Page 41 of Brutal Prince

And?

Me: Still not here. I’ll give him 2 more mins then I’m leaving.

Give him 1 min and get out.

Me: Fine.

Twenty seconds into the minute, I heard the click of the door. Instead of swinging my head around I used the reflection of the window to guide me. The handle turned slowly, but the door remained closed. A hollow rattling in the hall made me lurch towards my phone.

The door swung open and I bolted to my feet to look him in the eye. Heat engulfed my entire body, my palms clammy, a dribble of sweat ran down the nape of my neck.

“Oh I’m sorry,” she startled, dragging the cleaning trolley behind her. “I thought this room was empty.” Housekeeping. She was a housekeeper. The bastard was trying to taunt me.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” I said quietly, walking past her out into the hallway.

Me: No show. I feel like I’ve been played.

I slipped inside the elevator at the end of the hall, just as it dinged shut. A tall man was occupying the corner and I swallowed hard, turning my back to him.

“Did you enjoy your meal?” he asked and I examined his face. The guy who brought room service, but he’d removed the waistcoat and was just black slacks and a white shirt.

“I…I’m not feeling well so…”

“Shame. The staff will enjoy it on your behalf.”

“Have you seen the man who was supposed to join me?” I asked him.

The elevator dinged, the door opened and I stepped out onto ground floor. “No,” he answered, strolling past me with his long legs, heading for the grand entrance where an elderly couple just sauntered in pulling their luggage behind them.

“He didn’t turn up,” I said to the concierge and he merely shrugged, turning his focus on the couple.

Me: I’m out

I messaged as I ran towards my car, parked across the road. Once inside, I expected a message to be returned seconds later, but I was met with silence. The previous message wasn’t answered either. I climbed back out of the car and searched for her silver sedan. She said she was just across the road from the hotel, yet I failed to see her car. It was dusk and a blanket of ink was slowly eating the blue sky. It wasn’t so dark, where I couldn’t see several yards away, but my skin prickled from the drop of temperature.

Me: Where r u?

I climbed back inside my car and drove around a few minutes searching for her. When I couldn’t see the silver sedan I left for home.

Feeling pressure behind my temples of an incoming migraine I reached for my painkillers in the glove compartment. Proceeding to pop a couple, without water, as a million scenarios played in my mind. The fact that both they had vanished and he was a no show worried me.

When I pulled up a red light in the center of the business district, towered by multistory buildings, a notification came through on my phone.

My heart slammed against my ribcage as I opened the message expecting the worse, but hoping for the best.

We’re fine.

I breathed though my anxiety and rapidly beating heart before reading the rest of the message.

Had a run-in with an officer for illegal parking. Glad you’re ok. Go home and sleep it off, until another day.

Me: Whew! Thank goodness.

Feeling utterly dissatisfied yet, relieved he didn’t show, I opened the door to our apartment eager to just blob next to Mom and drown in some brainless TV show.

I froze when I heard a man’s voice, followed by my mom’s laughter. Home help came earlier in the day, so it couldn’t be them.

Cautiously, I pushed the door open further and caught his broad frame sitting in the lounger next to her bed.

---