Page 49 of Death Deals

“Wait, where are you going?” I asked him.

“I’ll let Hector and the others know about the Omaris and what we discovered about the letter. Give you your privacy.”

Privacy? What the heck for?

But the elevator doors were closing before I could ask for more.

I pressed the cellphone to my ear. Who in the world would want to talk to me? No one even knew where I was. “Er—Hello?”

“Jade,” the familiar gruff voice in the speaker said, “it’s Cole. Masters.”

And just like that, the phone fell out of my grasp, clattering on the floor, the glass screen shattered.

Cursing, I picked up the phone and assessed the damage. Spiderweb cracks covered the blackened screen, making touching any buttons impossible.

“—ello? —ello?” Cole’s angry voice echoed through the speaker. “Jade?”

I put the phone back to my ear. His voice continued to cut out as he called my name.

“I’m here,” I yelled back. “Can you hear me?”

“Jade? Are you—ere? Fuck. Ja—?”

Guess not. The receiver must have been damaged during the drop.

I let out an aggravated grunt. “I can’t hear you! I’m going to have to call you back.” I smacked the phone, but of course, that did nothing to light the screen again. I pressed the buttons on the side of the phone, hoping that might help in some way. It didn’t.

When I heard adun-na, I knew the call had been dropped.

I placed the phone on a nearby table, wondering how in the world Cole had known I was with Andre. And why he had called at all. It didn’t make sense.

I wasn’t going to think too hard about it, though. Knowing Cole, he just needed me to help him somehow. Most likely involving his demon father and the cure. But I didn’t have time for his crap right now. I was in a steaming pile of my own.

Since I wasn’t sure when Andre was actually coming back, I was going to have to keep myself occupied. As I scanned the empty room, my skin started to itch. Maybe it was because my adrenaline-dial was still turned to high, but I couldn’t just sit here like a good girl and wait.

It was time to walk off some steam.

Back in the elevator, I pressed a random floor number and waited. Every so often, I’d glance at the camera in the corner, wondering if there had been anyone watching me and Andre before. Now that I was alone, the embarrassment began to creep in. I crossed my arms, turning myself to face the wall. My cheeks flamed.

Let’s just say the doors couldn’t open fast enough. I leaped into the hall, tripping over myself when I did. Righting myself, I came face to face with a wall of glass and through it, I could see exercise equipment, a free weight stand, and a hanging punching bag. The hotel’s gym. Besides an older man running on a treadmill and some kid throwing punches into the bag, it was empty.

Hmm… Seemed more up my alley. If only the mats weren’t occupied.

When the kid readjusted his stance, facing the glass more, my heart skipped. It was Ricky.

I rushed to the door and hurried inside. The place smelled like disinfectant and sweat, a strange combination when it hit the nose. The droning murmurs of a newscaster played from the big screen hanging on the wall.

Walking over to the mats, I said, “I recognize those skinny arms anywhere.”

Even though he continued to strike the bag, a smile formed. “Bitch.”

I grinned.

Like in my memory, Ricky took his place on the opposite end and waved for me to take position. I held up my fists.

“Do you remember how to do this?” he asked.

“Like riding a bike,” I replied, but before I could even swing, Ricky grabbed my right hand and fixed its placing. “Okay, guess not.”

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