Chapter 3
AHRI BLINKED WHEN SHE SAW the interior of the SUV and stepped back to look at the exterior again before sliding into the seat.
“I’m impressed,” she said after shutting the door.
“My assistant has a sense of humor,” Rafe said.
A man Ahri didn’t recognize took the front passenger seat, but Rafe didn’t introduce him. The man seemed very watchful of everything around them as the driver started the car and pulled away. Was her stalker still around to see her leave?
“That guy who was following me yesterday was outside earlier today,” she said.
The man in the front seat shifted to look back at her. “You should have said something about that when we first arrived.”
“And who are you?” Ahri bristled, not caring that she was being rude. She was tired, emotionally frayed, and finished with people acting like she was the one who’d done something wrong.
Rafe reached over and touched her clenched fist. “He’s Bill Ryze, head of my security.” He shot a warning glance at Bill with a tip of his head toward the driver.
Mr. Ryze nodded and turned back to face the front, but his watchfulness seemed to increase.
Ahri relaxed her hands. Why hadn’t Rafe introduced them earlier?
Probably because this Ryze was keeping an eye on things outside.
She wished she’d known about him earlier.
She might have thought to mention the stalker, but he’d already gone by the time Rafe had arrived anyway.
It wouldn’t have mattered, right? Ahri was suddenly grateful for the darkened windows.
She glanced at Rafe. He fingered the cover of the album, looking pensive.
Because he believed her? The little knot that had been growing in the pit of her stomach since the night Zed had left loosened a little.
Rafe hadn’t blown off what she’d said. He’d brought his top security guy, who seemed to be taking her information seriously, though maybe security people were just like that.
Either way, she didn’t feel as minimalized as she had even an hour ago.
Her mind drifted over how her life had changed so drastically in the last two days. Instead of going to her graphic design class tonight, she’d be fleeing the state. At least Taliyah already knew about it, so Ahri wouldn’t have to cancel tomorrow’s lunch date.
She leaned her head against the window, looking forward to getting on board the plane and not having to worry about being followed.
It felt a little like she was one of those colorful little balls in that corn popper push-toy that Taliyah’s toddler played with.
Ahri’s whole life had been turned upside down, and her mind just couldn’t think beyond getting away from here.
She closed her eyes, fatigue weighing on her. Only when the SUV stopped did she open them.
“Wait. The Biltmore?” They were going to stay the night here? Ahri just wanted to get out of the state right away and leave the whole nightmare situation behind. She wanted her brother. “I thought we were going to the airport.”
“It’s been a long day for you,” Rafe said as a doorman opened his door. “I have business in town I can take care of tonight.”
She pressed her hands to her abdomen; she wouldn’t get to see Kayn until tomorrow. Only then did she realize how much she’d been looking forward to it. She’d been counting on him to help her make sense of it all.
“Thanks for letting me know,” Ahri snapped, surprised at the sudden burn in her eyes. She closed them, pinching the bridge of her nose; she wouldn’t cry.
Rafe sat in silence for a second. “I’m sorry. I assumed you’d know we’d stay the night since it’s such a long flight, and I’ve already made the trip once today. My mistake. Will you be all right?”
His words made Ahri feel like a selfish brat. He had dropped everything to come across the country to get her. She took a deep breath. No, she wouldn’t overreact. She knew Rafe was being kind and not looking to hurt her feelings.
“I’m sorry. That didn’t come out well.” She forced her voice to sound light, “This is a beautiful place. I’ve always wanted to stay here.”
“There’s one in North Carolina too,” he said, “but I’ve never been to that one.”
The driver had the back of the SUV open, and a hotel staff member was pulling out their luggage. They were either very fast and efficient, or Rafe’s assistant was and had called in advance.
Ahri followed Rafe inside with Bill bringing up the rear, feeling like a poor second cousin in her grubby jeans and T-shirt, while Rafe and his security guy wore button-down shirts and slacks.
When Bill paused at the door, she glanced over her shoulder at him. He was scanning the wide parking lot. She appreciated the concern, but it did nothing to settle her nerves. The Biltmore had a long street approaching it. How would Bill know if something looked suspicious?
The cool, air-conditioned air hit Ahri, and she shivered. While Rafe checked them in, she scanned the lobby, her gaze settling on a colorful backlit panel of stained glass. She went up to it and read the plaque.
“Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright,” Bill said.
“Yeah.” The whole place wore a feel of opulence without being vulgar. She hated to admit it, but it impressed her.
They strolled to where Rafe was finishing up. She glanced at the luggage near an elderly couple who were also checking in. Ahri tried to remember what she’d stuffed in her bags. It wasn’t like she’d been planning to stay in a hotel tonight.
Rafe turned and handed them each their access keys. “We’re in a suite.” He headed toward the elevator.
“Have you stayed here before?” she asked, following him inside.
“Once, though it was winter so the weather wasn’t too hot.”
“You get used to it. Kayn said the hardest thing about attending Harvard was Massachusetts’ humidity after having lived here so many years.”
“He complained about it all the time,” Rafe said with a chuckle, checking out the room numbers as they went down the hall. “Now he likes to complain about the same thing in Boone. That and the snow in the winter.”
“I thought he was just kidding. You really have snow in North Carolina?” Ahri asked.
“Our elevation is over 3,000 feet. I think we probably average maybe three feet each winter.”
Ahri had never lived anywhere with snow. She wondered if she’d still be there in the winter.
Rafe stopped at a door and unlocked it. She followed him inside, and her jaw dropped.
He’d called it a suite, but it looked like an apartment.
To the right and left were doors but straight ahead was a little living room with a couch and a couple of chairs.
It even had a small kitchen and a dining table with six chairs.
“Wow,” she said.
“I understand your feelings,” Rafe said from beside her. “The first time I ever stayed in one of these was before our first game went viral.”
“You haven’t always been rich?” She glanced up at him.
“No. I was a scholarship boy. My mother worked two jobs to make sure I had the right credentials to get into Harvard.”
Ahri’s admiration for Rafe hitched up even more, and she felt an unexpected sense of connection with him. He’d grown up poor too. Why hadn’t her brother ever mentioned that to her?
“Where’s Bill going to sleep?” she asked.
“He and I will share that room. There are two beds in there.” Rafe pointed to one of the doors as he sat on a couch. He opened his laptop.
“It’s really nice of you to put me up in a hotel overnight, but I feel kind of—”
“Don’t worry about it.” Rafe interrupted with a raised a hand as though to cut off anymore argument about it. “I turned it into a business trip, so it’s a tax write-off, and I’d have gotten a suite anyway.”
“I’d like to ask Mrs. Meisner some questions before I walk around the hotel,” Bill said. “You mentioned that you recognized a man today as the one who followed you. What did he look like?”
“A middle-aged Hispanic man, pretty commonplace around here. If I hadn’t been so spooked by what Zed told me, I might not have noticed him.”
“Anything else descriptive?”
“He looked fitter than I’d have expected for a man his age.” She shivered at the memory of when she’d realized the guy who’d been standing near the corner of her apartment complex had also been outside her office. “He was buff.”
“Really buff?” Bill was writing in a notebook.
“Buff enough I could tell. You know how, even if a guy is wearing a dress shirt, it’s still obvious that he lifts weights a lot? He looked like that. Besides that, the only other thing that caught my attention was his dangling earring—just one—like a pirate.”
“Was it a hoop?” Bill asked.
“No. It looked like a dragon. Or maybe a scorpion. That would have fit his appearance better.” Ahri rubbed her forearms, unwilling to explain how that earring and the way the guy’d watched her had freaked her out. Her emotions were too close to the edge, and she didn’t want to cry in front of them.
“Interesting.” The security man stared off in the distance and nodded before jotting down something else. He stood. “I’m going to check on some things.”
“Just order whatever you want from room service,” Rafe said to Ahri, looking up from his laptop.
“Yes, order in.” Bill glanced at her. “I don’t recommend you go to the restaurant for dinner, in case someone followed us here.”
“Are you going to work here tonight?” she asked Rafe.
“No. I’m visiting a place we’re partnering with.” Rafe turned his laptop so she could see the browser he’d opened. “It’s called The Gaming Den.”
“What’s that?
“A place for gamers to gather. It used to be one of those dollar theaters that closed. Our partner had the idea to convert it into rooms where people who play REKD can meet in person and compete on the big screen. It’s been surprisingly successful.
One of our professional teams even moved to Phoenix so they could use one of the rooms.”