Chapter 12
Payson
We have been driving for what feels like hours.
Ashton wasn’t kidding when they said they would be at my place in twenty.
I wasn’t even packed when they showed up.
She said they had a feeling where I wanted to go, and all they needed was an address.
It’s not like they haven’t heard the rumors.
I’m not even sure how it was started, or why it continues to spread like wildfire.
All I know is when I needed my friends, they showed up.
It didn’t matter why. It didn’t matter when.
We pull up to the building, and I recognize it instantly.
The Sable Siren: Hotel and Casino. I started sketching design plans for the hotel's interior just last week. Pictures don’t do it justice.
It’s massive and covered with a variety of different colored lights, not to mention the amount of glass.
It’s luxurious. Though I wouldn’t expect anything less for a Hartley Enterprises Hotel.
We grab our bags and make our way inside. Kraig never mentioned this at all. I dial his number. It rings once, twice, then goes to voicemail. No answer. Again. Disappointment washes over me, just as my phone buzzes with a text.
Kraig: In a meeting. It’ll be late. Plus paperwork.
Ashton reads the text over my shoulder. “Yeah, super busy,” she mutters sarcastically. I take a deep breath. I’m exhausted, and even if he’s in a meeting, I can still surprise him. Two clean-cut women are typing away at their computers as I walk up to the reception desk.
“Hi, my fiancé is stuck in a meeting and told me to go up to the room, but I don’t have a key,” I say casually. They both smile.
“Just a moment,” one says before making a phone call. She glances at me, then whispers to the other lady, before hanging up. Odd.
Kindly, she places a key card on the counter.
“Room 757,” she says, her expression faltering ever so slightly. “Take the elevators up to the seventh floor. Take a right, last door on the left.”
Something about the way she explains the directions to the room sits wrong.
“Thank you,” I reply, giving the lady a gentle smile.
She turns to help Ashton, while I turn and spot the elevators.
When Ashton has their keys, we walk toward the elevators together.
The doors ping open immediately after we push the service button, and we step inside.
A man dressed in all black leans against the back of the elevator.
Legs crossed, sunglasses on, and a hood draped over his head.
He screams danger. But I don’t care. All I want right now is to see Kraig.
To have the long overdue talk I have been waiting for for the past three weeks.
Ashton presses the button to the seventh floor, and we begin to move.
When we come to a stop, we step out following the directions the reception lady gave us to our rooms. Theirs is to the left of the elevators, as mine is to the right.
Ashton tells me she will be in the casino if I need her, and I give her a quick hug before making my way to the room.
My heart is beating nervously in my chest. The quiet of the hallway just makes me more nervous.
What if he just wanted some space? What if the rumors were just that rumors?
My hand tightens around the key card and I take a deep breath before swiping it in front of the lock.
It flashes green, and then a click. I open the door, the sight before me nearly sends me crashing to the ground.