| |
I’D DECIDED TO DO SOME shopping before heading to my destination, an alleyway in Athens, Greece. Sporting a brand new black jumpsuit paired with a red leather trench coat, I headed down the street in long, confident strides. Why a new outfit? Simple. I’d been stuck in a prison cell, withering away to almost nothing and sicker than I’d ever been in my life. My body had been reborn, but the only way I knew to truly drive away the mental stench of my ordeal was to look like a fucking goddess.
I was walking with such speed that the coat blew out behind me, letting every man I passed get a tempting view of my creamy skin through the little peek-a-boo holes in the sides of the jumpsuit. I grinned from the side of my mouth. When I got to the door in the darkened alley, I turned the knob and immediately stepped into the lobby of the Hotel.
I’d chosen this particular door long ago because it was just across the sea from the Eastern Desert Mountains where I’d hidden the relics. It was easy to fly right back to the entrance from there each time I finished taking care of a mark.
There was a lot of activity in the lobby when I arrived, so I skirted around visitors who were just arriving and finally made it to the desk. Both Max and Ava were working, so I waited my turn in line. After a bit, I made my way up. The woman’s brown eyes met mine, and she offered me a timid smile.
“Welcome back, Miss Red. It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen you.”
“I know. Long story, and not a lot of fun to live or to tell. So you look busy. Has my room been snatched?”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “Of course not. Your account remained in good standing. You’ll find all of your things just as you left them.”
I winked and grinned. “Thanks.”
Her words bothered me, and I wasn’t sure why at first. I followed the statues as they pointed the way towards my room. One would think as many times as I’d been here that I could find it myself, but the Hotel was strange and would be completely confounding without their help. When I arrived at the door, I paused with my hand hovering over the knob.
The last time I’d been here, on the precipice of opening this very door, I’d been in a wholly different frame of mind. I’d found and killed another mark, which had meant I was inching closer and closer to the end of this mission. And then there was Vicente. I hadn’t known he’d be on the other side, waiting for me in my room. But I’d known, I’d hoped with all of my being, that he would be waiting for me somewhere. I’d wanted nothing more than to get into his strong, hot embrace.
I swallowed now, pain knifing my heart. I raised my trembling hand to my chest and felt the pounding beneath my breastbone.
Vicente.
The last several months had been nothing short of agony. I’d experienced unbearable pain and suffering as the curse worked its way through my body, and I could do nothing to protect myself. Nothing to stop it.
And he’d watched. He had seen virtually every moment of it, I was certain of that. Yes, I knew he’d let his friends, Rhiannon and Lynlee, get me out of that place, but I also knew he’d catch me again and send me back. It was his duty.
Duty.
Shaking my head, I opened the door with a quick shove and stumbled when I walked inside. My mouth fell open, and I glanced over my shoulder in confusion. This couldn’t be right. But then, it couldn’t be wrong either. The Hotel wouldn’t let me enter someone else’s room.
The surroundings were entirely different than they had been before. Gone were the bright colors and art deco styles. Now the room looked dark and gray and somber. It was pretty much perfect for me at the moment. Not because I was intent on moping and being depressed, but because it didn’t remind me at all of Vicente and our time together.
The Hotel scored again.
I glanced at the bedside and hoped there might be a note there, but nothing. I’d been gone too long and hadn’t been able to get a message to Atreus about my whereabouts. If I had to track him down, that would take time.
With a heavy sigh, I took a short detour into the bathroom, then decided to head down to the bar to find some entertainment. I might have a job to do, but I thought I’d earned a little time for me.
With all the patrons milling about, Selena was busy. Still, I only waited for a few moments before she was there with my bright blue drink. “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”
“Cat my ass.” I grinned and took a sip, enjoying the sweet burn. “I look like a million bucks, sweetheart. Not a single woman in this place can out-do me tonight, except maybe you. And we both know you don’t sleep with the customers.”
I drank a bit more, then moaned in appreciation of the drink. “Tell me something...”
She leaned forward, her cleavage nearly spilling out of the tight dress she wore. “Anything for you, Red.”
“Is there really demon blood in this?”
“Absolutely. Like it?”
“To die for.”
“Could I buy your next one?”
I turned in the direction of the voice to find a very attractive fellow standing next to me. I rested one half of my backside on the barstool beside me, hooking the heel of my left boot into the footrest to prop it up.
“Sure, why the hell not?” I downed the last of it and placed the empty glass down. Selena immediately got to work on making another, sliding it to me and accepting some sort of coin from the guy as payment.
“So, do you have a name?” he asked.
“Most people call me Red.” He scanned my body with appreciation in his brown-gold eyes. Eyes that weren’t quite sufficiently dark. His hair was mahogany and cropped very short. Too short and not black enough. I studied the angles of his face, smooth lines that gave him an angelic sort of expression when he smiled.
The problem was, he wasn’t the kind of angel I was longing for. I took a few more drinks, trying to follow the conversation he’d started, but the sound of his words weren’t even reaching my ears. My stomach tensed, and I swallowed past a lump in my throat. With a heavy exhale, I set my glass down, still half full, and touched his arm to get his attention.
“I’m sorry, but I ... I have to go.” I turned and headed for the exit without looking back. Just as I reached the elevators a small but insistent voice called me back.
“Miss Red! Miss Red!” It was Ava, rushing to me with one hand outstretched.
“Slow down, kid.”
She was probably just as old as I was, if not older, but she had the kind of timidity that made me think of a child.
“I’m s-s-so sorry, Miss Red. Max just told me that he’d been saving these for you, or I would have had them in your room when you arrived. He was concerned about allowing them to pile up while you were away.”
She handed me a bundle of notes, and I recognized the scrawl on them as Atreus’ penmanship. Relief washed over me as I took them immediately from her nervous hand. “Thanks, Ava. You’re a doll.”
“I should have checked to see if you had messages when you were at the desk.”
“No worries. Don’t think a thing of it. Thanks again.”
Duty called. And for once, I wasn’t just okay with that, I was anxious to get started. As long as I was working, I wouldn’t have time to be lovesick. And hopefully the longer I was out enjoying life again, the quicker I could forget all about Vicente Prieto. That is, until he found me and took me back to that prison for the rest of eternity.