scanning the area for a better place to hide. I spot a gap between two industrial dumpsters and squeeze myself into it, ignoring the stench. “I'm hidden.”
“Good girl. Stay on the line.”
I press the phone to my ear, taking comfort in the sound of Thor's heavy breathing and rapid footsteps. In the background, I hear doors slamming and muffled voices as he barrels through the hotel.
“Almost there,” he growls. “Don't hang up.”
