Kay was at the front desk when she arrived. “Hi, Danica. What can I do for you?”
“I found a ring in the room I’m cleaning.”
Kay nodded and held out her hand. “Guests sometimes leave things behind. I’ll put it in the lost and found.”
Dani fished the ring from her pocket and handed it to Kay. “You might want to call the people who had the room this weekend. It looks expensive.”
“I can do that. Thanks.” She flashed Dani a smile. “I appreciate your honesty. It would be tempting to just keep something like that.”
The thought hadn’t even crossed Dani’s mind. “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. I know how worried I’d be if it were mine.”
Kay slowly nodded. “You have a good heart.” She shifted and gave Dani a sidelong glance. “How are things going with you and Austin?”
“I think I’m more concerned about the notes than he is. Thanks for loaning us your security.”
“No, I mean…” She tapped the counter with her long nails. “How are things going, between the two of you?”
It was such an unexpected question that Dani took a step back from the counter. “Uh…” She had no idea what to say to that.
Kay put up a hand. “Never mind. It’s your business. I just thought I saw a spark between you, that’s all.” She smiled. “Ignore me. I get silly every now and again.”
Dani nodded, taking a step back. That was odd. Was it that apparent that she had a crush on Austin? Or that he liked her? She couldn’t remember seeing Kay around that much. How had she seen them together?
She bit her lower lip, trying to decide what to say. She needed to make a plan for after Austin left, which would be coming up soon. But she wasn’t sure exactly what to ask. “When will I get my first paycheck?”
“Next week. Why? Do you need it sooner?”
Dani wrung her hands. “Sooner would be good. I really should be finding my own place.”
Kay fiddled with her large ring. “I can pay you tomorrow, for your work so far. Will that help?”
Relief poured over her. “Yes, that will help. Thank you.”
She knew it wouldn’t be much, but at least it would be her money. Maybe she could find a room for rent. Something small wouldn’t be too much, right?
As she walked back to room 305, she felt a tingling sensation go down her back, like someone was watching her. She whirled around, but no one was behind her. Closing her eyes, she told herself that she was just paranoid because of the threatening letters. But they were now under security watch. It would all be fine. Right?
The rest of the day seemed to crawl by. By five o’clock she was hot and tired and ready to be done with work. She clocked out and headed back to Austin’s room. As she approached, it was comforting to see the man dressed in black standing at the door.
“Wait,” someone called from behind her. She turned around to see Claire rushing to catch up to her. “Danica. I want to talk to you a minute.”
Of course, Claire was wearing a beautiful dress and heels. It looked like an evening gown. Maybe she was headed out for the night. Dani felt like melting into the sidewalk with her polyester uniform on. She curled a hair behind her ear and forced a grin. “Hi, Claire.”
“Oh, you look hot. Want something to drink? I just bought this. It’s still cold.” Claire handed her a water bottle. It was, indeed, cold.
“Thanks.” Dani unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. It actually helped her feel better.
Claire shifted her weight, like she was nervous about something. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Dani had no idea what Claire wanted to say, but she was pretty much going to ignore all of it, seeing as how their last conversation had turned out. She squinted at her, wary for some reason. “Why?”
“There’s something going on. I wanted to talk with you about it.”
“What’s going on?”
Claire looked around before holding up her hand like she was going to tell Dani a secret. “I saw someone hanging around your room last night.”
“Wait, you saw someone?” Dani’s heart hammered. This was great news. Claire could help them catch the person leaving threats. She gripped her water bottle. “Can you describe them to the police?”
“Come here. I need to talk to you about it.” Claire grabbed Dani’s arm and started walking. Dani had no choice but to follow her if she didn’t want to jerk away. She was curious what Claire had to say. If she’d seen the culprit, then maybe they could catch the guy and stop this madness. She would be very relieved if they could catch the stalker.
After following Claire through the courtyard and down the other side of the resort, she slowed her steps. “Where are we going? Shouldn’t we go talk to Austin about all this?”
“I think I know who was hanging around your place.”
“And you’re taking me to them?” Dani stopped. She didn’t want to face the stalker. She wanted to turn it over to the police. Her head began to swim.
Claire studied her. “You don’t look so good. You’d better drink some more of that water.”
She did feel a little overheated. Dani took another swig. “I don’t want you to show me the stalker.”
“No. I’m not. Just come here. I want to talk to you about it.” Claire grabbed Dani’s arm and her nails dug into her skin.
“Ouch.” Dani jerked her arm away. Something was wrong. Claire was acting weird. She wasn’t about to go one step farther without knowing what was going on.
Claire turned to Dani, a wild expression on her face. “You must come.” She gripped Dani’s arm with surprising force and dragged her behind the resort wall.
“What are you doing?” Dani’s throat closed and she had trouble taking in air. Claire had gone mad. There was no other explanation for it. She was completely off her rocker.
Claire pushed Dani up against the wall. A row of trees blocked them from the ocean. They were thick enough that no one could see them, Dani was sure of it. Claire’s nostrils flared. “Why did you have to appear and mess everything up? Huh? I’d worked so hard to find Austin. I was about to succeed, and you showed up.”
Dani grew lightheaded and her knees became wobbly. “What are you talking about?”
“I tried to warn him away from you, but he wouldn’t listen.”
The threatening notes. That had been Claire? Dani swallowed. “It was you?”
Claire ignored Dani’s question, her grip on her arm tightening. “Austin and I are perfect for each other. Why can’t he see that?”
Dani’s heart pounded and she couldn’t breathe. This was how it was going to end, wasn’t it? Claire was going to stab her, or something, and she was going to die, right here behind the resort. She could see the headlines now. Danica Jordan dies at the hand of a stalker in an eerily similar way to her mother.
A part of Dani was terrified, but another part simply wanted to talk Claire down from the ledge. “You’re all dressed up. Do you have plans?”
“Of course,” Claire said, smiling. “I’m going out with Austin.”
“Perfect. Let’s go get him.”
Claire grit her teeth and pushed her arm up against Dani’s throat. “You’re not going anywhere.” Her breath smelled like vodka.
“Claire. You’re hurting me.” Dani could barely get the words out. In fact, she felt like she was slurring her words. What was wrong with her?
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Claire grinned. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She let go and Dani almost fell over. Her limbs seemed so heavy. Why was she so tired? Her fingers grew numb and she dropped the water bottle Claire had given her.
The water.
Claire had put something in it. Stupid! How could she have taken that from her? Why had she trusted Claire? She’d had a bad feeling about her. Why hadn’t she trusted her gut?
Claire squinted at her. “Are you okay? You look like you need to rest.”
“Let go of me,” Dani said, her words jumbled together. She shoved C
laire, and tried to climb out from behind the wall, but stumbled to the ground. A rock bit into the palm of her hand. She crawled, determined to get where someone could see her, but the spinning grew too violent. She put her head down, trying to get it to stop.
“Oh, you poor thing.” Claire patted her head. “You look drunk.”
Dani tried to protest, but nothing came out of her mouth. This was it. She was going to die here, at the hands of a stalker. She let out a breath, unable to scream. She squeezed her eyes shut, a tear rolling down her cheek. She had to get to Austin, to warn him.
“You just stay here, honey. I’ll go get some help.” Claire stood up.
Dani tried one last time to move, but her muscles didn’t work. She heard Claire’s footsteps get softer until she no longer heard anything except the light sound of the ocean waves in the distance. Her head spun and blackness overtook her.
Chapter 27
A knock sounded on the door and Austin crossed the room to see who was there. A security guard held Claire’s arm. She looked quite disgruntled about it. “This woman says she knows you.”
He sighed and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. “Yes. I know her.”
The guard let go of her arm and Claire glared at him before smoothing down her dress. “Austin, I need to talk with you for a minute. Can I come in?”
He glanced out at the grounds, sure that Dani would be coming any second. She was late getting off work. But he didn’t see her, so he ushered Claire in and shut the door. He rounded on her, annoyed that she sought him out at the Billionaire Club. He was so tired of her. He just wanted her to go away. “What is it?”
Claire snuggled up to him, grabbing his arm. “I was wondering if you want to go out to dinner. My treat.” She batted her eyes at him.
Oh, brother. Hadn’t he stopped her advances? What must he do to get rid of her? He wiggled out of her grasp. “I told you, I’m with Dani now.”
Claire pouted, and it made him want to slap the woman, even though he’d never do that in reality. “Please? Just once? I don’t think you’ve given us a fair chance.”
A fair chance? What was she even talking about? He wasn’t getting through to her. He leaned against the counter that held the microwave and crossed his ankles. “Why are you here? Really?”
Claire fluffed her hair. “To see you.”
That might have been the first honest thing Claire had said. He stared at her, realization dawning. “Did you come to Grand Cayman to see me?”
A demure look crossed her features and she took a step toward him. “Maybe.” She smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
“Wait.” He held up a hand. “You traveled here to see me, when you haven’t talked to me since high school?” He couldn’t believe the crazy that was coming out now. “Does that sound normal to you?”
“Austin,” she said, putting her hand on his arm. “We’re meant to be together.”
Okay, now he knew she was completely insane. She’d followed him all the way to Grand Cayman. She’d even found out his room number. Wait. How had she known that? A strange feeling spread across his chest. “Did you send those notes?”
“Honey,” Claire said, taking another step closer. “Let’s go try that fish place. You like seafood.”
He stared at her, a sick feeling spreading across his gut. Claire was crazy. She’d sent him the threatening notes, and now here she was, acting majorly weird. Claire needed help. Like, loony-bin, send the woman away in a paddy wagon kind of help.
He looked at the clock. Five thirty. Why wasn’t Dani there yet? His throat closed. Had Claire done something to Dani? Heat raced to his head and he grabbed Claire’s arm. “Where’s Dani?”
“Oh, don’t be like that. Forget about her. You don’t want her. She’s a drunk.”
Panic filled him and his heart raced. “Where is she? What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. She was ruining our fun.” Claire put her hand on his chest. “We don’t need her around.”
“Claire,” he said, his mind reeling. “Let’s go find Dani. Then I’ll go out with you. Okay?” He hooked his arm around her and began leading her to the door.
She stopped and stamped a foot like a child. “No. I don’t want to find Dani. She’s no fun.”
“Please? For me?” He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “Then we can go out. Just the two of us.”
Claire shook her head. “I don’t want to.”
He cupped her face with both his hands and looked into her eyes. They were vacant. She wasn’t really in there. But he had to do anything he could to find Dani. “I want to spend time with you.”
“You do?” She blinked.
“Yes. I really do. I just can’t go out with you unless I know where Dani is. Come on. Will you show me where she is?” He spoke softly, gently coaxing her to the door.
“All right. But then we can go out?”
“Yes. Then I’ll take you out.”
He took Claire outside, motioning to the guard as he passed. The man understood his non-verbal communication and followed them. Claire walked down the sidewalk and past the hot tub area. She continued past the garden to the far end of the resort. “Are you sure she’s this way?” he asked.
Claire nodded. “She’s fine, you know. She’s just sleeping.”
Her words sent a chill through him. She’d better be fine. He didn’t know what he would do if she wasn’t.
They rounded a corner and Austin saw Dani’s shoes peeking out from behind the resort wall. He ran to her and found Dani passed out on the ground. He put his fingers on her neck to find her pulse. Relief flooded through him when he felt the heartbeat. “Call 9-1-1,” he said to the guard.
Claire tugged on his arm. “She’s fine. Let’s go now.”
“Just a minute.” He scooped Dani up into his arms. “I need to get her to the hospital.”
“No,” Claire wailed. “You promised!” Claire grabbed him, but the guard rushed to her and managed to get her off Austin.
“Ma’am, come with me.”
Austin didn’t wait to see what happened with Claire. He rushed to the resort lobby, Dani in his arms. She was breathing, but he had no idea what Claire had done to her. She needed medical attention, and fast.
Dani became aware of bright lights shining on her, and a throbbing headache, before she realized she was not at home. She wasn’t in her room at the resort either. Her eyes flew open. She was in a hospital bed. What had happened?
Her memories flooded back to her. Claire! She’d been with the insane woman. She’d been drugged.
She sat up, and Austin rushed to her side. “Dani? Are you okay?”
She moaned and put a hand to her head. “Yeah. I think so.”
“Are you hurt?”
Austin’s worried gaze sent a wave of compassion through her. He really did care. “I just have a headache. That’s all.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t take the notes seriously. This is all my fault.” Austin scrubbed a hand down his face, his skin pale.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. Claire was off her rocker. She did this to you. I don’t know what I would have done if…” He let his voice trail off.
She took his hand in hers, closing her fingers around his. “It’s not your fault.”
He sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. “I should have listened to you.”
Dani looked down at their hands. “What happened to Claire?”
“The police took her. You won’t have to deal with her again.”
Her father’s ringtone rang out, and she looked around for her purse. She grabbed it off the nightstand. Was it really her father calling? Shelby sometimes used his phone. Had he heard she was in the hospital? Her heart pounded as she swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“What happened? Did you get drunk again?” Her father’s voice was curt. He was usually a to-the-point guy, but this hurt.
“No. I was drugged.”
“You were what?
The news story made it sound like you passed out at the beach. Are you on something?”
He wasn’t listening. He never listened. She pressed her phone tighter to her ear. “Dad, I was the victim of a stalker.”
“But you’re okay?”
Finally. She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m okay.”
“Look, you’re getting bad publicity. I’m sending the plane. I’m having my publicist set up some public appearances. We need to get this under control.”
He was sending the plane? She could go home? No more shopping at SaleMart, or using cheap shampoo. She could sleep in her own bed. But, what did he mean by public appearances? More cameras? That sounded like a nightmare. All she wanted to do was sink into oblivion. She didn’t want to be paraded about before the cameras. “No, Dad. I don’t want to.”
“Did you hear me?” he asked. “You’re getting really bad publicity. There’s photos of you passed out at that resort. You need to come home so we can deal with it. We need to control this thing, or your public image will be ruined.”
Public image? She had no positive public image. Her image was destroyed years ago. She didn’t need more cameras. She needed to live so that no one cared what she was doing. Austin was right. If she went to college and got a job somewhere, people would stop being fascinated by her. She didn’t want to be paraded about for the paparazzi.
She took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I heard. But I don’t want to do a publicity tour.”
“Just come home. We can discuss it when you get here.”
Dani silently groaned. He was dangling a carrot in front of her. He had to know that she wanted to come home more than anything. But what would happen if she did? He would make her go all over the place, getting on camera to show the world she wasn’t a psycho drug user. Maybe a week ago, she would have done that. But today, she no longer cared.
A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity: A Romantic Comedy (The Billionaire Club Book 2) Page 14