Release You

1. The Cavalier Hotel

CHAPTER 1

The Cavalier Hotel

Nikki

I laid on the horn again, and the ten cars in front of me did the same. Oddly enough, that didn’t help. Up ahead at the end of the street, or what used to be the end of the street, a construction worker held up a stop sign. When I rolled down the window to get his attention, a puff of hot air mixed with exhaust fumes and dust hit me square in the face. Yeah, welcome to fucking Paradise Creek, Arizona, home of the biggest steak burrito and the worst years of my life.

I gripped the steering wheel and blew out a breath. No matter what this place threw at me, I could handle it. So what if the entire block was under construction? I needed to get to my hotel, take a hot bath, and mark one more day off the calendar. By this time next month, I’d be in Paris, eating crepes and sipping mochas with my sister. No more cons, no more spoiled millionaires.

I checked my makeup in the rearview mirror and climbed out of the car. Not two steps in, I stopped when a construction worker who’d been drilling in the middle of the traffic circle blew a kiss in my direction.

“I love you,” he said.

I returned the sentiment with a meek smile. Maybe leaving my car wasn’t the best idea ever, but First Street was the only road into old downtown that wasn’t blocked. I strutted toward the guy holding up the sign. He had his back to me. His white T-shirt stuck to his torso and hung loose just above an ass that belonged on the spread of a fashion magazine. His over six-foot frame stood tall, covered in sweaty, sun-kissed muscles. I opened my mouth to get his attention, but he beat me to it.

“Russ,” he called out, his voice deep and full of confidence. “I need you on traffic duty.”

“Yeah, boss.” A stocky guy with soot smeared on the side of his face fell to the ground from the back of a crane. He froze when he saw me. After a couple of quick blinks, he flashed me a toothy grin.

I braced both hands on my hips. “How much longer? You can’t keep us here all morning.”

Hot construction guy spun around and treated me to a dark stare. As far as intimidating glares went, this one was pretty good, but I wasn’t his average girl. I’d been trained to handle men, all kinds of men. Okay, more like self-taught. But still. He pressed his lips together and stepped toward me, raking a hand through his hair, biceps bulging.

“Ma’am, get back in your car. This is a hard-hat area. It isn’t safe.”

“Ma’am?” I lowered my gaze, plastered a smile on my face, and read him quickly—I didn’t have time to deal with his remodeling problems—hot guy, tall, dark hair, darker eyes, and sexy full lips. Yeah, this guy was used to women drooling all over him. They did whatever he asked either because they were intimidated by him or because they wanted to get in his pants .

When I glanced up, I changed my tone to low and sweet. “Darling, it’s a million degrees out here. Please, I need help getting to my hotel.” I pointed to the other side of the road.

Russ sprang into action and grabbed one of the barricades blocking my access to the hotel. Hot guy put his large hand out and stopped Russ in his tracks. “Grab a sign and start rerouting cars out of here.”

“But she needs help.”

“I’ll take care of that.” He set his silly sign against the tailgate of his truck while muscles strained under his forearms.

The man could wear a T-shirt. I had to give him that. Wait. Was I staring?

Make them stare. That was my move.

I slid my hands up to my waist, “twins” out.

Russ coughed, as if he’d tried to swallow and it went down the wrong tube. He tipped his hat at me and scurried to the other side of the street.

Hot construction guy placed his hands on his hips and tapped a long index finger on his utility belt. Was he mocking me? “Ma’am.”

I cringed. The word was like a jackhammer hitting metal. At twenty-five, I wasn’t old enough to be a ma’am. I inhaled slowly, looking up at him through my eyelashes.

He smiled at the ground before he spoke again. “Like I said, it isn’t safe here. Get back in your car. Russ will show you the detour route.”

It’d been a long day. Hell, it’d been a long summer. I gripped my hip bone. All I wanted was to get to a shower and a bed and start working on a plan that would get me out of this godforsaken place before the end of the month.

“But my hotel is right there. A detour would take me away from it.” I couldn’t see the building, but I’d been down this street a thousand times. The Cavalier Hotel was just around the corner. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Henry.”

His voice deepened when he said it, as if it was supposed to mean something to me. Well, it didn’t. Nothing in this town meant anything to me anymore. It hadn’t for a long time. I’d spent the last ten years making myself forget everything I went through when I’d lived here.

“Do you have a last name, Henry?” I let his name linger on my tongue.

He swallowed, and a tinge of red touched the apples of his cheeks. Now we were getting somewhere. “It’s just Henry,” he deadpanned, looking behind him toward the blocked-off section with a deep scowl on his face.

Was there something wrong with the hotel?

“Okay. Just Henry. I’m Just Nikki. Nice to meet you.” I hoped a little cute humor would thaw that frozen heart of his. I offered him my hand.

He gave it a quick shake and let it go. Most men normally used this opportunity to get closer or try a cheesy line. Instead, he glared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Ma’am, please?—”

“Stop calling me that.” I stomped my foot. My four-inch heel scraped the concrete to remind me how out of place I was in this town. The sweet act wasn’t working. This whole day wasn’t working. Behind me, the first car rolled away from us, going in the opposite direction I needed to go. “Just let me through.”

He squinted at me as if he couldn’t believe my words. “Look, I’m not being a hard-ass here. A pipe burst just a few hours ago. We still don’t know what kind of damage it did to the foundation.” If his sharp tone was any indication, he was done dealing with me.

I clenched my jaw. Men were, for the most part, more susceptible than this—bat an eyelash, flash a sweet smile, and they’d do anything. Why was it not working on him?

“Oh, see, why is he allowed through?” I pointed at a truck driving through the barricades, hating that I sounded like a whiny child.

This guy put me on edge, and I didn’t like it. Also, I was running out of tactics. Henry glanced up toward the scorching sun and blinked once. He cocked his head, raising an eyebrow at me.

“He’s one of my guys, and unlike you, he knows what the hell he’s doing. I don’t have time for this, lady.”

“Well, that makes two of us, doesn’t it?” I met his intense gaze.

The sound he made was something between a groan and a huff. In a single stride, he was next to me. He gripped my elbow and pulled me toward my car.

“Now unless you want that little Mercedes of yours to be turned to scrap metal, I suggest you follow Russ’s directions out of here and find a different hotel. This entire block is condemned anyway. Why do you think we’re here?”

“Wait, what?” I freed my arm and turned around to face him but instead slammed into his chest.

My mouth went dry. That was a really hard chest—and wide. Did I squeeze a little? Maybe. This close, I could see he was definitely taller than six feet. Six four, maybe? I swallowed, ignoring the rush I felt. Sweat ran down my back and made my silk top stick to my skin. Surely, that had nothing to do with him or his warm breath brushing my cheek. What the hell was wrong with me?

“What are you talking about? My hotel is what?” I asked .

“Your what ?” He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Listen, this entire area is being renovated.” He wrapped his long fingers around mine and peeled my hand off his chest like it was covered in something toxic. Judging by the deep creases on his forehead, he wasn’t interested in me.

Really? I was so off my game today. I blamed it on this town. Nothing good ever came out of this place. He grabbed my elbow again. Half-running after him, I did my best to keep myself from falling flat on my face.

“Please get in your goddamn car and leave.”

“Oh, well, how could I not when you ask so politely?” I sneered at him, climbed in my car, and slammed the door.

He rubbed his temple and turned his attention to the other workers. Just like that, he was done with me. I rammed the palm of my hand on the horn. The loud honk made Henry spin toward me and glare. He pointed at me, saying something to Russ, who grinned before he rushed to my car. Good, someone I could handle.

“I’m sorry, miss, but Henry needs…”

I leaned forward and let my blouse hang a little lower. His mouth fell open as his eyes roamed my face and my cleavage.

“Darling, be a sport and let me through. I’m staying at the Cavalier Hotel. I know it’s just around the corner. Isn’t it?” I bit my bottom lip and let it tremble for good measure. How that sappy act worked on men I’d never know.

“Oh…ok-ka-ay,” he stammered. “Just this once, Miss…um?” His gaze darted from his boss to the barricade. “Wait here just a second. I won’t take long.”

I leaned back in my seat, smiling at Henry’s back, his snug jeans, and that round ass. What was his deal? Maybe blondes weren’t his thing. Not that I cared. Besides, I already had a mark, and he wasn’t it. And even if I didn’t have one, he was definitely not mark material. He didn’t appear to have millions to spare. I was here to help my sister Lisa—not to fool around with a hot-as-all-hell construction guy. I’d promised her, and this time, I couldn’t fail her.

As if he’d felt my eyes on him, he turned around and met my gaze. My heart pounded hard in my ears, making my face warm. I definitely needed to stay away from Just Henry.

Russ knocked on the passenger window and gestured for me to go on.

“Thank you,” I said.

He shrugged, waving me through, chest out as if he’d done some heroic deed.

“Jesus, Russ,” Henry called out. If his eyes could shoot daggers, they would’ve.

I winked at him as I drove away past the barricades. He stomped after me, but it was too late. I’d won this round. I leaned back on the seat and laughed with a satisfaction I hadn’t felt in years.

Half a mile down, I hung a left on Main Street, and my stomach sank. Every building on the entire block was closed down, windows boarded—just as Henry had said. Bending over the steering wheel, I glanced up. Two streets up the road, a second construction crew had the access barricaded. What the hell had happened here? The place looked like the set of a zombie apocalypse movie. A burning smell lingered in the air, but there was no evidence of fire. Not that I could see anyway.

I let the car roll to a stop in front of the Cavalier Hotel. My car tires crunched over gravel and broken glass. This was a nightmare. It had to be. I squeezed my eyes shut… one, two, three … Maybe I’d wake up in a fancy hotel in Paris, wrapped in soft, cool sheets. I opened them. No such luck. I was still here in freaking Paradise Creek, which had once again managed not to meet my incredibly low expectations of it .

“It’ll be like when we were kids. Like a vacation,” my sister, Lisa, had said.

A vacation, my ass. I swallowed my tears and took in a deep breath. I owed her this small sacrifice. Lisa had always been there for me. It was my turn to take care of her. She’d waited long enough.

I climbed out of the car. My pulse spiked as I strode toward the place that held so many memories. The sunrays bounced off the double-glass doors of the hotel and prickled my bare shoulders. This was the worst idea. I pushed on the wood panel, using my shoulder and body weight. Shards of glass scuffed across the marble floors as the door creaked open just enough to let me through. I placed a hand over my mouth, taking in the scene in front of me.

Lisa, what have you done? I wasted half of my life savings for this hole in the wall?

This wasn’t the fancy boutique hotel I remembered, with red velvet sofas in the lobby and a grand staircase going up to the second level. Lisa and I had snuck into this place countless times to spy on the grown-ups while they danced the night away at yet another Cavalier lavish shindig. My favorite party was the Cavalier’s annual New Year’s Eve bash. Lisa and I would spend hours hidden in the coat closet, watching through a crack in the door as guests danced in their expensive clothes and toasted with champagne at midnight. How quickly everything had ended when our parents died. It all seemed like a lifetime ago. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. My chest hurt with the usual ghost pain of an old wound. Seeing all this brought back memories I’d hoped never to face again.

I ran my hand across the exposed red brick. Though everything was still here—the furniture, the art, area rugs—half of it was covered in spider webs. The other half lay under a pile of rubble. I walked past the stairs and sat at an old barstool near the leather-upholstered bar. I wiped a finger across the counter and frowned. It was clean or at least not layered in inches of dust like everything else.

Overhead, a sparkly chandelier hung off-center. Someone had cleaned it recently. Someone had also brought down the wall separating the bar from the main lobby. Though, I couldn’t tell whether that’d happened before or after the building was abandoned.

I climbed the stairs. With every step, shuffling noises scattered along the walls. Great. We had rats. I went into the first room on the left and let out a sigh. It had a bed, desk, chest of drawers, and even curtains. Not horrible. A good cleaning and fresh windowpanes could make the room livable. I moved on to survey the other twenty rooms. Overall, the upstairs was in fair condition, even if most of the scattered furniture was covered in droppings. How long had the hotel been like this? I’d only been gone for ten years. I shook my head, rubbing my temple. Did Lisa know? No, how could she?

Every muscle in my body quivered. “Home sweet home.” My voice echoed on the opposite end of the building and sent tiny feet scurrying across the floor again. So much for a hot bath and a warm bed.

“Fuck my life.” I stomped back to the bar, picked up the counter stool, and slung it against the mirror covering most of the moldy wallpaper. We should be in Paris. As a family, together. Just as we’d always planned.

Holy shit, Lisa. What did you get me into?