Page 38 of Head Over Wheels

My friends and I slowly get back to chatting instead of watching his every move. I notice that he makes his way to a few different tables, hanging out for a few minutes at each one. Eventually, after what feels like way too long, he arrives at our table. He scoots into a seat beside Alex and beams at everyone. His dimple pops out and makes my heart melt.

“Did everyone catch my Live?”

“Jace, absolutely no one missed your moment. Always hogging the spotlight, man.” Alex pushes his shoulder, and they both chuckle.

Jace meets my eyes. “Was it okay? You okay?”

The heat rises to my cheeks, and I look down. “Yes, it was great. Thanks for doing all that.”

He looks at his watch. “I hate to show up and then leave right away, but Ella and I promised we’d head over to the station to make our statements.”

When I look at my phone, I realize he’s right. We definitely can’t leave together though, or that will blow my cover. “Okay, how do you want to do this?”

He catches on right away. “Why don’t you head out first, and I’ll meet you at the front entrance?”

“Sure, good idea. Everyone will be watching you, but no one will notice me slip out first. I’ll run up to my room and grab my coat.” I look at my new friends and realize that this may be the last time I see them for a while.

Lisa grabs my arm. “We’ll stay in touch, right?”

“Of course, I’ll send you an update later today and let you know how it goes.”

Tara’s eyes look suspiciously damp. “I’m so glad we all got to know each other this weekend. Promise we’ll get together soon?”

We throw our arms around each other and hold on tightly. Lisa’s the first to pull away, and she’s not the only one wiping a tear away. I sniffle and give them both a shaky smile.

“Thanks for having my back today. Safe travels, and report in once you get home.”

I wave my goodbyes and hurry out of the room. No one seems to notice me leave, and I gratefully escape into the stairwell and hurry up to grab my coat.

Jace meets me in the lobby as planned, and we sneak outside together when no one is around. The cold air hits me like a slap across the face. I can definitely tell I’ve been mostly inside for a few days. My body has lost its built-up defense mechanisms against it. I tug my hood over my head since I didn’t bring my hat. My hands stay firmly entrenched in my pockets since my mittens are sitting with my hat, helping me out a lot right now. As long as I don’t slip on the snowy ground, I should be okay.

When I look beside me, Jace looks perfect as usual. He’s wearing a black bomber coat with a discreet Elevate logo, and no hat either. His hands are also hidden in his pockets, so I’m guessing he’s trying to keep warm.

“Whoo, that air is icy. Do you know where we’re going?” I assume he does since he lives here, and I am hoping at least one of us is good with directions.

“Yeah, it’s just a five-minute walk. We’ll get a hot chocolate when we get back to warm up, eh?” He’s got to be just as cold as I am, but his cheeks aren’t even pink. Mine are probably bright red and blotchy from the wind burn.

“Hot chocolate sounds enticing. Just not at the lobby cafe, if that’s okay. I think I’m done with that place for the foreseeable future.” I wince just thinking about Jeff and his pictures.

“Of course, we can stop somewhere outside the hotel on our way back. There’s a Starbucks right across there.” He points across the street, and I feel warmer just thinking about the peppermint hot chocolate I’ll have.

“How much farther?” Yep, that’s me sounding like a five-year-old, but yep, it’s that cold out. Don’t knock it until you’ve walked outside in Montreal in the winter.

Jace chuckles and grabs my arm. I notice he tucks his hand between the folds of my jacket so it doesn’t freeze. Smart man. “It’s right here.”

He steers me into the door in front of us, and as we walk in, I notice the blue sign that says Police above us. As soon as we get inside, the heat kicks in and I stand still and soak it up. I say a silent thank you to whoever invented indoor heating and unzip my coat.

“Can I help you?” The police officer standing behind the counter waves us over. He’s clean cut and wearing a blue uniform that almost looks one size too big. I wonder if he’s new to the job and that's why he’s working the desk.

Jace steps up to the counter with me one step behind. “Hi, we were involved in the incident at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel this morning?”

The officer nods and puts his index finger up. He speaks into an intercom that’s out of sight. “Jarvis, the couple from the hotel are here to see you.” He looks back up at us. “Someone will be right with you.”

We don’t even have time to move away from the counter when the officer from this morning comes out. “Thanks so much for coming in. Do you mind joining us in the back so that we can take your statements?”

It’s the silliest thing, but even though I know I’ve done nothing wrong, the idea of going into a room for questioning immediately makes me feel like a convicted criminal. What if they think I did something wrong and arrest me? I shake the silly thoughts out of my head and follow him into the back room, Jace right behind me.

“Do you mind if we split you up? We need to get your statements separately.” He gestures at two doors, side by side.

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