4
A blaring ring shattered the silence, jolting Emily awake. It took a moment for her sleep-addled mind to register that it was her cell phone. Remembering that Sydney was supposed to call her, she sprang up in bed, the sheet slipping away from her body. Her eyes locked on the glowing cell phone on the nightstand, and she reached for it. “Hello?”
“Emily, oh my God! I finally got a hold of you. I’ve been trying to reach you forever.”
Emily placed a hand on her throbbing head. “I’m sorry. How’s Kevin?”
“He’s a trooper. He got six stitches. He’s running around the house playing like nothing ever happened?”
“That’s good. He’s up playing now?” Emily said, surprised, “Isn’t it kind of late?” Emily glanced at the nightstand clock, “What time is it?”
“A little after eleven.”
“Shouldn’t he be in bed?”
“It’s eleven in the morning, Emily. Are you okay? You sound a little funny.”
“Really?” Emily said in disbelief. She got out of bed, moved to the window, and pulled open the room-darkening curtains, flooding the hotel room with sunlight, bringing her attention to the fact that she was still dressed in last night’s clothes. That’s odd , she thought. Why didn’t I change into my pajamas last night? And why can’t I remember coming back to my room?
Sydney said something, but Emily didn’t hear her. “What?” Emily asked, pulling herself back to the conversation.
“I said you better hurry if you’re going to make your massage at noon.”
“I’m not going. I’m coming home.”
“Why? Are you really ready to confront Gabriel right now? Give yourself another day. Take some time for yourself—get a massage, relax. You can deal with him later.”
“No, I’m coming home. I may be paranoid, but I think something happened last night. Can I come over? I’ll tell you everything when I get there.”
“Of course. Are you all right, Em? You’re scaring me.”
“I’ll explain when I get there. See you soon.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.”
Emily ended the call and went to her luggage to get a change of clothes. She entered the bathroom, used the toilet, and stepped into the shower. As the warm water cascaded over her, she struggled to piece together the previous night’s events. She remembered confronting Maggie and accepting Travis’s offer to buy her a drink, but everything after that was a blur. A chilling realization washed over her: he must have spiked my drink when I went to the ladies’ room.
Damn! You know better than that, she thought, mad at herself for allowing this to happen.
A short time later, she was dressed and packed, determined to leave the hotel and talk things over with her friend. As she opened the door to step out, a large manila envelope on the floor just outside her door caught her eye. She picked it up and cautiously peered into the hallway, glancing left and right. The corridor was empty; no one was in sight. Quickly, she brought the envelope inside and closed the door. With a sickening feeling in her stomach, she tore open the envelope. Her hands trembled as she extracted the letter and read it.
Your husband isn’t who you think he is. I’m pregnant with his baby. Pay me $500,000 within 8 hours, and the baby and I will disappear, never to be heard from again.
Don’t go to the police—if you do, or if you don’t pay, Ava will get hurt. I’m watching you. Drop off instructions to follow.
Since going to the police was out of the question, Emily called the one person she knew could help—her friend from college, Roman, who happened to be a private investigator.
“Hi, I’m in trouble. Can I come over?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Of course,” a reassuring male voice replied. “I’ll be waiting.”
“See you in an hour,” Emily said before disconnecting the call.
Emily approached the registration desk, and the man behind the counter smiled warmly. “May I help you?”
She placed her key card on the counter. “Yes, I’d like to check out, please.”
“Certainly,” the man took the key off the counter and asked, “What is your room number?”
“101.”
The man typed the room number into his computer, then looked up with a frown. “Was everything satisfactory with your stay? You still have another night left on your reservation. I’m afraid I can’t offer you a refund.”
“Yes, everything was fine,” Emily responded. “I have an emergency and have to leave.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll get you checked out right away,” the man said, returning his attention to the computer.
At that moment, Emily couldn’t believe her eyes. The elevator doors slid open, and Travis—the man from the bar stepped out.
“You!” Emily shouted, grabbing Travis’ attention. She charged across the lobby toward him, and he immediately bolted, sprinting away.
“Stop that man!” Emily yelled, pointing at Travis
Before she could reach him, Travis slipped through the revolving doors and disappeared from the hotel. As she arrived at the doors, an elderly couple stepped in, making it impossible for Emily to get through without shoving them aside. She could only watch helplessly through the glass as Travis sprinted away. When she finally managed to get outside, he was nowhere in sight.
“Did you see where that man went?” Emily asked the doorman, her breath coming in short gasps as she struggled with the lingering effects of the drugs.
“What man?” the doorman asked.
“The man in the blue shirt,” Emily said, showing her frustration. “He just ran out of here.”
“Oh, he caught a cab. Would you like a cab too?”
Emily gazed down the street, where a sea of yellow cabs flowed steadily up and down the avenue, and she sighed.
“Yes, I just need to get my luggage,” she turned and returned to the hotel.
“Is everything okay?” the man at the counter asked curiously as Emily returned for her luggage.
“Everything’s fine,” Emily replied, grabbing the handle of her suitcase and rolling it toward the exit.