Mina turns at the sound, a quick smile suddenly tilting her lips. “You’re making tea?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer, but instead pads out of the living room and into the kitchen. “Everybody I know drinks coffee,” she rambles on as I lift the kettle from the stove and pour the hot water into the two mugs I’d set on the small island.
“We Brits enjoy our tea.” I slide the box of tea toward her as well as a couple of biscuits on a small plate. She needs food in her belly to counteract the alcohol.
Mina flips through the bags, settling on Earl Grey. “It’s one of my favorite black teas, but I drink chamomile at night.” She starts to take a sip, but pauses as I pour cream into my cup. “I’ve never had tea that way before. Is it good?”
“It’s the only proper way to have a cup of tea.” I lift the container, eyebrows raised. When she nods that she wants it in hers as well, I pour some in, then push the tin of cubed sugar her way. “Your choice. I usually go without.”
“So you have sugar for guests?” she asks, picking up one and dropping it into her tea.
With wide eyes and her towel-dried blond hair falling over her shoulders in soft waves, she appears genuinely curious. Most likely she’s trying to avoid discussing what happened in that hotel. I straighten my shoulders. “I’m always prepared.”
“You sound just like my brother,” she mumbles around a bite of biscuit. “Such Boy Scouts.”
Needing answers, I set my mug down. “Tell me about the phone call you got at work.”
Mina stirs her tea a couple of times, then looks at me as she tucks her hair behind her ear, a slight smile crooking her lips. “Oxford, huh?”
My gaze instantly drops to my uni’s logo hugging the swells of her breasts. She’s perfectly proportioned. Well curved, but not too big for her tiny size. Glancing down briefly, I take a step back and fold my arms in a relaxed stance to hopefully set her at ease. “Yes, I went to Oxford.”
“Interesting. I never would’ve taken you for an Oxford alum. You seem more like a Cambridge guy.” She thumbs over her shoulder toward the living room. “Then again, your house is far cozier than I expected. I pictured you with modern decor…all bold lines, chrome metal, and black, white and red. Not the dark leather furniture and soft cream pillows. And that artwork over the fireplace; it’s so peaceful and mesmerizing. All that lush green land. Where was that painted?”
She’s definitely avoiding. “We need to talk about what happened in the hotel, Mina. You said you didn’t hurt anyone earlier, but you mentioned a lot of blood.”
Mina takes another sip of her tea, then her hands start to shake and her calm expression breaks. “Regan called.”
Every muscle in my body tenses, but I keep my tone even. “What did she want?”
Her hands tighten around the mug as if she’s trying to soak in all its warmth. “She sounded weird…a bit off, and really anxious. She told me that she needed to explain her actions. I wanted to yell at her for betraying my family’s generosity, my trust. I got her that job and she stole from us using my log-in access, but I worried if I said all the angry thoughts rushing through my head, she’d hang up and disappear for good.” Mina’s eyes brim with tears. “I needed to know why, Den. How could she throw away a lifetime of friendship?”
Twenty-three million of Blake Industries’ money is ample reason, but what I’m concerned with is what made Regan suddenly grow a conscience? It’s been months since Sebastian uncovered Regan’s embezzlement, but by then she had already disappeared. We tried and failed to find her. It’s like she never existed, no trail to follow, nothing. I don’t believe the flimsy excuse she gave Mina. There’s no way unloading her guilt could be worth the possibility of getting caught and having to rot in prison for her crime.
“Did you two get into a fight?” I push off the counter, straightening. “I don’t remember seeing any scrapes on you, but is that how she got hurt?”
“It wasn’t like that.” The moment Mina glances away from my intense stare, the dryer shuts off. Heavy silence fills the room, highlighting her evasive answer. As Mina walks out of the room to retrieve her clothes from the dryer, she calls over her shoulder, “I don’t think I can handle describing it.” Returning with her clothes in hand, she nods slowly. “It’ll be easier if I show you. Once you see, then…” A shaky breath escapes, as if the weight on her shoulders just grew heavier. “We can call the police.”
Chapter Six
Mina
I stay quiet as Den drives us back to the hotel. Despite my shower dunking, which I will never admit helped sober me up like a jolt of adrenaline, a truce seems to have fallen over us like my warm clothes right out of the dryer and a fresh scent of peace.
It’s been so long since I’ve let myself depend on someone enough to share my flaws and trust them to back me up. Family doesn’t count. Blakes always support each other, no matter what. Den is different. He has no reason to help, but he is, and I don’t know what to do with that fact. So instead, at least for this car ride, I close my eyes and let go of my worry of picking Josi up on time. Den has her back too. Taking slow breaths, I push away the anxiety that awful scene in the hotel conjures, along with the tragic loss of my friend. For now, I just exist. Den’s years of field experience and calm approach will help keep me grounded when I call the authorities.
My eyes fly open at the sound of a phone ringing inside the car.
“Hey, Den. How’s everything going at BLACK Security?”
He’s calling my father? My whole body tenses and panic rises in my chest. The warmth quickly evaporates and I shake my head in fast jerks, but Den completely ignores me. “Good afternoon, Mr. Blake. Everything is fine. Talia and Sebastian have asked Mina to work on a time-sensitive project, and your daughter asked me to call and see if your schedule would allow you to pick Josi up from daycare today so she can finish her part.”
“I’ll be happy to pick Josi up,” he says, his voice full of pride. “As a matter of fact, since it’s Friday, I hope Mina will be okay with me making it a weekend with my granddaughter. I was going to call tomorrow and ask if I could take Josi to the new animated movie An Adventure in Atlantis that just came out. Let Mina know that it’s age appropriate and I’ve got everything Josi needs at the house. Between Helena and myself, she’ll have a wonderful time.”
Helena’s back? Thankful mist blurs my gaze and I quickly nod my approval to Den’s questioning look. As my nanny, Helena practically raised me. I was so sad when she moved to the West coast to be with her mother after I left for college. I don’t know when she returned, but she couldn’t have come back at a better time. Josi will adore her, and she’s going to get the biggest hug from me.
“I’m sure Mina would fully approve of her daughter having some quality time with her grandfather,” Den says as he reaches inside his coat pocket, then hands me my phone.
“Good! Once she’s done with her project, tell my daughter I said to go out and do something frivolous. She should enjoy the rare treat of having the whole weekend to herself.”
I tense at the thought that I could be sitting in a jail cell soon instead of a spa.
“I’ll convey the message. She’ll be in touch with you later, Mr. Blake.”
Den hangs up just before he turns into the hotel’s parking lot. Cutting the engine, he looks at me. “Now that Josi’s in good hands, we can focus on what happened earlier. Do you have a key to the room?”
I nod and open my purse to retrieve it. “Regan said she was exhausted and needed a nap, so she’d leave me a key at the front desk. All I had to do was give them her room number. The desk clerk didn’t even look up from the graphic novel he was reading as he handed me the key card.” My voice shakes as I drop the card in his hand. “Sh—she’s in room 410. I don’t know if I can go back in there.”
“It’s best if I go in alone. Stay here,” he says, taking the card from me.
I watch Den walk inside and despite the fact that I’m wearing my coat, I start to shiv
er. Anxiety knots my stomach as I imagine the look on his face, the judgment in his eyes that I somehow played a part in what happened to Regan.
I jump when my phone rings with a call. My fingers fumble as I answer.
“Hello?” I say, my voice cracking.
“I need you to come to the room,” Den simply says.
I don’t bother asking how he has my number. How else could he have tracked me to that bar? “Should I dial 9-1-1 or call the front desk first?”
“Don’t do either.”
“But, shouldn’t I—”
“Don’t speak to anyone, Mina. Understand?”
My back stiffens at his curt tone. He’s already judging me. “Yes, I’m coming.”
I walk right past the front desk. The guy is still engrossed in his novel. That’s some great customer service right there. The ride in the elevator seems to take forever, but the moment it pings on the fourth floor, my whole body fills with dread. Taking a deep breath, I clench and unclench my shaking hands and swallow several times to prepare myself for seeing Regan again. I reach the door and quietly knock, whispering, “I’m here.”
Den opens the door, his broad shoulders filling the frame. The look of concern on his face worries me even more. His job depends on him remaining expressionless. I step into the room and he quickly shuts the door behind me. When he steps to the side, I turn, refusing to look toward the bed. I can’t see my friend like that. She might’ve decided to take the easy way out, but I don’t understand why she needed me to see it. Why did you do this, Regan?
I blink to stay calm and keep my gaze locked on Den’s face. “I know I need to be here when we call the police, but I wish we could’ve done it from the car. I just don’t want to revisit the horror of it, Den.”
His brow furrows as he briefly glances in the room. “What do you think happened here, Mina?”
I gesture toward the bed, upset that he’s asking me to describe what I think happened. “Isn’t it obvious? Regan committed suicide. And for whatever sick reason she wanted me to find her. When I walked in and saw all the blood, I thought maybe I got here just after it happened.” Choking up, I blink past the rush of tears and take a deep breath, then bow my head and close my eyes. “I know it was wrong to run, but I was scared out of my mind.” Lifting my gaze to his, my words pour out in a tumble. “It hit me that this could’ve been Regan’s last fuck you to my family. That she called me here to set me up. I mean, what if the police didn’t believe me and they thought I did it for what she did to us—”
“Mina,” Den clasps my shoulders and turns me around. “There is nothing here.”
I gape at the empty room. The neatly made bed. Where’s Regan? I jerk my gaze to his. “There was a food tray on that table over there. And she was right here, lying on the bed. Blood was splattered on the comforter and the pillows. Some was even on the headboard.” Den’s staring at me like he’s watching a wounded animal and trying to figure out how to approach it.
My heart races faster and faster. “Don’t look at me like that. I swear to you, she was right here. When I saw her like that, I held back a scream, then leaned over her to see if I could feel air coming out of her nose. There was nothing. She wasn’t breathing.”
I fall to my knees and lift the comforter, looking for proof that might’ve been left behind. A shoe, a sock. Anything. All I see is dust. Standing, I frown. “Do we have the right room?”
“The key would only work on the correct room,” he reminds me.
Rubbing my suddenly throbbing temples, I whisper, “I promise, she was here.”
“What makes you think it was a suicide? Could you tell how she killed herself?”
At least he’s asking more questions instead of looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. “There was a lot of blood, but she appeared to have wounds in her chest. Here,” I say, pointing to my heart. “And the engraved letter opener that I gave her for her first year anniversary at Blake Industries was on the bed beside her. Underneath all that blood, my prints could probably still be on it.”
I shake my head and begin to pace, tears tracking my cheeks. “I don’t understand this. My best friend died in this room.”
“Was the room registered in her name?”
I halt and glance his way. “She said she registered under another name. A place like this doesn’t care who you are as long as you have cash.”
“Which begs the question: why would Regan choose to stay in such a cheap hotel? She stole a fortune from your family.”
I part my lips to answer, but don’t have one. He’s right. It doesn’t make sense. I look around the room, bewildered. I know what I saw, but…did I?
It was Regan, right? She looked like she’d lost some weight, but I didn’t look too closely at her face. Walking in and immediately seeing all that blood freaked me the hell out.
“The call I got sounded like Regan. The woman looked like Regan. And she had her letter opener. I—” I pause, unsure what else to say to convince him.
“Let me take you home. Once you get some food in your belly, your mind will clear.”
“But…” I gesture to the room, bewildered.
“We can’t report what’s not here, Mina.” Opening the door, he calmly says, “We should go.”
Den probably thinks I was having a hallucination. I wasn’t high earlier like he assumed, but what I don’t want to admit is that I could be wrong. Before I walked into this empty room, with its clean bed and neatly tucked tacky floral cover, I would’ve sworn up and down what I saw was real, and not some freaking nightmare. Then again, I’ve seen my dead mother while out and about in the city the last few months too. Or someone I thought could be her. So maybe I’m not the best judge of what’s real or not.
Den’s right about one thing. I can’t report a crime that doesn’t exist.
Exhaling a shaky breath, I walk out of the room and wonder if I’m losing my mind.
Chapter Seven
Mina
“Thank you so much for picking up Josi, Dad.” I tuck my phone under my chin as I tug an oversized sweater over my t-shirt. It feels so good to slip into comfy, casual clothes. “I hope she’s a good girl for you at the movies tomorrow. The last time I took her, she couldn’t sit still. I really appreciate you spending the weekend with her. She does have an event I signed her up for at church on Sunday.”
“Text me the details for the church thing. I’ll get her there for it. And of course I’m happy to do it, Mina. This will be great one-on-one quality time. I do hope you make sure to do something relaxing the next couple of days.”
“I’ll try. Thank you. Can you put the phone up to Josi’s ear?”
“Sure, just a second.” My gaze slides to Den glancing out my apartment window while my father’s footsteps echo on the wood floor. “Josi, your mom’s on the phone.”
“Mama?”
I smile at her sweet voice. I miss her already. “I just wanted to say that I love you, baby girl. Have fun with your Granddad.”
“Wuv you, Mama. Bye-bye.”
When Dad gets back on the phone, I snort. “I think she’s happy to be there.”
“That’s because Helena is setting up a tea party for her,” he says, laughing. “Do you remember that tea set you refused to let your mother throw away?”
“Ah, I’d forgotten all about it.” Den peers casually through the curtains to the street below. He’s always so vigilant. I tuck my hand in the back pocket of my jeans as I tap the toe of my tennis shoe on the patterned carpet under the coffee table. “Do you remember when I used to demand that you come to my tea parties? I was what? Three?”
“Yes, I remember very well. You’d stamp your little foot, scrunch that adorable face surrounded by a mop of flyaway hair, and insist I call you Princess Mina the entire time. How could I resist such strong Blake traits at such an early age?” he says, pride in his voice.
“Guess Princess Mina wanted to rule the room,” I say softly. Where’d that decisive girl go? I don’t even tr
ust my own mind anymore. My gaze lifts to Den’s face to make sure he didn’t hear the Princess Mina part. Who knows what kind of inference he’d draw from my childhood egocentrics. The last thing I need is more judgment today. Thankfully he’s still staring outside, completely oblivious. What’s he so interested in?
“You certainly knew your own mind,” Dad says, pulling me back to the conversation. “And Josi’s just like you. Helena’s the one who remembered the tea set and brought it out. And…it looks like I’m being summoned to the table for a cup.”
“Love you, Dad. Please tell Helena I can’t wait to see her. I hope you can find a way to convince her to stay. I miss her. Not to mention, who’s going to look after you?”
He chuckles. “I’ve been doing that for a very long time now, young lady. I’ll survive, but I sure do enjoy having Josi here, so Helena may have to stick around to remember important little things like tea parties. Have a great weekend and see you on Sunday.”
As I hang up, I say to Den with a half-laugh, “Josi was all like, ‘Mom who?’”
Den nods. “She feels safe and loved. That’s all that matters.” He glances at his phone when a new text buzzes through, then lets the curtain fall back into place. “I have an appointment, but Theo has arrived and put your car in its parking spot. He will be just outside your door until I return. If you need anything, ask him.”
I can’t believe how disappointed I am that he’s leaving. I don’t want another BLACK Security guy to watch over me. In the middle of my emotional rollercoaster today, the tiny peek behind the curtain of Den’s life drew me in and kept me from imploding. And now that I’m completely sober, the last thing I want is to be alone. The idea of a whole weekend ahead of me will give me way too much time to question my sanity after seeing that empty hotel room.
I’d hoped I could convince Den to stick around and tell me about his Oxford days over dinner and another pot of tea—no more alcohol for me for a while. What was he like in his early twenties? Has he always been a man of few words? I bet he has some great stories. I’m sure he and his British buddies got into all kinds of trouble.
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