“No, it wasn’t. Walked into the door of my apartment.” Kim picked up her jacket and slid it over her arms.
A look of concern darkened Alec’s face. “That’s a moderate bruise and it could have some internal bleeding. I can take a look at it for you, if you like. I’m a resident at Memorial Hospital.”
Though her shoulder had already been thoroughly X-rayed, the thought of him “checking out” any part of her was so tempting, Kim almost considered. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”
“I hope so. Let’s be careful not to bump into any doors as we go down the hall, shall we?”
Kim blushed as she went into the back and grabbed the checks, handing them to Alec when she returned. My, but he was charming, and charismatic, too. She kept one eye on him as he worked. Her mouth fell open as a sudden realization hit her.
“You’re Ryan’s best friend,” she exclaimed.
“I was wondering whether you were going to put that together.” Alec cracked a smile. “I hope you won’t hold the fact against me.”
“Not at all, it’s just…” She swallowed. “Do you know who I am?”
“I do, indeed.” Alec finished up with the checks, then, handed them back to her. “For what’s it’s worth, I’m not judging you, Kimberly.”
“Good, cause you don’t even know me!”
“You’re right, I don’t. And I’m the last person who ought to be judging someone. Is Ryan around?” Alec asked, seeming a bit distracted.
“He has the night off,” Kim explained.
Alec seemed to space out for a moment. Shaking his head as though he’d just woken from a trance, he turned to her and said, “We all make mistakes, Kimberly. I’m not saying what you did isn’t wrong—you hurt Ryan a lot. But don’t let one mistake stop you from living your life.”
“That’s harder to do than you might think, considering the guy who dumped me is my supervisor.” Looking at the sun, which was setting over Mt. Washington in the window, Kim said, “I just wish I could start over somewhere new, have a clean start. I’m just not sure where to go.”
“A clean start, huh? You know, it just so happens that there’s an opening for a receptionist over at Memorial Hospital. And I think that you’d be perfect for the job.”
“Hospital?” Kim bit her lip. “I’ve only had two jobs. I’m not really sure I’d be qualified for something like that.”
“You’ll never know unless you try,” Alec said encouragingly. “Unfortunately my father doesn’t own the establishment, but I’ve been doing clinical rotations there and I could put in a good word. My name holds a lot of weight in this town, I’ll have you know.”
“It sounds like an amazing opportunity,” Kimberly said. “And I don’t know how to thank you for offering to help.”
“You’re welcome,” Alec said. “And”—he winked—“for what it’s worth I hope I’ll be seeing a lot more of you soon.”
Chapter 27
Julia fluffed her curls in front of the mirror. She’d given more thought to what she would be wearing on her date with Shane than she had to what college she was going to attend. At last she’d settled on a tank with sequins and pair of tight jeans. It was probably a bit casual, but she’d decided she just wasn’t a “dress” girl. She hoped her date didn’t mind.
Shane didn’t seem bothered by the outfit at all. In fact, when he came to pick her up, he seemed more interested in sticking around her place than in venturing out. As exciting as the prospect of that was, Julia’s instincts told her she shouldn’t mention the fact that her dad was away on business. She reminded her date that they had dinner reservations, and felt goose bumps rising on her skin as he slipped his arm around her and led her down the driveway.
They drove to the restaurant, where they were seated immediately. Julia had only been to such a fancy place less than a handful of times in her life and she eagerly ordered shrimp and crab cakes for appetizers. Her date didn’t seem especially anxious to help her eat the dishes, but he did manage to polish off half their bottle of Merlot before their main course arrived.
“You know, you’re really pretty,” Shane said a while later, giving Julia’s knee a squeeze beneath the table. Inching his chair beside hers, he whispered, “And you’re smart and sassy. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you came to work at the hotel.”
Julia smiled in spite of herself. She had been imagining this night for so long. She hadn’t been a hundred percent sure at first, but this was it, the dream date, the one she’d been waiting for all her life. Shane was definitely more aggressive than she’d expected her one and only guy to be. But even the most charming man had his flaws.
Shane’s mouth pressed against hers. Soft, warm. The taste of alcohol on his breath was strong, but the feel of his hands on her body made Julia’s skin tingle. Moving how strange it was to be kissing in public to the back of her mind, she allowed herself be drawn in.
Shane’s tongue pushed forcedly into her mouth, and Julia gasped. She tried to break the kiss, but his grip on her was hard and he didn’t let her go. His hand touched her breast. Pushing him back with a lot more effort than she had used before, she succeeded in holding him off. “Slow down there, cowboy.”
Shane looked flushed. His phone buzzed on the table. Out of the corner of her eye, Julia glanced at the screen. Her chest tightened. She shot her oblivious date an astonished glare.
“I actually need to use the ladies’ room,” she said, snatching her knapsack and making a beeline for the back of the restaurant.
Alone, she caught her breath. Had she seen right? Why in the world would Shane be getting text messages from Kimberly Russell? Kimberly was working alone tonight and might be having some sort of problem at work, but the managers had never given their cell phone numbers to the staff. When Julia asked about it, Mark had made it clear that he didn’t want to be reached when he wasn’t in the office. Prior to their planning a date together, so had Shane.
Of course, there had been those times when she’d seen Kimberly and Shane flirt with one another in the front office. But Julia had believed that the bimbo was the initiator, not the man that, up until fifteen seconds ago, she’d thought she was going to marry! She stiffened her lip. Holding her head high, she made her way back through the crowded restaurant.
Shane was standing beside their table. Wrapping his arm around her, he said, “What took you so long? Let’s say we get out of here and go back to my place.”
“Not so fast.” Julia snatched his phone. She scrolled through the recent messages, shoved the phone against his gut, and said, “Explain this to me first.”
“What the hell—” Shane looked at his phone. To her surprise, a bit of relief seemed to show in his expression as he read over the message. “Why were you looking at my phone?”
“Why was I looking at your phone? Hello! You’re sleeping with Kimberly Russell, you two-timing creep!”
“I—” Shane looked dumbfounded. “Kimberly works for the hotel. And since you and I both called out, she’s managing the front office by herself tonight.”
“Nice try. ‘Left my toothbrush—can I come by later and get it?’ doesn’t qualify as necessary communication between boss and employee.”
“Come on, Julia. Kimberly means nothing to me.” Shane’s words began to slur. “If I wanted to be with her, why would I be here with you tonight?”
Julia smacked his pretty-boy face. “Maybe because you’re a world-class jerk!”
“Is there a problem here?” one of the waiters said as he passed them, setting down the tray he held.
“Yes,” Julia said. “My date is an ass and he was just leaving.”
“Julia, please,” Shane said as the waiter wandered off.
Realizing he wasn’t going to be the one to leave first, Julia opened her bag and threw down enough cash to cover both of their dinners. She stormed out of the restaurant.
Outside the air was cold, and she felt a chill shoot up her spine as she shut the door behind her.
She wished she’d brought a jacket, but she hadn’t exactly planned on walking home. Whipping out her cell, she dialed 411 and asked for the number of a cab company.
As she rubbed her arms, her mind flashed to Shane’s phone screen. Something else in his caller ID had caught her attention—a caller by the name of Jill Barrows, someone with the same last name as Abby’s dad’s witness. As she tried to remember whether she’d seen a message associated with the name, a hand touched down on her shoulder.
Julia spun around. “Didn’t I tell you to take a hike?”
“Baby, come on. I understand why you’re upset, but this is no reason to spoil our whole night.” Taking her hand, Shane said, “Come on. Let’s go back to my place and talk.”
Julia blinked her eyes in disbelief. Not one man she’d met since moving to North Conway had been this much of a pig. In other states, perhaps, but never up here in the sticks.
“I don’t know what sort of women you’re used to dating”—she jerked away—“but I don’t sleep with men on the first date. Particularly when they’re already getting their action elsewhere. Excuse me.” She started up the block.
Shane caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm. Pulling her toward him, he said, “You’ll walk away when I say you do.”
Julia was just about to tackle him to the ground when she caught sight of a large black mark on his shoulder. This wasn’t just any tattoo. The mark was solid, and it depicted an animal that closely resembled a mountain lion. Abigail had mentioned seeing a similar symbol on those ledgers in the filing cabinet.
Shane’s phone buzzed. It might be Kimberly calling, but something told Julia it was someone he was a lot more afraid of as he looked at the phone and released her.
“You should probably take that,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
Julia walked quickly up the street. When she’d turned the corner she began to run, and was relieved not to hear footsteps behind her as she did so. Reaching the coffee shop, she blew through the door and breathed a big sigh of relief. She waited there, in a room full of noisy witnesses, for her cab.
Chapter 28
Abigail paced through the middle of the break room. It was technically too early to begin working her shift, but she knew that wasn’t what was keeping her from going out to man the front desk. She considered having another cup of coffee but figured that two was enough for one morning no matter what was going on in her life.
She hadn’t slept well. She was seriously considering quitting but wasn’t sure it was the best idea, and she wanted to talk to Mr. Becker about what her options were. Maybe there was another hotel in the area where she could jump into the same role, a place that didn’t have constant reminders about her father’s shooting, or of the man who’d shattered her dreams.
Abigail was more determined than ever to solve the mystery behind her father’s murder. If the last few months had taught her anything, it was that her dad was one of the most important people in her life and that that would remain the case no matter what. She planned on doing whatever she had to, to make sure he got the justice he deserved. But that didn’t mean she needed constant reminders about his death, or to be around Ryan.
Her phone lit up as she pressed the button on its side. She’d forgotten to turn it on after she’d woken up earlier that morning, undoubtedly because she was stressing over the fact that this was going to be one of the busiest days of the week. She noticed that she had several text and voice mail messages. Scrolling through them, she saw that they were all from Julia.
Abigail opened the first message. She wondered whether she was reading it correctly. Going over it a second time, she tried to figure out how what Julia was saying could possibly be true, whether there was something she was missing.
Calling out sick. Shane was a total dog. He’s sleeping with Kimberly Russell, Abs! And he’s been talking to someone who has the same last name as your dad’s witness. I know this sounds crazy, but there’s this tattoo on his right arm and I think it might match the symbol on the ledgers. Be careful, Abs!
Abigail almost dropped her phone. Her hands shook as the door to the room opened. She blew out a breath when she saw that it was Mr. Becker who was standing beside her.
“Hey, Abigail. Any chance that we could put those art skills of yours to work again? The regional manager wants us to update the brochures and I haven’t got a clue what we ought to do with them.”
Abigail slid her phone into her purse. She struggled to focus on what Mr. Becker was saying but her mind was spinning a thousand miles an hour. Shane couldn’t possibly be connected to those murders. Julia was just angry, finding out what a louse the guy was. Abigail sure as hell remembered how upset she had been, when she’d found out Ryan had been involved with Kimberly.
“I’d love to help,” she said. “I know the look of the brochures we have now pretty well and I’m sure I could come up with some ways of improving it.”
Why did Julia think Shane was connected to the murders? Had he hurt her last night, let something incriminating slip? That card with the mountain lion had been under his briefcase, but that didn’t mean that it belonged to him. Of course, she had thought she’d seen Shane walking over to the old wing that day. And there were Ryan’s suspicions about the guy, too.
Shane had been relatively calm that day they’d found the woman’s body. He’d insisted on calling the police, insisted they all leave the building, and even sent her and Ryan home. Maybe that was because he knew how the body had gotten that way. Maybe because he’d killed the woman himself…
“What do you think?” Mark said as he poured coffee into a paper cup.
“What do I think?” What did she think about what? “Actually, Mr. Becker, I’m not really feeling well this morning. I think I might have that bug that’s going around. Do you mind if I head home?”
“Jeez, we’ve really got a lot going on today. But if you’re not feeling well…” Mark’s voice trailed.
“I’m sure it’s just a twenty-four-hour thing. No reason to think that I’ll be out the rest of week. Anyway, thank you.” Abigail hurried past him. She heard a light thud behind her and she ignored it, anxious to make her escape. She’d ask Julia to meet her at the coffee shop. Once they put their heads together, assuming they weren’t both losing it, they’d put together a solid case they could take to the police.
Mark bent down. “Hey, Abigail, you dropped your phone.”
Abigail’s heart came into her mouth. She fought to remember whether Julia’s text was still on the screen as the manager picked up her phone. Eyes dark and narrow, Mark looked up at her and said, “Well you and your friend certainly are naughty girls. Aren’t you, Abigail?”
Taking a few steps backward, Abigail forced the fear from her voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mark shut the door. He hit a couple of buttons on her phone and shoved it into his pocket. Stalking toward her, he said, “I’ve always liked you, Abigail. And I know that you’re a smart girl. If you want to get out of this room, tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything,” she insisted. “Neither does Julia. She’s just speculating. About what, I don’t know, but I was just about to tell her that she couldn’t be more wrong.”
As she tried to move back, Mark took hold of her arm. In the calmest of voices, he said, “I’m sorry about this. But I don’t have a choice, sweetheart. That bitch friend of yours didn’t leave me one, when she decided to send you that message.”
Abigail fought to free herself, but Mark pinned her against the filing cabinets. He sliced his hand against the back of her neck, causing everything to go black.
Chapter 29
A sinking feeling settled in Ryan’s stomach as he passed Abigail’s car in the parking lot. He swallowed as he gave the sun-damaged Corolla a double take.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her. They hadn’t spoken in almost a week, and the truth was he actually missed Abigail’s banter. And of course there was her
smile, her infectious laughter, her enthusiasm for life, and everything else that came with the package.
Being around Abigail had become even more awkward ever since their conversation in the picnic grove. Partly to blame, he supposed was the fact that his statement, that the Christopher Barrows who was her father’s witness and the man who’d been murdered at the hotel, weren’t the same man had been a blatant lie. It had been one he’d told in hopes of quelling her desire to investigate the hotel crimes. But Ryan was sure that it had only made things worse. And if that hadn’t done him in, his insinuation that he didn’t really care about Abigail had come across loud and clear. He wished with everything that he could somehow make her understand why he needed her to believe it was the truth.
Since meeting Abigail MacKenzie, nothing in his life had been the same. She was a lot like Rachel in so many ways—headstrong and determined, passionate, and caring about the people around her. Since meeting her, Ryan felt like for the first time, he might actually be able to put the past behind him. She didn’t know it, but in a strange way she had given him something to fight for.
The truth was, he hadn’t felt this alive since his sister died. Nor had he ever felt more strongly about a woman than he did about Abigail MacKenzie. She made him feel powerful, like he could take on the whole world and come out a victor. In many ways, he’d never felt better than he did when he was with her.
He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but somehow he had to find a way to make things right between him and Abigail. She deserved someone a lot better than him. But he needed her in his life just the same.
Ryan crossed the porch and entered the lobby. He didn’t see Abigail or Becker at the desk, which was strange because Becker had been especially diligent about micromanaging the front office over the last couple of days. Thinking that maybe they were in one of the back offices, Ryan stepped into the hall.
The back hallway was quiet. Entering the break room, he found a full cup of coffee sitting beside the machine. There was something lying on the ground. He bent down and picked it up.
Dangerous Secret [The Pinnacles of Power Prequel] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 23