Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
Cal
We leave the storage room with nothing but Rose’s mother’s scarf, now tied around her waist, and a heaviness that neither of us wants to name. It’s from this insane chemistry charging the case.
And us.
“Let’s hit security one last time,” I tell Rose as we walk to the elevator.
“And download everything. I want to rewatch it again and make sure we didn’t miss anything.
Plus, Denny will want to see it.” She says nothing, only nods, her eyes distant.
The usual Rose spark is gone. I would take the banter we had a year ago—hell, minutes ago—over the sullen version walking beside me right now.
My heart aches to find her mom and put a smile back on her face again.
On our way back to the elevators, the muffled pulse of music drifts from one of the event rooms. The doors are thrown wide, decorated with one of those obnoxious balloon archways.
Light and laughter spill into the corridor.
Guests glide in and out, glittering flapper dresses brushing against sharp Prohibition-era suits. Jeweled masks hide half their faces.
Rose slows, drawn to the glow like a moth to a flame.
Her gaze lingers on the entrance. “That’s the masquerade ball,” she says softly.
“Niko’s in there. I should …” She swallows, hesitation threading through her.
“Say goodbye.” Her teeth catch her lower lip, and then her eyes flick to mine, silently searching and asking.
Oh, hell no is what I want to say. But I don’t.
I bite back my initial reaction. I do not want to see this dude again. Or worse, see her with him.
She’s seeking him out. And that thought stirs something ugly deep inside me. “Now?” I squeak out. So much for trying to hide it.
She turns, her lips twitching with the ghost of a smile. “It’s polite, Cal. He was kind to me when I saw him earlier. Concerned about me and my mom.”
I should tell her no and remind her that we don’t have time for polite goodbyes. But the look in her eyes, and the slightest pout that’s pushing out her bottom lip … damn it. I exhale through my nose and nod. “Fine. Make it quick.”
We enter the party as an attendant hands us masks at the door. I set mine aside instantly. “Not happening.”
Rose laughs softly, slipping hers on her face, the silk ribbon trailing against the soft, supple skin of her cheek. “What, don’t want to play along?” she nudges me. “Always no fun and so serious all the time.”
“I’m on duty,” I mutter while scanning the room.
The ballroom looks like something out of a dream. The second we step inside, I understand why people pay ridiculous money to stay here.
Gold light spills from chandeliers big enough to blind you, reflecting off the marble floors like liquid fire.
Drapes stretch and hang from the ceiling.
Every inch of the place is dripping with old-world glamor.
Black and gold accents, tall arched windows, and velvet curtains framing the view of the storm outside.
It’s like Jay Gatsby himself is going to emerge from the crowd.
The air hums with jazz coming from a live band that plays near the stage. Couples in masks spin across the floor. Sequins, silk, and feathers shimmer while champagne flutes clink. Laughter echoes.
For a second, it almost feels like time stopped in here.
Everyone’s masked, which makes it worse somehow. Nobody’s who they appear to be. It’s elegant, of course, but this isn’t my scene.
Rose nudges me again, trying to capture my attention. I tear my eyes from the ballroom and look at her. My breath catches. The way the mask frames her face. The way her baby browns glitter and sparkle beneath it.
I’m completely captivated.
She smiles while fiddling with the ribbon in the back. The mask keeps slipping down her nose and cheeks. “How do I look?”
Stunning.
Gorgeous.
Breathtaking in every way.
But I don’t say any of those things. “Like you’re ready to party.”
She turns. “Can you adjust this for me? I’m all thumbs, and it won’t stay tied.”
With her back facing me, my eyes instantly draw to the line of her neck and her exposed shoulder. Up close, her skin isn’t flawless. It’s real, freckled, tan, and without trying, makes her more beautiful. A strawberry birthmark, small and delicate, peeks out from behind her top.
I wonder what the rest of it looks like.
On a shaky breath, I focus on my fingers and the satin ribbon as I form the bow.
Her curls tickle my wrist while I tie the knot, and for a heartbeat, I forget why we are here.
The faint lavender scent from her shampoo fills my nose, and I breathe it in.
In order to keep my fingers from shaking, I pull the ribbon tighter than I need to.
Because if I don’t, I might let them wander and trace the curve of her neck or the pulse beneath her skin.
When I’m done, I linger a second too long, her hair still tangled in my breath.
“All done.” My hands fall to my sides.
She turns, touching the mask and ribbon, making sure it’s secure, oblivious to my inner freak-out. “Thank you. You ready?”
To find your ex so you can see him? No, Rose, I am not ready.
But I follow her anyway as she leads us deeper into the party. She’s scanning the room as we weave through the crowd. My eyes? Only on her.
Then she spots him. “There he is,” she quivers out with a hint of excitement and a huge grin. My gut churns as I watch her look at him like that.
It was only a smile. Don’t panic.
The lie tastes bitter.
Casually, he’s reclining on one of the high-top tables, holding a glass of wine, chatting it up with a gaggle of women. They all burst out laughing at something he’s saying. Niko must be a funny guy.
Whatever.
He downs a swig of his merlot as he looks around the room. Niko zeroes in on Rose right away and grins the moment he sees her. “Rose.” The dude’s face lights up like a freaking Christmas tree. He immediately abandons his harem.
Before I can intercept, she’s in his arms, hugging him like … like she wants it. I grind my teeth, shutting down the desire screaming to pull her back.
“I wanted to say goodbye,” she mutters into his body.
Without letting her go or her letting him go, he glances at me. “You guys are leaving?”
I guess he’s asking me. “Shortly. I might be back if we find something.”
“I’m so scared, Niko,” she mumbles into his chest.
He continues to hold her, then kisses the top of her head. “I know. I’m so sorry.” She draws her eyes up to meet his. “If you guys are done, you can stay here with me, the way we planned. I just want to help. Or maybe we could leave and go back to your place. You shouldn’t be alone.”
My fingers dig into my palm.
Rose pulls away, and disappointment flashes across Niko’s face. She looks at me sheepishly. “I better not.”
Niko’s hand trails to her arm and squeezes her biceps. “Do you have a few minutes? I would like to talk to you in private right over there.” He points to the darkened area directly behind us. “It will only be a minute. I have so much to say, and I miss you, Rose.”
Not happening.
He will have to kill me before I let him take her anywhere. Especially down a dark hallway that looks like it leads to nowhere. The dude is delusional.
Does that make me sound like a caveman? Yes.
But I prefer to call it ‘doing my job and protecting her.’
I’m pretty sure half the ballroom can hear my jaw clenching over the music.
Back in the hotel room, every look she gave me said, ‘Come closer.’ I thought what I saw in her eyes was want.
We took it a step further and made a promise to push pause on what was happening.
But then she sees Niko, and suddenly, that same look is pointed at him.
A cruel truth hits me. Hard.
They’ve got a history. I can see it in the way they move around each other. As if there’s something unfinished that’s still lurking. And the worst part?
If I hadn’t been such a damn coward, that history could’ve been mine.
As I’m about to put the brakes on this whole reunion, Rose makes up her own mind.
She steps back from Niko and sidles next to me.
“I can’t, Niko. Cal and I are heading back to the precinct to report back what we found here.
Finding Mom is my priority. Sitting around wallowing and crying isn’t going to bring her home. I have to keep searching.”
Another word: bye.
I relax as soon as she steps away from him. I don’t let it show—at least I try not to—but the relief hits hard and is impossible to hide. My chest puffs out.
Niko nods in agreement. “Of course. I understand. If you need anything, please call me, okay? Help with the case or anything. Day or night. I mean it.”
Internally, I’m laughing at this idiot because if he cared so much, he wouldn’t have let her go in the first place.
Kinda like I did. But that’s neither here nor there.
The moron keeps talking. “It’s important to be realistic, Rose. This probably isn’t going to end well, and you’ll need someone,” Niko says smoothly. Sounding as if he cares.
She stiffens yet offers him the same genuine smile she always does. But there’s a strain beneath it. The kindness in her eyes doesn’t quite reach the edges. She doesn’t like his negativity; it unsettles her.
“I will,” she says softly, yet trembling enough to betray her nerves. “But Cal will find her, Niko. And if I cry, it’ll be from joy. Not sadness.”
Her gentle words carry a sweetness laced with conviction.
She’s right. I will find her. For Rose.
“No, yeah, of course. You’re right.” He extends his hand. An invitation. “I hope I didn’t upset you.”
She doesn’t take it. “No. You didn’t.”
I’ve had it with this guy. My patience snaps clean in two. “Time to go,” I say, the words coming out harsher than I intend.
Rose shoots me a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
She turns back to him. “Bye, Niko,” she says.
“Goodbye, Rose. Take care of yourself.”
Niko glares at me, smug as ever, before waving Rose a lingering goodbye and melting into the crowd. She waves back and watches him until he’s gone, then spins on me as she whips off the mask and flings in onto a nearby table.
“You didn’t have to be such a Neanderthal.”
Yeah, I did.
Her accusation stings, but I don’t bite. Instead, I turn on my heel and head for the exit, jaw tight, pulse still pounding. “We need to go,” I bark out because walking away is easier than saying what I really want to—that watching her with him drives me out of my damn mind.
She’s right behind me when I’ve barely made it halfway through the crowd. Her voice catches me.
“Cal, wait.”
I stop. Turn. She’s standing next to a high-top table, looking smaller somehow, her confidence stripped away. Her arms fold across her chest like she’s trying to hold herself together. “What if he’s right?” she whispers.
Her question comes out of left field. “About what?”
She hesitates, then meets my eyes. “That I need to be realistic. That … maybe we won’t find her.
What if she’s really gone?” Her voice trembles, cracking in the quiet.
“The footage didn’t give anything away. There were no clues in her room or her things.
This hotel showed us nothing. Nothing. And every day that passes …
” She trails off, shaking her head. “I can’t stop picturing what might be happening to her. ”
Something twists deep in my chest. I can’t stand seeing her like this—torn apart, scared, doubting everything. Plus, I want to wring Niko’s neck for planting these thoughts in her head.
“Rose,” I say softly, and before I can think better of it, I close the space between us and pull her against me.
For a second, she freezes, arms hanging limply at her side, breath hitching. Then her body gives in. She presses into me, her hands wrap tightly around my waist, her forehead tucked under my chin. She's shaking as I hold her tighter, ignoring the part of me that screams I shouldn’t.
“Hey,” I murmur into her hair. “We’re going to find her. I promise you that. I won’t stop until we do.”
She exhales shakily against my body; the sound breaks something inside me. The scent of her hair, the warmth of her pressed against me—it’s all too much.
Too good.
Too dangerous.
And that’s when I realize I’ve crossed a line I can’t uncross.
I force myself to let go, stepping back before I forget why I shouldn’t. Her eyes flick up to meet mine, wet and searching, and for a moment, neither of us says a word.
Neither of us breathes.
We stare.
We yearn.
We want.
“Let's get going,” I finally manage, trying to keep my voice level.
She nods, but her gaze lingers on me, steady and unspoken, like she knows there’s more behind my words than either of us is ready to face.