Page 88 of Royal
As Royal went to his room to pack, I walked with him, not wanting to leave his side for even a moment. I swept a gaze through every room we passed, searching the corners and anywhere someone could be hiding. I felt like it was my fault.
I’d pissed off Ameinias in that televised interview, and he’d set his eyes on Royal.
Even worse, the bastard had been in the house that morning, and I hadn’t known. He’d been there with all of us and could’ve easily slit our throats in our sleep or abducted Royal right after I’d left. My stomach twisted at the thought.
Royal packed clothes and necessities into a duffel bag, his hands shaking so bad he fumbled with the zipper. The hair on my nape stood on end as I stood in the bedroom. I snapped my head around, looking into the room across the hall.
The blinds were closed and the room was dark. Something was sticking out of the window curtain.
“What are you doing?” Royal asked, as I stepped into the hall.
“I see something.”
I went into the other room and approached the window. When I pulled the curtain back, a white flower fell to the carpet. Ameinias wanted us to know he’d been there, that he’d had the opportunity to make a move but had chosen not to.
Another thing caught my eye. The window was cracked, sending in a light breeze to ruffle the curtain. However, the lock was in place.
“What the fuck?”
I opened the window and closed it again, fiddling with the lock as I did. How long had it been broken? It gave the appearance that it was locked, but if Royal hadn’t actually tested the window to make sure, he wouldn’t have known.
I didn’t know, either.
That explained how he’d gotten inside.
Phoenix walked into the room and looked down at the flower. He squatted and examined it without touching it. The petals were slightly wilted. That either meant the killer’s supply was dying out, or that it’d been there a while. I didn’t want to consider the latter.
“We should leave,” he said, standing back up.
Didn’t have to tell me twice. I was more than eager to get Royal the hell out of there.
***
“I’m okay,” Royal said, sitting on the edge of the bed and talking quietly on the phone. “B, don’t cry.”
We’d checked into the hotel about an hour before, taking the room next to Phoenix. I had to admit, staying on a floor with FBI agents made me feel better. They’d help me protect him. After Royal had calmed down, he’d called his friends. Kyler and Declan had come into town for the festival, and they’d all planned to meet up.
Royal didn’t want them around him. He thought isolating himself from them would be best for now, and I didn’t argue with him about it.
As he tried to reassure Brysen for the tenth time that he was okay, I walked over and closed the curtain to the window. We were on the fourth floor, so there was no way anyone could climb up or peek in at us, but I couldn’t be too careful.
“Yes. I’ll call you tonight before I go to bed and first thing in the morning.” Royal massaged the back of his neck. “I’m rooming with a detective and have FBI agents all around me. Believe me, this guy doesn’t have a chance.” He paused, and I heard a faint mumbling on the other end of the line. “No, don’t go back to my house. See if you can stay with Kyler for the next few days. I don’t want you alone.”
He didn’t have to say it, but I knew he was thinking, “because the killer knows who you are, too.”
“I love you, B.” Royal hung his head and looked at the floor, still rubbing the back of his neck, leaving a red mark on his skin. “No, I won’t forget to call you later. Okay. Bye.”
After he disconnected the call, he tossed his phone on the bed and put his face in his hands. I walked over and climbed behind him on the bed. I placed an arm around his chest and pulled him against me before massaging his shoulders.
“Wow, you’re tight,” I said, as I worked his tense muscles.
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.”
I chuckled. “Making jokes now?”
“If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry,” Royal responded, dropping his head. He groaned as I found a big knot in the area where his shoulder and neck met. “Shit. Rightthere.”
“Not the first time I’ve heard that,” I said, smirking.
