Chapter 60
CHAPTER
SIXTY
Standing outside near a cluster of confused guests with fire trucks idling nearby, Andi told herself she was relieved not to finish the conversation with Duke.
She was too tired. Had too many emotions stacked on top of each other. She didn’t want explanations and excuses right now. Yet would she be able to relax until she had them?
She knew the answer—it was a clear no.
She wanted to think Duke was trustworthy. That he’d never hurt her.
But what if she was wrong?
Was he having second thoughts about Celeste? Had she begged for him to give her another chance?
Would Duke even seriously consider that?
Andi thought he wouldn’t. But people—even people you loved—were unpredictable. And the heart sometimes took on a mind of its own.
She hated her doubts. Hated that she felt insecure right now.
But she did.
The rest of the gang wandered out also, sweatshirts pulled over their T-shirts. Some of the crew also drifted to them, and they all made chitchat as firefighters investigated the alarm.
When the all-clear finally came and they were ushered back inside, Andi tried to keep her emotions in check. There was no need to be upset—she should save her decision on that until after her conversation with Duke.
As she reached the elevator bank, something tugged at her attention, and she paused.
Rupert should have been outside with them.
He would have been loud about the inconvenience. Complaining about the disruption. Talking to the front desk, to the fire marshal, to anyone who looked remotely in charge.
Andi scanned the lobby again.
No Rupert.
She turned slowly, eyes moving from face to face. Duke was a few steps behind her, talking quietly with Ranger. Mariella and Simmy stood near the windows, phones in hand. Matthew gripped his computer, appearing as if he wanted to open the laptop and start working again.
Still no Rupert.
A flicker of unease sparked.
“Hey.” Andi paused in front of her team. “Has anyone seen Rupert?”
Mariella frowned. “No, not since right before dinner.”
Ranger shook his head. “I assumed he went back to his room.”
Andi’s pulse ticked faster. She hadn’t seen him outside during the alarm at all—which seemed so unlike him.
She turned toward Duke, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice. “He wouldn’t miss the opportunity to complain about something like this.”
Duke’s expression shifted. “Let’s check his room.”
The two of them hurried in that direction. But Andi slowed as they reached Rupert’s room.
His door wasn’t closed. It sat ajar, open just enough to notice.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
She paused outside and called, “Rupert?”
No answer.
Duke nudged the door the rest of the way open.
The room beyond was empty—bed untouched, lights off, briefcase sitting neatly by the desk. His suitcase rested on a stand in the corner, unopened.
But Rupert wasn’t there.
Andi stared at the room, a chill spreading through her chest.
The cracked door.
It was the same detail.
Again.
Andi’s mind raced as the realization settled into place, heavy and sickening.
Kate was missing.
Now Rupert—annoying, anxious, impossible-to-ignore Rupert—had vanished without a word.
Duke checked out Rupert’s room, but he didn’t find anything of note.
Yet he had a bad feeling in his gut.
“All the other victims were women,” Andi muttered with the slow shake of her head.
“We threw this guy off his game, so now he’s changing up things. Besides, the rest of us were together. Maybe he saw the opportunity to grab Rupert and went for it.”
“I hate this . . .” she murmured.
He hooked an arm around her neck. “Me too. We’ll find him. We have to.”
Several minutes later, they gathered the team and regrouped in Andi’s room. The air felt different now—tight, alert, and stripped of anything casual.
He desperately wanted to finish the conversation with Andi.
The weight of it sat heavy in his chest. Everything he hadn’t said pressed for space. Misunderstandings festered when left alone.
He knew that. He’d let this one breathe too long already.
But this wasn’t the moment.
Whatever had happened to Rupert took precedence.
Matthew was already set up at the table, laptop open, lines of code and frozen frames flickering across the screen. “I’m trying to pull footage from the hallway and exterior cameras. But there’s a problem.”
Duke’s jaw tightened. “What kind of problem?”
“None of the cameras work.”
Duke sighed and raked a hand through his hair. Of course, the cameras were down. Why was he even surprised?
“I talked to the desk clerk, along with a few guests,” Ranger added. “No one saw anything. He’s just . . . gone.”
Mariella pressed her lips together. “It’s not like Rupert to quietly disappear.”
“Rupert’s in danger.” Andi finally voiced what they were all thinking. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Matthew’s fingers flew again. “I’ll expand the search—nearby traffic cams, toll roads, license plate readers. If he left the property by vehicle, I might catch a trace.”
Maybe. But Duke felt doubtful.
His gaze found Andi’s, and he saw the hurt still lingering there—hurt that he had caused.
There were a hundred things he wanted to say.
But he couldn’t. Not now. Not with Rupert missing.
The person who’d been toying with them had just escalated the game.
Duke squared his shoulders. “We need to find Rupert. Now. There’s no time to waste.”