Page 68 of Royal Flush

Very cautiously, I opened the door, peering into the well-lit, beautifully decorated, and very empty hallway. Breathing a sigh of relief, I tugged the cap down further before heading into the corridor. Without hesitation, I moved quickly to the set of doors that should be at the end. When I noticed the bright light from outside, I breathed a sigh of relief. This was the right thing to do.

Or so I tried to convince myself.

The street was busy as usual, which easily helped me blend in.

However, I continuously glanced over my shoulder as I walked, certain I was being followed. I could see huge men in black SUVs almost everywhere, which was ridiculous of course. I pulled out my phone, hurriedly dialing Ashton.

Thankfully, she answered quickly. As soon as I did, I moved against one of the buildings, thankful he’d selected a hotel in Georgetown and not directly in the city. I was shivering from the breeze but more because of fear.

“Oh, God. Why haven’t you called me back?” Ashton chastised.

“I’ve been a little busy.”

“What is going on?”

“It’s a long story and I’ll tell you all the gory details, but I need your help.” The creepy crawlies remained, covering every inch of my body.

“You’re scaring me. What?”

A solid horn followed by a series of screams coming from the street forced me to jump.

“Where are you?” my bestie demanded.

“Georgetown. We stayed at the Four Seasons.”

“Wow. With that hot, mysterious man?”

“Dangerous man. Yes. I know this is a lot to ask, but I need a ride and a place to stay for a couple days.”

“O-kay. Sure. Do your parents know?”

“As if they care. It’s too dangerous to be there.”

“Jesus Christ, Jazzie. I don’t like this.”

“Just tell me somewhere to go and I’ll wait for you.”

Sighing, she grumbled into the phone. “Let me think. Oh, yeah. There’s a new quaint coffee shop I know of. Will that do?”

“That will be fine.” As she told me the name and where it was located, I realized I’d never felt so alone in my life. Running hadn’t been a great idea, but I wasn’t entirely certain I could trust Braxton. And I definitely couldn’t call my dad. I had no doubt he was the actual target. Even if I called to warn him, he’d barely listen, demanding I come home immediately.

Except I doubted the colonial-style house could ever feel like home.

“How long?” I asked, scanning the street as if aliens were preparing an invasion. In my entire life, I’d never been this jittery despite all the warnings my father had provided over the years. I’d done nothing but roll my eyes, acting as if the man was paranoid. Here I was behaving the same way.

Well, duh. That’s what happens after almost being kidnapped.

“Thirty minutes. Maybe a little longer. I need to get dressed. Just hang tight, bestie. I’ll be there. Then you and I are going to talk.”

Ashton’s voice was full of concern. In all the years we’d known each other, she’d called me fun and sometimes reckless, eager to experience anything and everything. Now I’d been reduced to nothing more than a scaredy cat. I did have a fairly good reason, including I’d known for years dear old Daddy was hiding a dark secret or five.

But just who was Braxton in all of this? “See you then.” As I ended the call, shifting to my GPS to try to figure out where the hell I was going, I thought about the pseudo friend who’d mentioned the Royal Players Club.

Why had I listened to her?

Had her suggestion been planned, a lure to get me to the island? Now I was working on conspiracy theories. It would seem the rational side of me had just been tossed into the trash.

Perfect.

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