Page 20 of Rayna's Daddy

Josh’s eyes twitched.

“Stanley,” I spoke up. “Perhaps we should explain to Rayna what last night was all about.”

He snickered.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into last night.” She sat up. Ready to defend herself. She wasn’t timid and certainly not intimidated or shy.

“Rayna, why don’t you tell us about Natalie and how you ended up in the Hotel Rockwell last night.” I nodded.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “I met Natalie at school. And, when I told her my summer job fell through, she offered me a job at Hotel Rockwell for the summer. She said her dad owned the place, and it was a real lifesaver because I only have one more year of school left, but my summer job along with working during the year pays my rent and food and supports my romance book collection and the occasional pizza from Ray’s that my neighbor will bring back from New York when she goes and visits her sister who lives in the Village. And?— “

“Rayn.” I interrupted her. “Let’s just stick to the sequence of events that brought you to that party last night, okay?”

“Oh, sorry.” She sat up in her chair. “Yeah. I can ramble when I’m nervous.”

“No need to be nervous.” I took her hand, ignoring Josh’s frown. “You didn’t do anything wrong. So, you met Natalie in one of your classes.”

“Yeah.” She reached up and twirled her ponytail. Another nervous habit. “Well, no. We didn’t have any classes together, but we met in the quad. I ran into her and dropped my food. Fries few everywhere and instead of getting mad, she offered me some of hers.”

“And, which school do you attend?” Agent Stanley asked.

“Rutger University.” Another twirl of the hair. “I’m majoring in business, but you didn’t ask that part.” Her eyes cut to me. “Sorry, again.”

I could hear her talk forever.

“It’s okay, go on.” I squeezed her hand.

“We got to talking and then I’d see her every few days.” Rayna paused. “Same place. She said she was from Italy, but her family lived all over. And, a few weeks before the end of the semester, I got the news my summer job fell through. She saw me upset at lunch and asked me what was wrong. When I told her, she offered me the job.”

“What did she tell you about the job?” Josh asked.

“Nothing, really.” She shrugged. “I figured casinos in Vegas hired people all the time. I worked as a waitress and party planner at a family bistro in Jersey City, but it closed. That’s how I lost my job.”

“Did Natalie offer anyone else a job that you know of?” Agent Stanley asked.

“Not that I know of.”

“Did you know anyone, any of the other girls, at the party?” Josh asked.

Agent Stanley glared at him but continued scribbling on his pad.

“No, but not all of them seemed excited to be there.” She looked down. “I had no idea what kind of party it was. I would have never agreed.”

Agent Stanley stopped writing and lifted his head.

“Never.” She shook her head. “I’m so stupid.”

“Hey.” Both Me and Josh spoke. I glared at him. His Daddy side was being triggered too. He settled back. “You’re not stupid. You needed a job, and you believed a friend. Nothing stupid about that.”

“What happened at the party?” Agent Stanley set his pen down.

“So, I saw Kyler, and we talked on the balcony and then I spotted Natalie, and I wanted to tell her I was going back to her room, but before I could, Mr. Santorini grabbed me.” She flicked her thumb against her forefinger. “He wanted to give me a tour of the apartment.” Her body started to shake.

“It’s okay.” Josh unscrewed the cap on the bottle of water on the table and handed it to her.

I focused on what my girl needed and choose not to slap the bottle out of his hand and scream some guttural mine in his face. That was me being kind to my employees.

“He.” She exhaled, looked up, pushed her shoulders back. “He tried to touch me without permission, so I kicked him in the knee and broke his nose.” She nodded once.

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