Chapter 25 Bianca
BIANCA
It took everything in me not to follow Harrison onto that damned bus after I dismissed the Hearts staff.
The highest-ranking employee in each section dismisses the staff each night.
That was me, since Rouge never showed up tonight.
Technically, the Kings outrank all of us, but they can’t be bothered with something as trivial as dismissing the staff.
Most of them took off once the last patrons left, except for the King of Hearts, who’s on bus duty tonight.
The King of Hearts is Rouge’s favorite. It was the position Jack was auditioning for the night he took shrooms with Rouge.
I imagine he’s the one who carries out some of her messier tasks.
The guy Rouge ended up hiring when Jack failed to impress her is the same one I just saw lead Harrison out the Red Door.
I know very little about him, as is the case with the other three Kings.
He always wears a fitted wool hat decorated with crowns and hearts and is usually wearing a thick layer of liner under each eye. That’s all I know about him.
That and the fact that he’s trouble. Anyone close to my sister is.
The Gilded Rose is a quick jaunt from Aces, and I’m walking at a brisk pace. I get there in a little under fifteen minutes and am about to round the corner to the garage where my car is when a thought occurs.
I still have the key to our room at the hotel. I placed it in the bathrobe I was wearing when Harrison gave it to me. I’m not going back to our room, of course. But maybe I’ll be able to retrieve our suitcases, along with our phones and wallets.
I walk to the front desk with a smile on my face.
“Hello, ma’am,” a blond clerk says. “How can I help you?”
“My husband and I were moved to a new room, but our bags never made it. I was wondering if they got brought down here by mistake.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Goodness. I’m so sorry about that. Do you have your room key?”
“Of course.” I place it on the table.
“And ID?”
“I’m afraid that was in my bag,” I say. “But the reservation is under Whitney Royale.”
“Of course, Ms. Royale, and my apologies again. Can you describe the bags?”
“Happy to. Mine is white with pink trim, and my husband’s is dark blue. They’re both carry-ons.”
“I’ll go check our storage. And please accept my sincerest apologies again, Ms. Royale.”
“No worries. I know things sometimes fall through the cracks.”
She goes back into a room behind the front desk. She didn’t seem alarmed when I told her my fake name, so she might not be aware of what went down with Mr. Rose this morning. She seems a little vapid, so I might get away with this.
She comes back a few moments later, wheeling two suitcases behind her. “Are these them?”
My heart leaps. “They are. Thank you so much!” I take mine, open it, and grab my wallet and phone.
I don’t need the keys since I have my spare on me, but I pocket those as well just to be safe.
I open Harrison’s bag, grab his essentials, and put them in my purse.
Once I get to the Caterpillar Hotel, I’ll make sure he gets them in case we get separated.
I also grab a scarf and a large pair of sunglasses from the bag.
“Enjoy the rest of your stay,” the clerk says.
I nod. I’ll never set foot in the Gilded Rose again, but I can be polite.
I wrap the scarf around my hair and put on the sunglasses.
It’s the dead of night, but if this look kept Jackie Kennedy from the press, it’ll keep me incognito as well.
I head toward the elevator that leads to the parking garage when I stop in my tracks.
Three police officers stand in the elevator lobby.
They’re not the reason I stop. I’m in disguise. They won’t recognize me from the security tapes.
The reason I stop is the woman they’re talking to.
It’s Rouge.