Page 10 of Release You

“We’re going home, sister.” Her eyes filled with tears.

We were two women on a mission. Yeah, it had taken us a long-ass time to get here, but we were ready to get our lives back.

Henry would have to agree to let me stay at the hotel. The Cavalier Hotel belonged to me as much as it belonged to him. Though now I had to deal with the small issue of me agreeing to sell him my half of the property. Even though we didn’t sign any agreement papers or even shake on it, I couldn’t back out on my word. There was an unspoken code amongst thieves—or thief and poker player. I needed Henry on my side. He was the only one who could help me with my tunnel situation.

To earn his trust, I had to honor our deal. According to said deal, he had to deliver his portion of the money in two days. All I had to do was make sure he didn’t get the cash he needed.

CHAPTER 4

The Great Wall

Henry

I shut off the water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel off the rack on the way out of the bathroom. This place was coming along just fine. Who knew? Maybe after all this was over, I could make a home here and restore the Cavalier Hotel to its former glory; the way it had been when I was little. But first, I needed to get Nikki’s money. She needed to be out of my life, the sooner the better. I rubbed the palm of my hand on my cheek, feeling the clean-shaven skin. Bankers liked that sort of thing, and I needed them to like me. They were my last hope.

I donned a white, collared shirt and dress pants. Running a hand through my hair to comb it back, I sat on the bed and ignored the empty feeling in my stomach. Yesterday, after Nikki had left, the hotel had gone eerily quiet. My heart sank as I watched her leave. Heck, my entire world sank all over again, just as it had the first time she left me ten years ago.

She had changed her name and her clothes, but it was her. I’d been so distracted by all that long blonde hair and her tightjeans I hadn’t recognized her out on the construction site. Not until I had her in my arms again, clinging to me as she’d done that day in the tunnels. Dammit. Why was she back? Why now?

No, she wasn’t back, and to make sure it stayed that way, I needed to find two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I stood and headed for the door. The hotel would be all mine soon, and then I could continue digging to find the tunnel and reclaim what my uncle stole from me. I let the anger churning in my stomach remind me why I’d returned. After all these years, my uncle thought he’d won, sitting in the mayor’s office as if he owned this town. But this war wasn’t over. I wasn’t the gullible, stupid kid he’d easily manipulated. Jonathan Cavalier would pay for everything he did to my family.

When I reached the grand staircase, the lobby was a hive of activity. What the hell was going on? I glared at the white sheets, which hung like a clothesline down the middle of the room, starting at the top of the stairs and going all the way to the front door.

“Nikki,” I muttered.

Hipolita Morrow, the girl who left when I needed her most, was dead to me.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said in a too-bubbly, too-happy tone for this early in the day.

I stomped toward the sound of her voice, but the sheets were in the way. I yanked at them until I found my way out of the maze.

“What is all this?” I asked when she met me at the bottom of the stairs.

“The Great Wall of China. What does it look like?” She pointed at it and then gestured to the rest of the lobby. She wore tight yoga pants and a cute ponytail. Even out of her designer clothes, she looked…

“How did you get in? I changed the padlocks yesterday.” I swatted at the linens.

She leaned in and whispered in my ear, jiggling a set of keys in my face. “I’m a thief, remember?” She stepped back and continued in her normal voice. “Anyway, the wall will serve as a divider. That’s your side, and this is mine. I figured you’d want the side with the bar since you already claimed it.”

I gripped her arm. “You agreed to sell me your half. Why are you back?”

“The agreement still stands. You have forty-eight hours to get me my money.” She glanced at her watch. “Well, it’s thirty-three hours now.”

“You will get your money.” I met her gaze.

“And when you do, I will move out. But if you don’t…” She gave me a one-shoulder shrug.

“Ms. Swift, what should we do with the couch?” one ofmyguys asked.

“Oh, darling, thank you. Is it all cleaned up already?” Nikki ran her hand over the red velvet.

“Why are you not at the site?” I shovedmysofa away from her reach. The wooden legs scratched the lobby floor.

“Well, Russ asked us if we could assist Ms. Swift.” He smiled, as if it were an honor to be helping her.

“Relax, darling. You’ll have them back in time to start work on the road. Two hours tops. They’re just doing some light cleaning.” She placed her hand on my chest.

I peeled her hand off me before she noticed how her presence affected me. She suppressed a smile, biting her lower lip. She thought she’d won. But I still had an ace up my sleeve. I was Henry Cavalier. This was my fucking town.

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